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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Both the book and Winterson's "performance" of reading it are brilliant. I felt as if she were sitting next to me in the car telling me her story. It's the story of her growing up and then more recent years...skipping some time in the middle of her life. If you've read Oranges you'll enjoyed this very much, but even if you've never read a word of Winterson's writing this is an excellent memoir about mothers--adopted, biological, chosen--and daughters, about learning how to live in the world, about claiming your life. But it's not just about mothers and daughters so don't be put off. And its certainly not about mothers and daughters in any sappy kind of way, but in the raw grittiness of how things are or can be. It's about Winterson's life, her desire to write, her reading, English literature, industrial northern England, going mad, finding love, etc. The only draw-back to listening to this rather than reading it is that I couldn't underline the poignant moments, the bits of philosophy or beautiful sentences that I'd like to go back to and appreciate. I plan on reading the book in the future so I can do just that.
I rarely re-read books, and never say I will do so just days after finishing one, but I will make an exception for this book.
I was unfortunately very distracted while listening and know that had I had time to focus this probably would have been rated higher.
This is not a memoir in the traditional sense, but I loved how the author’s thought processes flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next. In the hands of another writer it could have come across as disjointed, but here it never did.
From a less than happy childhood to growing up gay, religion, philosophy and a whole lot of self-analysis, the author tackles a multitude of subjects all in her unique Jeanette Winterson way.
She is fiercely passionate about the written word and does not shy away from her own mistakes or over dramatize those of others. There is also unexpected (and mostly dark) humour that had me laughing at inappropriate times.
A memorable memoir from an author I knew nothing about.
I was unfortunately very distracted while listening and know that had I had time to focus this probably would have been rated higher.
This is not a memoir in the traditional sense, but I loved how the author’s thought processes flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next. In the hands of another writer it could have come across as disjointed, but here it never did.
From a less than happy childhood to growing up gay, religion, philosophy and a whole lot of self-analysis, the author tackles a multitude of subjects all in her unique Jeanette Winterson way.
She is fiercely passionate about the written word and does not shy away from her own mistakes or over dramatize those of others. There is also unexpected (and mostly dark) humour that had me laughing at inappropriate times.
A memorable memoir from an author I knew nothing about.
I am a bit torn on this one...I liked the author's writing style --- I believe I missed a little bit, having not read her previous book referenced often. I am a bit conflicted, because the way she describes what an adopted child naturally feels is nothing like anything I have ever experienced. While every family is messed up in its own way, I was adopted into a loving, supportive, positive family, so I do not have any of the negative experiences/feelings of loss. I never experienced the feeling of being unwanted....in fact, just the opposite. So, I believe it is all about perspective...what a child must go through to be given up for adoption, then adopted by a mother who makes it clear she isn't happy with her decision. I applaud the author for what she has done with her life and her well-being --- and I thought the way she treated her adoptive father late in his life was lovely and so incredibly caring. Finally, I realize how lucky I have been and why I have never had the slightest bit of curiousity to seek out my birth parents...I have enough in my life as it is.
This was really good Winterson is a beautiful writer.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A true gem of a biographical book, read at the just the right time for me.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment
~I can't remember a time when I wasn't setting my story against hers.~
~Truth for anyone is a very complex thing. For a writer, what you leave out says as much as those things you include. What lies beyond the margin of the tet? The photographer frames the shot; writers frame their world.~
~She once told me that the universe is a cosmic dustbin - and after I had thought about this for a bit, I asked her if the lid was on or off.
'On,' she said. 'Nobody escapes.'~
~It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes you. The one that writes you is dangerous. You go where you don't want to go. You look where you don't want to look.~
~Reading yourself as a fiction as well as a fact is the only way to keep the narrative open - the only way to stop the story running away under its own momentum, often towards an ending no one wants.~
~I decided to apply to read English at the University of Oxford because it was the most impossible thing I could do.~
~Going mad is the beginning of a process. It is not supposed to be the end result.~
~Nobody can feel too much, though many of us work very hard at feeling too little.~
~Truth for anyone is a very complex thing. For a writer, what you leave out says as much as those things you include. What lies beyond the margin of the tet? The photographer frames the shot; writers frame their world.~
~She once told me that the universe is a cosmic dustbin - and after I had thought about this for a bit, I asked her if the lid was on or off.
'On,' she said. 'Nobody escapes.'~
~It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes you. The one that writes you is dangerous. You go where you don't want to go. You look where you don't want to look.~
~Reading yourself as a fiction as well as a fact is the only way to keep the narrative open - the only way to stop the story running away under its own momentum, often towards an ending no one wants.~
~I decided to apply to read English at the University of Oxford because it was the most impossible thing I could do.~
~Going mad is the beginning of a process. It is not supposed to be the end result.~
~Nobody can feel too much, though many of us work very hard at feeling too little.~
I really loved reading this after [b:Oranges are Not the Only Fruit|15055|Oranges are Not the Only Fruit|Jeanette Winterson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1267717580s/15055.jpg|1411520], and after seeing Winterson speak at AWP. It added a lot of clarity to the first book, and it's really good to know Jeanette survived her crazy childhood.
Wow, that unexpectedly hit way too close to home...