Rate this book

Perché Essere Felice Quando Puoi Essere Normale? (2012)

by Jeanette Winterson(Favorite Author)

3.89 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

8804615001 (ISBN13: 9788804615002)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

A. Mondadori

review 1: WHOA JEANETTE. The Stone Gods is still my favourite book by her but this is a very close contender. Reading this was painful but also life-givingly comforting - very wounded healer. I don't share many of JW's life circumstances but I did have many experiences as a child and adolescent that mean that I struggle to understand how to love/be loved so much of this was painfully pertinent to me - and very helpful as a result. Not only that but JW is one of my favourite authors of all time because of HOW she writes as well as what she says - mostly things feel very expansive but also precise, which I love (sometimes I don't get stuff and it all feels pretty muddy but that's ok too, and I can relate to that duality in myself). I love love love what she wrote about reading being a... more Total Time activity that strengthens our links with the people that came before us. That was especially helpful to me because previously I'd just seen my reading habit as another vice that was more socially acceptable than my other addictions because it's also escapism, but this helped me see it as bigger than that (also, as my therapist pointed out to me, everyone needs escapism sometimes). Reading this book I felt very understood and acknowledged and not alone, even though we are mostly alone. I am so so grateful that JW wrote this and that I read it. I like the idea of her being one of many guides in my own recovery/path to spiritual wholeness. Thank you thank you thank you Jeanette.
review 2: WHOA JEANETTE. The Stone Gods is still my favourite book by her but this is a very close contender. Reading this was painful but also life-givingly comforting - very wounded healer. I don't share many of JW's life circumstances but I did have many experiences as a child and adolescent that mean that I struggle to understand how to love/be loved so much of this was painfully pertinent to me - and very helpful as a result. Not only that but JW is one of my favourite authors of all time because of HOW she writes as well as what she says - mostly things feel very expansive but also precise, which I love (sometimes I don't get stuff and it all feels pretty muddy but that's ok too, and I can relate to that duality in myself). I love love love what she wrote about reading being a Total Time activity that strengthens our links with the people that came before us. That was especially helpful to me because previously I'd just seen my reading habit as another vice that was more socially acceptable than my other addictions because it's also escapism, but this helped me see it as bigger than that (also, as my therapist pointed out to me, everyone needs escapism sometimes). Reading this book I felt very understood and acknowledged and not alone, even though we are mostly alone. I am so so grateful that JW wrote this and that I read it. I like the idea of her being one of many guides in my own recovery/path to spiritual wholeness. Thank you thank you thank you Jeanette. less

Download links for: Perché essere felice quando puoi essere normale?

Advertising

Online stores:

Amazon

Copy in the library:

Find

Torrents:

Find

Links:

Reviews (see all)

lil_cupcake

This memoir covers a large portion of the writer Jeanette Winterson's life from around the time she was adopted until midlife when she meets her birth family. The narrative jumps back and forth in time in a way which did not seem logical to me, but I think this was an attempt to make the reader feel confusion just as Winterson did during large portions of her life. She discusses the many complex emotions she feels when she finally meets her birth family. Her adopted mother was a horrid individual, religiously rigid and definitely mentally ill, but the author is surprised that she feels grateful for the educational advantages she received in her adopted family compared to what she would have experienced had she grown up in her working class birth family.I don't think this would be a book that a lot of people would necessarily seek out, but if you enjoy memoirs, you will likely find this one difficult to put down for much of the book.

teenabee

The UK Times reviews this book as "arguably the finest and most hopeful memoir to emerge in many years". The UK Times couldn't be more correct, this was one of the finest works of litreture that I have ever read. Having parents that support every choice I make and who tell me everyday how much I'm loved, I struggled to comprehend how Jeanette's mother could treat her daughter the way she does. My heart broke for Jeanette and I found myself wanting to hold Jeanette's hand and remind her that she was loved and wanted. A 5 star book that will have you crying and leave you feeling appreciated by your own family.

Olivia

I have empathy for the author's life, but I struggled through this drudge of a book.

Write review