Whistle Stopper - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

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Manufacturer: Grove Press

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780802135162
ISBN: 0802135161
Label: Grove Press
Manufacturer: Grove Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 192
Publication Date: 1997-08-20
Publisher: Grove Press
Studio: Grove Press

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Customer Rating:

Summary: I don't get what is so great about this book
Comment: I read this book because everyone says it's a classic of lesbian literature. I don't see how it's a classic of anything. The story isn't very interesting and, except for near the end, it's hardly lesbian. Maybe it was all of the religious overtones, but I struggled through it. Some of it was hard to grasp for someone who isn't English, although I think I have better than a passing knowledge of life over there. It just didn't strike me as a very good book, but now I can say I read it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Didn't really strike my fancy
Comment: Unfortunately, I think a lot of the references in the novel were lost upon me because the Ms. Winterson's use of language and locations that are unfamiliar to me as an American (the novel takes place in England). In addition, Ms. Winterson' tale of coming to grips with her sexual orientation while being brought up in a religious family seems like old hat to me. However, my guess is that that story was somewhat groundbreaking when it was first published in 1985.

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Summary: Coming Out
Comment: A girl faces the problem of coming out to her conservative family, along with their reactions to her less-than-traditional sexuality.

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Summary: Great introduction to Winterson
Comment: This is not "Well of Loneliness" (Radcliffe Hall) and for that we can all be grateful.

Customer Rating:

Summary: An Unwritten Story
Comment: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit courageously tackles a topic not addressed often enough in real literature; the struggle between one's family and self as sexuality develops contrary to "normal" expectations. Jeanette Winterson deftly paints the story of a young girl's travails as she comes out to her devoutly evangelical mother with humor and pathos. The characters are all too real, especially to anyone with a background in deeply Christian communities.

Winterson is an adept enough storyteller, however, her narration leaves something to be desired. The fairytales interspersed with the main storyline are interesting and add a magical, childlike touch to the story, but aren't fully integrated into the novel. As a result, they distract from the book rather than further developing it. This novel is a good first effort and a worthwhile read, but not quite a literary marvel.

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Editorial Reviews:

Winner of the Whitbread Prize for best first fiction, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a coming-out novel from Winterson, the acclaimed author of The Passion and Sexing the Cherry. The narrator, Jeanette, cuts her teeth on the knowledge that she is one of God’s elect, but as this budding evangelical comes of age, and comes to terms with her preference for her own sex, the peculiar balance of her God-fearing household crumbles.