I liked this book, but I didn't love it, and it's certainly not as strong as Winterson's book, Written on the Body.

The Passion is about, well, passion... and not much else. Winterson's main characters examine their passions in beautiful, perhaps overdone, language. (I get the feeling that if someone else had written this novel, it would be considered a humorus parody of Winterson's style.)

Winterson sets her story in a fantastical version of early 19th century Europe, but this book has little to do with Europe per se, and other to launch one character's infatuation with Napolean, the setting really serves no real purpose to the story. I mention this not because I'm particularly worried -- a novel has to be set somewhere -- but because earlier reviewers seem to love the "historical" aspects of the novel, when in fact there really aren't any of note. Furthermore, because the the story is told from the first person, and because the characters always dwell on their introspective passion problems, little is lent to the setting of the story -- they are simply places with names and a few lines of beautiful, overwrought description. Historical fiction readers, beware.

The main players themselves do nothing more than worry about the loves of their lives and the obstacles in between -- their passions override characterization, making them rather one-dimensional. Perhaps this flat characterization is intended. If so, it's an interesting comment on what overriding passion does to one's character -- namely, passion destroy personality. However, such people do get tiresome, in real life and in this book.

Still, I read the book and enjoyed it. While passion seems to be its only theme, it is a good theme nevertheless, and its presentation is compelling, if somewhat overstated. I'm glad it is a slim book, though.

I think this is an often overlooked book among Jeanette Winterson's masterpieces. (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Sexing the Cherry are generally the ones people have read). As in her other novels, Winterson blurrs the lines of the everything we take as "fact" or "true" and in the process challenges are notions of history, time, gender and language. Henri, one of NApolean's chef, falls in love with Vilanelle, a near-mythical gondolier from Venice. Together they explore the boundaries of passion, love and history in a way that makes you rethink everything you have ever assumed about gender and society. I think Winterson is a master at what she writes -- truly turning upside down any preconceived notions the reader may have and allowing us to enter a world that resembles are own in many ways, but is not the world we know. Anyone familiar with feminist theory would be particularly interested in the way that Winterson manipulates her tale and her words

"Perhaps all romance is like that; not a contract between equal parties but an explosion of dreams and desires that can find no outlet in everyday life. Only a drama will do and while the fireworks last the sky is a different colour." -Jeanette Winterson

Henri, a poor country boy joins the French military to follow his passion: Bonaparte. His tour of duty takes him on Napoleon's marches, and one is treated to an inside of look at being a soldier in Bonaparte's army. Napoleon's passion for fighting has him take his armies into Moscow. Concurrently, a woman gives birth to a child in Venice. The child's father is a Boatman, and those children, according to legend, can walk on water. The child turns out to be a girl, but is nonetheless a Boatman's Daughter. She has a passion for gambling, and meets the love of her life and finds another passion, in the process losing her heart. After her heart has been broken, she marries a cruel, fat Frenchman and exults in his passion for debasing her. Her destiny takes her to Moscow, where she meets Henri. Henri's passion for the Boatman's daughter proves to be no small thing in his own destiny.

Set in magical, eternal cities, encompassing a time which captivates the imagination, and written in beautiful prose, this work is emminently readable, and entirely riveting. There are beautiful heart-stopping phrases worth quoting on every page -- words which, by their beauty, make this spellbinding tale a lyrical journey of discovery. There are many kinds of passions in this piece, and following each to its end, and savoring each as it comes, is a bittersweet and very poignant experience. Do it! Highly Recommended!

Terribly weak compared to her other work.

The story of Noah and the flood...told from an entirely different perspective, including rhinestone roller-skates, an orange demon, angels addicted to romance novels, and a transvestite...not to mention that giant ice-cream/black forest gateau concoction! Less intense than most of her later work, but beautifully written and an ton of fun to read!

If you read the author's remarks on her own webpage, then ÒBoating forBeginnersÓ is supposed to be a pot-boiler, written for the money inthe time of dearth before her ÔOranges are not the only FruitÕ finallysaw the light of day. Should this be true, then Ms. Winterson is evenmore talented than I had given her credit for. The book is a riot,truly funny, the kind of sarcasm that may kill a religion, and is muchmore effective as an antidote than the most elaborate production oflearned scholarship ever could hope to achieve ...Of course there aresome purely British insider jokes, and since we are at it letÕs givethe media a bit of a flak too. It is the wonderful world of glitteringtears and hallelujah-burgers from Genesis all the way to the latesttelevangelists. Praise the Lord! (And it is true: you CAN get yourorgasms in a supermarket.) Ms. Winterson sparkles with angular twistsand turns and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas and jabs, butto the readers pleasant surprise, it all falls into place, and a realstory among ÒrealÓ people develops Ð characters we recognize, even inthis warped apparition from a parallel universe. Talent, fantasy andthe language, if an author has this, and Ms. Winterson has it inabundance, then even potboilers turn out to be a delight to read Ð infact it may even turn out better than more ambitious projects where anauthor can be a tat too conscious of what she or he is trying todo. (Yes, you guessed it, I am thinking of Ms. WintersonÕs ÒGutSymmetries.Ó) For the seeker of Ôprofound ideasÕ: the book developsthe premise: ÒWhat would happen if we took Northrop Frye seriously andused his method as a prescription of how to write narratives?Ó Need Isay more? Anyway: it was a pleasure to look into the workings of arare talent. If this book really had been produced in such a haste, asMs. Winterson claims, than it is the most transparent sample from herworkshop so far Ð and I must say, the most appealing, despite hertremendous ÒSexing the Cherry.Ó If you like Douglas AdamsÕÒHitchhiker,Ó then you are in for a treat, because this here is waybetter, and a good starting point to explore Ms. WintersonÕswork. Thing is: the book is only sporadically available in the US. andWintersonÕs own US-publisher doesnÕt even mention its existence. Why?You tell me! What a shame. END

"Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes. Never unfold too much, tell the whole story. I didn't know that Louise would have reading hands. She has translated me into her own book." -Jeanette Winterson

Set in England, a Russian translator speaks about the preoccupation that this person has with women -- a series of women, until Louise comes into this person's life, transforming it forever. Their Love Story is beautifully detailed and lovingly chronicled in heartstopping prose. This writer can create unforgettable paragraphs. Her book is refreshingly put together, and she has used abundant creativity in constructing loving passages, one after another, written on the body -- or rather about the body, and the protagonist's insatiable longing for Louise.

Poignant, pensive, and beautiful, this book is a joy. The Love Story is magical and wondrous and makes one's heart flutter to read about it. Highly recommended!

"Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes. Never unfold too much, tell the whole story. I didn't know that Louise would have reading hands. She has translated me into her own book." -Jeanette Winterson

A Russian translator speaks about the preoccupation that this person has with women -- a series of women, until Louise comes into this person's life, transforming it forever. Their Love Story is beautifully detailed and lovingly chronicled in heartstopping prose. This writer can create unforgettable paragraphs. Her book is refreshingly put together, and she has used abundant creativity in constructing loving passages, one after another, written on the body -- or rather about the body, and the protagonist's insatiable longing for Louise.

Poignant, pensive, and beautiful -- this book is a joy. The Love Story is magical and wondrous and makes one's heart flutter to read about it. I shall treasure my memories of it. Highly recommended!

This is an extraordinary narrative that focuses on the pleasure and the pain associated with being in love. An individual who has no name, no gender and no age tells the story to us. We as readers can easily relate to the narrator's feelings despite the fact that there is nothing distinctive or tangible about the narrator for us to relate to. The fact is the narrator is swimming in a sea of beautiful emotions where I'm sure many of us would love to drown. We hear about the narrator's intense relationship with Louise, a beautiful woman with flaming red hair who is married to a stodgy, fuddy-duddy named Elgin. The writing is so descriptive and captivating, one can really understand how it must feel to love someone with every last ounce of their existence. Jeanette Winterson takes us to a sensual place where many of us have visited at one time or another or would love to visit again. With beautifully descriptive and insightful writing, wry wit and splashes of comedy, "Written on the Body" is a book you'll want to read over and over again! Highly recommended!

This collection of essays on art and literature is wonderfully thought-provoking. Winterson's collection is a call for greater attention to art that makes a person think, that gives a person insight into a new level of reality - be it another culture or simply an alternative view of your own culture.

This book is great for writers, artists, and musicians in need of inspiration -- or a kick in the trousers. It defends the noble pursuit of art for art's sake, and challenges readers to demand more of their writers than purely story-driven plot. At times, Winterson admonishes those who read purely for escapist reasons with the excuse "oh, I don't want to have to think at the end of the day." Score one against television escapism, as well. There are severe consequences to the dumbing down of literature, as seen by the demise of independent book stores. As Winterson states in her essay "Writer, Reader, Words":

"If the reader wants the writer to be an extension of the leisure industry, or a product of the media, then the serious writer will be beaten back into an elitism beyond that necessary to maintain certain standards; it will be an elitism of survival and it is happening already . . . We seem to have returned to a place where play, pose and experiment are unwelcome and where the idea of art is debased. At the same time, there are a growing number of people (possibly even a representative number of people), who want to find something genuine in the literature of their own time and who are unconvinced by the glories of reproduction furniture."

While there are views expressed by Winterson that are even a bit too radical for me, she is always very logical and thorough in backing up her views. Anyone who enjoys reading serious literature or collecting original works of art (by either well-known or local artists), will be enthralled with this book. All others may find a serious "talking to", a tsk-tsk, and some food for thought.

Jeanette Winterson, writes in a very lucid manner on a topic that can quickly become an extremely nebulous and splintered subject. She begins with a story of her travels to Amsterdam, where she is haunted by a painting in a window. This never happened to her before, as Winterson was always a wordsmith. The unexpected discovery-the idea that a painting has the power to touch her so deeply and so powerfully-troubles her deeply and she cowers initially, as if she saw a ghost.

This anecdote serves to create the tone of the book, an intense and honest meditation into art and art making. Winterson, weaves us through her meditation through a very readable style and by using very general terms. She simultaneously addresses the novice, to those well versed in the concepts of art history and theory of art criticism. I say this because the questions, what is art?, what is the fuction of art?, why practice art?, are basic questions that can be addressed by all levels of understanding-and it is those questions Winterson addresses. Though she begins with visual art she reverts to her expertise in the form of literature. But, the concepts are easily translated into the other art forms.

However, in her opinions of what is beauty and what is art, Winterson can seem a bit idealistic in her views of art and art making. She professes to be a little out of sync with current society(her confession)-which could be taken as a person who revers the past and therefore is a bit 'old school' in her approach to the topic, however, she does not pretend to be a final authority on the topic either.

But,the 'beauty' of this book is it can be a starting point and a gentle guide for the novice into the ongoing conversation of art and art history as well as an eloquent reminder of fundemental concepts in a splintered conversation of art theory and criticsm.

I should explain the title. As Jeanette will explain within the pages, art not only /objects/ with our safe notions of what we consider to be good or normal to our perceptions, but also art is also an /object/ to be handled, manipulated, and explored by our souls, with all the effort we would put into whatever coporeal object our hands might hold and seek to understand.

Having told you this, that the title encompasses so much of the book, does not mean that it does not need to be read now. Much the opposite. Though almost every essay comes back to these points, some essays deal with the subject in regards to a certain book, or just the act of creating art itself. As an artist, as any writer/painter/poet/? is, I found this to be a call to arms, in a way, inspiring me by assisting my mind in delineating exactly what I wish to create. If you are creative, read this collection.

I have trouble reading classic literature. I am an avid reader and I want to enjoy the classics, but just find it difficult to understand the meaning in some of the writing.

This, however, was a pleasant surprise. Although written in the early 1700s, the story itself was fairly easy to follow. Even towards the end, I began to see the underlying theme of the satire that Swift has been praised for in this work.

Being someone who reads primarily science fiction and fantasy novels, I thought this might be an opportunity to culture myself while also enjoying a good story. I was correct in my thinking. Even if you can't pick up on the satire, there is still a good classic fantasy story.

Essentially, the book details the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, who by several misfortunes, visits remote and unheard of lands. In each, Gulliver spends enough time to understand the language and culture of each of these land's inhabitants. He also details the difference in culture of his native England to the highest rulers of the visted nations. In his writing of these differences, he is able to show his dislike with the system of government of England. He does this by simply stating how things are in England and then uses the reaction of the strangers as outsiders looking in, showing their lack of respect for what Gulliver describes.

I found it very interesting to see that even as early as the 1700s there was a general dislike of government as well as lawyers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the fantasy genre. Obviously, it's not an epic saga like so many most fantasy readers enjoy, but it's a nice break. I would also recommend this to high school students who are asked to pick a classic piece for a book report. It reads relatively quick and isn't as difficult to read as some of the others that I've tried to read.

Swift's classic satire of English and European governments, societies, and cultures should be required reading of every college student. (Except for those who appear to be in law school as is the earlier reviewer who referred to Swift as being an "18th century Unabomber." Swift may have been conservative in his beliefs and not cared much for individuals such as Robert Boyle, who is satirized in the book, but he was not violent. Perhaps our "law student/reviewer" is offended by Swift's biting satire of lawyers and politicians in part four.) The version I read was an annotated edition by Isaac Asimov and contained many passages that had been deleted by previous publishers. Asimov's comments enable the reader to more fully appreciate Swift's satire. In part one of the novel, a ship's surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver, is shipwreaked and finds himself on the island of Lilliput, the inhabitants all being only six inches high. This section is great satire of English politics and wars. Royal ponp, feuds amongst the populace, and wars are made to look rediculous. In the second part, Gulliver finds himself in Brobdingnag in which he is only six "inches" tall (relatively speaking). This part forms another satire of European governments. In part three, Gulliver visits the flying island of Laputa where shades of ancient scholars can be called up. This section is a satire on philosophers and scientists. Scientists are portrayed as men so wrapped up intheir speculations as to be totally useless in practical affairs. Absurd experiments are described (for example, extracting sunlight from cucumbers (but, extracting energy from cucumbers and other plants is no longer so absurd Jonathan)). Also described in this third part are the Struldbergs, men and women who are immortal but who turn out to be miserable and pitiable. In part four, Gulliver travels to the Land of the Houyhnhnms, horses with intelligence but who have no passion or emotion. The word "Yahoo" originates in this part. READ IT!

Gulliver's Travels is an excellent book. In it Swift satirizes what he thought were the foibles of his time, in politics, religion, science, and society. In Part One Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked on Lilliput where the inhabitants are only 6 inches tall. The rivalry between Britain and France is there satirized. In Part Two he is marooned on the subcontinent of Brobdingnag where the inhabitants are giants. The insignificance of many of mankind's achievements are there satirized. Next in Part Three Gulliver is taken aboard the floating island of Laputa, where Swift takes the opportunity to satirize medicine and science altogether - incredibly Swift did not make up the crazy experiments he describes; all were sponsored at one time or another by the Royal Society. Finally in Part Four Gulliver is marooned by mutineers on the island of the Houyhnhynms, in which Swift takes his parting shot at human society - presenting them in degraded form as the Yahoos. Most people read no further in the book than Brobdingnag - I urge you to read the rest.

Jeanette Winterson is acclaimed as the foremost lesbian writer today. Don't let this title fool you. I'm not a lesbian or gay, and I still appreciate the fine writing I found in The World and Other Places. This book is introduced as a collection of stories. While there are some sort narratives, many of the pieces in this collection could be considered prose poems. In these little portraits, Winterson uses peculiar and striking metaphor to describe the love between people (and even between one person and a dog). Most of these prose-poems linger after you read them, and warrant a second look or closer reading. With vast subjects ranging from time and space and love, it is difficult to grasp the meaning after one quick glance over. Winterson also shows a great deal of breath: the narration and main characters vary greatly as you move through the book. The comments in the narrations have several points that do make you try and interpret what exactly is being said. One of my only gripes is that some of the pieces are very political. Somehow, a few of the stories or prose poems reminded me of the last hundred pages of Richard Wright's Native Son. Rather than telling an interesting story will issues to be discussed, Winterson just latches on to a sort of in your face, "I'm a lesbian, so that makes this special" message, which, rather than being interesting, just bored me most of the time. Other than that, there were really only minor draw backs for me (meaning, maybe I didn't like a story or two. Isn't that expected?). I admit that I enjoy strange stories, so, of course, this book is not for every reader, and I'm sure there will be many reader who do not accepted its slightly bizarre presentation. If there is one that proves that a book is good, it would be that the book makes the reader want to read more of the author's work. This is the case for me after I read The World and Other Places. This is definitely a book to read, if, for anything, to get a different perspective and flesh the kinds of books you read out a little.

I enjoyed reading Winterson in a short-story form for a change. Working within the confines of a shorter structure lends unusual economy to her generally spiraling imagery; she's more direct and paints with a somewhat broader stroke. I was delighted to experience a wide range of perspectives on a wide range of topics. "The 24-Hour Dog" works on so many levels I want to teach it in a writing class. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting an introduction to Winterson, because here one finds some almost conventional works among stories of almost surreal bent.

The story entitled "Newton" makes this book worthy of purchase. Jeanette Winterson continues a streak of powerful, ingenious writing with this collection of short stories.

Jeanette Winterson's first novel is a comical, moving look at an adopted child growing up in the midst of religious fanatics. It is very well-written and the descriptions of people and places are so vivid as to just jump right off the page, taking you along for the ride, to experience the ups and downs of Ms. Winterson's life along with her. It's one woman's realization of her Unnatural Passsions (her mother's name for homosexuality) that are in no way acceptable in the Pentecostal church. The scenes based around this particular aspect of the novel add an ironic tone, which I love. Wit and wisdom can be found throughout the book, making "Oranges..." at times a very thoughtful read. The only flaw in this book, as others have stated, is the awkward fairy tale bits that just didn't seem to belong there at all. Other than that, it's a heartfelt semi-autubiographical novel of a gay woman (though this is by no means a "gay" book...I'm straight and it made not one bit of difference to my enjoyment of it) and also a great humourous look at religion and all of its contradictions and excesses.

I liked this book a lot, too, but it does suffer from what might be identified as a first novel's imperfections - especially the metaphorical fables plunked into the middle of the narrative without any connecting language. The rest of the novel so successfully carries us along in the flow of Jeanette's life that the fables, meaningful or not, are interruptions. This quibble aside, OANTOF is a charming melange of working class comedy, evangelical exposé, and coming of age story. It's not surprising that sexuality, that most fundamental aspect of the human condition, is what wakes Jeanette to her self and leads to the break with her church, yet in her innocence she isn't even aware of the consequences until they are spelled out for her. That is wonderfully well conveyed and believable. Winterson wins my respect for her generous spirit: she treats no character meanly or vengefully, even the most repressive ones. If anything, that's what proves the narrator has risen above the petty proscriptions among which she was raised.

Published in England in 1985, this first novel (autobiography?) is a story of a girl adopted as a baby into an evangelical Christian family in the Midlands, and raised with good humor and matter-of-fact, everyday, unquestioned love ("I cannot recall a time when I did not know that I was special"), strict religious teachings, a lot of structure, strong opinions coming from all corners. As a child, she's proud of her eccentric, high-achieving mom; she's her best student, too. The household and small community is a bubbling stew of English coziness, friends and neighbors, superstition, religious fervor and misinformation, vulgarity, harsh pronouncements and oddly good-natured fanatical beliefs.

The girl soaks it up -- to a point. Things begin to come apart, inevitably, and later still, as a teen, there's the narrator's growing knowledge that she is passionately, yearningly, and quite happily in love with a girl her age named Katy -- and no amount of exorcism will change that. The affair proceeds. Winterson is smart enough to put it all together with grace and humor. Her bright and resourceful protagonist travels a great and difficult path, avoiding all the predictable plot formulas. No whining or self-pity, either.

There is incisive wit, a smart and brave presentation of the (sometimes appalling) facts; very good use of myth, history and politics, fairy tales, Bible and church miscellany; amazing observation. This is a detailed and often funny picture of a truly strange household, a great girl, and there's a lot of love -- in this wonderful novel.

"There's no such thing as autobiography, there's only art and lies." -Jeanette Winterson

A train goes careening down the tracks, carrying several passengers with catchy names: Handel, Picasso, and Sapho. Another surfaces, Ms. Doll Snodpiece, who also has a train connection to these three. These characters' lives all intersect as the story wends it way along to its smashing conclusion. This author is extremely talented, and has characteristically set the work in a fresh new way. It contains some mesmerizingly beautiful prose, which is also characteristic of this author. Also typical is the strong character development, and the bits of philosophy and wisdom inherent in the story.

It is difficult to admit, because this wonderful author and her books have dazzled me in the past, but this work lost its momentum about halfway through. It took a long time to find the wherewithal to finish this book but, to quote my friend Angie: "it redeemed itself in the end." Other books she has written have dazzled me much more, however. Recommended -- but please consider: Written on the Body, The Passion, and Sexing the Cherry by the same author, which are all MUCH better books.

I've read all of Jeanette's books, including her two screenplays, her book of essays, her comic book, and collection of short stories. Art & Lies remains my favourite of all time. Rich with layers, and exceedingly profound, this book changed my life. It's her most difficult one (which is why some people hate it), but the most rewarding. Read it several times and it will only get better.

A friend gave "Art & Lies" to me saying that the book was "most definitely for me." It has become one of my favorite books.

Jeanette Winterson is by far one of these most imaginative and cutting-edge writers today. While most other young authors are jumping on bandwagons, Winterson is loudly beating her own drum.

"Art & Lies" is full of evocative langauge, sensual details, witty word-plays, and multi-dimensional characters. Moreover, Winterson is a "smart" writer. She touchs, steals, grabs, and nods to classic and modern literature, music, and art without showing the least amount of effort or pretension.

I most highly recommend "Art & Lies" for someone who is looking for something completely different to read, who is tired of the same story-lines on the best-seller lists, and who is willing to take the plunge into Winterson's beautifully fragmented word.

Winterson has already stunned the readers with the blend of her power of imagination and lesbian narrative in the first book, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (winner of Whitebread Prize for the best first fiction). In Sexing the Cherry, she extends her talent and keeps giving the readers surprises. The beginning of the novel is set in the early seventeenth century with two major characters: Jordan, a young man in Renaissance England, and the Dog Woman, who is gigantic in size and adopts Jordan in the way Mosses is in Bible. With the author's fantasy, the closure of the novel brings the readers to the late twentieth century. Winterson uses less than two hundred pages of words to tell an amazing story which lasts for over three hundred years.

The book is about different kinds of timeless loves including the passion between a woman and an adopted son, the hidden gay desire between Tradescant and Jordan, the elusive but beautiful heterosexual love between Jordan and Fortunata, and also the lesbianism found in the reconstruction of fairy tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The novel is like a dream told with interruptions. The author alternates the narrative with two different points of views, which exposes the readers to the deeper thoughts of the characters while we are also shifting between different times and spaces. Sexing the Cherry is more ambitious more Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit in representing lesbianism. The reconstruction of The Twelve Dancing Princesses offers a feminist perspective in reading the novel. The dancing princesses are empowered by the author during the process of reconstruction to choose their own fates and rewrite the their predetermined heterosexual endings. Men are no longer the final destination of women's romance. Women can either be independent or seek the same-sex for love. The frequent allusions and to characters in Greek mythologies, like Castor, Pollux and Sappho, strengthens the centrality of homosexuality in the narrative. Winterson, as a postmodern novelist, breaks down the narrative and fills the gaps with the power of intertextuality. She brings the ancient Greece lesbianism and gaiety back to her own story, which is set in the early seventeenth century, and the story itself expands and stretches towards modernity. Sexing the Cherry is, therefore, a book witnessing the evolution and developments of history of homosexuality that gives us a fictional account on how this 'alternative' passion lives through different times.

Winterson is smart in presenting different points of view in her novel. in Sexing the Cherry, she uses the images of a banana and a pineapple to represent the voices of Dog Woman and Jordan respectively. The images help alert the readers that there will be a shift in narrative voice and they should prepare to read the passages from the perspective of that particular character. When the story reaches the contemporary setting, Winterson presents the voices of modern Jordan and Dog Woman with a split banana and pineapple. So the split signals the transformation of time, and her fictional imagination goes beyond the level of words. The split images also lead the readers to think whether there is connection between the deformed food with the deformed narrative or characters. Brevity and concision should be the right words to describe Winterson's writing style. She aims at presenting the deepest thoughts with the simplest words, which is why she is canonical author in contemporary British, or maybe World, literature. Different from any realist novels in the Victorian period whose authors tell as much as they can for fear that they may miss any uninteresting details, Winterson tells as less as she can. When she is not telling all what she wants to say ...the words leave space for the readers to think. Though it is demanding to read to Winterson's Sexing the Cherry, it is absolutely pleasurable as nothing is the truth in her book.

Winterson is a bohemian going against convention in Sexing the Cherry. Apart from the heterosexual norm I have mentioned, she also challenges other conventions, like truth and lies, and also the idea of time and space. "Time has no meaning, and space and place have no meaning". This quote from the novel may self-explain why the story is not fixedly set at a time and why the author brings back Greek homosexual mythologies to her narrative with Britain as the setting. Winterson is also troubling what are truth and time. She denies all the institutionalized concepts in our minds. The narrator puts a list of lies in the novel, renouncing that, for example, "time is a straight line" and that "we can only be in one place at a time". These denials fit the style of the novel, which is a fantasy across different times and spaces. Winterson rejects all the preoccupied conventions and addresses them directly to the audiences. ... with her power of imagination and might of words on paper and give readers an incredible contemporary masterpiece.Jeanette Winterson is the queen of fantasy and imagination. She links the impossible together and makes them possible in her books. She rejects the right and makes them seem wrong that demands a second of consideration before taking them for granted. Sexing the Cherry is a must to read and should be listed as an important text in contemporary lesbian or fantasy fiction.

One of the first things that struck me about this book is how it was so similar to Virginia Woolf's 'Orlando'. Both books are based on the premise that time is flexible, rather than a linear progression, and both combine fantastical elements with historical fiction. They even both use the Thames as an allegory for main themes. Whether this similarity will put off other readers, I don't know, but I felt that it did not detract from the merit of 'Sexing the Cherry'.

This is foremostly a grown-ups fairy tale - there are dancing princesses, a giant woman, magic, towns dying of love. Set (mainly) in England at the time of Cromwell, the tale is told in alternating sections by Dog-Woman (the giant woman) and Jordan. Dog Woman, who is a loner living with her many dogs, discovered Jordan as a child on the bank of the Thames. They have some amazing experiences, though this is what you would expect to happen to such an amazing woman. This is a grown-up's fairy tale in that there is a lot of sex and violence (this book is not for the squemish!) Winterson explores some very 'heavy' topics, such as the construction of identity and reality, and the realities of time. However, this doesn't read as a deep book - it is beautifully written in places, and could be enjoyed for the prose alone.

There are modern day characters included in this story, and I didn't feel that this worked as well as the historical characters. However, this is a very good book. It is not particulary long, so even if you don't enjoy it, at least you haven't wasted your time wading through a thick tome! I would definately suggest that anyone interested gives it a go.

It's been a few months since I read this book, but I want to comment on it and correct a few earlier comments made by others. The setting is neither medieval nor Elizabethan; it is the Cromwellian and Restoration periods of the mid-17th century in England, if indeed it is anywhere concrete at all. The story's hero, Jordan, weaves in and out of time and myth, encountering the wonders of the new world and the Twelve Dancing Princesses of the fairytale (each of whom have the opportunity to describe their failed marriages, some in surprisingly - suspiciously - modern ways). His foster-mother, The Dog Woman, is an astounding creation. Winterson manages to whimsically weave all these threads together; however, this book doesn't *quite* rate a 10. Most readers will be a bit bewildered by the time-travel near then end, and one certainly smells a Woolf in retrospect, but the trip is so much well-crafted and linguistically compelling fun that they shouldn't mind. One does not, after all, ask a magician how they do t

Jeanette Winterson is a serious author. She has won awards and appears in the Guardian quite frequently. "If Neal Stephenson can write engagingly about technology", she must have thought, "then so can I - after all, I'm a serious author, and I appear in the Guardian quite frequently." Thus, 'The.Powerbook', a novel created entirely to ride the wave of the dot.com boom of a few months ago, and to introduce Winterson to a younger generation (note to self - include the words 'downloading' and 'hard drive'). Wrap it up in a cover that looks a bit like those adverts with Sophie Dahl, include a reference to Apple's media toy, and voila, healthy sales. In ten years time, this book will be forgotten, a relic, moreso than it is now. But what's it like, though? As with all Winterson novels since 'Oranges', it's essentially a series of pithy one-liners strung together ('On the day I was born I became the visible corner of a folded map', 'Like it or not, you are alone in the forest') that, like a lot of debut novels, coalesces into a portrait of Winterson as she would like to be - Alix, a recontextualising e-writer. There are some clever ideas - bits of other books are rewritten, as if sampled, although why this is any cleverer than traditional parodies, I don't know - but it's essentially a plotless series of superficially-deep epigrams for 230 pages. Elsewhere on this page a review asserts that you can meditate for days over lines such as 'The dreams of the dying cannot be irrigated' and 'To avoid discovery I stay on the run. To discover things for myself I stay on the run.' Presumably, he or she is a satirist.

I adore Winterson's style, which always is magical, moving, and marvelous. Here, in "The PowerBook", she has created a book that contains a doomed love affair, potent observations about time and space, autobiographical snapshots, and vivid imagery. It's as if the narrator {sometimes called Ali, and later referred to as Orlando (a reference to Virginia Woolf)} and the lover create a world via the internet, where they change gender and geographies and centuries with ease. It reminded me of Woolf's "Orlando", as well as "Prozac Highway" by Persimmon Blackbridge, which includes a wonderful internet romance. "The PowerBook" is delightfully innovative in incorporating internet imagery into the book, and the love affair is quite beautifully written. I don't think the book ended well, especially in the last chapter section, where it seems to meander and then snaps back to a quick end. This seemed to dilute the novel, and left me a bit bewildered. I did love the novel overall, though. Winterson's use of language is always a treat.

This new book navigates the seas of fiction and love. As a piece of internet prose, it easily surpasses Matt Beaumont's entertainment 'E'. Jeanette Winterson explores the opportunities offered by the net, the wardrobe door that leads to many a magical land. The heroine of this novel flits here and there, choosing exotic locations as she pleases. However, much of this book is also based in the real as much in the imaginary.

There's an ongoing plot in 'The Powerbook', a very modern love affair. It's the beauty of the prose that is really outstanding though. Winterson goes to Capri and uses the funicular railway as a metaphor in a manner that seems entirely natural, unforced, but prone to gravity. For me, there was a certain amount of nostalgia, as Winterson explores the settings of my own adolescent vacations, from the Isle of Capri near Sorrento, the romantic flirtation with Paris, the exhilarating adventure of seedy London. 'The Powerbook' lives up to its ambition of being an internet novel, since we can all attempt the Grand Tour via the Net nowadays. It's always a delight to follow in an author's footsteps, see the world through their eyes. For instance, you can find the painting of his wife Saskia as Flora on the net by Rembrandt. At first sight, this picture seems too dark to be the image that Winterson describes, but it's a delight to look at the picture again through her prose.

There's a section here where Winterson seems to return to the 'real life' of 'Oranges are not the Only Fruit', and it's very compelling to find a horror of nothing, the fear of having to invent, the burden of having to create. It does seem, though, that Winterson has been following current literary trends, borrowing and embellishing what she fancies. The Tulip trade is very much in fashion now, and Winterson has a faction devoted to George Mallory. Yet there are also much older, traditional tales. Lancelot and Guinevere, and Paolo and Francesca reading of their love, doomed to a much more bloody fate in the pages of Dante's Inferno. I had never come across the tale of Paolo and Francesca before, but it thrills me to find that it had been the subject of a variety of paintings, including one by the Pre-Raphaelite 'Dante' Rossetti.

This isn't a very weighty book in terms of page count. You'll find that you'll be able to finish off 'The Powerbook' in one sitting. Some might find the book a little costly in hardcover format. There is very little drama. Instead, there are some quite modern truths and observations. Winterson discusses the fact that nobody really seems to be content now, and that they always want more. That nobody wants to settle. Just waiting for the next opportunity, the next love affair. A society where everyone wants love, but wants to be left alone. So, this book is perfect for of a generation of short attention spans. Yet, if used in the right way, 'The Powerbook' can stimulate you a great deal; make you highly active as you seek out its subtle meanings, to compose your own story as you weave a path through the web, following the footsteps of Ali and Sebastian Melmoth. Maybe the Reformation and the Tulip trade brought the immortal Arabian Nights to us? Winterson also covers the theoretical debate of author/reader - which of these two really creates the fiction? Winterson comes down on the right side, and reveals fiction in its true light, as a dialogue between author and reader (literally). She conveys how some fictions will never die; will be forever revived by future artists. This poetic novel deserves to be kept on the bookshelf, and referred to whenever your heart desires.