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“An OK book, interesting concept but not fully realised. If you enjoy her other novels then read it, if you haven't read any others then start with another such as The Powerbook which was wonderful.”
Superenigmatix wrote this review Tuesday, September 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“pieces of me
Cassie G wrote this review Saturday, July 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
this writer dreams for me
and is incredible”“One of the most passionate romantic novels I have ever read. Ever. And I've read a lot of classics. Janette Winterson's writing creates passion on the page. An amazing historical novel as well set in the Napoleonic Wars. She is a masterful contemporary writer.”
Michele K wrote this review Friday, July 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“"Perhaps all romance is like that; not a contract between equal parties but an explosion of dreams and desires that can find no outlet in everyday life. Only a drama will do and while the fireworks last the sky is a different colour." -Jeanette Winterson
Linda C wrote this review Tuesday, February 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
* * *
Henri, a poor country boy joins the French military to follow his passion: Bonaparte. His tour of duty takes him on Napoleon's marches, and one is treated to an inside of look at being a soldier in Bonaparte's army. Napoleon's passion for fighting has him take his armies into Moscow. Concurrently, a woman gives birth to a child in Venice. The child's father is a Boatman, and those children, according to legend, can walk on water. The child turns out to be a girl, but is nonetheless a Boatman's Daughter. She has a passion for gambling, and meets the love of her life and finds another passion, in the process losing her heart. After her heart has been broken, she marries a cruel, fat Frenchman and exults in his passion for debasing her. Her destiny takes her to Moscow, where she meets Henri. Henri's passion for the Boatman's daughter proves to be no small thing in his own destiny.
Set in magical, eternal cities, encompassing a time which captivates the imagination, and written in beautiful prose, this work is emminently readable, and entirely riveting. There are beautiful heart-stopping phrases worth quoting on every page -- words which, by their beauty, make this spellbinding tale a lyrical journey of discovery. There are many kinds of passions in this piece, and following each to its end, and savoring each as it comes, is a bittersweet and very poignant experience. Do it! Highly Recommended! ”
“What you risk reveals what you value. How is it that one day life is orderly and you are content, a little cynical perhaps, but on the whole just so, and then without warning you find the solid floor is a trapdoor and you are now in another place whose geography is uncertain and whose customs are strange?
Travellers at least have a choice. Those who set sail know that things will not be the same as at home. Explorers are prepared. But for us, who travel along with blood vessels, who come to the cities of the interior by chance, there is no preparation. We who are fluent find life a foreign language. I'm telling you stories. Trust me.
Jeanette Winterson is an author I associate with my late teens and, er, current early twenties. She wasn't the first lesbian author I read, but I like her more than, say, Sarah Waters, for example. I reread Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit last month, but I like The Passion a lot more. It's completely different, less semi-autobiographical, and has a delicate fantastical element that I adore and wish I could use myself. I've always been a little reluctant to term Winterson as a lesbian author, because her books also focus themselves on romance and how falling in love can be a pure mess, whether it be with a man or woman.
The back of the book gives away very little and I hadn't read any reviews beforehand, so realising I was dumped into Napoleonic France (and then, later on, in Venice) was a little shock, but a very mild one. Winterson has a gift for words that makes me green, and The Passion shows that off extremely well. This book is a romance, but not; a fantasy, but not; and truth - but not. It's short, slim enough to carry around a bag if you're like me and take a book everywhere with you, and it's very easy to get lost into this elaborate, bright, half-truth fantasy that Winterson weaves together. I think the following lines sums up the novel best:
I'm telling you stories. Trust me.”
Helen C wrote this review Sunday, January 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Do yourself a favour - don't just read this - go to your bookshop or library and have yourself a personal Winterson festival - read ALL her books.”
Annette Hughes wrote this review Sunday, October 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An incredible and original tale. Very powerful writing. Favourite quote -- "You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play. It’s the playing that’s irresistible. Dicing from one year to the next with the things you love, what you risk reveals what you value."”
Gosia wrote this review Monday, October 20 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The hero worshiping Henri joins Napolean’s army, becoming a cook and meeting an array of fictional and fictionalized characters such as Josephine, Patrick the former priest, and Napolean’s midget groom. Meanwhile, in Venice, a gondolier’s daughter named Villanelle is born with webbed feet and learns to work in the casino. Long before the two characters meet, the reader hopes that they will live happily ever after.
Peach wrote this review Tuesday, August 5 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book tends to be heavy in its symbolism and light in its explanation of relationships. Additionally, while both Henri and Villanelle narrate the story in alternating first-person perspective, both voices sound curiously alike aside for a few repeated motifs (such as Villanelle’s gambling references: “You play, you win. You play, you lose. You play.”). It’s possible that Winterson is trying to show, through the similarity of voices, that Henri and Villanelle are essentially alike. However, it’s also possible that she missed the mark in this story, and simply failed to differentiate her narrators. If there was a real “literary” reason that the voices were almost identical, it is very easily missed, and to me at least that is a flaw.
Despite this, Winterson’s writing had a charm that drew me into this story. In particular, Henri is an endearing character and his words near the end of the book show the reader that even beyond all-consuming passion, love can endure.”
