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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Maybe 3.5? Idk. Maybe 4. have so many thoughts. First I thought Nigerian Christianity was a special brand of unhinged so it was really amusing to see an equally if not more unhinged version represented. I’m a sucker for books that deal with the complexities of being a Christian, and what the loss of it does. I ran through the full gamut of emotions reading this, it’s equal parts wild and funny and heartwarming. It’s a bit all over the place, the narrator jumps from topic to topic often but i think where it shines the most and why I don’t mind the meandering is that the narrators voice is very strong, and special. It’s very very weird but it has a lot of heart. And
some of the lines/paragraphs just really feel like a testament to how beautiful and gut-punching language can be in the right hands. think I like it a lot.
My only complaint is that sometimes (a lot) the author goes on these mythical side quests with other random characters that are not in the story (a prince, a wizard…) and I never got around to getting the point of the stories…so I would get annoyed and just want to skip whenever I came across them. I still can’t make any sense of them lol but maybe I just need more time?? Or idk maybe it’s just not for me. Felt like a distraction and it didn’t add anything of substance imo.
some of the lines/paragraphs just really feel like a testament to how beautiful and gut-punching language can be in the right hands. think I like it a lot.
My only complaint is that sometimes (a lot) the author goes on these mythical side quests with other random characters that are not in the story (a prince, a wizard…) and I never got around to getting the point of the stories…so I would get annoyed and just want to skip whenever I came across them. I still can’t make any sense of them lol but maybe I just need more time?? Or idk maybe it’s just not for me. Felt like a distraction and it didn’t add anything of substance imo.
challenging
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a very interesting read for sure. I will admit I had a hard time keeping up with the plot of the story but that might be bc it has a more nonlinear plotline. Certain chapters almost feel like more of a stream of thought or a sporadic dream than an effort to move the story forward (which I can appreciate artistically at times) It definitely wasn't what I was expecting from this book, but I'm not mad about it. :)
im too dumb to fully understand this but its beautifully written
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
it’s a 4.5 - brilliant and snappy. i wish i could say my mother doesn’t think being gay is the same as being possessed by the demon but unfortunately she probably does so closet it is.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
But where was God now, with heaven full of astronauts, and the Lord overthrown? I miss God. I miss the company of someone utterly loyal.
yes.
There are many forms of love and affection, some people can spend their whole lives together without knowing each other’s names. Naming is a difficult and time-consuming process; it concerns essences, and it means power. But on the wild nights who can call you home? Only the one who knows your name.
yes.
I would cross seas and suffer sunstroke and give away all I have, but not for a man, because they want to be the destroyer and never be destroyed. That is why they are unfit for romantic love. There are exceptions and I hope they are happy.
yes
funny
reflective
sad
soo maybe i made a mistake by choosing winterson’s first novel as my first winterson novel. the first three quarters or so were funny, but reallyyyy dragged. jeanette’s reflections on life at the end of the book, after leaving the church and her family, were interesting, but not earth-shattering. not to mention there is legitimately no character development up until this point and once jeanette's character does begin to evolve, it happens very quickly with practically no nuance. it’s a story about self-actualization, consciousness, identity, and queerness, but to me, this didn’t really take on any interesting or new angles.
one character, miss jewsbury, a closeted lesbian torn between her religion and her lesbianism, who chooses to stay in the church, was so fascinating to me, but we saw very little of her, which was unfortunate.
it also just felt very disjointed ?? like fairytale stories would just be randomly thrown in, and the form did not feel thought out or intentional. i can see how someone would appreciate this, but it wasn't for me
it also just felt very disjointed ?? like fairytale stories would just be randomly thrown in, and the form did not feel thought out or intentional. i can see how someone would appreciate this, but it wasn't for me
dark
emotional
sad
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
There’s really no hate quite like Christian love, is there?
Heartbreaking.
I hate a hypocrite.
Heartbreaking.
I hate a hypocrite.