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A review by siennarose
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I was assigned Oranges are Not the Only Fruit for a literature studies unit in University. Shaking off the shackles of required reading, I decided to read it of my own accord, now three years later.
Jeanette Winterson’s semi-biographical account of her own coming-of-age experience is intriguing and intimate. She has woven fairy tale and legend in to her own less-than-fully-reliable account of her childhood. She makes it clear that history and memory are not as reliable as we may think.
Her experience of discovering, and subsequently being punished and ostracized for, her blossoming sexuality and lesbian identity, is both empowering and saddening. Her personal relationship with religion, and it's hand in her abuse, is equally saddening.
A truly wonderful book.
Jeanette Winterson’s semi-biographical account of her own coming-of-age experience is intriguing and intimate. She has woven fairy tale and legend in to her own less-than-fully-reliable account of her childhood. She makes it clear that history and memory are not as reliable as we may think.
Her experience of discovering, and subsequently being punished and ostracized for, her blossoming sexuality and lesbian identity, is both empowering and saddening. Her personal relationship with religion, and it's hand in her abuse, is equally saddening.
A truly wonderful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Physical abuse