schools, most often as part of an A-level literature course. Jeanette Winterson does not consider this novel to be a lesbian novel, arguing, 'I've never understood why straight fiction is supposed to be for everyone, but anything with a gay character or that includes gay experience is only for queers.'.

The novel won Winterson the Whitbread Award for a First Novel in 1985.

The book was written many years after any actual events as Winterson moved to London, her present location. The book and subsequent BBC mini series, adapted by Winterson, is believed to be semi-autobiographical and is generally based on Winterson's life in Accrington, Lancashire, after moving from her birth town Manchester.

It is a coming-of-age story about a lesbian girl who grows up in an English Pentecostal community. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a novel by Jeanette Winterson published in 1985, which she subsequently adapted into a BBC television drama. This could be explained due to the authors explanation that stories are different once they are told.Lua error in a at line 80: module 'Module:Italic title' not found. Jeanette Winterson claims that this novel is not a biography, however it seems very similar to the life she lived. The reason she is in fact doing this could easily be explained through the way that the main characters mother is suspected to be a “cupboard lesbian” along with many other character throughout the novel. Possibly the mother is subconsciously using the orange to represent breasts, thus pushing and forcing lesbianism upon the central character, without knowing she is doing it. The Oranges in the novel are not just used to represent the idea of “lesbian” but they are also a way for the mother to represent her love for the daughter through giving her oranges, however another way at looking at the significance of the oranges is as the mother using them as a phallic symbol… Winterson does this well through her use of symbols and motifs which are as one example an orange.Įven the sub-plots within the novel such as her mother possibly having a lesbian relationship in the past create a suspicious vibe through out the novel, and makes the reader second guess everything the mother has said previously and in the future of the novel. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit Paperback Augby Jeanette Winterson (Author) 1,081 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle 9.40 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Paperback 9.89 99 Used from 1.38 32 New from 6.14 6 Collectible from 5. Within the novel there are constant struggles with finding who you are, social class and the broad concept of fitting in.

On the surface of the novel, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, may appear to be about a young lady trying to figure out who she is whilst in a constrained community.

Oranges are not the only fruit pages