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Summary: An overlooked masterpiece!
Review: I think this is an often overlooked book among Jeanette Winterson's masterpieces. (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and Sexing the Cherry are generally the ones people have read). As in her other novels, Winterson blurrs the lines of the everything we take as "fact" or "true" and in the process challenges are notions of history, time, gender and language. Henri, one of NApolean's chef, falls in love with Vilanelle, a near-mythical gondolier from Venice. Together they explore the boundaries of passion, love and history in a way that makes you rethink everything you have ever assumed about gender and society. I think Winterson is a master at what she writes -- truly turning upside down any preconceived notions the reader may have and allowing us to enter a world that resembles are own in many ways, but is not the world we know. Anyone familiar with feminist theory would be particularly interested in the way that Winterson manipulates her tale and her words
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Summary: A Faerie Tale for Adults
Review: I believe The Passion to be Jeanette Winterson's finest book ever. Always a lover of faerie tales, I sped madly through this novel of a chef's peculiar fascination with/repugnance towards Napoleon, of a mysterious red-haired woman with webbed feet, of love found and lost, and of myths, religion, and sacrifice. The sense of delicate beauty and intense melancholy is unparalleled. This is truly a faerie story for adults, and still makes my eyes brim when I read the last page. Jeanette Winterson is my absolute literary idol, and this book surely shows why.
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Summary: You never forget your first
Review: That's sort of the theme of this story- the characters live the rest of their lives worshipping their first Passion forever. It is beautiful and the descriptions of Venice will make you want to book a flight there immediately.Incidentally, something most reviewers seem to have missed here is that Henri's story and Vilanelle's story are both taken from the real life of French author Stendhal (aka Henri Marie Beyle, the 19th century author of The Red and The Black), who really was a cook for Napoleon and really did have unrequited love for a noble lady, Mathilde Viscontini Dembowski. Read Stendhal's "Love" for more on that particular episode.
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Summary: The most beautiful piece of literature ever written!
Review: Having now read this book 14 times, I am still in awe of JW's understanding of the vulnerability of men and women in love. Every time I read this book I learn something new. This is the one book I always give as a gift and use quotes from frequently. The prose of this novel is simply the most beautiful and poetic I have ever read... and that's saying something coming from a man who is sometimes intimidated by feminist literature. The story of Henri and Villanelle will surely touch any one with a heart especially the line that reads, ' when I lie in her arms no dark days appear... and I truly believe our children will change the world.' For all those who have read The Passion, I highly recommend "Written on the Body". Heartfelt thanks to JW for writing such an incredible story!!!
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Summary: A captivating story
Review: "The Passion" is a story concerning two disparate people during Napoleon's invasion of Moscow. The first is Henri, a soldier who's almost overwhelming passion for Napoleon (bordering on obsessoin) and what he stands for has lead him to the cold regions of Russia. Tired of serving as Napoleon's personal servant and of the senseless battles, he decides to desert the army. The other is Villanelle, the daughter of a Venetian boatman. After her passion for a rich woman of the city dissipates, she loses her freedom in a gambling game and finds herself being bartered to the men of the city. She escapes and makes her way to the cold Russian lands where she meets Henri. Together, they set off on the journey home. Along the way, Henri learns what price passion exacts from people as his feelings for Villanelle lead him down a treacherous path. Full of wonderfully drawn characters, vivid descriptions, a captivating story, and even a touch of the magical, Jeannette Winterson's fine novel is definitely one worth reading.
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Summary: Exquisite Passion
Review: THE PASSION and SEXING THE CHERRY are my two favorite Winterson works. I think both of them are highly original, very meaningful and insightful and wonderfully different. While SEXING THE CHERRY dealt with the theme of time and its boundaries (or lack of them), THE PASSION deals with...passion, of course and how it can affect our lives for good or ill. THE PASSION tells the story of Henri, a man who began life as a poor farm boy but who rose to become a soldier in Napoleon's army, though not quite the soldier he expected to be. Henri, you see is a chef, and his specialty is killing and cooking chickens (Napoleon's own passion), not fighting the enemy. THE PASSION is also the story of Villanelle, a web-footed gondolier's daughter from Venice. Villanelle also has a passion of her own...a passion for another woman (whom she meets when indulging her passion for gambling)...but, like Henri, Villanelle's passion doesn't quite work out as she'd hoped, especially not after her husband become involved. It is only when Henri and Villanelle join forces that they learn how destructive rampant passion can be and the vast differences between true passion and "hero worship." Winterson has wisely (and boldly) refused to end her book on a "feel good" note and I can only commend her all the more for this decision. The ending may not be what you expect, or even want, but it fits the book's story and theme perfectly, which is vastly more important. As in SEXING THE CHERRY, Winterson has packed quite a bit into this slim book. Not only are Henri and Villanelle unique and interesting characters, there are many other unique and interesting characters in THE PASSION that make it something very different from any other book I've ever read (with the exception of SEXING THE CHERRY, of course). Winterson's prose is as gorgeous in THE PASSION as it is in SEXING THE CHERRY and she does a wonderful job of combining history with fantasy, the real with the imagined, the mundane with the lyrical. At times, the book reads like a historical account and, at other times, it reads like the most gorgeous and poetic of fairy tales. And, once again, Winterson has used her plot to present and explore a theme without sounding in the least bit ponderous. There is much imagery and symbolism in THE PASSION, even more than in SEXING THE CHERRY, in my opinion, but, in her early novels, at least, Winterson always manages to explore her deep subject matter with a light touch. In fact, it's so light, that some readers might run the risk of missing the point entirely. If you think this has happened to you, I would recommend reading the book again, more carefully. I found THE PASSION to be a magical, mesmerizing, hypnotic tale, but one that is slightly less accessible than SEXING THE CHERRY. The plot is bizarre, of course, and readers who are simply looking for a "great plot-driven novel" won't find it here. THE PASSION is, in my opinion, Jeanette Winterson at her very best. This is a highly original, exquisite book. I think anyone who loves highly literary or experimental fiction will fall in love with THE PASSION and I would recommend it to them without hesitation.
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Summary: Passion affects our perception.
Review: Jeanette Winterson's The Passion is postmodernism at its best. Her ability to interweave a captivating plot and thought provoking subplot is brilliant and commendable. Henri, a Frenchman in search of passion, joins Napoleon's army to kill the enemy, but he finds himself reduced to killing only chickens for Napoleon's meals. Villanelle, a Venetian boatman's daughter, succumbs to the passionate embrace of another woman only to find herself reduced to a prostitute in Napoleon's camp. When Henri and Villanelle come together, the two begin a journey in search of rectified passion that will satisfy them both. But will their fulfillment come from their connection to each other or from their separation? Indeed, Winterson's resolution involves an unexpected twist, which proves refreshing in a novel. The story is told from both Henri and Villanelle's perspective and offers a unique style. Henri's journal is his historical account of the war, and he writes continuously to ensure the journal's accuracy. So the mermaids in the English Channel are no longer fantasy but part of historic record. And Villanelle's perspective is justification of her eccentricities. This girl, with her ability to walk on water, explains her feelings of solitude and her reasons for dressing as a boy. On their journey they both learn from the experiences of people they meet. Henri benefits from the advice of Patrick, a defrocked priest with superpower vision and a liquor dependency. He also gains wisdom from Domino, a midget stable hand to Napoleon's horses. Villanelle draws value from a horrific game of chance that leads to the casino displaying two human hands on the wall and from her relationship with the woman of aristocracy who now inhabits the shadows, wearing a crown of rats. It is Henri and Villanelle's experiences that lead them to fulfillment and truth. It is through their stories that Winterson is able to pose the interesting question: What about our own life defines our sense of truth and - if it was recorded for others to examine - how ridiculous would it all seem?
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Summary: A Passion Play, Askew
Review: Jeanette Winterson's short novel, THE PASSION, is not as simple as its plot suggests. Henri, a Frenchman who has dedicated his young life to Bonaparte falls in love with Villanelle, a Venetian woman who cannot love him because her heart belongs to another woman. In her clear but poetic language, Winterson delves deeper - into the issues of the soul and the heart, of knowing when to cast aside passion and when to embrace it, of the heartless of both war and love. As she does so, she takes the reader through her own kind of passion play, where web-footed Villanelle can walk across water and a prophet with green slime in her hair speaks the truth. A defrocked priest, able to see across miles and into houses, is destroyed by "the spirits" - alcohol, to be precise - and in his death gives Henri a miracle. Bonaparte becomes the people's "little Lord in his simple uniform" who convinces thousands of men to follow him to their deaths. The question arises, what is evil and what is saintly? Where is the salvation in all the heartlessness? That these character can find any peace at all in the midst of chaos is the novel's final miracle, though it might not be the calm readers expect. Despite the rampant symbolism and religious references, Winterson's grasp of language, imagery, and rhythm gives this a lighter touch than might be expected. After all, both Henri and Villanelle readily confess to "telling stories." And how can one take seriously a fat cook who, after passing out in a drunken stupor just before Napoleon arrives to inspect the kitchen, is rigged to an upright position by Henri and a friend? Who cannot laugh at Villanelle donning a codpiece to protect herself from lascivious men? But Winterson also adds the mysterious stranger who asks a rich Venetian man to gamble not only his life but the manner of this death, possibly the most chilling scene in the book. After all, Winterson writes, "Venice, the city of Satan," and we learn how easily it can be to become lost in its maze. THE PASSION is my first Winterson book, and this virtuoso performance ensures that it won't be my last. I highly recommend this novel for readers of literary fiction, particularly those in love with language, and for readers in search of a very different and original fiction.
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Summary: Storytelling at its best -
Review: Having read almost every one of Ms. Winterson's books, I have to say The Passion is my favorite. I read this for the first time almost ten years ago, and I re-read it almost every year, and each time I do, I feel like I get more out of it. Not only is it a magical story, the explorations of passion, love, and desire become almost an explanation and illumination to the reader of one's own experience. She reveals that regardless of the fact that the passion you feel might never make sense to you or to others, you will most likely give your heart just the same, in spite of the potentially excruciating consequences. "You play, you win, you play, you lose. You play." Her writing and her language will leave you stunned. Her Venice will lure you in, and you'll want never to leave. She's telling you stories. Trust her. She's brilliant.
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Summary: Unresolved Passion of Doomed Romance in Napoleon Era
Review: In her second novel, Jeanette Winterson audaciously deals with one of the most significant giants in the history of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte, along with lives of people he had screwed in various ways. In countryside of France and Russia, Paris, and unforgettably mystified Venice, the romance of two freakish-but-ordinary-just-like-you protagonists, French soldier Henri and Venetian card dealer Villanelle, gets heated, twisted, and doomed. For Winterson, the story is comparatively linear and straightforward, while as usual the thoughts around time, history, philosophy, happiness, freedom, love, and death, fill up between the incidents. Without a typical happy ending, the author seems to want the readers to carry on exploring Villanelle and Henri's unresolved passions.
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