Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Pass over this book and it's your loss...., 11 Nov 2008
Buy this now! ;-)

I first read this book many years ago, soon after Rose had amazed me when she was on Desert Island Discs - she sounded so intelligent and interesting that I had to see what her books were like. I was stunned by it (and by the fact that's she's still comparatively little known) and lent my copy to several people, but in the end it didn't come back. So, in July I ordered a new copy and read it again - it was even better than I'd remembered - the plot, structure, exquisite use of the language and humour (as well as many other emotions) combine to make it one of my two favourite books. In case you're wondering the other is Last and First Men/Last Men in London by Olaf Stapledon - but that's out of print more often than not.

A great novel., 19 Aug 2005
I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

A melange of characters crocheted to hook the reader., 06 Dec 2001
This is a can't be put down book. At first the topic seems unpromising, an infant girls transexual realisation. However this frame is used as a trellis to support a honeysuckle plot of intertwining tendrils. Not a word is wasted, not a word ommited in demonstrating not ony the wordsmith at work but also the artist. The book is funny, sad, tender and quite vicious all in one.

The most fantastic book ever published., 17 Oct 2000
In the summer of 1996, when I was feeling particularly confused and lonely I picked up a copy of sacred country and read it. Wow is the only word I can think of to summarise how I felt about the book. It gave me insight in to the struggles of others; the dilemas faced by Mary, Timmy, Estelle, Cord, Sonny Walter and the many other characters in the book opened my eyes to the world around me and made me alert to the emotions and insecurities of others. I have read the book 32 times since then and each time I find something else to break my heart or I notice something new in the story I never did before. The last time I read it I cried when Mary/Martin sat at the fountain in London wondering which parts of Mary she would miss when she finally became Martin. The way Rose Tremain creates a world into wich you can steo and find something new time and time again is fascinating. Whether it is Pearl's beauty, mary's struggle or Estelles madness that grips you the first time you read Sacred Country, you will find that it is something else entirely trhat grips you the second time. Fantasic, Tremain's most powerful work yet.

A celebration of human weakness and triumph, 12 Sep 1999
Six year-old Mary stood quietly in the snow, with her family, as they mourned the death of King George VI, and thought "I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

This is an enchanting story of people in a small village in the south of England trying to make sense of their lives.

It is not a book of tragedy. There is sadness, but there is joy. There is death but there is life. There is hopelessness but there is also the urge to become.

In its depiction of the complex network of relationships, there is probably more real truth about the way people are, than in a thousand psychology texts.

Walter with his dream of becoming a singer and songwriter believing that his dreams can never be fulfilled. Jimmy also nearly becoming trapped in a life not of his choosing. Both breaking out in their own special ways. Edward Harker, with his hat held discreetly in front of his trousers, believing that his feelings, at 61, for Irene are improper. And Irene never realising that a man could find her attractive as a woman.

Sonny, withdrawn inside himself occupied only with the farm that provided the family living. Estelle retreating into fantasy to escape a life of emptiness.

But, most of all, Mary who is really Martin, displaced in the family's cognisance by the arrival of the younger brother, despising him for his scrawny weakness, going through school to adulthood, meanwhile finding her true love and losing it, but growing triumphantly in her, then his, own individual way.

Jeanette, the protagonist of Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit and the author's namesake, has issues--"unnatural" ones: her adopted mam thinks she's the Chosen one from God; she's beginning to fancy girls; and an orange demon keeps popping into her psyche. Already Jeanette Winterson's semi-autobiographical first novel is not your typical coming-of-age tale.

Brought up in a working-class Pentecostal family, up North, Jeanette follows the path her Mam has set for her. This involves Bible quizzes, a stint as a tambourine-playing Sally Army officer and a future as a missionary in Africa, or some other "heathen state". When Jeanette starts going to school ("The Breeding Ground") and confides in her mother about her feelings for another girl ("Unnatural Passions"), she's swept up in a feverish frenzy for her tainted soul. Confused, angry and alone, Jeanette strikes out on her own path, that involves a funeral parlour and an ice-cream van. Mixed in with the so-called reality of Jeanette's existence growing up are unconventional fairy tales that transcend the everyday world, subverting the traditional preconceptions of the damsel in distress.

In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Winterson knits a complicated picture of teenage angst through a series of layered narratives, incorporating and subverting fairytales and myths, to present a coherent whole, within which her stories can stand independently. Imaginative and mischievous, she is a born storyteller, teasing and taunting the reader to reconsider their worldview. --Nicola Perry

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Pass over this book and it's your loss...., 11 Nov 2008
Buy this now! ;-)

I first read this book many years ago, soon after Rose had amazed me when she was on Desert Island Discs - she sounded so intelligent and interesting that I had to see what her books were like. I was stunned by it (and by the fact that's she's still comparatively little known) and lent my copy to several people, but in the end it didn't come back. So, in July I ordered a new copy and read it again - it was even better than I'd remembered - the plot, structure, exquisite use of the language and humour (as well as many other emotions) combine to make it one of my two favourite books. In case you're wondering the other is Last and First Men/Last Men in London by Olaf Stapledon - but that's out of print more often than not.

A great novel., 19 Aug 2005
I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

A melange of characters crocheted to hook the reader., 06 Dec 2001
This is a can't be put down book. At first the topic seems unpromising, an infant girls transexual realisation. However this frame is used as a trellis to support a honeysuckle plot of intertwining tendrils. Not a word is wasted, not a word ommited in demonstrating not ony the wordsmith at work but also the artist. The book is funny, sad, tender and quite vicious all in one.

The most fantastic book ever published., 17 Oct 2000
In the summer of 1996, when I was feeling particularly confused and lonely I picked up a copy of sacred country and read it. Wow is the only word I can think of to summarise how I felt about the book. It gave me insight in to the struggles of others; the dilemas faced by Mary, Timmy, Estelle, Cord, Sonny Walter and the many other characters in the book opened my eyes to the world around me and made me alert to the emotions and insecurities of others. I have read the book 32 times since then and each time I find something else to break my heart or I notice something new in the story I never did before. The last time I read it I cried when Mary/Martin sat at the fountain in London wondering which parts of Mary she would miss when she finally became Martin. The way Rose Tremain creates a world into wich you can steo and find something new time and time again is fascinating. Whether it is Pearl's beauty, mary's struggle or Estelles madness that grips you the first time you read Sacred Country, you will find that it is something else entirely trhat grips you the second time. Fantasic, Tremain's most powerful work yet.

A celebration of human weakness and triumph, 12 Sep 1999
Six year-old Mary stood quietly in the snow, with her family, as they mourned the death of King George VI, and thought "I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

This is an enchanting story of people in a small village in the south of England trying to make sense of their lives.

It is not a book of tragedy. There is sadness, but there is joy. There is death but there is life. There is hopelessness but there is also the urge to become.

In its depiction of the complex network of relationships, there is probably more real truth about the way people are, than in a thousand psychology texts.

Walter with his dream of becoming a singer and songwriter believing that his dreams can never be fulfilled. Jimmy also nearly becoming trapped in a life not of his choosing. Both breaking out in their own special ways. Edward Harker, with his hat held discreetly in front of his trousers, believing that his feelings, at 61, for Irene are improper. And Irene never realising that a man could find her attractive as a woman.

Sonny, withdrawn inside himself occupied only with the farm that provided the family living. Estelle retreating into fantasy to escape a life of emptiness.

But, most of all, Mary who is really Martin, displaced in the family's cognisance by the arrival of the younger brother, despising him for his scrawny weakness, going through school to adulthood, meanwhile finding her true love and losing it, but growing triumphantly in her, then his, own individual way.

Passionate and gritty, a coming of age novel with a difference, 13 Jan 2008
A curious mixture of stories and semi-autobiography which come together to shape the life of Jeanette, the adopted daughter of a church-obsessed mother and a quiet, dominated father. Oranges are not the Fruit traces Jeanette teenage years, growing up in a northern town in a community in which she never quite fits, despite her talent for preaching and her wildly imaginative ideas. The structure of the novel, skirting and spiralling between an disjointed biographical narrative and other stories which shape Jeanette's development, suits perfectly what is a gritty discourse on the nature of personality, history and memory and the importance of perspective in developing all three. And at the same time, it's an engaging, if sometimes distressing, story too.

Very well observed, 18 Nov 2007
I remember watching Oranges are not the Only Fruit on the BBC, oooh, about 1990/91 and me and my fiancee were enthralled (Married 15 years since!). Having watched an excellent TV series, it took me till now, 2007 to read it as a book. As we watched in Oswaldtwistle, and now I read, in Brierfield, having lived here 17 years, it really spoke to me. The TV version, from what I remember, is an excellent adaptation of the novel, and the novel, absolutely superb. Almost Les Dawson-esque in its portrayal of Lancastrian, particularly East Lancastrianism, familial relations and its constituent claustrophobia. Having been brought up a Catholic and subsequently enthralled by the 'average' Pentecostal knowledge of The Bible (I felt ignorant when in the company of Pentecosts!) and now a secular being ... it brought it all home to me. Elsie Norris reminded me of my own grandmother, understanding and sensitive ...

I devoured this book, and kept wishing there were another two hundred pages to go. It captured so much for me ... Lancashire, christianity (in Lancashire), and the tenderness of youth ... and, as I said, so observant in its Lancashire humour, I laughed out loud to many pages ...

Excellent. I am sure it would be enjoyed by anyone, but if you were brought up a Christian, in the North, surrounded by strong women, and born in the 1960's, I GUARANTEE, you will love it.


Sex, Religion & Great Writing, 10 Sep 2007
It's all in the title. This is truely a masterpiece. Being a sort-of biography, the story tells that of Jeanette as a young girl, growing up in a stric religious society whilst having to cope with the struggles of having feelings for another woman.
Throughout the book the main character is faced with the troubles of defying a parental figure, the pains of unacceptance and of course the struggles of lesbianism. Anyone who has fought with the angst of coming to terms with sexuality will relate to this book greatly.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, 16 Aug 2007
I would normally have stayed well clear of a book like this but it's amazing what you'll pick up on holiday when the only other reading material available is the dreaded Freddie Forsyth and Jeffrey Archer. So it went with me and despite having great reservations, I soon settled into this charming and unsettling tale and found it hard to put down.

The plot centres on Jeanette as she grows up in East Lancashire in a ferociously Christian fundamentalist sect and the relationships she has with friends, lovers and, most explosively, her mother. The results are often very funny and coming from the same part of the world I found the locations and many of the characters to be very real and recognisable.

Winterson writes from the heart when exploring Jeanette's yearnings to lead her own life and the rejection and resentment she receives from those closest to her and this is the special element in the book for me. It's about people and nothing more. No explosions, no car chases, no global conspiracies involving Freemasons or Knights Templar or any of that nonsense, just ordinary everyday people we all know, love and loathe.

Oranges are not the only fruit is a bittersweet tale that I greatly enjoyed and I've subsequently read it a second time. It's also a very short book, so if you're not sure about taking a step outside your literary comfort zone it really won't take you long to read it. Go on, taste something different.

Oranges are not the only fruit, 19 Jun 2007
I have just read a review of `Oranges are not the Only Fruit', which I found to be a poor attempt at criticising a fantastic novel. The review states that the characters' are not developed, however the context of the statement offered no explanation as to why? I have read the novel and found the characters to be developed as much as they needed to be, however they are complex and carry a number of personas all of which challenge modern concepts of the family unit and reflect a foresight into the devalued society in which we now unfortunately find ourselves. My review of the novel is one that supports the numerous attentions it received at publication and the TV drama that was a result of this work and the awards that it also won in my meagre opinion speak volumes! Buy it, and enjoy as it is truly fantastic literally work.

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Pass over this book and it's your loss...., 11 Nov 2008
Buy this now! ;-)

I first read this book many years ago, soon after Rose had amazed me when she was on Desert Island Discs - she sounded so intelligent and interesting that I had to see what her books were like. I was stunned by it (and by the fact that's she's still comparatively little known) and lent my copy to several people, but in the end it didn't come back. So, in July I ordered a new copy and read it again - it was even better than I'd remembered - the plot, structure, exquisite use of the language and humour (as well as many other emotions) combine to make it one of my two favourite books. In case you're wondering the other is Last and First Men/Last Men in London by Olaf Stapledon - but that's out of print more often than not.

A great novel., 19 Aug 2005
I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

A melange of characters crocheted to hook the reader., 06 Dec 2001
This is a can't be put down book. At first the topic seems unpromising, an infant girls transexual realisation. However this frame is used as a trellis to support a honeysuckle plot of intertwining tendrils. Not a word is wasted, not a word ommited in demonstrating not ony the wordsmith at work but also the artist. The book is funny, sad, tender and quite vicious all in one.

The most fantastic book ever published., 17 Oct 2000
In the summer of 1996, when I was feeling particularly confused and lonely I picked up a copy of sacred country and read it. Wow is the only word I can think of to summarise how I felt about the book. It gave me insight in to the struggles of others; the dilemas faced by Mary, Timmy, Estelle, Cord, Sonny Walter and the many other characters in the book opened my eyes to the world around me and made me alert to the emotions and insecurities of others. I have read the book 32 times since then and each time I find something else to break my heart or I notice something new in the story I never did before. The last time I read it I cried when Mary/Martin sat at the fountain in London wondering which parts of Mary she would miss when she finally became Martin. The way Rose Tremain creates a world into wich you can steo and find something new time and time again is fascinating. Whether it is Pearl's beauty, mary's struggle or Estelles madness that grips you the first time you read Sacred Country, you will find that it is something else entirely trhat grips you the second time. Fantasic, Tremain's most powerful work yet.

A celebration of human weakness and triumph, 12 Sep 1999
Six year-old Mary stood quietly in the snow, with her family, as they mourned the death of King George VI, and thought "I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

This is an enchanting story of people in a small village in the south of England trying to make sense of their lives.

It is not a book of tragedy. There is sadness, but there is joy. There is death but there is life. There is hopelessness but there is also the urge to become.

In its depiction of the complex network of relationships, there is probably more real truth about the way people are, than in a thousand psychology texts.

Walter with his dream of becoming a singer and songwriter believing that his dreams can never be fulfilled. Jimmy also nearly becoming trapped in a life not of his choosing. Both breaking out in their own special ways. Edward Harker, with his hat held discreetly in front of his trousers, believing that his feelings, at 61, for Irene are improper. And Irene never realising that a man could find her attractive as a woman.

Sonny, withdrawn inside himself occupied only with the farm that provided the family living. Estelle retreating into fantasy to escape a life of emptiness.

But, most of all, Mary who is really Martin, displaced in the family's cognisance by the arrival of the younger brother, despising him for his scrawny weakness, going through school to adulthood, meanwhile finding her true love and losing it, but growing triumphantly in her, then his, own individual way.

Passionate and gritty, a coming of age novel with a difference, 13 Jan 2008
A curious mixture of stories and semi-autobiography which come together to shape the life of Jeanette, the adopted daughter of a church-obsessed mother and a quiet, dominated father. Oranges are not the Fruit traces Jeanette teenage years, growing up in a northern town in a community in which she never quite fits, despite her talent for preaching and her wildly imaginative ideas. The structure of the novel, skirting and spiralling between an disjointed biographical narrative and other stories which shape Jeanette's development, suits perfectly what is a gritty discourse on the nature of personality, history and memory and the importance of perspective in developing all three. And at the same time, it's an engaging, if sometimes distressing, story too.

Very well observed, 18 Nov 2007
I remember watching Oranges are not the Only Fruit on the BBC, oooh, about 1990/91 and me and my fiancee were enthralled (Married 15 years since!). Having watched an excellent TV series, it took me till now, 2007 to read it as a book. As we watched in Oswaldtwistle, and now I read, in Brierfield, having lived here 17 years, it really spoke to me. The TV version, from what I remember, is an excellent adaptation of the novel, and the novel, absolutely superb. Almost Les Dawson-esque in its portrayal of Lancastrian, particularly East Lancastrianism, familial relations and its constituent claustrophobia. Having been brought up a Catholic and subsequently enthralled by the 'average' Pentecostal knowledge of The Bible (I felt ignorant when in the company of Pentecosts!) and now a secular being ... it brought it all home to me. Elsie Norris reminded me of my own grandmother, understanding and sensitive ...

I devoured this book, and kept wishing there were another two hundred pages to go. It captured so much for me ... Lancashire, christianity (in Lancashire), and the tenderness of youth ... and, as I said, so observant in its Lancashire humour, I laughed out loud to many pages ...

Excellent. I am sure it would be enjoyed by anyone, but if you were brought up a Christian, in the North, surrounded by strong women, and born in the 1960's, I GUARANTEE, you will love it.


Sex, Religion & Great Writing, 10 Sep 2007
It's all in the title. This is truely a masterpiece. Being a sort-of biography, the story tells that of Jeanette as a young girl, growing up in a stric religious society whilst having to cope with the struggles of having feelings for another woman.
Throughout the book the main character is faced with the troubles of defying a parental figure, the pains of unacceptance and of course the struggles of lesbianism. Anyone who has fought with the angst of coming to terms with sexuality will relate to this book greatly.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, 16 Aug 2007
I would normally have stayed well clear of a book like this but it's amazing what you'll pick up on holiday when the only other reading material available is the dreaded Freddie Forsyth and Jeffrey Archer. So it went with me and despite having great reservations, I soon settled into this charming and unsettling tale and found it hard to put down.

The plot centres on Jeanette as she grows up in East Lancashire in a ferociously Christian fundamentalist sect and the relationships she has with friends, lovers and, most explosively, her mother. The results are often very funny and coming from the same part of the world I found the locations and many of the characters to be very real and recognisable.

Winterson writes from the heart when exploring Jeanette's yearnings to lead her own life and the rejection and resentment she receives from those closest to her and this is the special element in the book for me. It's about people and nothing more. No explosions, no car chases, no global conspiracies involving Freemasons or Knights Templar or any of that nonsense, just ordinary everyday people we all know, love and loathe.

Oranges are not the only fruit is a bittersweet tale that I greatly enjoyed and I've subsequently read it a second time. It's also a very short book, so if you're not sure about taking a step outside your literary comfort zone it really won't take you long to read it. Go on, taste something different.

Oranges are not the only fruit, 19 Jun 2007
I have just read a review of `Oranges are not the Only Fruit', which I found to be a poor attempt at criticising a fantastic novel. The review states that the characters' are not developed, however the context of the statement offered no explanation as to why? I have read the novel and found the characters to be developed as much as they needed to be, however they are complex and carry a number of personas all of which challenge modern concepts of the family unit and reflect a foresight into the devalued society in which we now unfortunately find ourselves. My review of the novel is one that supports the numerous attentions it received at publication and the TV drama that was a result of this work and the awards that it also won in my meagre opinion speak volumes! Buy it, and enjoy as it is truly fantastic literally work.

The Bluest Eye, 02 Oct 2008
Filled with striking imagery which makes up for the sometimes fragmented narrative. A sad tale which for me evoked a time and a place vividly. Perhaps a little overly 'literary' in places, I thought this was worth reading.

Interesting but incomplete, 11 Apr 2008
The Bluest Eye is about race relations and, as such, can never be completely understandable to a non-American such as me. It revolves around a simple and very sad story of rape, incest and the victimisation of a little girl in 1940s America. It is told from the point of view of blacks - this was before the term African-American - and partly in another child's voice. The little girl thinks herself ugly and envies the looks of blue-eyed whites. That a black child could consider herself physically inferior was a real shock to me, and for considering this only the book is worth reading. One wonders how much this has changed in the last four decades.

There is a broader subject, however, which is the psychological impact and destructive power of models of beauty, especially feminine beauty. This, unfortunately, is only alluded to and could have been addressed in far more depth. The book also lacks the victim's own voice. Because it is told in chronological disorder and from different protagonists' angles, the story tends to be less strongly felt. At times it almost reads like a documentary. Perhaps this is for the best, since some scenes might have been unbearable if told by the central character herself. Still, while interesting and often revealing, this book too often gave me the impression of being unfinished.


The Bluest Eyes, 24 Oct 2007
This was my first introduction to Toni Morrison many years ago. I re-read it after unpacking from a house move. It remains a beautifully written, evocative and gently powerful text. I remembered why I am still 'hooked' on her writing.

Fragmentary but beautiful, 03 Jan 2007
More a collection of mini-stories than a fully developed narrative, The Bluest Eye looks at the different factors involved in a young girl's becoming pregnant by her father, from her stay with friends to the histories of her parents and their relationship. It is sensitively told without judgement, and you get a feel for the tragedies of all the characters concerned.

One of her earlier works, this isn't the best book if you want to discover Toni Morrison, but it is beautifully written as always, and a fascinating insight into her early development. Most useful here is a postscript by Morrison where she identifies her intentions and some of the weaknesses in the book.

The Bluest Eyes, 12 Jul 2005
A moving and well written story. Structured through different points of view to suck the reader right into the heart of the story. The dialogue flows easily and doesn't alienate the reader who lacks prior knowledge of the culture or linguistic style.

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Pass over this book and it's your loss...., 11 Nov 2008
Buy this now! ;-)

I first read this book many years ago, soon after Rose had amazed me when she was on Desert Island Discs - she sounded so intelligent and interesting that I had to see what her books were like. I was stunned by it (and by the fact that's she's still comparatively little known) and lent my copy to several people, but in the end it didn't come back. So, in July I ordered a new copy and read it again - it was even better than I'd remembered - the plot, structure, exquisite use of the language and humour (as well as many other emotions) combine to make it one of my two favourite books. In case you're wondering the other is Last and First Men/Last Men in London by Olaf Stapledon - but that's out of print more often than not.

A great novel., 19 Aug 2005
I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

A melange of characters crocheted to hook the reader., 06 Dec 2001
This is a can't be put down book. At first the topic seems unpromising, an infant girls transexual realisation. However this frame is used as a trellis to support a honeysuckle plot of intertwining tendrils. Not a word is wasted, not a word ommited in demonstrating not ony the wordsmith at work but also the artist. The book is funny, sad, tender and quite vicious all in one.

The most fantastic book ever published., 17 Oct 2000
In the summer of 1996, when I was feeling particularly confused and lonely I picked up a copy of sacred country and read it. Wow is the only word I can think of to summarise how I felt about the book. It gave me insight in to the struggles of others; the dilemas faced by Mary, Timmy, Estelle, Cord, Sonny Walter and the many other characters in the book opened my eyes to the world around me and made me alert to the emotions and insecurities of others. I have read the book 32 times since then and each time I find something else to break my heart or I notice something new in the story I never did before. The last time I read it I cried when Mary/Martin sat at the fountain in London wondering which parts of Mary she would miss when she finally became Martin. The way Rose Tremain creates a world into wich you can steo and find something new time and time again is fascinating. Whether it is Pearl's beauty, mary's struggle or Estelles madness that grips you the first time you read Sacred Country, you will find that it is something else entirely trhat grips you the second time. Fantasic, Tremain's most powerful work yet.

A celebration of human weakness and triumph, 12 Sep 1999
Six year-old Mary stood quietly in the snow, with her family, as they mourned the death of King George VI, and thought "I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

This is an enchanting story of people in a small village in the south of England trying to make sense of their lives.

It is not a book of tragedy. There is sadness, but there is joy. There is death but there is life. There is hopelessness but there is also the urge to become.

In its depiction of the complex network of relationships, there is probably more real truth about the way people are, than in a thousand psychology texts.

Walter with his dream of becoming a singer and songwriter believing that his dreams can never be fulfilled. Jimmy also nearly becoming trapped in a life not of his choosing. Both breaking out in their own special ways. Edward Harker, with his hat held discreetly in front of his trousers, believing that his feelings, at 61, for Irene are improper. And Irene never realising that a man could find her attractive as a woman.

Sonny, withdrawn inside himself occupied only with the farm that provided the family living. Estelle retreating into fantasy to escape a life of emptiness.

But, most of all, Mary who is really Martin, displaced in the family's cognisance by the arrival of the younger brother, despising him for his scrawny weakness, going through school to adulthood, meanwhile finding her true love and losing it, but growing triumphantly in her, then his, own individual way.

Passionate and gritty, a coming of age novel with a difference, 13 Jan 2008
A curious mixture of stories and semi-autobiography which come together to shape the life of Jeanette, the adopted daughter of a church-obsessed mother and a quiet, dominated father. Oranges are not the Fruit traces Jeanette teenage years, growing up in a northern town in a community in which she never quite fits, despite her talent for preaching and her wildly imaginative ideas. The structure of the novel, skirting and spiralling between an disjointed biographical narrative and other stories which shape Jeanette's development, suits perfectly what is a gritty discourse on the nature of personality, history and memory and the importance of perspective in developing all three. And at the same time, it's an engaging, if sometimes distressing, story too.

Very well observed, 18 Nov 2007
I remember watching Oranges are not the Only Fruit on the BBC, oooh, about 1990/91 and me and my fiancee were enthralled (Married 15 years since!). Having watched an excellent TV series, it took me till now, 2007 to read it as a book. As we watched in Oswaldtwistle, and now I read, in Brierfield, having lived here 17 years, it really spoke to me. The TV version, from what I remember, is an excellent adaptation of the novel, and the novel, absolutely superb. Almost Les Dawson-esque in its portrayal of Lancastrian, particularly East Lancastrianism, familial relations and its constituent claustrophobia. Having been brought up a Catholic and subsequently enthralled by the 'average' Pentecostal knowledge of The Bible (I felt ignorant when in the company of Pentecosts!) and now a secular being ... it brought it all home to me. Elsie Norris reminded me of my own grandmother, understanding and sensitive ...

I devoured this book, and kept wishing there were another two hundred pages to go. It captured so much for me ... Lancashire, christianity (in Lancashire), and the tenderness of youth ... and, as I said, so observant in its Lancashire humour, I laughed out loud to many pages ...

Excellent. I am sure it would be enjoyed by anyone, but if you were brought up a Christian, in the North, surrounded by strong women, and born in the 1960's, I GUARANTEE, you will love it.


Sex, Religion & Great Writing, 10 Sep 2007
It's all in the title. This is truely a masterpiece. Being a sort-of biography, the story tells that of Jeanette as a young girl, growing up in a stric religious society whilst having to cope with the struggles of having feelings for another woman.
Throughout the book the main character is faced with the troubles of defying a parental figure, the pains of unacceptance and of course the struggles of lesbianism. Anyone who has fought with the angst of coming to terms with sexuality will relate to this book greatly.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, 16 Aug 2007
I would normally have stayed well clear of a book like this but it's amazing what you'll pick up on holiday when the only other reading material available is the dreaded Freddie Forsyth and Jeffrey Archer. So it went with me and despite having great reservations, I soon settled into this charming and unsettling tale and found it hard to put down.

The plot centres on Jeanette as she grows up in East Lancashire in a ferociously Christian fundamentalist sect and the relationships she has with friends, lovers and, most explosively, her mother. The results are often very funny and coming from the same part of the world I found the locations and many of the characters to be very real and recognisable.

Winterson writes from the heart when exploring Jeanette's yearnings to lead her own life and the rejection and resentment she receives from those closest to her and this is the special element in the book for me. It's about people and nothing more. No explosions, no car chases, no global conspiracies involving Freemasons or Knights Templar or any of that nonsense, just ordinary everyday people we all know, love and loathe.

Oranges are not the only fruit is a bittersweet tale that I greatly enjoyed and I've subsequently read it a second time. It's also a very short book, so if you're not sure about taking a step outside your literary comfort zone it really won't take you long to read it. Go on, taste something different.

Oranges are not the only fruit, 19 Jun 2007
I have just read a review of `Oranges are not the Only Fruit', which I found to be a poor attempt at criticising a fantastic novel. The review states that the characters' are not developed, however the context of the statement offered no explanation as to why? I have read the novel and found the characters to be developed as much as they needed to be, however they are complex and carry a number of personas all of which challenge modern concepts of the family unit and reflect a foresight into the devalued society in which we now unfortunately find ourselves. My review of the novel is one that supports the numerous attentions it received at publication and the TV drama that was a result of this work and the awards that it also won in my meagre opinion speak volumes! Buy it, and enjoy as it is truly fantastic literally work.

The Bluest Eye, 02 Oct 2008
Filled with striking imagery which makes up for the sometimes fragmented narrative. A sad tale which for me evoked a time and a place vividly. Perhaps a little overly 'literary' in places, I thought this was worth reading.

Interesting but incomplete, 11 Apr 2008
The Bluest Eye is about race relations and, as such, can never be completely understandable to a non-American such as me. It revolves around a simple and very sad story of rape, incest and the victimisation of a little girl in 1940s America. It is told from the point of view of blacks - this was before the term African-American - and partly in another child's voice. The little girl thinks herself ugly and envies the looks of blue-eyed whites. That a black child could consider herself physically inferior was a real shock to me, and for considering this only the book is worth reading. One wonders how much this has changed in the last four decades.

There is a broader subject, however, which is the psychological impact and destructive power of models of beauty, especially feminine beauty. This, unfortunately, is only alluded to and could have been addressed in far more depth. The book also lacks the victim's own voice. Because it is told in chronological disorder and from different protagonists' angles, the story tends to be less strongly felt. At times it almost reads like a documentary. Perhaps this is for the best, since some scenes might have been unbearable if told by the central character herself. Still, while interesting and often revealing, this book too often gave me the impression of being unfinished.


The Bluest Eyes, 24 Oct 2007
This was my first introduction to Toni Morrison many years ago. I re-read it after unpacking from a house move. It remains a beautifully written, evocative and gently powerful text. I remembered why I am still 'hooked' on her writing.

Fragmentary but beautiful, 03 Jan 2007
More a collection of mini-stories than a fully developed narrative, The Bluest Eye looks at the different factors involved in a young girl's becoming pregnant by her father, from her stay with friends to the histories of her parents and their relationship. It is sensitively told without judgement, and you get a feel for the tragedies of all the characters concerned.

One of her earlier works, this isn't the best book if you want to discover Toni Morrison, but it is beautifully written as always, and a fascinating insight into her early development. Most useful here is a postscript by Morrison where she identifies her intentions and some of the weaknesses in the book.

The Bluest Eyes, 12 Jul 2005
A moving and well written story. Structured through different points of view to suck the reader right into the heart of the story. The dialogue flows easily and doesn't alienate the reader who lacks prior knowledge of the culture or linguistic style.

That's the kick, 03 Oct 2008
I had to read this for A Level English and at first I found it almost impossible to get into. A lot of it tends to go over your head but as you keep reading and get to the end, something just clicks and at the last 3/4 of the last chapter, you honestly believe it's a masterpiece. Upon several rereadings of the book, I found I understood more of it and it's just wonderful. Especially the last paragraph.

Stay away from this over-rated stream of consciousness rubbish, 04 Aug 2008
I like an original and unique book as much as the next man, but this is just plain awful. I can't stand the way it is written, the characters names, the ridiculously dull story (which gets even worse when you have to endure the characters' past as well) and to top it off this has somehow won the nobel prize for literature. Clearly the people who voted had never actually bothered to read the book.
I have the unfortunate task of doing my english literature coursework on this next year but if you have the choice of not reading this, stay well away!
If you have to read a Morrison book, Beloved was marginally more readable, with Paul D the only remotely interesting character.

Spanning the Transition from Slavery to the Freedom of Jazz, 09 Jul 2004
For many African-Americans, the period from 1860 through 1930 was a particularly challenging one. The formal slavery of the South transitioned into a vulnerable rural economic existence, dependent on the weather and the price of crops. The promise of the city lured many to leave their homes, and adopt city life-styles that put new social pressures on them and their relationships. Jazz tells this story through the microcosm of one marriage, that of Joe and Violet Trace.

Unlike many books about marriage, this one is a love story. Although it bears no relationship to any romance novel you have ever read, it reveals the way that the need for love develops from within each of us and allows us to grasp its potential when we respond to the yearnings of those we care about.

Music was important in the lives of many people during those years. Churches and music halls vied for the attention of most people in the cities. Jazz was a new influence, bursting on the scene with a combination of extreme freedom and mutual respect for the other players. In this book, jazz is represented both as a symbol of freedom and as a source of base impulses that can lead people astray. Ms. Morrison also pays homage to jazz by building her narrative around the individual stories of those involved taken in solitary order, much like the solos in a jazz piece. The narratives all weave together, but you have to hear the whole piece to understand how. Be patient with what seem like digressions. They are really transitions into new perspectives, like when a horn does a riff before returning to the theme.

You also get the metaphor of jazz used in the relationship of the two Traces. They were originally in rhythm with each other, then fell out of rhythm, and then regained their ability to improvise together. It's very nicely done!

To me, the best part of the book was that Ms. Morrison does not permit her characters to fall back on misfortune, fate, and heredity as excuses for misbehavior. Clearly, those factors affect us, but we all have the potential to rise above them. We need only open our eyes and start responding to those closest to us. Then, we can build a better life together.

The family background of the two Traces is a rich tapestry as well of the social history of African-Americans during this period. Ms. Morrison's imagination is quite remarkable in the variety and vividness of these characters!

For those who are interested in understanding more about the roots of the Jazz Age, this book will also be very appealing.

After you have finished thinking about the lessons of Jazz, you should consider where you display the good characteristics of a jazz player . . . and where you do not.

Feel the rhythm around you!

Symphonic lyricism, 13 Nov 2002
As a child of fine artists and a classical and jazz musician, I had no idea or understanding as to why many of the churches- from the turn of the century to almost the present day in many areas- consistently referred to jazz as the devil's music, or dangerously secular, until after reading this book. Toni Morrison becomes the metaphor herself, along with her invented characters, as a story of love and passion, anger and rage, sorrow and grief, hunger and lonliness, acknowledgement, and quiet, earhty epiphany unfolds as uncontrollably as the tides,with all the simple complexity of a jazz riff- and with as much freedom from judgement. Toni Morrison's descriptive powers sweeping across the landscape of history and the landscape of the individual character's lives is frightening in its ability to overwhelm. She brings out the raw, triumphant humaness of each character with such lyricism and painful joy. The novel can at times feel like a giant denoument, yet its slowly building climaxes are what make it more than readable; they make it exciting, sublimely predictable and unpredictable simultameuosly. It almost makes one understand better why the story of Christ is called a "Passion"; passion, as exemplified in this novel, is not just a sexy or damaging thing, but also the way to come to know God.

There are small pars of the novel that are a bit too detailed in the rendering of lesser character's lives. Yet her rendering of the time period- Harlem in the 20's, and the community is incredible. This is more, or different, than a novel. It is an epic poem- an epic jazz poem that has you hearing the music as it mildly, painfully, poignantly and triumphantly ends. Toni will not let you down with this one.

great book, 27 Sep 2002
The book is rhythmically excellent, its narritive entwining the stories of the characters as effortlessy as Jazz music entwines chords.
Toni Morrisons voice trancends colour and creed and has become one of the greatest writers in America.
Each character and therefore, each story, is haunted by a tragic past, one which they must face and overcome before it overcomes them.
the book is haunting and remains with you even after you have finished reading.
what more can be said - simply eloquence.

Compelling and thought provoking story, 03 Nov 2008
An incredible story that is difficult to describe in a short few sentences. It was certainly a very thought provoking book and I really wanted to discuss it with someone else (excellent choice for a book club!). I was unsure about the ending but on reflection it fits well with the rest of the book and allows for the reader to ponder the story well after finishing reading. Dystopian fiction is not for everyone but if you are at all interested in this genre then this is a brilliant example. Once I'd finished this book I went straight out and bought "Oryx and Crake" - another dystopian story by Atwood.

It doesn't matter what you feel, it only matters how you behave, 23 Sep 2008
What a wonderful book, written in the style of 1984 and Kazuo Ishiguro's Never let me go. I find Margaret Atwood's books hard to put down once I have started them, and cannot believe I only discovered her this year. I didn't read the notes at the end, as I thought they would ruin the chilling atmosphere set by the rest of the book. Moira is one of the best characters for me; she brings a little humour to the situation which is sorely needed. A great read.

How to do theocratic dystopia..., 12 Aug 2008
A truly great book, particular for those who have cold feet about Speculative Fiction (aka Sci Fi). A post-apocalyptic take on loss, resistance, feminism and social order of the patriarchal kind, The Handmaid's Tale avoids both cliche and the pretensions that can often plague even the best of novels with political undertows. I can think of few books which so well capture the sense of radical transformation and dislocation that must come with what someone once called the 'orgasms of history', those decisive events that change utterly social structures and somehow drag individuals along with them, even though people remain dominated by much the same loves and hopes they always were. The evocations of ritual, ceremony and punishment are particularly disturbing and resonant, even viscerally so. And, despite creating a deeply believable metaphor both for those changes that have been and those yet to come, Atwood also accomplishes the 'page turner' quality usually reserved for shallow thrillers. Just shy of being a masterpiece.

A thoroughly satisfying read, 07 Aug 2008
Possibly inspired by Islamic revolutions of the late 1970's - Atwood re-imagines American society in the grip an ultra-conservative, theocracy.
Under this regime, biblical scripture is used to justify hierarchical polygamy. High-caste 'Wives' govern biologically-fertile 'handmaids'- kept purely for procreative breeding, these 'handmaids' are sober, pious and nun-like - but they retain the dangerous allure of 'scarlet women' ... being parodoxically both entrapped and yet empowered by their vital role as surrogate mothers.
This is a post-feminist and matriarchal, but rigidly controlled and totalitarian society. It is NOT a cliched 'post-apocalyptic' story,(as the last reviewer erroneously claimed.) It is, however, one possible direction into which modern western societies may be presently regressing. It is a gritty, multi-layered tale, but it is largely about religious ideology as a form of social control.
The story is told with such a sense of exquisite clarity. The sheer pace and mood had me enthralled! It is a vivid, lucid tale, yet richly shrewd and astute. I particularly love the way in which the plot is tantalisingly 'strip-teased' - by flowing back and forth between the present (future) and past (present) Convincingly realistic, profoundly haunting and richly stimulating ... a thoroughly satisfying read!!

Love this book!, 22 Jul 2008
I read this novel for the first time last week and I loved it!! I couldn't put it down!!

Pass over this book and it's your loss...., 11 Nov 2008
Buy this now! ;-)

I first read this book many years ago, soon after Rose had amazed me when she was on Desert Island Discs - she sounded so intelligent and interesting that I had to see what her books were like. I was stunned by it (and by the fact that's she's still comparatively little known) and lent my copy to several people, but in the end it didn't come back. So, in July I ordered a new copy and read it again - it was even better than I'd remembered - the plot, structure, exquisite use of the language and humour (as well as many other emotions) combine to make it one of my two favourite books. In case you're wondering the other is Last and First Men/Last Men in London by Olaf Stapledon - but that's out of print more often than not.

A great novel., 19 Aug 2005
I loved this novel. I haven't read it recently so some of the details are fuzzy but I do remember being amazed by the story and the author's writing style.

"Sacred Country" is about a young girl, Mary Ward, who, at the age of six, realizes that she should be boy. The book is a chronicle of her life from that point on. I found the detailed descriptions of the odd things that captured Mary's curiosity as a child (and as an adult, in a different way) intriguing. I won't lie, this is a very sad story at times, and is hard to read in some parts because of Mary's loneliness. The loneliness is never stated and packs a harder punch because of it. All in all, this book explained to me in stunning writing, the process of finding all of the right worlds in oneself. And, dealing with them when they don't fit or express into a manageable form to the outside world. It is a coming of age story to the self and to life. I like to read to learn - about happiness, sadness, life - this book delivered in a big way for me.

A melange of characters crocheted to hook the reader., 06 Dec 2001
This is a can't be put down book. At first the topic seems unpromising, an infant girls transexual realisation. However this frame is used as a trellis to support a honeysuckle plot of intertwining tendrils. Not a word is wasted, not a word ommited in demonstrating not ony the wordsmith at work but also the artist. The book is funny, sad, tender and quite vicious all in one.

The most fantastic book ever published., 17 Oct 2000
In the summer of 1996, when I was feeling particularly confused and lonely I picked up a copy of sacred country and read it. Wow is the only word I can think of to summarise how I felt about the book. It gave me insight in to the struggles of others; the dilemas faced by Mary, Timmy, Estelle, Cord, Sonny Walter and the many other characters in the book opened my eyes to the world around me and made me alert to the emotions and insecurities of others. I have read the book 32 times since then and each time I find something else to break my heart or I notice something new in the story I never did before. The last time I read it I cried when Mary/Martin sat at the fountain in London wondering which parts of Mary she would miss when she finally became Martin. The way Rose Tremain creates a world into wich you can steo and find something new time and time again is fascinating. Whether it is Pearl's beauty, mary's struggle or Estelles madness that grips you the first time you read Sacred Country, you will find that it is something else entirely trhat grips you the second time. Fantasic, Tremain's most powerful work yet.

A celebration of human weakness and triumph, 12 Sep 1999
Six year-old Mary stood quietly in the snow, with her family, as they mourned the death of King George VI, and thought "I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

This is an enchanting story of people in a small village in the south of England trying to make sense of their lives.

It is not a book of tragedy. There is sadness, but there is joy. There is death but there is life. There is hopelessness but there is also the urge to become.

In its depiction of the complex network of relationships, there is probably more real truth about the way people are, than in a thousand psychology texts.

Walter with his dream of becoming a singer and songwriter believing that his dreams can never be fulfilled. Jimmy also nearly becoming trapped in a life not of his choosing. Both breaking out in their own special ways. Edward Harker, with his hat held discreetly in front of his trousers, believing that his feelings, at 61, for Irene are improper. And Irene never realising that a man could find her attractive as a woman.

Sonny, withdrawn inside himself occupied only with the farm that provided the family living. Estelle retreating into fantasy to escape a life of emptiness.

But, most of all, Mary who is really Martin, displaced in the family's cognisance by the arrival of the younger brother, despising him for his scrawny weakness, going through school to adulthood, meanwhile finding her true love and losing it, but growing triumphantly in her, then his, own individual way.

Passionate and gritty, a coming of age novel with a difference, 13 Jan 2008
A curious mixture of stories and semi-autobiography which come together to shape the life of Jeanette, the adopted daughter of a church-obsessed mother and a quiet, dominated father. Oranges are not the Fruit traces Jeanette teenage years, growing up in a northern town in a community in which she never quite fits, despite her talent for preaching and her wildly imaginative ideas. The structure of the novel, skirting and spiralling between an disjointed biographical narrative and other stories which shape Jeanette's development, suits perfectly what is a gritty discourse on the nature of personality, history and memory and the importance of perspective in developing all three. And at the same time, it's an engaging, if sometimes distressing, story too.

Very well observed, 18 Nov 2007
I remember watching Oranges are not the Only Fruit on the BBC, oooh, about 1990/91 and me and my fiancee were enthralled (Married 15 years since!). Having watched an excellent TV series, it took me till now, 2007 to read it as a book. As we watched in Oswaldtwistle, and now I read, in Brierfield, having lived here 17 years, it really spoke to me. The TV version, from what I remember, is an excellent adaptation of the novel, and the novel, absolutely superb. Almost Les Dawson-esque in its portrayal of Lancastrian, particularly East Lancastrianism, familial relations and its constituent claustrophobia. Having been brought up a Catholic and subsequently enthralled by the 'average' Pentecostal knowledge of The Bible (I felt ignorant when in the company of Pentecosts!) and now a secular being ... it brought it all home to me. Elsie Norris reminded me of my own grandmother, understanding and sensitive ...

I devoured this book, and kept wishing there were another two hundred pages to go. It captured so much for me ... Lancashire, christianity (in Lancashire), and the tenderness of youth ... and, as I said, so observant in its Lancashire humour, I laughed out loud to many pages ...

Excellent. I am sure it would be enjoyed by anyone, but if you were brought up a Christian, in the North, surrounded by strong women, and born in the 1960's, I GUARANTEE, you will love it.


Sex, Religion & Great Writing, 10 Sep 2007
It's all in the title. This is truely a masterpiece. Being a sort-of biography, the story tells that of Jeanette as a young girl, growing up in a stric religious society whilst having to cope with the struggles of having feelings for another woman.
Throughout the book the main character is faced with the troubles of defying a parental figure, the pains of unacceptance and of course the struggles of lesbianism. Anyone who has fought with the angst of coming to terms with sexuality will relate to this book greatly.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, 16 Aug 2007
I would normally have stayed well clear of a book like this but it's amazing what you'll pick up on holiday when the only other reading material available is the dreaded Freddie Forsyth and Jeffrey Archer. So it went with me and despite having great reservations, I soon settled into this charming and unsettling tale and found it hard to put down.

The plot centres on Jeanette as she grows up in East Lancashire in a ferociously Christian fundamentalist sect and the relationships she has with friends, lovers and, most explosively, her mother. The results are often very funny and coming from the same part of the world I found the locations and many of the characters to be very real and recognisable.

Winterson writes from the heart when exploring Jeanette's yearnings to lead her own life and the rejection and resentment she receives from those closest to her and this is the special element in the book for me. It's about people and nothing more. No explosions, no car chases, no global conspiracies involving Freemasons or Knights Templar or any of that nonsense, just ordinary everyday people we all know, love and loathe.

Oranges are not the only fruit is a bittersweet tale that I greatly enjoyed and I've subsequently read it a second time. It's also a very short book, so if you're not sure about taking a step outside your literary comfort zone it really won't take you long to read it. Go on, taste something different.

Oranges are not the only fruit, 19 Jun 2007
I have just read a review of `Oranges are not the Only Fruit', which I found to be a poor attempt at criticising a fantastic novel. The review states that the characters' are not developed, however the context of the statement offered no explanation as to why? I have read the novel and found the characters to be developed as much as they needed to be, however they are complex and carry a number of personas all of which challenge modern concepts of the family unit and reflect a foresight into the devalued society in which we now unfortunately find ourselves. My review of the novel is one that supports the numerous attentions it received at publication and the TV drama that was a result of this work and the awards that it also won in my meagre opinion speak volumes! Buy it, and enjoy as it is truly fantastic literally work.

The Bluest Eye, 02 Oct 2008
Filled with striking imagery which makes up for the sometimes fragmented narrative. A sad tale which for me evoked a time and a place vividly. Perhaps a little overly 'literary' in places, I thought this was worth reading.

Interesting but incomplete, 11 Apr 2008
The Bluest Eye is about race relations and, as such, can never be completely understandable to a non-American such as me. It revolves around a simple and very sad story of rape, incest and the victimisation of a little girl in 1940s America. It is told from the point of view of blacks - this was before the term African-American - and partly in another child's voice. The little girl thinks herself ugly and envies the looks of blue-eyed whites. That a black child could consider herself physically inferior was a real shock to me, and for considering this only the book is worth reading. One wonders how much this has changed in the last four decades.

There is a broader subject, however, which is the psychological impact and destructive power of models of beauty, especially feminine beauty. This, unfortunately, is only alluded to and could have been addressed in far more depth. The book also lacks the victim's own voice. Because it is told in chronological disorder and from different protagonists' angles, the story tends to be less strongly felt. At times it almost reads like a documentary. Perhaps this is for the best, since some scenes might have been unbearable if told by the central character herself. Still, while interesting and often revealing, this book too often gave me the impression of being unfinished.


The Bluest Eyes, 24 Oct 2007
This was my first introduction to Toni Morrison many years ago. I re-read it after unpacking from a house move. It remains a beautifully written, evocative and gently powerful text. I remembered why I am still 'hooked' on her writing.

Fragmentary but beautiful, 03 Jan 2007
More a collection of mini-stories than a fully developed narrative, The Bluest Eye looks at the different factors involved in a young girl's becoming pregnant by her father, from her stay with friends to the histories of her parents and their relationship. It is sensitively told without judgement, and you get a feel for the tragedies of all the characters concerned.

One of her earlier works, this isn't the best book if you want to discover Toni Morrison, but it is beautifully written as always, and a fascinating insight into her early development. Most useful here is a postscript by Morrison where she identifies her intentions and some of the weaknesses in the book.

The Bluest Eyes, 12 Jul 2005
A moving and well written story. Structured through different points of view to suck the reader right into the heart of the story. The dialogue flows easily and doesn't alienate the reader who lacks prior knowledge of the culture or linguistic style.

That's the kick, 03 Oct 2008
I had to read this for A Level English and at first I found it almost impossible to get into. A lot of it tends to go over your head but as you keep reading and get to the end, something just clicks and at the last 3/4 of the last chapter, you honestly believe it's a masterpiece. Upon several rereadings of the book, I found I understood more of it and it's just wonderful. Especially the last paragraph.

Stay away from this over-rated stream of consciousness rubbish, 04 Aug 2008
I like an original and unique book as much as the next man, but this is just plain awful. I can't stand the way it is written, the characters names, the ridiculously dull story (which gets even worse when you have to endure the characters' past as well) and to top it off this has somehow won the nobel prize for literature. Clearly the people who voted had never actually bothered to read the book.
I have the unfortunate task of doing my english literature coursework on this next year but if you have the choice of not reading this, stay well away!
If you have to read a Morrison book, Beloved was marginally more readable, with Paul D the only remotely interesting character.

Spanning the Transition from Slavery to the Freedom of Jazz, 09 Jul 2004
For many African-Americans, the period from 1860 through 1930 was a particularly challenging one. The formal slavery of the South transitioned into a vulnerable rural economic existence, dependent on the weather and the price of crops. The promise of the city lured many to leave their homes, and adopt city life-styles that put new social pressures on them and their relationships. Jazz tells this story through the microcosm of one marriage, that of Joe and Violet Trace.

Unlike many books about marriage, this one is a love story. Although it bears no relationship to any romance novel you have ever read, it reveals the way that the need for love develops from within each of us and allows us to grasp its potential when we respond to the yearnings of those we care about.

Music was important in the lives of many people during those years. Churches and music halls vied for the attention of most people in the cities. Jazz was a new influence, bursting on the scene with a combination of extreme freedom and mutual respect for the other players. In this book, jazz is represented both as a symbol of freedom and as a source of base impulses that can lead people astray. Ms. Morrison also pays homage to jazz by building her narrative around the individual stories of those involved taken in solitary order, much like the solos in a jazz piece. The narratives all weave together, but you have to hear the whole piece to understand how. Be patient with what seem like digressions. They are really transitions into new perspectives, like when a horn does a riff before returning to the theme.

You also get the metaphor of jazz used in the relationship of the two Traces. They were originally in rhythm with each other, then fell out of rhythm, and then regained their ability to improvise together. It's very nicely done!

To me, the best part of the book was that Ms. Morrison does not permit her characters to fall back on misfortune, fate, and heredity as excuses for misbehavior. Clearly, those factors affect us, but we all have the potential to rise above them. We need only open our eyes and start responding to those closest to us. Then, we can build a better life together.

The family background of the two Traces is a rich tapestry as well of the social history of African-Americans during this period. Ms. Morrison's imagination is quite remarkable in the variety and vividness of these characters!

For those who are interested in understanding more about the roots of the Jazz Age, this book will also be very appealing.

After you have finished thinking about the lessons of Jazz, you should consider where you display the good characteristics of a jazz player . . . and where you do not.

Feel the rhythm around you!

Symphonic lyricism, 13 Nov 2002
As a child of fine artists and a classical and jazz musician, I had no idea or understanding as to why many of the churches- from the turn of the century to almost the present day in many areas- consistently referred to jazz as the devil's music, or dangerously secular, until after reading this book. Toni Morrison becomes the metaphor herself, along with her invented characters, as a story of love and passion, anger and rage, sorrow and grief, hunger and lonliness, acknowledgement, and quiet, earhty epiphany unfolds as uncontrollably as the tides,with all the simple complexity of a jazz riff- and with as much freedom from judgement. Toni Morrison's descriptive powers sweeping across the landscape of history and the landscape of the individual character's lives is frightening in its ability to overwhelm. She brings out the raw, triumphant humaness of each character with such lyricism and painful joy. The novel can at times feel like a giant denoument, yet its slowly building climaxes are what make it more than readable; they make it exciting, sublimely predictable and unpredictable simultameuosly. It almost makes one understand better why the story of Christ is called a "Passion"; passion, as exemplified in this novel, is not just a sexy or damaging thing, but also the way to come to know God.

There are small pars of the novel that are a bit too detailed in the rendering of lesser character's lives. Yet her rendering of the time period- Harlem in the 20's, and the community is incredible. This is more, or different, than a novel. It is an epic poem- an epic jazz poem that has you hearing the music as it mildly, painfully, poignantly and triumphantly ends. Toni will not let you down with this one.

great book, 27 Sep 2002
The book is rhythmically excellent, its narritive entwining the stories of the characters as effortlessy as Jazz music entwines chords.
Toni Morrisons voice trancends colour and creed and has become one of the greatest writers in America.
Each character and therefore, each story, is haunted by a tragic past, one which they must face and overcome before it overcomes them.
the book is haunting and remains with you even after you have finished reading.
what more can be said - simply eloquence.

Subtle, classy ghost story, 29 Jul 2008
A literary ghost story which explores issues of slavery, family, love and death, 'Beloved' is a book that stays with you long after it's finished. The writing is intricate and beautiful, full of emotion yet always controlled.

Sethe, a freed former slave, and her daughter live in a house haunted by the spirit of her other daughter, Beloved, who died 18 years ago. When a old friend arrives at the house and asserts his authority, Beloved fights back. It might sound far fetched but it is actually one of the most plausible tales of the supernatural I have read. Morrison blends the fantastical and the normal together effortlessly in flowing, readable prose.

It's not always an easy read, particularly in the first couple of chapters whilst the reader adjusts to the style. But once you are into the story there are no problems. The depictions of the mistreatment of slaves in 19th century America were eye-opening, and Morrison does a fine job of showing how events both severe and seemingly unremarkable can affect a person's life and emotions many years later.

If you're expecting a blood spattered tale of gore and spectres, you'll be disappointed. The only thing oozing from the writing here is quality, and the story is all the more effective and haunting for its subtlety. Likewise, those who aren't keen on 'ghost stories' shouldn't be put off - this is first and foremost a fine piece of writing and a story of humanity (and inhumanity), rather than a conventional tale of the paranormal.

A must read for anyone who would like to understand more about slavery in historical America, or indeed anybody who appreciates good writing and a well crafted story.

Wanting to Remember and Needing to Forget, 14 Nov 2002
At the center of this novel is a house that is infused with the memory of what is too painful to be remembered and what is so important that it cannot be forgot. Sethe and Paul D are people who have both survived slavery though at a heavy cost. Both had to flee their homes and everything that was familiar because "home" is not completely "sweet" as its name wishes to make it but then again it is not all sour. Both have been raped. Now, together, they are trying to find a way to look to the future. Paul D is constantly pressing to this end in his naturally patriarchal way, but he is stopped in his progression to make a home by a spiritual invocation that is nothing less than a living memory: Beloved. The make-shift idealistic home is not a proper enclosure for memories that are so terribly large. Lost somewhere in the middle is Denver who has been raised on the retelling of these memories. Through her a process of recreation takes place that elevates the memories of her mother to a present time through oral storytelling. Beloved subjects all the characters to a trial that forces them to look at the past that they alternately avoid and wallow in.

The true power of this novel is created in the skilful way it is constructed by Morrison. Never fully in the past, never fully in the present and never looking through just a single pair of eyes. The reader is shifted constantly through time and perspective in a way that makes you feel you are really experiencing the chaos and painfully disordered lives of the characters. You may feel at first what a lovely thing it is that this baby has returned to her mother to create a second chance for them all, but she turns out to be a troubled presence though not an entirely sinister one. The community that rises together to expel her do not have bad intentions, but their intentions are not pure. This is the deep complexity of the novel because the characters are trapped in these paradoxes of aspects to their past and identity that are not all good and not all bad, but work against each other to make existence a painful thing to live with. Somehow, through this, the characters are expected to construct a life for themselves that doesn't let itself be clogged by the onslaught of a difficult past. This is the message for the present day readers who find it so easy to forget and need to find a way to live with a painful awareness of what really happened in our history.

A complicated, horrifying yet brilliant book., 14 Apr 2001
I am studying Beloved for AS level English Lang and Lit. I found that the book had a confusing plot and often it was hard to understand. It portrayed the slave trade as horrific and made a big impact about the way in which we judge people by their colour. It made me realise that we cannot judge by colour if we should be judged at all.A powerful and spectacular novel.

One of my top three books of all time, 23 Aug 2000
I had to read this book for a university course and was totally blown away by it. It is powerful and passionate. It is tremendously complex and works on many levels. I thoroughly enjoyed it as a narrative, but was more and more impressed the deeper I looked into it. It deals with history and the role of story telling, religion and fate. The more I read it, the more I find. If I could ever even begin to write a book like this I would be a happy woman.

Far more than just a course text!, 21 Jun 2000
I had to read Beloved for an English course I was taking at university, which can sometimes have the effect of putting me off a text or an author, at least for a while until I deal with the exam and essay stresses! However, in this case, the novel was actually really interesting and of such high quality that I found I really enjoyed both reading it and going into more depth when studying it. I also read The Bluest Eye (completely voluntarily! :)) and plan to read as many other of Toni Morrison's books as I can this summer. For