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Comments (28)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 28 items
Nov 05, 2021empbee rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Sad and funny written in good style. A good example of resiliency, interest in learning in spite of the negative home environment and influence. An admirable achievement.
Oct 11, 2021ChandlerAZAnbolyn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A fierce and inspiring memoir about an adopted girl who never quite fits in in her religious, working class home.
Apr 16, 2021
Wow. A very intense read. If you want something sunshine-y and happy, happy, stay away from this book. It is a very realistic portrayal of a negligent mother, father who happen to question their daughter's budding identity. The author…
Dec 03, 2020LadyDi52 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Her creepy, abusive, unhappy childhood, in detail, her religious nutcase of a mother, in detail, the title of the book is a quote of hers. It brought up a few sad memories of my own, I'm not going to finish it. I really enjoy her novels,…
Mar 14, 2019blcwrites rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Five stars with a little bit of sag when she talks about her other books. But, here is a quote from the book that fed my writerly soul: "I began to realize that I had company. Writers are often exiles, outsiders, runaways and castaways.…
Dec 03, 2018Catherine_t8 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Loved it. Great read.
Sep 25, 2018what_is_a_kindle rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I know I'm a hater for rating this 2 stars without actually having finished it. But she kept mentioning the first book she wrote and how that was so amazing, I definitely felt like I was doing it wrong reading this before the other one. So…
Mar 28, 2018becker rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
A perfect example of how diverse people's reading tastes can be. This book has been highly praised by so many, but left me unmoved in any way. I can't even say why. There was merit in the story and moments of humour but it wasn't enough to…
Jun 08, 2017MoeWhoHides rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I have never read Jeanette Winterson's books before. I had "Sexing the cherry" on my "For Later" book reading list, but I did not know that Ms. Winterson was the author of that book. No, the reason I decided to read this book was the…
Jun 01, 2016rebmartin31 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I thought I knew about Jeanette Winterson before I read this book. I had read two of her other books before--The Gap in Time, and Written on the Body. I knew that she was adopted in Manchester by a strict, Pentecostal couple, and I knew…
Feb 03, 2016wyenotgo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
If I could award this book more than 5 stars I would do so! At times humorous and ironic, at times extremely moving, especially in the final chapters. Insightful, lyrical, completely engaging, right from the very first sentence. It's rare…
May 15, 2015
A truly beautiful memoir, often painful and raw but always honest and thought provoking. It is also a tribute to the power of books and reading and how literature can sustain the human spirit.
Feb 15, 2015
A beautifully written and compelling story about a woman who comes to terms with her dysfunctional adoptive family. Winterson is a fantastic writer, and this was hard to put down, even though the subject matter was difficult. Highly…
Nov 28, 2014Lucky_Luke rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Memoir about her growing up with adoptive parents who were extremely religious. She was fierce, independent, gay teen with artistic sensibility and had huge conflicts with her blue collar mother. Still she is not disowning her mother,…
Mar 10, 2014c_anderson rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a wonderful book! Tragicomic, as many of her novels are, with wry, clear prose.
Mar 03, 2014ownedbydoxies rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Maybe I'm just jaded or something, by the number of biographical tell-alls dealing with dysfunctional family relationships, but despite the great title, I just couldn't make myself become interested or get into this book.
Sep 26, 2013
Autobiographical novel about growing up adopted with an extremely brutish and emotionally abusive Mom and subservient father. The author describes in vivid detail how she managed to become a writer and an adult despite her ugly…
Barcode55
Dec 13, 2012Barcode55 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Loved this book! I need to read it again for all the thought provoking statements she makes.
Nov 19, 2012
This is my book of the year - honest, compelling, and a tad brutal. It is also the best paean to reading I've encountered. Books can (and do) change her life.
Aug 22, 2012emmaledu rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Such a raw and courageous way of talking about her life. My first read from Jeanette Winterson. Certainly not the last.
Aug 19, 2012brava313 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An eloquent account of growing up adopted into an evangelical, working-class family and surviving, however, wounded, cruel mistreatment as a child. Includes some glimpses of what madness can be like and a suspenseful search for the…
Jul 23, 2012shapjul rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Ultimately I found this book a bit tiresome. I generally like Winterson's writing and her story is an interesting one, but I didn't feel particularly compelled to keep reading this. It was rather an act of will. It would be…
Jul 18, 2012
How can a memoir be so intensely heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time? And also poignantly funny and full of extraordinary language? Too much in this book resonates with me – I could read it over and over again. A little more…
Jul 05, 2012afrantilla rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Witty collage style memoir about learning how to love and be loved while finding compassion for those who couldn't love her and safety in the world of words.
May 04, 2012uncommonreader rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This novel revisits "Oranges are Not the Only Fruit" in a more autobiographical way. Her portrayal of life in working-class northern England is good, as is the impact of being adopted and not knowing how to love or be loved. However, her…