Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Stone Gods



by: Jeanette Winterson, Stone Gods, Penguin, 2008, p. 83

8 comments:

kris said...

So you'd recommend this to read then?

Edgar said...

I would recommend every single book that Jeanette Winterson ever wrote as worth reading. (Oranges.. being the most famous, but least worth reading, JW fans don't shout at me, tis true) .
I hearts JW.

veritas said...

sorry. need to shout.
tis NOT the least worth reading. not by Far. at all. no way.

nope. not at all.

Edgar said...

But you is biased by your fascination for teen lesbian novels (and your Christianity thing), which causes you to miss the fact that this is a first (and semi autobiographical) novel, which has the freshness but also the failings of most first novels. Her voice was undeveloped, her subject matter too mired, too plaintive, too emotive, too strident and to me uncaptivating. It is good, but her others are better is all, it's still worth reading.

kris said...

This little snippit is quite beautiful and I might actually be inspired to go have a read then.

veritas said...

subjective, subjective.
i'd say i was drawn in by the too emotive, and the freshness. i like that roughness. i like first novels and mess, and the unrefined and watching her voice form. i think when watching her style move and change, Oranges is nowhere near the least worth reading, and if you go with the xtianity line, surely you'd put 'boating for beginners' below?

Edgar said...

Kris do read this latest work it is sublime in its entirity. I could have plucked a number of snippets of equal worth.
And 'Veritas' - eponymous truth speaker - yes, maybe I was too harsh in my assessment, and you are right Oranges is not the least, but I remain convinced it is certainly not the best. Gut symmetries, Written on the body, Powerbook etc. and this latest, they speak with a much wider and encompassing knowledge/love/experience, transcending the narrative and self.

veritas said...

ah, i do agree that it's far from her Best work - i'd say it's my second favourite, not because it's better, but because it has so much personal reflection in it, ahhhh we all just want to gaze in the mirror, right?