The Stone Gods

published	2007 by Hamish Hamilton Ltd
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0241143950 (isbn13: 9780241143957)
pages	352
date added	05-14-07 edit book

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Ian rated it:

(review of isbn 0151014914)

04/10/08

Read in April, 2008

When I bought my copy of The Stone Gods, the bookseller told me two things: it had received strong reviews, and “It’s science fiction, you know.” I parried this last one with some fuzzy comment that much of Winterson’s fiction violates expectations, and we left it at that, both sounding smart and not having said much.

And then I started reading: sure enough, page after page, the thing read true to the sci-fi genre. And not just in the details: it sounded like sci-fi, it thought l...more When I bought my copy of The Stone Gods, the bookseller told me two things: it had received strong reviews, and “It’s science fiction, you know.” I parried this last one with some fuzzy comment that much of Winterson’s fiction violates expectations, and we left it at that, both sounding smart and not having said much.

And then I started reading: sure enough, page after page, the thing read true to the sci-fi genre. And not just in the details: it sounded like sci-fi, it thought like sci-fi, it even carried sci-fi’s common politics—as much genre work tends to be, it sounded downright reactionary. The main character, Billie Crusoe, sounded as if she had actually been beamed into her era from our own; she spoke constantly of the contrast between then and now, as if she’d been witness to our time, and was quite conscientiously leading us through hers, tour-guide style, with heavy asides to the reader and a general lack of believable selfhood.

I was a bit taken aback; in fact, at several points, I had to remind myself of Winterson’s previous work—I said to myself, in fact, “prose this obvious, this flat and predictable, has been put in place for a reason.” And even fifty pages from the end, after the place and the style had shifted radically—several times, in fact—I was still sitting a few seats back in the auditorium, wondering whether she knew what she was up to.

But the connection comes—again and again, in surprising, subtle, parallel, spooky ways. In fact, much of the intersection is rightly described as spooky; quantum, in fact. As she did in Gut Symmetries, Winterson spends a lot of time pulling on the greater metaphor of quantum physics as she sees it mirrored in human life: it would not be a stretch to say that this book, as was Gut Symmetries, is something of a quantum novel, and that Billie Crusoe, strange particle that she is, exists outside of Newtonian plotting: where we want characters to make choices and suffer results—we want them to see three doors, walk through one, then lose forever what was behind the other two—Billie exists simultaneously in all three. The book travels through three different frames of time and space, and she is there—not only that, she is reading about herself in a manuscript left on the Tube, and she is stumbling across her own adventures in the journals of Captain Cook.

At every turn, she meets human short-sightedness: waste, folly, power. And at every turn, she ends up in a dead world, one sacrificed on the altar of power, but with the promise of a new birth coming soon—a new planet, a new peace, a new sapiens—that will never make the same mistakes again.

And this hits on one of the themes running through: the impossibility of denying the limbic, the spooky, the unreal. It’s not emotion that kills us off, it’s control. It’s our fear of a world more complex, less divided, and less clear that leads us to kill off the potential that exists when control falls away. We see this in the corporate governance of MORE, and we see this in the war between the Ariki Mau and the Bird Man on Easter Island. We see this, too, in the Robo sapiens, free of the unpredictability of emotion, to lead us from the damage of our own fuzzy natures. It’s clear, though, that the obsessive attempts to hide from our fuller selves have brought on our ending.

It was clear to me that the novel was, in part, Winterson’s response to the upsurge in media/commodity culture and feel-good authoritarianism that seems to be cresting so fervently at this time. Initially, I thought to myself, “what a shame that the novel will end up such a didactic response—so flat and obvious.” With the patters apparent, though, I see that the “message” of the book, in fact, is nowhere near as easy and flat as the initial section seems to belie. Maybe I’m a sucker for flash and experimentation, but the risk that Winterson took in the Stone Gods felt—to me—brave, insightful, and revelatory. It’s certainly not her first foray into these waters, nor is it the first book to reinvent linear narrative; however, the mission it takes and the tools it picks match up perfectly. I’m glad I stuck it through.

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Tripp rated it:

(review of isbn 0151014914)

03/31/08

Read in March, 2008

eanette Winterson's latest novel, the Stone Gods, is a dark mix of 1984, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the Cloud Atlas. Despite the fact that her characters state they don't like science fiction and she herself says she hates it in this interview, the book is very much a science fiction novel. It is fixed on ideas, but would be comfortably shelved in either the literature or the science fiction sections of the bookstore.

The book's principal idea is that human society is pre-dispose...more

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Imogen rated it:

03/30/08

Read in March, 2008

After all the identity blurring and timeline overlapping in her work, nobody was surprised when Jeanette Winterson turned into Angela Carter.

I don't know whether this will replace the Passion or Lighthousekeeping as one of my top favorites of hers. I mean, it's way better than the Powerbook or Gut Symmetries, in my way less than humble opinion, but I honestly can't predict whether it'll stick like my favorites of hers. It's beautifully constructed, though, it's a great idea, it's science fi...more

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Trianna is currently reading it

05/09/08

bookshelves: currently-reading

I drove home along the sea road. The shining white towers of the city to the left of me were just beginning to soften, as they do every night, in response to the evening light.

On my right, the ocean front, strong and straight and beautiful, pulled the city towards it, as if this was our only dream, and we would never wake up but we would walk under the palm trees and up through the beautiful buildings, hand in hand, free and new.

In truth the city sprawls back and back, blank and bore...more

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Zoe rated it:

02/02/08

Read in December, 2007

jeanette has been one of my all time favourite authors and has given me so much inspiration and joy in my life. her language is such a beautiful one. it's been a long time since i read any of her work. while i really enjoyed the book and the theme is a very timely and important one, this book didn't burrow into me like her other works from the past. well maybe the sci-fi side of things just didn't take with me. it was fresh... the move from historical to futuristic, but i didn't feel the charact...more

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marko rated it: (review of isbn 0151014914)

04/01/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in March, 2008

This probably wasn't the Jeanette Winterson book I might have wanted to start out with. She is a language virtuoso, and I could really see liking one of her novels. Just not this one. The novel's 200 pages just weren't enough to support the multi-layered structure, and the dialogue never felt genuine... more like a soap-box for Winterson's message - an important message, sure, but I didn't love its didactic delivery. [ full review ]...more

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chelka rated it:

04/25/08

Read in January, 2008

I would give this book 4.5 stars if I could. It's beautiful as always. Very Jeanette Winterson (meaning, very very well written). I found it incredibly depressing, as I saw the message: "Humans are bound to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over." I'm sure there is hope in there, too, but because I am me, I didn't see it. Still, read it if you love Jeanette Winterson, or you are looking for some beautiful prose.

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Emily rated it:

03/28/08

Read in March, 2008

Fascinating read. A bit of a departure for Winterson, borders on SciFi, futuristic and technology and all. But the time swirls, hard to tell if you're in the past or in the future. Also, more political commentary on war and global warming. But also a fascinating love tale woven in -- between a human and a Robo Sapiens. And the quality writing that I've come to expect of her. Thumbs up.

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Jodi rated it:

04/20/08

bookshelves: 2008-read

Read in April, 2008

I’ve never been a big fan of science-fiction or fantasy. I seem to have a problem with planets and aliens and unicorns. However, in the hands of Jeanette Winterson, one of my favorite authors, I can get on the alternate reality train.

Read the rest on iwilldare.com

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Janelle rated it:

01/21/08

Read in January, 2008

Post-apocalyptic novel with Winterson's stunning voice. It wasn't my favorite Winterson but I think she is attacking some important themes and balancing it nicely with her style. She maintains her focus on love as overwhelmingly important. Revisits multiple time periods and interconnectivity. A deep look at inevitability - somewhat fatalistic.

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Rachel rated it:

03/03/08

Read in February, 2008

The Stone Gods is a very disturbing book. It illustrates the future we seem to be hurtling towards recklessly. Like all of Winterson's books, it is intensely personal and moving. I am not sure I understood it completely and look forward to discussing it in our next Book Club meeting to hear what others made of some of the enigmatic parts.

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jack added it

04/12/08

bookshelves: fiction

just finished this one recently. tho i did enjoy it, it didnt hit me as hard as her other works. i attribute this to the message of the book. still a good fun read, with her playful writing style intact.

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Kathryn rated it:

02/10/08

Read in January, 2008

This title form Winterson is far more linear than most of her writing. I enjoyed it a great deal but then I love Winterson's use of language. Far better than Powerbook but not my favorite of her titles.

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Sueb is currently reading it

03/20/08

bookshelves: currently-reading, fiction

I just got it!!! I just got it!!! I pre-ordered from Amazon and it arrived just now! I'll let ya know!

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)
1 comments

makyo rated it:

04/21/08

Read in April, 2008

this is a beautiful novel, but it is so heartbreakingly sad. winterson has an incredible ability to delve deep into the heart of humanity. i loved it but i don't know if i'll be able to read it again.

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Scrabbleme rated it:

04/13/08

bookshelves: currently-reading

recommends it for: people who love amazing writing

i love jeanette winterson, and am excited to be reading her newest. it is way more sci-fi than most of her others, and kind of strange, but i do like it. her grasp on the language is without a peer.

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Remko rated it:

01/17/08

bookshelves: fiction-read

Read in January, 2008

Spectacular different style. This was the first time I read a book from her. It gave me sometimes the feeling to be part of the plot. This is one of the most romantic stories I've read.

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Poppy rated it:

04/07/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: No One

Horrible; was like an outline for several short stories that she realized were related. The chapters were dissonant and irritating.

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Georgia rated it:

05/16/07

Read in May, 2007

Palpable Kathy Acker influence. Not yet published here but read it when it is...

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mcgob rated it:

04/20/08

Read in April, 2008

I'm a sucker for a good dystopian novel. This was a lovely book...

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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 3.52 (50 ratings)

avg rating (this edition): 3.60 (43 ratings)
number of reviews: 23

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[close] The Stone Gods (Hardcover)
isbn: 0151014914

[close] Stone Gods, The (Paperback)
isbn: 0241143985

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