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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
I probably would have gotten a lot more out of this memoir if I'd read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartbreaking and almost ludicrous tale of Jeanette Winterson's upbringing. The resiliency of this woman is amazing. Her ability to find strength and escape through literature is not only admirable but evident in the way she masterfully constructed her prose throughout the memoir.
medium-paced
I really loved Jeanette Winterson's semi-autobiographical novel "Oranges aren't the Only Fruit" so reading her memoir "Why be Happy When You Could Be Normal" seemed like a natural progression. It is difficult to read about Winterson's struggles, but the memoir is well written and interesting.
If you've read "Oranges," you know Winterson's story. She was adopted at six weeks old by a couple who were Pentacostal evangelists. Her mother, referred to in this book as "Mrs. Winterson" was domineering, fanatical, emotionally abusive and completely unable to accept the fact her daughter was gay. (The title of the book is something that Mrs. Winterson actually said to her daughter.) As a result of her upbringing, Jeanette Winterson has an inability to connect with people and accept love -- or at least that's something she struggles with even in the end of the memoir.
Glad I decided to pick this one up.
If you've read "Oranges," you know Winterson's story. She was adopted at six weeks old by a couple who were Pentacostal evangelists. Her mother, referred to in this book as "Mrs. Winterson" was domineering, fanatical, emotionally abusive and completely unable to accept the fact her daughter was gay. (The title of the book is something that Mrs. Winterson actually said to her daughter.) As a result of her upbringing, Jeanette Winterson has an inability to connect with people and accept love -- or at least that's something she struggles with even in the end of the memoir.
Glad I decided to pick this one up.
"Happy times are great, but happy times pass – they have to – because time passes."
"I have noticed that doing the sensible thing is only a good idea when the decision is quite small. For the life-changing things, you must risk it."
"I have noticed that doing the sensible thing is only a good idea when the decision is quite small. For the life-changing things, you must risk it."
Li poso un quatre perquè cap al final m'ha fet plorar. No és que escrigui precisament però té un missatge potent. És més la història que no pas com està explicada.
Me n'alegro per ella.
L'he acabat mentre feia caca al lavabo de l'apartament de la Laia, plena de SPM.
Me n'alegro per ella.
L'he acabat mentre feia caca al lavabo de l'apartament de la Laia, plena de SPM.
emotional
funny
slow-paced
This memoir by writer Jeanette Winterson of growing up in the north of England is both funny and heartbreaking as she comes to terms with who she was and is. It is not often in a book that I have to stop and re-read sections just to experience the beauty of the language. An excellent book and especially interesting for anyone who has experienced some aspect of adoption.
Some parts are laugh out loud funny and I loved hearing about life in Manchester and the Pentecostal insanity. But other parts are really self indulgent and cringey, and completely lacking the self awareness that I take to be the defining characteristic of a good writer. The “my new girlfriend cured my crippling trauma” arc was just like Hallmark Channel movie bs. I was embarrassed considering how otherwise brilliant she is. Never meet your idols…or read their memoirs.
A decade ago I tried one of Winterson's novels and dismissed it as pompous and overwritten. Either a huge mistake or proof of one's tastes developing over time (or both)--I could not possibly have enjoyed this magnificent book any more than i did, on emotional, intellectual, and linguistic levels. This perfect book is a masterwork of memoir and I'm going to begin makinh my way through all the rest of Winterson's works as a result of it.