Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit

by Jeanette Winterson

3.45 out of 5 (32 ratings)

Format:
Paperback 
Pages:
240 
Publisher:
Vintage 
Publication Date:
05 September 1991 
Category:
Modern & Contemporary 
ISBN:
9780099935704 

Description

This is the story of Jeanette, adopted and brought up by her mother as one of God's elect. Zealous and passionate, she seems destined for life as a missionary, but then she falls for one of her converts. At sixteen, Jeanette decides to leave the church, her home and her family, for the young woman she loves. Innovative, punchy and tender, "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit" is a few days ride into the bizarre outposts of religious excess and human obsession.

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  • I loved this book- humor, tragedy, and above all, as I found with other Winterson books, the REAL quality of the characters shine through effortlessly. There are parts of this book that I want to share with everyone I know.

    5.00 out of 5

    amaryann21

  • I loved this book. Wasn't too sure about it because of all the religious stuff, but it was great non-the-less. Highly recommended.

    5.00 out of 5

    madphill

  • Winterson's first, and I sometimes think, her best. Fictionalised account of her childhood, adopted by a woman belonging to one of those strange religious brethen sects, realising she is a lesbian etc. Brilliantly written, very funny at times

    5.00 out of 5

    brunhilde

  • A brilliant first book that deserves all the many prizes it has received. Jeanette, a precocious orphan, forms her early counter-identity around the missionary views of her conservative mother, who looks upon Jeannette as her piece of clay to mold into a notable missionary. Unfortunately, Jeannette happens to be a lesbian who is as skilled in bending reality to suit her needs as her mother is, but to a better cause. This comic novel uses the books of the Old Testament (the Torah) to tell the progressive stages by which Jeannette realizes her sexuality, falls in love, is separated from the object of her affections and, finally, has a lasting alienation from her adopted mother as she prepares to further broaden her intellectual horizons by attending university.

    5.00 out of 5

    corinneblackmer

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