Customer Reviews

The World and Other Places

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Jeanette Winterson never fails to amaze me. Her stories -- an assortment of ambiguous genders and historical elements mixed with poetic and philosophical undertones and magical realism -- are true literary masterpieces. Having read The Passion, The Powerbook and Written on the Body, I thought I'd give one of her anthologies a whirl. The World and Other Places transcends Winterson's talents in gigantic proportions. My favorite stories are "Atlantic Crossing," "The Poetics of Sex," and "24-Hour Dog." The aforementioned stories are what Winterson is about. She humanizes situations that are otherwise seen as taboo subjects -- and she does so with wonderful literary offerings. I couldn't recommend this gem enough...

Winterson's fiction is compelling because she teaches a little bit about the physical world while at the same time leading the reader on a spectacular emotional journey. She is like a naturalist of the inner life, pointing out highlights along the way. Her writing is so beautiful it may make you cry.

Having read the rest of Winterson's in-print books this year, this volume of short stories proved a lovely, fitting end. Some were reflections found in her other works (Sexing the Cherry, Written on the Body), some were completely new to me. Just beautiful.

These stories have re-shaped me with a force equalled only by Salinger's intrusion into my late 60s adolescence. I think. Could be the touching detail and frankness of women courting and loving each other. Could be the tone-poem lyricism, prose style. Could be the spring weather or could be the news. Could be luck, but I'm impressed. Winterson is wide open and she'll likely open you up a bit as well, with love.

I find Winterson's writing and style utterly electrifying. These various stories, some of which delve into the theme of what one risks reveals what one values, explore a variety of worlds and lives. One or two of the stories didn't resonate with me as much as the others, but overall this collection is marvelous. From the lush "The Poetics of Sex" to the dazzling "Orion" to the delightful "Turn of the World", these stories border on fables, and reminded me of works by Emma Donoghue, Angela Carter, and Ben Marcus, among others. Such an invigorating assortment that is certain to gratify daring readers.

My favorite line is from the story "Orion": "She realised that the only war worth fighting was the one that raged within; the rest were all diversions."

one of my favorite winterson books, ever. a magical twisting ride through fantastic landscapes. 17 lucious and sometimes bizarre stories transport you out of reality for awhile.

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.

As usual, Winterson provides dreamlike, well-written, creative stories. This is not her best work, but still worth reading if you are a fan.

The best sentence in this book is: "It is right to kneel and the view is good."

This is followed very closely by: "In my head I had a white rabbit called Ezra who bit people who ignored me."

I read this book when it first came out, then reread it a dozen years later. How lovely it is! Sometimes I am unconvinced by what actually happens in the stories - several dart too quickly to romance for my taste - but then I should admit I don't care very much what happens.

It's the way Winterson uses the form of the story to look around at the world that enchants me. Most of all, I love this book for the strength and surprise of its sentences, many of which are suitable for engraving on stone.

I suspect that, if you fed this book into a computer, the `readability statistics' would claim that it was written on a third grade level. The sentences are short and direct and apparently straightforward. The "simple" sentences make the complex ideas and images contained within them even more startling and effective. I shouldn't pretend I know how this is done - she is a magician.

Every story collection buries the weaker numbers in the second half. It's universal. This is the only collection I have ever read where I liked the later stories -- "Green Man", "Newton", "A Green Square" - even better than those that came before. What a lovely surprise!

How satisfying it is to move from one sturdy sentence to the next and be so often surprised. It is like being carried in a wheelbarrow to look around at wonders: "I stared at them, standing side by side, in an aquarium of content. Whatever they had, I didn't have it, and it wasn't cod."