I really liked this meme and had to steal it from Eva. I’ve seen a few others already post this so if you haven’t yet, go ahead and play – I’d love to read your answers.

One book you’re currently reading: Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
One book that changed your life: The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama
One book you’d want on a deserted island: The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volumes A-F (technically not one book but let’s pretend it is)
One book you’ve read more than once: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
One book you’ve never been able to finish: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
One book that made you laugh: Naked by David Sedaris
One book that made you cry: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
One book you keep rereading: Living Out Loud by Keri Smith
One book you’ve been meaning to read: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
One book you believe everyone should read: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

Finally,
Grab the nearest book. Open it to page 56. Find the fifth sentence…

“However, when one steals, he must steal brilliantly.” from Famous Writers School by Steven Carter

Today the Slaves of Golconda will start discussing Sexing the Cherry by Jeannette Winterson. Please drop in on our group if you want to join in.

I was excited when we chose this book because Jeanette Winterson is a writer I had wanted to read before but I’d often heard her writing could be difficult to get into, so I figured being able to discuss this with a reading group would hopefully give me a greater understanding.

The story is set in the seventeenth century and its two main characters are the Dog Woman, a gigantic and fearsome creature, and Jordan, the child she rescues from the Thames.

In a creative tale that mixes time travel, fairy tales, historical events and a touch of magic, Jordan follows his dreams and travels the world with Tradescant, one of the gardeners of King Charles II court.

“Every journey conceals another journey within its lines: the path not taken and the forgotten angle. These are the journeys I wish to record. Not the ones I made, but the ones I might have made, or perhaps did make in some other place or time.”

The novel is told in alternating chapters and while I preferred the narrative of the Dog Woman because it was so unexpected and bold, one of my favorite sections was when Jordan meets the 12 princesses. This is Winterson’s retelling of the Brothers Grimm story with a feminist perspective. Unlike the Grimm story, where it is up to the Prince to choose a princess, here the young women decide their fate.

The women in this novel are no simpering misses, instead they are powerful and assertive. The Dog Woman recounts tales of sexual adventure in the same manner as brutal acts she has committed.

Truly, I think the Dog Woman will go down as one the most memorable characters in fiction that I’ve ever come across. While I can’t say I loved this story, I’m definitely glad I’ve finally read it. I found it ambitious and grand for such a slim novel.