I bought this book on a whim, and have found it compelling reading ever since. It contains excellently written essays which very thoroughly explore their immediate subject. As a book on linguistics, however, be prepared for occasionally arcane essays like "The Colour of His Eyes: Polari and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence". If you are interested in language issues and would like to broaden your world-view, I can't recommend this book enough.

My favourite line, from the essay on Gay Man's English: "Honey, what you see is what you get!" Fortunately, with this book, you get more than what you see.

This book is kind of like a bad car wreck. You don't want to look, but you can't stop yourself.

When I read reviews about this book I thought it was going to be humorous.

As it turned out none of it was humorous really, unless you find child sexual abuse humorous--and somehow I think that's one subject there's just no way it can be funny

This book is definitely not for the squeamish as it has people eating fingers, infectious material, and reproductive parts of animals.

This is a funny, touching, well-written book. While not my favorite of Livia's books (I like her earlier, more explicitly feminist books) it is very readable. I thought the child abuse content was handled very well.

Bruised Fruit is a witty, pithy glimpse of several very memorable characters. I've heard it compared to Tales of The City, but, although it does have a Maupinish flair, it would be an injustice to insinuate that Bruised Fruit is not utterly original. Although the complex plot does not allow Livia to develope her characters as fully as one might wish, they are well-sketched and very real.