Bibliofemme Bookclub An Irish Bookclub

Fantastical, poetical and a joy to read, Jeanette Winterson melds true historical events with pure imagination in a book that rambles from 1600s to present day London. Sexing the Cherry is a fairytale for adults, complete with characters that verge on the unbelievable and all the magic that fairytales hold.

The loosely held plot is the tale of a young man’s quest for a dancer who may or may not exist, but really this book is about bigger things: time, reality, truth, love, the possibilities inherent in language. In Winterson’s world all of these are experiences at the mercy of individual perception, love is not something that can be measured or defined and time is fluid.

I picked this up on a friend’s recommendation – having been completely disappointed by The Power Book (Bibliofemme’s first ever bookclub choice) – and I’m so glad I did.

There is so much to enjoy here, just plunge in and allow Winterson’s unbounded imagination and the experience of reading her secretly wise words take over.