The PowerBook

Rating:
Summary: Captivating and unusual
Review: The cover and the title of the "PowerBook" are bold, startling and reflective of one another. Not only that but the red background infers both passion and power, whilst the outstretched, naked body on the bed of tulips further draws on both our sensuality and sexuality. It is marketing, it is modern and it gets our attention from the outset. Open the front cover and you find a PC, its screen reading; "Freedom for just one night". The cover alone sets the scene for what is to follow, and I, for one, was in no way disappointed by the intrigue I found.In my opinion, "The PowerBook" shows Winterson at her most imaginative and the work is particularly enticing as it is written in the first person, maximising the intimacy between reader and narrator; helping the reader share and live the fantasy.

Through the narrator, the reader is drawn into a cyberspace, dream world, controlled purely by personal desires and even momentary curiosities. As the reader is passive by definition, there seems to be even less risk in following a whim and sharing the pleasure of the narrator's fantasy world without consequences, free of the danger of suffering any repercussions in reality. But is the reader actually so passive or is this not a rather convenient, low profile position to take; sharing the fantasy without the risk of experiencing guilt or judgement? This is where the suspense increases as it is not difficult for anyone to hide their identity behind a computer screen nowadays and to live the book's fantasy for real, writing their own script, their cyber-destiny. In my opinion "The Powerbook" exemplifies how books and computers can both be used as protective and liberating shields from reality. Cyber-disguise is paralleled with literary escapism in a truly enticing manner, the main problem being that we are not free unless we are free inside ourselves, whatever the disguise.

One particularly striking element of the book is that Winterson overcomes the boundaries of time and identity, which in turn forces us to redefine freedom. Neither time nor identity is an obstacle in the world Winterson creates for us here. Everything can change at the touch of a button to suit our convenience, and yet whilst the jumps between radically different periods in history seem so magical in the book, they are also real on the internet to an extent, as so much is available in the cyber-world. And we can be free. Just for one night.Or can we? Once we have started pushing boundaries, is there not a temptation to want even more and never to be rid of the desire for freedom or of the desire to redefine it?

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, but at least readable
Review: This is a small book, and I don't mean small in size (some small books are of course the best masterpieces -- take "The Old Man and the Sea"). This book is small in voice, mind and in revelation. The short opening story is at least interesting and fresh, but the rest of the book -- the vast bulk of it -- is tiring because it is tired. The irony is that this book is supposed to be about love, but it doesn't seem to be written with real passion. The characters are cardboard cliches, and the dialogue is truly some of the worst that I've read. The two love interests in the book talk in such the same droll tone and use the same tiring attempts at one-liner witticisms that you lose track of which one is saying what, and the sad thing is after a short while you don't even care. The book isn't good enough to care. That said, this is one of few books that I've been able to (meaning, wanted to) read to the end the past few years. Despite its flaws, it reads well enough, and it is still a step above most of what passes for literature these days.

Rating:
Summary: poetic and chaotic
Review: This is one of the books I found pretty hard to read, allthough I'm happy I've made it trough...
First of all, it was hard for me to follow -or even find- a line in this story made up out of different other stories. To be honost: I lost track continually. I'm not sure whether this is a positive or negative remark about the book... . It was tiring, sure, but on the other hand the chaos Winterson created leaves the reader a lot of spaces to fill in for himself and I am sure that this is one of the key reasons why this book will mean different things to everybody who reads it. This was a pretty rewarding experience to me.
Secondly, Wintersons writing is very poetic. Not only in the storylines she leaves room for interpretation, also in each sentence or paragraph she handles words magically. That way it feels like a poem, and probably reads differently for everyone.
In the third place, I liked the message of this book (the message that I saw in it anyway). According to me it says one has to make himself the hero of his own lifestory.
I always like optimistic undertones, especially when the book stays realistic, as was the case with 'The powerbook'.
In short, this was a good, but tiring read. I recommend it to anyone who likes fuzzy storylines, poetry and optimistic messages...

Rating:
Summary: insufferably trendy
Review: This is perfect if you like affected characters, trite romantic fantasies, comic book versions of classic stories, and snippets of sexual cliches.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: This is the most beautiful piece of prose I've read in a very long time.

Rating:
Summary: Grand Tour
Review: This new book navigates the seas of fiction and love. As a piece of internet prose, it easily surpasses Matt Beaumont's entertainment 'E'. Jeanette Winterson explores the opportunities offered by the net, the wardrobe door that leads to many a magical land. The heroine of this novel flits here and there, choosing exotic locations as she pleases. However, much of this book is also based in the real as much in the imaginary.

There's an ongoing plot in 'The Powerbook', a very modern love affair. It's the beauty of the prose that is really outstanding though. Winterson goes to Capri and uses the funicular railway as a metaphor in a manner that seems entirely natural, unforced, but prone to gravity. For me, there was a certain amount of nostalgia, as Winterson explores the settings of my own adolescent vacations, from the Isle of Capri near Sorrento, the romantic flirtation with Paris, the exhilarating adventure of seedy London. 'The Powerbook' lives up to its ambition of being an internet novel, since we can all attempt the Grand Tour via the Net nowadays. It's always a delight to follow in an author's footsteps, see the world through their eyes. For instance, you can find the painting of his wife Saskia as Flora on the net by Rembrandt. At first sight, this picture seems too dark to be the image that Winterson describes, but it's a delight to look at the picture again through her prose.

There's a section here where Winterson seems to return to the 'real life' of 'Oranges are not the Only Fruit', and it's very compelling to find a horror of nothing, the fear of having to invent, the burden of having to create. It does seem, though, that Winterson has been following current literary trends, borrowing and embellishing what she fancies. The Tulip trade is very much in fashion now, and Winterson has a faction devoted to George Mallory. Yet there are also much older, traditional tales. Lancelot and Guinevere, and Paolo and Francesca reading of their love, doomed to a much more bloody fate in the pages of Dante's Inferno. I had never come across the tale of Paolo and Francesca before, but it thrills me to find that it had been the subject of a variety of paintings, including one by the Pre-Raphaelite 'Dante' Rossetti.

This isn't a very weighty book in terms of page count. You'll find that you'll be able to finish off 'The Powerbook' in one sitting. Some might find the book a little costly in hardcover format. There is very little drama. Instead, there are some quite modern truths and observations. Winterson discusses the fact that nobody really seems to be content now, and that they always want more. That nobody wants to settle. Just waiting for the next opportunity, the next love affair. A society where everyone wants love, but wants to be left alone. So, this book is perfect for of a generation of short attention spans. Yet, if used in the right way, 'The Powerbook' can stimulate you a great deal; make you highly active as you seek out its subtle meanings, to compose your own story as you weave a path through the web, following the footsteps of Ali and Sebastian Melmoth. Maybe the Reformation and the Tulip trade brought the immortal Arabian Nights to us? Winterson also covers the theoretical debate of author/reader - which of these two really creates the fiction? Winterson comes down on the right side, and reveals fiction in its true light, as a dialogue between author and reader (literally). She conveys how some fictions will never die; will be forever revived by future artists. This poetic novel deserves to be kept on the bookshelf, and referred to whenever your heart desires.

Rating:
Summary: Fake Depth
Review: Winterson's early books, such as "Sexing the Cherry" had the power of a mind that knows magic, but hasn't been told it knows. Now, Winterson burdens us with mental plaque--her miniscule issues placed under a distorted microscope. She has lost the touch of youth. What a treasure to have lost! Certainly there are a few sentences sprinkled here and there that penetrate, but they are nothing compared to the cerebral baptism of freedoms previously offered up.