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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
The book's title, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal refers to the words spoken by Jeanette Winterson's adoptive mother as Jeanette was being kicked out of the house at the age of sixteen for being a lesbian. Earlier in Jeanette's life, when her mother discovered her first girlfriend, she was the subject of an exorcism in front of their entire Pentecostal congregation (seriously!). Needless to say, life was difficult growing up with a fanatical born-again mother who was obsessed with the apocalypse and suffering. Some of Mrs. Winterson's (as Jeanette called her mother) actions were horrific and some were rather amusing in a sad way. Some of my favorite lines from the book were:
- About Christmas: "Most kids grow up leaving something for Santa at Christmas time, when he comes down the chimney. I used to make presents for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
- While on vacation: "My mother sat in a deck chair most of the day reading sensationalist literature about Hell."
- When a friend slept over: "Vicky was struggling. Just before Christmas she went up to bed and found that her pillowcase had no pillow in it. It was stuffed with religious tracts about the apocalypse."
Jeanette's mother heaped psychological abuse on her constantly. But our formative lives shape us in to what we are and during this time Jeanette developed a love for literature, and when her mother disallowed this Jeanette decided to write her own literature and she eventually became the acclaimed author she is now.
The latter portion of the book recounts Jeanette's search for her birth mother. This was a difficult process due to the secrecy of her adoptive family and difficulty obtaining records through the system at the time. The process was very interesting but difficult emotionally.
I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Her wit and emotions really come through on the recording and this added a lot to the experience. I would highly recommend this even if you are not yet a fan of Jeanette Winterson.
While listening to this audiobook I was reading the paper book of Alan Cumming's memoir Not My Father's Son which was also about growing up with an irrational, abusive parent. It was quite a one-two punch of gloominess.
- About Christmas: "Most kids grow up leaving something for Santa at Christmas time, when he comes down the chimney. I used to make presents for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
- While on vacation: "My mother sat in a deck chair most of the day reading sensationalist literature about Hell."
- When a friend slept over: "Vicky was struggling. Just before Christmas she went up to bed and found that her pillowcase had no pillow in it. It was stuffed with religious tracts about the apocalypse."
Jeanette's mother heaped psychological abuse on her constantly. But our formative lives shape us in to what we are and during this time Jeanette developed a love for literature, and when her mother disallowed this Jeanette decided to write her own literature and she eventually became the acclaimed author she is now.
The latter portion of the book recounts Jeanette's search for her birth mother. This was a difficult process due to the secrecy of her adoptive family and difficulty obtaining records through the system at the time. The process was very interesting but difficult emotionally.
I listened to the audiobook read by the author. Her wit and emotions really come through on the recording and this added a lot to the experience. I would highly recommend this even if you are not yet a fan of Jeanette Winterson.
While listening to this audiobook I was reading the paper book of Alan Cumming's memoir Not My Father's Son which was also about growing up with an irrational, abusive parent. It was quite a one-two punch of gloominess.
This is a sad, touching, painful, funny memoir and I understand the praise it has received. But after reading this and Oranges are not the only Fruit in the last month I've decided Winterson's writing style is not one I love. It's too flowery, too metaphorical and too disconnected for me. Nevertheless this was still a pick.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
i loved this! usually i prefer more a straightforward writing style but in this case, even though i had to pay attention and really think about what i was reading, the author's use of language was my favourite thing about the book. there are some beautiful turns of phrase and images and also some really funny moments as well (although it definitely isn't a light read!)
personally i enjoyed the chapter 'english literature a-z'. winterson's love of reading was so well written that it made me want to go out and find all the books she mentioned.
more importantly, it was an interesting insight into the experience of being adopted, which i haven't read or thought much about before, and it gave me a lot of food for though about mental health and what we classify as/ how we judge "madness"
i'm also just impressed by her honesty and vulnerability. she doesn't shy away from writing about aspects of herself that could open her up to judgement/criticism.
i don't typically reread books, but i feel like this is a book i could come back to at a later point and get something different from, or understand on a different level. like i said, the writing style is more challenging than i am used to and there were things i didn't really understand, but that didn't make me like it any less.
personally i enjoyed the chapter 'english literature a-z'. winterson's love of reading was so well written that it made me want to go out and find all the books she mentioned.
more importantly, it was an interesting insight into the experience of being adopted, which i haven't read or thought much about before, and it gave me a lot of food for though about mental health and what we classify as/ how we judge "madness"
i'm also just impressed by her honesty and vulnerability. she doesn't shy away from writing about aspects of herself that could open her up to judgement/criticism.
i don't typically reread books, but i feel like this is a book i could come back to at a later point and get something different from, or understand on a different level. like i said, the writing style is more challenging than i am used to and there were things i didn't really understand, but that didn't make me like it any less.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia
Minor: Classism
A fantastic book for Winterson fans that reminds us that writers are actually people with their own struggles - not just people living some wonderful life of extreme imagination.
If you love reading and loved other Winterson books then you'll enjoy this short and compelling autobiography.
If you love reading and loved other Winterson books then you'll enjoy this short and compelling autobiography.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
I was very often full of rage and despair. I was always lonely. In spite of all that I was and am in love with life.
Reading about Jeanette Winterson's life in her own words speaks to my soul. After reading her fiction novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, this autobiography fills in some of the gaps of the real-life inspiration behind the novel. I enjoy her straightforward, no-nonsense style of writing which is also non-linear and poetic at the same time. This autobiography delves into universal and nuanced life themes – childhood trauma, adoption, the power of words, queerness, and learning how to love and be loved.
Jeanette Winterson's prose is so beautiful in her fiction that I think I expected something more from her memoir. Although I haven't read anything since "Written on the Body," what I remember is how incredibly *vivid* that book was in terms of sensory details. "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?" lacks that, and it feels like an inordinate amount of time is spent inside Jeanette's own head, following her various interpretations or philosophies regarding her life. Her life is incredibly interesting, in equal parts horrifying, sad, and humorous, as she writes about her relationship with a fundamentalist mother whose unhappiness infected everyone around her. She references her novel, "Oranges are Not the Only Fruit" quite often, which I haven't read, but which is mostly autobiographical. In some sense, I feel that this book was somewhat sparse because she felt like she'd already covered a lot of this ground in fiction; the main story she seems to want to tell here is the one about meeting her birthmother, which is compelling. But I think my biggest "takeaway" from this memoir was my admiration of Jeanette's ability to cope and thrive despite her life circumstances, which include leaving home at 16 because her mother couldn't deal with her homosexuality. I also appreciated the honest, nuanced insight it offered into the life of a child who grew up in an adoptive family.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
a really interesting, raw, well written memoir and a story of adoption, toxic family relationships and the affects they have, love, and being a messy human being. best thing i’ve read from jeanette winterson by far, and i truly really enjoyed this.
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
dare i say…this is the best memoir I’ve ever read?
Probably the best autobiography I've ever read. Jeanette Winterson manages to write a book that is both deeply personal but also universally relatable. About literature, love and loss. Utterly beautiful.