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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
funny
reflective
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:
Yes
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
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
No sé ben bé com va passar, però moltes gràcies al meu jo del 2020 per descobrir aquest llibre i guardar-se'l.
Walking into this book I wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up loving and relating to the main character, like REALLY relating to Jeanette. All of her struggles and issues made sense and just felt real. The style it was written in reminds me of Harriet the Spy and while logically I know that makes no sense I swear the language use or syntax has to be similar (this is a good thing by the way). I just really liked the story and the breaks where she would write her own fictional fairytale-like stories that relate to the plot I absolutely loved it. I liked the entire book but I feel like the last 60 or so pages were better than the rest. I felt like a few parts were rushed, some minor pacing and time issues and I feel like some of the characters could have been fleshed out better but I still really liked this book.
Spoiler
I also liked the appearance of the orange demon on her shoulder. It completely came out of left-field but in a good way? Also the brown pebble symbolism especially with the raven, that's going to stick with me for a while.
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ehhhh this one was just not for me. I think it just went over my head- I found the story very hard to follow and didn't really understand the references the author made. However the insight to what it is like to grow up in the heavily religious Pentecostal community was interesting, as Jeanette struggled between the sense of belonging she felt with her church peers and God, and their rejection of her solely because of her sexuality.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Conformity and a societal hierarchy of power are two fundamental characteristics of contemporary society which harken back to the Victorian Age and still elicit holds on themes and traditions within the modern age. Therefore, novels such as ‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’ are written by unconventional bohemians in an effort to challenge the scope of oppression and serve to inspire a new generation of thinking free from myopic rule. Winterson writes within the novel that “to change something you do not understand is the true nature of evil”, which certainly ties into the marginalized oppression addressed within modern society. The collective beliefs of any populace solidifies certain tenets of societal standards which can lead to ostracization or banishment should an individual rebel against the status quo. Therefore, the true beauty of this novel lies in the journey of the protagonist as she develops unorthodox ideologies or behaviors that transcend the parameters set before her. This quote rings true to many of the avant-garde writers, artists, and political activists that have paralleled popular culture since time immemorial and the intense backlash they faced within their respective time periods. The lack of change also conforms to the ‘all-seeing eye’ analogy, with the pupil serving as the standard and lording over the disparaged. The Christian religion is certainly one of these attributes found within the center of the spiral.
Utilizing religious fanaticism as the backdrop of this inevitable oppression, Winterson reveals the beauty of her individuality but suffers from the wrath of her peers who fail and even begin to fear that which they do not understand. The abundance of inner desires is most prevalent when she states that “the unknownness of my needs frightens me. I do not know how huge they are, or how high they are, I only know they are not being met.” The novel follows her life from an early age into the development of an adult woman, thus I believe this quote holds prudence in her character development as she becomes more cognizant of the persecution wrought upon her. This internal struggle of individuality and conformity must have been quite dastardly within the woman population over the last few hundred years, arguably stemming from the Apostle Paul and how his teachings metamorphosized into unwavering obedience from women over the ensuing eras. Different religious leaders of the church started to adopt and accumulate these barbaric ideas which came to the culmination that women should serve men and produce babies. Therefore, when the themes of lesbianism start to seep from the pages, one can see how the novel addresses the oppression of patriarchy, for the men in charge of the time would view Winterson as deviant and therefore useless. There are even some instances throughout the novel where the author uses allegorical tales of Arthurian mythos to show how concepts such as truth and beauty are not confined or certain but rather unequivocal in nature, which is summed up best when she states that “everyone who tells a story tells it differently, just to remind us that everybody sees it differently.”
Anguish from religious fervor certainly resonated with me as well, as Christian spirituality was a prominent theme throughout the stretch of my childhood. Interestingly enough however, the ardent censorship of my community instilled an ever-growing curiosity towards learning about unconventional ideas in an effort to see beyond the veil of acceptable reality. After going through the aging process like Winterson and becoming more knowledgeable about the world, I started to see the shortcomings and parochial mindsets that religion instills upon many. I believe Winterson said it best when she writes “I miss God. I miss the company of someone utterly loyal. I still don't think of God as my betrayer. The servants of God, yes, but servants by their very nature betray. I miss God who was my friend. I don't even know if God exists, but I do know that if God is your emotional role model, very few human relationships will match up to it.” That passage particularly spoke to me because it was symbolic of the bridge between child-like innocence and rampant cynicism that many face once they come of age. The idea of god is rather beautiful when explained in an innocent and gentle manner, but after reading of the atrocities within the bible or witnessing the horrid acts of the prevailing faith based solely on misplaced judgement, it is rather difficult to see the value in such a destructive facet of humanity. Truly it would be wondrous for the many to exhibit the abilities of introspection, or at the very least harbor the capacity to respect those that do not follow their beliefs. It is the death of the princess, the common heteroglossia throughout the paragraphs, the shackles of the magician, that all align within the novel to portray how there is not one inherent truth upon which all of reality is based – I believe the title sums it up best: just as oranges are not the only fruit, so too is it certain that not one path of credence is the only interpretation in life.
Utilizing religious fanaticism as the backdrop of this inevitable oppression, Winterson reveals the beauty of her individuality but suffers from the wrath of her peers who fail and even begin to fear that which they do not understand. The abundance of inner desires is most prevalent when she states that “the unknownness of my needs frightens me. I do not know how huge they are, or how high they are, I only know they are not being met.” The novel follows her life from an early age into the development of an adult woman, thus I believe this quote holds prudence in her character development as she becomes more cognizant of the persecution wrought upon her. This internal struggle of individuality and conformity must have been quite dastardly within the woman population over the last few hundred years, arguably stemming from the Apostle Paul and how his teachings metamorphosized into unwavering obedience from women over the ensuing eras. Different religious leaders of the church started to adopt and accumulate these barbaric ideas which came to the culmination that women should serve men and produce babies. Therefore, when the themes of lesbianism start to seep from the pages, one can see how the novel addresses the oppression of patriarchy, for the men in charge of the time would view Winterson as deviant and therefore useless. There are even some instances throughout the novel where the author uses allegorical tales of Arthurian mythos to show how concepts such as truth and beauty are not confined or certain but rather unequivocal in nature, which is summed up best when she states that “everyone who tells a story tells it differently, just to remind us that everybody sees it differently.”
Anguish from religious fervor certainly resonated with me as well, as Christian spirituality was a prominent theme throughout the stretch of my childhood. Interestingly enough however, the ardent censorship of my community instilled an ever-growing curiosity towards learning about unconventional ideas in an effort to see beyond the veil of acceptable reality. After going through the aging process like Winterson and becoming more knowledgeable about the world, I started to see the shortcomings and parochial mindsets that religion instills upon many. I believe Winterson said it best when she writes “I miss God. I miss the company of someone utterly loyal. I still don't think of God as my betrayer. The servants of God, yes, but servants by their very nature betray. I miss God who was my friend. I don't even know if God exists, but I do know that if God is your emotional role model, very few human relationships will match up to it.” That passage particularly spoke to me because it was symbolic of the bridge between child-like innocence and rampant cynicism that many face once they come of age. The idea of god is rather beautiful when explained in an innocent and gentle manner, but after reading of the atrocities within the bible or witnessing the horrid acts of the prevailing faith based solely on misplaced judgement, it is rather difficult to see the value in such a destructive facet of humanity. Truly it would be wondrous for the many to exhibit the abilities of introspection, or at the very least harbor the capacity to respect those that do not follow their beliefs. It is the death of the princess, the common heteroglossia throughout the paragraphs, the shackles of the magician, that all align within the novel to portray how there is not one inherent truth upon which all of reality is based – I believe the title sums it up best: just as oranges are not the only fruit, so too is it certain that not one path of credence is the only interpretation in life.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes