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garynoplastie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Death, and Homophobia
Minor: Medical content, Sexual content, Animal death, Racial slurs, and Vomit
areadingstan's review
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Winterson insists in the introduction of this book, that even though the novel depicts events within her own life, it is just as much fiction as it is fact.
Jeanette, the protagonist, is adopted from a young age into a Pentecostal Christian family, who are very committed. Her mother is even a missionary, and is raising her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Conflict arises when when Jeanette falls in love with another girl, which, in the 70s, in a community such as this, was quite unacceptable. We can assume the homophobia is present here without Winterson alluding to it, but it becomes more clear when Jeanette is told she cannot visit a paper shop owned by two women because they have, in her mother's words, 'unnatural passions'. This phrase is repeated throughout the novel, as Jeanette starts to express her sexuality, never worrying that she is doing anything wrong, because it comes natural.
The story is periodically interrupted by parallel fairy tales, with no indication of the change in setting but an asterisk in between paragraphs. Whether Winterson wants her readers to analyse these sprinkles of otherwordly magic or not I am not sure, but it does create a nice contrast, and I love a good fairy tale.
This book is so witty and made me laugh out loud a fair bit. Notable mentions includeMrs Arkwright, who owns a shop specialising in bug and vermin poisoning, hoping for a hot summer to boost business. And Jeanette's mum talking about a fizzing feeling she got when meeting a beautiful French man, but it turned out to be a stomach ulcer .
There are some philosophical and thoughtful musings about our existence, God, and history, which feel like the author is speaking directly to us, maybe because this story takes great inspiration from her own upbringing.
Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Winterson's life, and the struggle of growing up as a queer woman in 1970s Britain, with a fair bit of religious satire thrown in. I'm eager to read more of Winterson's work now.
Jeanette, the protagonist, is adopted from a young age into a Pentecostal Christian family, who are very committed. Her mother is even a missionary, and is raising her daughter to follow in her footsteps. Conflict arises when when Jeanette falls in love with another girl, which, in the 70s, in a community such as this, was quite unacceptable. We can assume the homophobia is present here without Winterson alluding to it, but it becomes more clear when Jeanette is told she cannot visit a paper shop owned by two women because they have, in her mother's words, 'unnatural passions'. This phrase is repeated throughout the novel, as Jeanette starts to express her sexuality, never worrying that she is doing anything wrong, because it comes natural.
The story is periodically interrupted by parallel fairy tales, with no indication of the change in setting but an asterisk in between paragraphs. Whether Winterson wants her readers to analyse these sprinkles of otherwordly magic or not I am not sure, but it does create a nice contrast, and I love a good fairy tale.
This book is so witty and made me laugh out loud a fair bit. Notable mentions include
There are some philosophical and thoughtful musings about our existence, God, and history, which feel like the author is speaking directly to us, maybe because this story takes great inspiration from her own upbringing.
Overall, I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Winterson's life, and the struggle of growing up as a queer woman in 1970s Britain, with a fair bit of religious satire thrown in. I'm eager to read more of Winterson's work now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
freddie_mewcury's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Lesbophobia
izzymvt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
christinecc's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" is only inspired by author Jeanette Winterson's childhood and teenage years, but its title reminds me of the title for Winterson's more explicitly biographical work, the memoir "Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?"
And if I were a smarter person, I could maybe parse the fruit imagery in this book. It warrants a reread, but for a first-time reader, "Oranges" is still incredibly powerful if sometimes opaque. I love how she depicts the main character's relationship with her family and her highly religious community (which kind of feels like a bubble cut off from the outside world). I especially love the layers of bubbles: what is the norm? Where is the "normal" world and how do we find it? The main character's dynamic at home is not the dynamic in the church, nor is it the dynamic she finds when she eventually leaves home altogether.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It's about getting to know yourself and realizing that things you took for granted were actually irreconcilable elements to the outside world. The main character is gay and religious, but she doesn't see how her love is any different from straight love. It's only when other people call her unnatural that she becomes aware of the issue. If I had to sum the book up, it's about a young girl who comes of age, but it's less about her discovering who she is and more about her hanging on to who she's always been.
The part where she comes back at the end was the most heartbreaking, I think. It's as if nothing's changed, but everything has changed, and her mother (who threw her out) acts as if everything is fine. It should be comforting, but it's not: it feels like someone has papered over the parts they don't like, and the main character can feel the discomfort everywhere. It's both conditional and unconditional love. The main character is home, but she will never be home.
Recommended to anyone who likes to read stories about insular families with a slightly dysfunctional bent (although I have to assume every family is dysfunctional in its own way), stories about growing up, and stories about coming out. This is the third book of Winterson's that has moved me and I absolutely intend to read more of her work.
Slight trigger warning for homophobia, which isn't much of a spoiler, and also the following, which is a spoiler and fairly distressing, so be warned before reading: I'm pretty sure that when the main character is first outed and goes to stay at a friend's house, that friend sexually assaults her. But it's couched in the main character saying she and the friend make love and she hates it the whole time, and the "friend" is a grown-ass woman while the main character is a teen in major emotional distress, so... it felt non-consensual or borderline iffy to me. But like I said, it's not very clear. Take from it what you will.
And if I were a smarter person, I could maybe parse the fruit imagery in this book. It warrants a reread, but for a first-time reader, "Oranges" is still incredibly powerful if sometimes opaque. I love how she depicts the main character's relationship with her family and her highly religious community (which kind of feels like a bubble cut off from the outside world). I especially love the layers of bubbles: what is the norm? Where is the "normal" world and how do we find it? The main character's dynamic at home is not the dynamic in the church, nor is it the dynamic she finds when she eventually leaves home altogether.
I'm not sure how to review this book. It's about getting to know yourself and realizing that things you took for granted were actually irreconcilable elements to the outside world. The main character is gay and religious, but she doesn't see how her love is any different from straight love. It's only when other people call her unnatural that she becomes aware of the issue. If I had to sum the book up, it's about a young girl who comes of age, but it's less about her discovering who she is and more about her hanging on to who she's always been.
The part where she comes back at the end was the most heartbreaking, I think. It's as if nothing's changed, but everything has changed, and her mother (who threw her out) acts as if everything is fine. It should be comforting, but it's not: it feels like someone has papered over the parts they don't like, and the main character can feel the discomfort everywhere. It's both conditional and unconditional love. The main character is home, but she will never be home.
Recommended to anyone who likes to read stories about insular families with a slightly dysfunctional bent (although I have to assume every family is dysfunctional in its own way), stories about growing up, and stories about coming out. This is the third book of Winterson's that has moved me and I absolutely intend to read more of her work.
Slight trigger warning for homophobia, which isn't much of a spoiler, and also the following, which is a spoiler and fairly distressing, so be warned before reading:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault and Emotional abuse
orlagal's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Mental illness, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
sinmin667's review
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I first read this book five years ago and absolutely inhaled it. I think I loved the themes about Pentecostal religion and sexuality and wanted more books like it. I just finished rereading it a second time and I honestly didn't like it nearly as much-- I found her writing style to be very inaccessible if you were not very familiar with conversational British slang. Personally I'm not a huge fan of fantasy writing, so for the half of the book that is her fantastical internal monologue, I was very bored. I could tell it was her trying to develop the character, but it was exhausting to parse through. I think this is because the second time, I came wanting the story about a young girl coming to terms with her sexuality-- which honestly doesn't get that many scenes, and not much resolution. It wasn't as center stage as I remembered it to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, and Xenophobia
valereads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
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