Sexing the Cherry
Registered by
-Steppenwolf- on 10/28/2005
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
12 journalers for this copy...
different cover, this is the V I N T A G E 1990 edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Evoking modern physics and antique metaphysics, Winterson's ambitiously eccentric narrative challenges her readers to rupture the boundaries of conventional perceptions and linear experience of time. Her narrative voices, alternating between a Rabelaisian giantess and her foundling son, collapse at times into one another and the characters plunge vertiginously through time and space. On the one hand reworking fairy tales, and on the other evoking the filth, squalor and exuberant bawdiness of 17th-century England in the throes of civil war, Winterson ( The Passion ) eventually locates her characters in present-day London. Graced with striking similes and poetic cadences, the author's prose is clean and strong, and the disjunctive elements of her narrative are integrated elegantly. But the novel's freakish characters and flights of surreal fancy are insufficient to redeem its overwrought artifice. The work is further limited by its stridently dogmatic feminism, which, contemptuously belittling all men as arrogantly stupid bullies who are vastly women's inferiors in maturity and moral fiber, vitiates its ostensible intent to transcend the narrowness of human perception.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Bizarre images and bawdy laughter galvanize this splendid English farce about a prodigious giantess and her explorer son in 17th-century London. Jordan fetches the first pineapple to the court of Charles II, while his mother, The Dog Woman, wreaks vengeance upon Puritans in a brothel. The plague; the flying princesses who defy laws of the courts and gravity; Jordan's travels to the floating city and the botanical wonders of the New World--the tale nips easily in and out of history and fantasy. The two characters eventually merge into the grievously polluted life of modern London. Metaphors abound with polemics on environmental concerns and politics of past and present. Not for the Jackie Collins set: readers need a background in surrealism to follow this story.
- Maurice Taylor, Brunswick Cty. Lib., Southport, N.C.
Mailing out to dotdot in Finland as a New Years 2006 RABCK! Enjoy!
Thank you, happyhardcopy. The book arrived already before New Year and even before Christmas :) Have a happy festive season.
Grimm's Fairy Tales combine with scenes from Hell, or from the Hell-wing of The Garden of Earthly Delight by Hieronymys Bosch, at least. The Dog Woman is a heartwarming character in spite of her murderous nature. Everything seems to be so simple to her. I also loved some other characters of this book: London, River Thames and John Tradescant. It's been some time since I've read Winterson's other novels. I don't remember them as humorous and funny. This book was also that.
Thanks a lot, -Steppenwolf-.
************************************
This book is going to travel as a bookring.
Rules:
1. Please journal the book to say you have received it.
2. PM the next person on the list for their address.
3. Read the book within one month.
4. Post to next person on list.
Shipping order:
Niksu, Helsinki
Annelis, Kerava
ruzena, Hämeenlinna
lukutuoli, Tampere
CandyDarling, Helsinki
Back to dotdot
Got it from dotdot at our monthly meetup today, thanks! I received
History of Love-ringbook in the morning so will read that one first. Still I'm trying to pass this on to annelis on next sunday.
I finished this today. Weird but I liked it. Needs probably re-reading to get the time idea out a bit better. I liked the Dog-Woman also and the image of prostitutes floating down the river and fished out by the nuns made me laugh! Great imagination and the author was probably making fun of men all the time.
This was third book by Winterson I have read now. First was The Passion which I liked a lot and which made me find other books by this same author. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruits wasn't as good as The Passion and I was a bit disappointed. But I'm glad I got chance to read this which restores my faith in Wintersons books again.
Thanks to dotdot who found this on my wishlist. Next to annelis on sunday.
Well, I have not read any book by Winterson, yet. Now I have the opportunity to mend that hole in my education. Thank you, Dotdot!
Quite an extraordinary novel in my opinion. Sometimes messy sometimes hilarious. At the beginning I felt like walking in the darkness without a white cane (used by the blind) but the sun rose when the 12 princesses emerged. I'll try to post this to Ruzena tomorrow.
Journal Entry
9 by
ruzena on Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Arrived today, and since I am the last participant at the moment, I'll bury the book in the Mount for a while.
Journal Entry
10 by
ruzena on Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Vintage 1989. PB 144 p.
No doubt Winterson writes well, and interestingly connects history and myths, cosmic visions and worldly theses, love and sex, and grotesque humor, in a unique manner. I have read her works before. Am I too old and too broadminded to get wholly carried away any more? This book was... just funny. Seven stars for that.
No doubt I felt great sisterhood with the Dog Woman. No doubt the dancing princesses were hilarious. No doubt a wedding bouquet made of carrots is a good idea - I'll try it next time.
I'd wished to be the last member of the ray to be able to save the book for my daughters. Yet more readers have appeared, so the book is travelling to lukutuoli (posted).
-ruzena
Thanks a lot for this book and the Christmas Surprise, ruzena! Thanks for dotdot, too, for arranging this bookring. I was more than astonished when I got ruzena's envelope, because I first thought that the handwriting on the envelope was mine! As an amateur graphologist I became interested in someone, who writes so equally with me - I must take a look at your bookshelf, ruzena!!
This was my first Jeanette Winterson, and I found it really strange! I spent all night with this book, but couldn't concentrate on it - there was too much fairy-tale and "poetry" for such a realistic person as I am!
I perhaps should have someone to explain for me what was this all about...
Thanks for sharing, however, dotdot! I'll follow these journal entries, perhaps I can understand the book better, later!
The book arrived in the mail today, thanks lukutuoli. As I have 7 bookrings ahead of this one, it'll go in the TBR pile for a while.
I just finished this book, and I'm glad I did read it to the end, although it took me a couple of months. It didn't really draw me in, but when I was reading, I enjoyed the images created by the author. I liked many of the eccentric stories, for exmple the city that wasn't bound by gravity, the brothel with the ever changing prostitutes, etc.
Somewhere in this book was the claim that Hopi Indians have no words for time. This is not true, see
this article, which offers examples of concepts of time in the Hopi language.
Thanks for including me on this ring. I'll give the book back to dotdot when I see her the next time.
Thank you, CandyDarling. I'll send this to ruzena and her daughter tomorrow.
Journal Entry
16 by
ruzena on Sunday, July 15, 2007
Thank you dotdot for remembering my wish!
EDIT May 3, 2013. Now, this cherry has been just enough enjoyed, and is reserved for
the EU VBB.
-ruzena
Journal Entry
17 by
ruzena at
by mail, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases on Friday, May 31, 2013
Released 10 yrs ago (5/31/2013 UTC) at by mail, A Bookbox -- Controlled Releases
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Another excellent choice from the EU multilingual VBB, Bloedengel. Enjoy!
Journal Entry
18 by
bloedengel at
Turnhout, Antwerpen / Anvers Belgium on Tuesday, June 4, 2013
I'm good at chosing :)
I've had some very diverse experiences with Wintersons books. I loved oranges are not the only fruit and hated written on the body.
We'll see which way this one goes.
Journal Entry
19 by
bloedengel at
Turnhout, Antwerpen / Anvers Belgium on Saturday, June 29, 2013
Such a wonderful book, this one. I , as many before me here, had trouble staying connected to the story. As I am a very chaotic person, easily distracted, I probably had twice the effort to pull to get this one through till the end. I could not find the storyline, or comprehend one bit of it. It was sort of an encouragement that it was only a thin booklet. I don't think I could have finished a bibleload of this one :)
Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed it. All the beautiful images, the poetry in the prose, the languages, the fairytales ... , the dancing sisters. A must have read, definetely!
Journal Entry
20 by
bloedengel at
Turnhout, Antwerpen / Anvers Belgium on Saturday, June 29, 2013
Released 10 yrs ago (6/30/2013 UTC) at Turnhout, Antwerpen / Anvers Belgium
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
The Dutch bookcrossers are uniting for the early uncon in Castricum at the beach where I'll meet Boekentrol.
I'll give her this wishlistbook to please her, but also to score a point in Vekiki's bookcrossingolympics in the shot-put discipline !
Hole in one !
Journal Entry
21 by
Boekentrol at
Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Tuesday, July 2, 2013
And... your shot-put is completed :-)
Thank you very much, Bloedengel, for taking this book with you to Castricum. A wishlist book, one from the 1001-list... it really couldn't be any better.
Look forward to reading it
Journal Entry
22 by
Boekentrol at
- Ergens in de provincie, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Friday, May 16, 2014
Reserved for saskiasosmile in the 1001-wishlist tag game.
Journal Entry
23 by
Boekentrol at
Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Thursday, May 29, 2014
The first words that cone to mind after reading this book are strange and weird. I have struggled reading this book, I couldn't really follow what it was all about. And even after I stopped trying to understand, it did not really get any easier.
Too much strangeness in such a small book I guess.
Maybe I'll try a translation, if there is one, to get the t's crossed and the i's dotted.
Journal Entry
24 by
Boekentrol at
Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands on Thursday, May 29, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (5/30/2014 UTC) at Leeuwarden, Fryslân (Friesland) Netherlands
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book is now on its way to saskiasosmile, whom I tagged in the 1001-wishlist tag game.
Enjoy the book & Happy Bookcrossing!!
Journal Entry
25 by
saskiasosmile at
Whitby, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Friday, June 6, 2014
Thanks boekentrol for tagging me this book.
From the journals left by other bookcrossers before me it is hard to guess what it will be like to read this!
Journal Entry
26 by
saskiasosmile at
Whitby, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Monday, February 22, 2016
This was not a book I enjoyed reading very much. Although there were parts where I liked the language.
It is now available again.
Journal Entry
27 by
saskiasosmile at
Whitby, North Yorkshire United Kingdom on Thursday, December 12, 2019
Released 4 yrs ago (12/12/2019 UTC) at Whitby, North Yorkshire United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This book will go in the post soon, to 4evagreen, as part of the UK Wishlist Tag game.
Journal Entry
28 by
4evagreen at
Furness Vale, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Friday, December 20, 2019
This was waiting for me when I got in from work. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing.
Journal Entry
29 by
4evagreen at
Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Released 2 yrs ago (5/5/2021 UTC) at Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire United Kingdom
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
This is quite a short book but don't be fooled, it still takes the reader on a roller-coaster of emotions. Perhaps my mind is simply too literal to be a fan of magical realism tales and therefore really appreciate this but I still found it a remarkably original and imaginative piece of writing which deserves to be on the 1001 list.
Spotted this on a wishlist so going out as a RABCK. Enjoy!
Journal Entry
30 by
kingfan30 at
Somewhere in Lincs 🤷♂️, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Friday, May 7, 2021
Wow what a well travelled book, thank you for sharing
20 June 21 - I’m not sure my timing was great when I picked this up, my mind was bit all over the place and wasn’t great at concentrating. That said this is quit a fantastical read which reminded me of fairy tales. I really didn’t have a clue what was going on but did kind of enjoy some if.
Journal Entry
31 by
kingfan30 at
Telephone Box ☎️ in Burton Coggles, Lincolnshire United Kingdom on Sunday, June 27, 2021
Released 2 yrs ago (6/27/2021 UTC) at Telephone Box ☎️ in Burton Coggles, Lincolnshire United Kingdom
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Left in the telephone box library for someone else to enjoy