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emmareadingera's review against another edition
5.0
« Nothing mattered to us. We were insultingly happy. We sang and played and walked for miles looking at buildings and watching people. A treasure had fallen into our hands and the treasure was each other. »
aliyatrvd's review against another edition
5.0
i wish i could underline every single sentence in this
selenajournal's review against another edition
5.0
i didn't want to finish this book. i really didn't. it was so beautiful to me. it was like reading poetry - it was like hearing someone accurately explain love - perfectly embody all that love should be in a mere 200 pages. i absolutely loved this book.
shannenlc's review against another edition
3.0
Jeanette Winterson's writing is stunning and I could never get tired of reading it. There's a lyricism and poetry to everything she writes that washes over me and immerses me into the words she writes. I appreciated the fluid depiction of gender and sexuality and Winterson's expert use of the body as a metaphor to convey the electric sensual and physical ardor the main character had for their lover. But unfortunately, this just wasn't the book for me. I couldn't connect to the romanticism and passion that was the central theme of this story. Everything felt melodramatic and ridiculous. The romantics of the world will love this book but personally the entire concept was alienating and I simply didn't connect to the characters or the story in the same way I have with Winterson's other works. It was still well worth a read and I'll definitely be reading more from Winterson in the future because I think he talent is absolutely incredible.
sbsantiago93's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. What a story. I don't think I've annotated a book more than I have this one. The writing was gorgeous.
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
kaiguerrero's review against another edition
4.0
Si no estás enamorade y tienes una vena cursi no leas este libro.
A mí me ha encantado porque cumplo los requisitos. Es un libro muy poético, con una prosa preciosa.
No le pongo 5 estrellas porque hay bastante gordofobia.
A mí me ha encantado porque cumplo los requisitos. Es un libro muy poético, con una prosa preciosa.
No le pongo 5 estrellas porque hay bastante gordofobia.
delph_10's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5