Scan barcode
bisexualbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body is an intimate exploration of love, loss, and the physicality that binds them. The novel opens with the striking line, “Why is the measure of love loss?”—a question that resonates throughout the text as the unnamed, ungendered narrator grapples with the consuming affair they have with Louise, a married woman.
Winterson’s prose is a blend of lyrical beauty and confessional reflections, drawing the reader into the narrator’s intense emotional landscape. The natural imagery, with its flora and fauna mirroring the narrator’s internal state, is a testament to Winterson’s ability to evoke vulnerability through nature. “You are a pool of clear water where the light plays,” Louise tells the narrator, encapsulating the tender yet tumultuous relationship that drives the novel.
However, Written on the Body is not just a love story; it’s also a critique of compulsory heterosexuality. The narrator’s observations on marriage—“No one can legislate love; it cannot be given orders or cajoled into service. Love belongs to itself, deaf to pleading and unmoved by violence,”—challenge the societal norms that confine love to rigid structures. This, coupled with the narrator’s yearning for a love that is quietly fulfilling instead of deeply devastating, adds a subtle yet poignant layer of queerness to the text.
Yet, the novel falters with its fatphobic descriptions of a character named Gail. Winterson’s portrayal, comparing Gail to a strip of bacon, feels jarring and outdated, detracting from the overall narrative. This discomfort, coupled with a problematic reference to autism, casts a shadow over an otherwise beautifully written book.
Despite these flaws, Written on the Body remains a powerful meditation on the intersections of love, body, and mortality. Winterson’s prose is undeniably gorgeous, and while the plot may meander, the emotional resonance is undeniable. I would have rated this book 4 stars, but the fatphobia and ableist language lower it to a 3.75. Winterson’s writing is still worth reading, but these aspects cannot be overlooked.
📖 Recommended For: Readers who love lyrical prose, those drawn to introspective explorations of love and loss, anyone interested in narratives that challenge traditional notions of gender and identity.
🔑 Key Themes: Love and Loss, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Body and Mortality, Queerness and Identity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol
zotty's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Grief
peachikeenz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage
madread8's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful, touching prose. Sprinkled with humorous lines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
ameliaszosz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
kenzie_roonie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Possibly the most beautifully-written book I’ve ever read. Gender of the narrator is never revealed, so forces the reader to either make assumptions of deconstruct them completely. A must-read for those interrogating their relationship with gender and sexuality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
balfies's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was assigned this book twice at uni and didn't read it either time. Kicking myself now.
A story of how passion and love consumes the flesh and becomes the flesh, this treaty on fluid and gender is lyrical and deep and sinewy. Gorgeous writing, gripping use of language, timeless psychosexual landscape.
A story of how passion and love consumes the flesh and becomes the flesh, this treaty on fluid and gender is lyrical and deep and sinewy. Gorgeous writing, gripping use of language, timeless psychosexual landscape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Violence
sonmel2910's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
dxisymitch's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have mixed feelings about this book. For the most part I found the narrator unlikable and the way they talked about women and their past relationships was uncomfortable and often times misogynistic. The book was also very slow paced and primarily exposition, which I personally dislike as I find it difficult to follow (though I know that’s down to personal taste).
However, I did find the book somewhat enjoyable and I found the unique storytelling and structure to be very interesting. I also felt like the narrator does, in some ways, redeem themselves and grows from some of the things that bothered me about them in the beginning.
However, I did find the book somewhat enjoyable and I found the unique storytelling and structure to be very interesting. I also felt like the narrator does, in some ways, redeem themselves and grows from some of the things that bothered me about them in the beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Medical content
Moderate: Death and Infidelity
Minor: Miscarriage and Misogyny
divineauthor's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the writing absolutely bodied me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity