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Robin's Reviews > The Passion
The Passion
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by
Somewhere between fear and sex passion is.
This short novel packs in so much beauty in the intersecting stories of French soldier Henri and daughter of a Venetian boatman, Villanelle. Winterson is a sage, a poet, with each scene, each paragraph containing gorgeous words about love, and the gamble of life and choices made.
Set in the times of the Napoleonic wars, Henri was selected by Bonaparte himself to prepare and serve his nightly chicken. He did this with devotion, and saw horrific death, suffering, and disappointment which was rampant among the French devotees to Napoleon's cause. Villanelle is a web footed, free spirit. How I loved being immersed in her labyrinthine Venice. When the two stories intersect, oh my heart! Such beauty, such pain, such passion.
4.5 stars
Sequester my heart. Wherever love is, I want to be, I will follow it as surely as the land-locked salmon finds the sea.
Passion will not be commanded. It is no genie to grant us three wishes when we let it loose. It commands us and very rarely in the way we would choose.
This short novel packs in so much beauty in the intersecting stories of French soldier Henri and daughter of a Venetian boatman, Villanelle. Winterson is a sage, a poet, with each scene, each paragraph containing gorgeous words about love, and the gamble of life and choices made.
Set in the times of the Napoleonic wars, Henri was selected by Bonaparte himself to prepare and serve his nightly chicken. He did this with devotion, and saw horrific death, suffering, and disappointment which was rampant among the French devotees to Napoleon's cause. Villanelle is a web footed, free spirit. How I loved being immersed in her labyrinthine Venice. When the two stories intersect, oh my heart! Such beauty, such pain, such passion.
4.5 stars
Sequester my heart. Wherever love is, I want to be, I will follow it as surely as the land-locked salmon finds the sea.
Passion will not be commanded. It is no genie to grant us three wishes when we let it loose. It commands us and very rarely in the way we would choose.
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Reading Progress
October 19, 2016
–
Started Reading
October 19, 2016
– Shelved
October 21, 2016
–
10.0%
October 22, 2016
–
30.0%
"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how would the world go on? How would we ever get up off our knees? How would we ever recover from the wonder of it?"
October 22, 2016
–
70.0%
"There's no pawnshop for the heart. You can't take it in and leave it awhile in a clean cloth and redeem it in better times.""
October 22, 2016
–
Finished Reading
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Cecily
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 17, 2017 03:06PM
"Such beauty, such pain, such passion." Indeed. Lovely, Robin.
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Cecily wrote: ""Such beauty, such pain, such passion." Indeed. Lovely, Robin."Thank you so much, Cecily. This was my introduction to Jeanette Winterson - rich and magical!
If you want to read more by her, and I'm guessing you might, it's really worth reading her autobiography, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. It's a good book in its own right, but her life story infuses everything she writes.
Cecily wrote: "If you want to read more by her, and I'm guessing you might, it's really worth reading her autobiography, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. It's a good book in its own right, ..."Thanks so much for this recommendation, Cecily. It looks really interesting and would likely provide insight when reading her other works.
Venice as well! I think I'll start with this.
Katie wrote: "Venice as well! I think I'll start with this."Can't wait to hear your thoughts! This one is more 'magical' than Written on the Body, but both share the powerful poetic prose, and the piercing insights into matters of the heart.
