One of the most audacious and provocative writers on either side of the Atlantic now gives readers a dazzling, arousing, and wise improvisation on ...
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reviews
Feb 19, 2008
Katherine
rated it: 
I saw so much of Kathy Acker throughout this book that I worried it bordered on the unethical. For this reason, I'm not entirely comfortable giving it a four-star review, or talking it up, but here goes:
This three-part piece meditates on art, women artists, modernity, and love and/or sex, irrespective of realism or linearity. The Sappho sections in particular are amazing - the poet rises from the dead in a halo of white-hot prose. The other voices flesh out its themes: Picasso, a con More...
This three-part piece meditates on art, women artists, modernity, and love and/or sex, irrespective of realism or linearity. The Sappho sections in particular are amazing - the poet rises from the dead in a halo of white-hot prose. The other voices flesh out its themes: Picasso, a con More...
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Oct 08, 2007
Evan
rated it: 
"Two things significantly distinguish human beings from other animals; an interest in the past and the possibility of language. Brought together they make a third: Art."
Art & Lies is a book I don't quite understand. But there were choice quotes like the one above that kept me reading. The book is told through three characters eyes. Handel is a surgeon, ex priest. Picasso is a young painter who grew up in a very malignant environment, her brother molested, raped her rep More...
Art & Lies is a book I don't quite understand. But there were choice quotes like the one above that kept me reading. The book is told through three characters eyes. Handel is a surgeon, ex priest. Picasso is a young painter who grew up in a very malignant environment, her brother molested, raped her rep More...
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Feb 05, 2012
Twiggy
rated it: 
Real and invented, the world of objects and the human imagination, science and literature, Jeanette Winterson has woven these apparent oppositions together in a work that celebrates the power of art, of beauty and language. In an attempt to remove the barriers between the rational and the poetic, she mixes her opinions of consumerism with transcendent thought, incorporating brief treatises on such diverse topics as art, sex, history, beauty and language, while echoing postmodern literary theory.
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Feb 16, 2009
Cheryl
rated it:
"The doctor said he could find nothing wrong. She was healthy, she had work, she came from a good family. Her heart beat was normal. Was it? Well, perhaps a little too fast.
Heart attack. Had her heart attacked her? Her heart, trained at obedience classes from an early age? Her heart, well muzzled in public, taught to trot in line. Her heart, that knew the Ten Commandments, and obeyed a hundred more. Her disciplined dogged heart that would come when it was called and that never stra More...
Heart attack. Had her heart attacked her? Her heart, trained at obedience classes from an early age? Her heart, well muzzled in public, taught to trot in line. Her heart, that knew the Ten Commandments, and obeyed a hundred more. Her disciplined dogged heart that would come when it was called and that never stra More...
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Apr 17, 2010
Tom
rated it: 
I've read several of Winterson's novels, and absolutely love her insight into the human condition. However, I found this novel particularly difficult to read. It is slightly too abstract, and although it contains many beautiful passages that seem to instinctively pinpoint universal experiences, it doesn't quite work as a whole. Obviously that is just my opinion, and perhaps my enjoyment would benefit from a second reading now that I've got my head around the crazy narrative. Definitely worth rea
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Jul 02, 2008
Sarah
rated it:
Art & Lies is definitely as hard of a read as some of the reviews state. However, within this scattered collection of character turmoil is some of the most beautiful truths I've ever read. It took me quite awhile to read this, but was well worth it in the end. Handel may well have been my own tortured inner Catholic would-be eunuch (which is an entertaining thought, as I am not and have never been Catholic).
Consider the following:
Consider the following:
Shame. Unusual for a Catholic to feel shaMore...
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May 16, 2008
George
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This book switches back and forth between three different narrators -- Handel, a former priest and current surgeon, Picasso, a young woman from a wealthy family, and Sappho, the poet. (Well, technically, there is a fourth narrative, a book that is being read.) Each of the voices is distinctive, but, partly because of this, the book is uneven overall. I usually love the way Winterson writes, but I found her veering off a little too much here. The Handel sections are strong, and there is an intere
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Mar 13, 2008
Stefanie
rated it:
Just some random notes and quotes I jotted while reading this book to make more sense of it. Winterson's way of writing can be hard to follow at first but once you fully immerse yourself in the text it becomes easier and quite enjoyable.
pg 15 "My own austerity, some might say severity, is like those magic girdles that knights used to wear when fighting dragons. Irrelevant, certainly, but it protects me by reminding me of what things I value. And the things I value are not th More...
pg 15 "My own austerity, some might say severity, is like those magic girdles that knights used to wear when fighting dragons. Irrelevant, certainly, but it protects me by reminding me of what things I value. And the things I value are not th More...
Jul 31, 2007
Devin
rated it:
#32
Athanor \Ath"a*nor\, n. [F., fr. Ar. at-tann[=u]r, fr. Heb.
tann[=u]r an oven or furnace.]
A digesting furnace, formerly used by alchemists. It was so constructed as to maintain uniform and durable heat.
ardour
n 1: a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause); "they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor"; "he felt a kind of religious zeal" [syn: ardor, elan, zeal]
2: intense More...
Athanor \Ath"a*nor\, n. [F., fr. Ar. at-tann[=u]r, fr. Heb.
tann[=u]r an oven or furnace.]
A digesting furnace, formerly used by alchemists. It was so constructed as to maintain uniform and durable heat.
ardour
n 1: a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause); "they were imbued with a revolutionary ardor"; "he felt a kind of religious zeal" [syn: ardor, elan, zeal]
2: intense More...
Jul 13, 2007
Dave-O
rated it:
Jeanette Winterson's strong command of the language combined with a concise, confident direction make Art and Lies a pleasure to read. Filled with allegory and farcical situations reminiscent of Jean Genet and William S. Borroughs she tells of a sexually ambiguous surgeon named Handel; a mentally and physically molested woman artist named Picasso; and the poet Sappho who shares a train ride with the other two.
What ensues is a history of each carefully developed character and how the More...
What ensues is a history of each carefully developed character and how the More...
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Jan 21, 2012
Lauren
rated it:
I love Jeannette Winterson and everything she has written. I love the first few chapters of this book, but I am taking a break from it. In addition to the beautiful heartbreak and struggle that she brings to each book, this one is especially strong in the philosophy, history, and feminist theory areas. Which is wonderful; I'm just not in the headspace to think about Sappho and what she means to the world and my daily life. I'll get to it soon, maybe on vacation.
Aug 30, 2010
Peter
rated it:
With such astonishingly lyrical writing, deep introspective musings and resounding cries for individualism this is a truly mesmerising book. I began thinking to try the first few pages and some endlessly astounding moments later I had finished and was strangely aware of how dark it suddenly had become outside! Jeanette Winterson's fantastic prose weaves exhilarating, arousing, inspiring and uplifting web that entirely entangles and lingers long after the end.
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Aug 30, 2010
Peter
rated it:
With such astonishingly lyrical writing, deep introspective musings and resounding cries for individualism this is a truly mesmerising book. I began thinking to try the first few pages and some endlessly astounding moments later I had finished and was strangely aware of how dark it suddenly had become outside! Jeanette Winterson's fantastic prose weaves exhilarating, arousing, inspiring and uplifting web that entirely entangles and lingers long after the end.
Jun 08, 2010
Melinda
rated it:
Oh, I haven't read a real book in ages; I definitely enjoyed this. It's not a novel by any traditional standards: it's an assortment of bits of prose and points of view. Art & Lies is an appropriate title — art, philosophy, life, beauty, humor, obscenity. It all works in the end, and Winterson's writing is refreshing creative and insightful.
Jun 14, 2010
Claire
rated it:
The book was more abstract than my usual reads, but the philosophical bent and the stream of consciousness type writing made it a dream-like read: a times nonsensical and at times absolutely clear and meaningful. It was beautifully written and wise. If you're looking for a linear plot with clear lines and definitions, this is not the book for you, but if you're open to a wandering journey, it's worth it.
Dec 04, 2010
I don't know how to rate this...it was my first Winterson book. There were whole pages I wanted to cut out and paste on my wall. But there's also an entire musical score at the end, and lots of other strangeness. Not entirely sure what to make of it--but I will definitely read more JW.
Jul 08, 2009
Liz
rated it:
This book was important to me as a kid, even though it went over my head. My feelings have changed as I've aged and sometimes re-read it, which is interesting/fun. I think now it come across as a bit much, but it had its place in my life.
Mar 16, 2011
Satia
rated it:
I adore Winterson's prose which is more poetic than some of the poetry I have read. The review includes some quotes to give a small taste of how she dazzles.
http://satiasreviews.blogspot.com/2011/0...
http://satiasreviews.blogspot.com/2011/0...
Oct 13, 2011
Louise
rated it:
Wow! I need a copy of this. I love the structure, the words, the "plot". I've never read V. Woolfe's Orlando, only saw the film, but this reminds me of that, and vice versa.
Oct 10, 2010
Leif Erik
rated it:
Loved this as I usually love her work. Not a narrative story by any means although it really comes together at the end. If you haven't read Winterson before don't start with this, rather try The Passion or Sexing The Cherry. If you are a fan of her more meditative writing, this is gold.
Mar 01, 2011
Maryn
rated it:
Essays, not fiction. Nonetheless luminous, remarkable, and vintage Winterson. Absolutely lovely, and dead-on.
Jul 01, 2010
Anna
rated it:
4.5 stars. I am growing more accustomed to Winterson's writing style, and it was this book that finally made me bow down and worship her as a master of the English language. Her prose is so smoothly woven that even when I didn't follow the "plot" of the story I was still mesmerized. That is her style, I realized-- for me to enjoy the journey rather than rush through to the destination. I won't even attempt a plot summary. "Art & Lies," for me, was more a series of vibran
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Nov 25, 2007
Nyna
rated it:
This book is beautiful, and lyrical, and it holds together very well even without a standard plot. Winterson can at time become too fond of her own voice, but not in this novel -- I would call this easily the best book she's ever written, followed perhaps by 'Written On The Body.'
The three characters are all distinct and likable, their flaws and stories gradually coming clear as the story progresses. The real crowning glory of this book is the prose, which is at times more like poetry More...
The three characters are all distinct and likable, their flaws and stories gradually coming clear as the story progresses. The real crowning glory of this book is the prose, which is at times more like poetry More...
Aug 05, 2011
Carly
rated it:
Just an average read - nothing too spectacular here with regards to characters or plot.
Oct 02, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
Jeanette Winterson always stays true to her credo that fiction should not represent reality but should create its own reality. In "Art & Lies" she tells three meandering interwoven tales in three voices, all embedded with musings on art and life and feminism, and all nonlinear in their progression. As always, beautiful language and piercing notions. Still, this was not my favorite of her books, though I have to admire the craftspersonship (she'd be proud of me for catching that!) and t
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