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Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

3.9(25)
Language
English
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About the book

"Magnificent . . . A tour de force of literature and love."-Vogue

"Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is raucous. It hums with a dark refulgence from its first pages. . . . Singular and electric . . . [Winterson's] life with her adoptive parents was often appalling, but it made her the writer she is."-The New York Times

"[Winterson is] one of the most daring and inventive writers of our time-searingly honest yet effortlessly lithe as she slides between forms, exuberant and unerring, demanding emotional and intellectual expansion of herself and of us. . . . In Why Be Happy,, [Winterson's] emotional life is laid bare . . . [in] a bravely frank narrative of truly coming undone. For someone in love with disguises, Winterson's openness is all the more moving; there's nothing left to hide, and nothing left to hide behind."-Elle

Jeanette Winterson's bold and revelatory novels have earned her widespread acclaim, establishing her as a major figure in world literature. She has written some of the most admired books of the past few decades, including her internationally best-selling first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the story of a young girl adopted by Pentecostal parents, that is now often required reading in contemporary fiction classes.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a memoir about a life's work to find happiness. It is a book full of stories: about a girl locked out of her home, sitting on the doorstep all night; about a religious zealot disguised as a mother who has two sets of false teeth and a revolver in the dresser, waiting for Armageddon; about growing up in a north England industrial town now changed beyond recognition; about the universe as a cosmic dustbin. It is the story of how a painful past, which Winterson thought she had written over and repainted, rose to haunt her later in life, sending her on a journey into madness and out again, in search of her biological mother. It is also a book about other people's literature, one that shows how fiction and poetry can form a string of guiding lights, a life raft that supports us when we are sinking.

Witty, acute, fierce, and celebratory, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is a tough-minded search for belonging-for love, identity, home, and a mother.

Editions (3)

ISBN9780802120878
PublisherGrove Atlantic
Publication Date03/12/13
Pages240

Reviews & Ratings

25 ratings

3 reviews

3.9

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  • evie.davie
    evie.davie

    10 Followers

    4.5

    depressioncore meets poetische selbstrettung

    📚 4,5/5 Sterne Warum glücklich statt einfach nur normal? – Jeanette Winterson Jeanette Winterson erzählt in dieser autobiografischen Erzählung von ihrer Kindheit und Jugend als adoptiertes Kind in einem streng religiösen, emotional kalten Umfeld und von dem Versuch, trotz Ausgrenzung, Enge und Verlust den eigenen Platz im Leben zu finden. Im Zentrum steht dabei immer wieder dieselbe Frage: Reicht es, einfach „normal“ zu sein – oder darf man mehr vom Leben wollen? Dieses Buch war für mich ein absolutes Highlight auch wenn oder vielleicht gerade weil es kein leichtes Buch ist. Die Atmosphäre ist fast durchgehend düster, bedrückend und traurig. Winterson beschreibt ein Aufwachsen unter prekären Bedingungen und in einem lieblosen, engstirnigen Umfeld, und dieses Gefühl zieht sich durch das gesamte Buch: dieses permanente Kämpfen, dieses Suchen nach einem Ort, an dem Glück überhaupt möglich scheint. Selbst als das Ende versöhnlicher wird, bleibt etwas zurück nicht Hoffnungslosigkeit, aber das Gefühl eines Lebens, das sich vieles hart erkämpfen musste. Winterson schreibt gleichzeitig schonungslos direkt und überraschend poetisch. Manche Sätze treffen mit voller Wucht, andere sind so schön formuliert, dass man kurz innehält obwohl sie oft etwas sehr Schmerzhaftes beschreiben. Gerade diese Kombination aus Authentizität, Klarheit und literarischer Kraft macht das Buch für mich so eindrücklich. Es ist stellenweise verstörend, oft traurig, aber nie beliebig. Durch die autobiografische Perspektive entsteht eine Nähe, die manchmal fast unangenehm intensiv wirkt. Kein Buch, das „Spaß“ macht. Aber eines, das lange nachhallt. ⭐ 4,5/5 Habt ihr es gelesen?

    depressioncore meets poetische selbstrettung

    May 22, 2026

  • 4.0

    I have never read anything by Jeanette Winterson but I need to get my hands on Oranges are not the only fruit ASAP. Her writing is flawless and considering that novel is semi-biographical as well I feel like it would give someone a better reading experience knowing her most famous work.

    Dec 12, 2023

  • wlarianna
    wlarianna

    31 Followers

    She jumps around to much to random thoughts and opinions. Little of what is written is actually memoir

    Aug 4, 2025

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