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Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
 

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

by Jeanette Winterson

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... (read more)

Top tags: fiction,  lesbian,  religion,  british,  magical realism (all tags)

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Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Rudy R
  • Rated 5 stars

“This is the best coming out novel I've ever encountered, bar none, because it is more than a coming out novel. It is about a young woman coming to grips with faith, fantasy, and desire, and the ways in which these forces come together into creativity and love. It's one of those books you want to give to people you're in love with, but you should probably wait until you know that they feel as strongly about you. Trust me on that one.”

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Didn’t Like It

Peach
  • Rated 2 stars

“Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a coming of age story in which a young girl, Jeanette, learns that her evangelical family and friends may never accept the person she has become.

Like other Jeanette Winterson stories, Oranges includes theme of lesbianism and gender-bending, but it also has a strong subtext about the difference between God and his followers. The undercurrent reminds me of Ghandi’s words, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so...”

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Community:
  • Rated 3.782609 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4 stars
  

Newest Comments

  • Kel

    kel said:

    “I was really expecting SO MUCH MORE from this book... I have to say, I was disappointed. I agree.. I kept waiting for the story to begin! To me, it felt like large chunks of the narrative were constantly missing. Oh well. I thought The Passion was excellent, so at least it's not a total wash.”

    posted Thursday, May 29 2008
  • Jane Porter

    jane porter said:

    “This is probably one of my all time favorite books. I went through a big evangelical phase growing up and really related to her story even as her prose blew me away. Jeanette Winterson can write.”

    posted Saturday, November 10 2007
  • Sandra

    sandra said:

    “I thought Sexing the Cherry was weird and excellent so look forward to Oranges. ”

    posted Thursday, November 8 2007
  • lolozinger

    lolozinger said:

    “I liked the voice, but I found the story lacking. It felt more like a segment of a novel. I kept wondering when the story was really going to begin. Also there were so many misspelled words, I wondered where the copyeditor was.”

    posted Saturday, September 29 2007
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