Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson

In the introduction to this book Jeanette Winterson states that she once made a wish that she be granted, 'the knack of knowing when to stop'. With respect to 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit', she should have stopped about halfway through, for at this point the book becomes gradually less humorous and more absorbed by its' own 'experimental' structure. The book begins quite promisingly as the tale of a family of three dominated by the religious obsessions of the mother. It is told with the kind of detached humour that is very Alan Bennett. (Anyone who's read 'Talking Heads' will make immediate parallels between this and 'A Bed Among The Lentils'). The petty ...  Read the complete review

... is there a gay girl who wasn't directed to this at some point? It has, of course become an established gay classic, and there can't be many gay women who have not found something in it that resonates. But perhaps to describe it that way is to pigeonhole it undeservedly, and I do feel this book has become a bit ghettoised. Yes, it's a story about two teenage girls who fall in love with each other, but there is no theme more universal than love, and in some ways, the story and its message totally transcends the gender of the lovers involved. It is very hard to believe that this is her first novel, especially as she hasn't written anything else ...  Read the complete review

An enchanting love story Amazingly this is Jeanette Winterson’s first novel. It is like no other novel I’ve ever read. Unique and beautifully written with a style, structure, humour and message that may not suit every taste. I’d urge everyone to at least take a bite to see whether it is palatable though, as there is something for us all whether we like it or not. Religion and religious attitudes are challenged throughout and the hypocrisy of the church’s stance against homosexuality is a prominent thread. The heroine struggles with her homosexual feelings that conflict with the extremeness of the teachings from her evangelical ...  Read the complete review