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poolofbees's reviews
4 reviews
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’ll start by saying I’m in an extraordinarily biased position as a lesbian who was raised evangelical and relates deeply to many parts of this book.
This might be a new contender for my new favorite novel. I was moved a lot by Jeanette’s story and the blunt, almost terse way she narrated it. It’s compelling, bold, and often even funny. Jeanette is the type of teenage girl who is unwilling to lie for others, especially unwilling to lie to her readers. Her story is not cut and dry, and my favorite parts of the book were the ones when she was doubting, missing God as her friend, questioning who she could have been. I found many of the lines memorable and striking and you can trust my copy of the book is properly highlighted throughout. I was especially intrigued by the various fantastical fairytales inter-spliced with the main plot; it reminded me somewhat of parables in the Bible. A lot of them seem random at first glance, but, with deeper study, carry metaphorical meaning and parallels Jeanette’s life. I was a little surprised by how quickly the book moves through her life, jumping years at a time and then ending rather suddenly. I also would have liked to see more of how her relationship with Melanie developed as it seemed to happen rather hastily and without much explanation of what drew the two together in the first place. I feel like I got much more understanding of their relationship after being separated by the church, rather than before, although this seems to be a purposeful choice. The book is less about Jeanette’s teenage lesbian romances and more about the dangerous power of the church wielded through her mother. Most of all, it’s about choices: the choice between religion and identity, family and self, destiny and free will, past and future, and the question of if the choices you make really matter at all, or if you’re simply stuck in the cyclical nature of time, meeting yourself at the starting line over and over again.
This might be a new contender for my new favorite novel. I was moved a lot by Jeanette’s story and the blunt, almost terse way she narrated it. It’s compelling, bold, and often even funny. Jeanette is the type of teenage girl who is unwilling to lie for others, especially unwilling to lie to her readers. Her story is not cut and dry, and my favorite parts of the book were the ones when she was doubting, missing God as her friend, questioning who she could have been. I found many of the lines memorable and striking and you can trust my copy of the book is properly highlighted throughout. I was especially intrigued by the various fantastical fairytales inter-spliced with the main plot; it reminded me somewhat of parables in the Bible. A lot of them seem random at first glance, but, with deeper study, carry metaphorical meaning and parallels Jeanette’s life. I was a little surprised by how quickly the book moves through her life, jumping years at a time and then ending rather suddenly. I also would have liked to see more of how her relationship with
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Death
Girls That Never Die by Safia Elhillo
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This book is filled with such profound vulnerability and honesty. Elhillo is unafraid to speak on the violence and pain that is inflicted on women, many of whom are later ignored. She talks about not having the words to talk about it. She does not try to offer solutions to these problems, but there is the persistent and running stream throughout the book of female closeness, friendship, love, the way we protect each other. I felt incredibly seen by this book. I was given new ways to think about those things that are most difficult to think about. I felt like Elhillo imparted a little piece of her own resilience into this book, like we could all be girls who never die, like we all will be girls who never die.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
just a truly incredible story. the short, quick chapters make years of childhood pass by quickly and the art is striking and bold. marjane speaks with frankness and utter honesty and does not hide anything; her whole heart is bared in this book. while it is certainly not easy to read in any way, this story feels imperative, a necessary read. this book grips you tightly and refuses to let go, even after the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Death, and War
Moderate: Rape
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The best way I can describe this book is as a disappointment.
It’s premise is a strong one, about a girl finding herself amidst the drama scene of New York City, but it unfortunately falls flat, especially towards the later half of the book when it genuinely feels like the author gave up. The pacing of it is confusing as well. The first half, which essentially takes place within the course of less than a year, is slower, describing specific moments and days with detail. The second half skips ahead years at a time and describes those periods broadly, almost disinterested. For a book that is supposed to read like a memoir, we sure do miss a lot of Vivian’s life.
My second gripe with the book is the sex scenes. They’re so painfully bad. I mean, you read fanfiction better than this. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I nearly passed out reading the first one. It nearly put me off the book entirely. Without spoiling, I’ll say that I understand the first one was meant to be uncomfortable, but the later ones, the ones that are meant to be positive experiences for the protagonist, don’t read much better.
Lastly, I think the author focuses too much on all the wrong relationships. The entire book is meant to lead up to explaining Vivian’s relationship to this mysterious man, but their time together is ultimately shoved into the latter half of the book. Their relationship feels flat and not nearly as fulfilling as the others in the book. I kept asking myself, “why do I care about this guy again?” Allow me to insert my little lesbian opinion, but I personally think more time should have been spent on Celia, who we spend precious time slowly getting to know before she disappears at the midway point. I’ll also add that the threesome scene with Celia and Vivian felt almost fetishizing, like a girl who is merely toying with the idea of queerness for a man’s entertainment or for the rush of the taboo rather than a real exploration of her sexuality and identity. It’s a scene that deserved more tact and effort than the author gave it, especially when she mentions multiple times throughout how attractive Vivian thinks Celia is, only to then have Vivian never discuss these feelings again. In short, although City of Girls has some high points, these are ultimately overshadowed by poor storytelling. And in a book that’s about storytelling, this feels unacceptable.
It’s premise is a strong one, about a girl finding herself amidst the drama scene of New York City, but it unfortunately falls flat, especially towards the later half of the book when it genuinely feels like the author gave up. The pacing of it is confusing as well. The first half, which essentially takes place within the course of less than a year, is slower, describing specific moments and days with detail. The second half skips ahead years at a time and describes those periods broadly, almost disinterested. For a book that is supposed to read like a memoir, we sure do miss a lot of Vivian’s life.
My second gripe with the book is the sex scenes. They’re so painfully bad. I mean, you read fanfiction better than this. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I nearly passed out reading the first one. It nearly put me off the book entirely. Without spoiling, I’ll say that I understand the first one was meant to be uncomfortable, but the later ones, the ones that are meant to be positive experiences for the protagonist, don’t read much better.
Lastly, I think the author focuses too much on all the wrong relationships. The entire book is meant to lead up to explaining Vivian’s relationship to this mysterious man, but their time together is ultimately shoved into the latter half of the book. Their relationship feels flat and not nearly as fulfilling as the others in the book. I kept asking myself, “why do I care about this guy again?” Allow me to insert my little lesbian opinion, but I personally think more time should have been spent on Celia, who we spend precious time slowly getting to know before she disappears at the midway point. I’ll also add that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Misogyny
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