Book: Oranges aren't the only fruit

I read this ages ago and i found parts of it fascinating and some parts upsetting, it is about a young girl who forms a relationship with her best friend Melanie, here is a short bit about the book and story line:

About Jeanette Winterson:
It has no use to tell anything about the Biography of Jeanette Winterson, because 'Oranges are not the only fruit' is a biographic book about her. This book was the first book she wrote and was published in 1985. Because of this novel, she became a famous English writer. It wasn't a success right ahead, but the rumours took Winterson to the top.
Characters
main characters
Jeanette, the author, is also the main character in this book. She is 'wrong' according to the church, because she turns out to be a lesbian. The church sees her as a demon.
The mother of Jeanette is a bit obsessed with God, and that's what she want for Jeanette too. She wants her to become a missionary, but when she finds out Jeanette is a lesbian, she wants nothing to do with her anymore.
minor characters
(girl)friends of Jeanette. Some of them help Jeanette with her life and others avoid her, because they don't want to be with a demon.
The father of Jeanette. He is mentioned in the book a few times, but he doesn't play a big part at all.
I liked
Jeanette. She's strong, because she stands up for herself, and she isn't afraid of showing who she really is, not even after almost everybody turn out to be against her.
I didn't like
the mother of Jeanette. She is so busy with God all the time, that she forgets about the feelings of her own daughter. It's even worse than that: she doesn't think of her daughter's feelings as feelings, but as demons.
Setting
It happened in the past. Jeanette tells about her youth, and how she grew up. Most of the time, the story was told in chronological order, but there where some flashbacks now and then.
Narrator
The story is told by Jeanette Winterson, the author.
Story
Jeanette spends her childhood with her non-biological parents. Her mother believes in God in a very strong way. The church thought a while, that Jeanette was full of the spirit, but it turned out that she was deaf and had to be operated. When Jeanette's mother visited her, she brought her oranges, because they where ¡§the only fruit¡¨.
Jeanette falls in love with a girl, Melanie. That's against all odds of the church. Jeanette and Melanie are poisoned by demons. They lock Jeanette up. That's when Jeanette 'meets' on orange demon (like the fruit) and wants to help Jeanette decide whether she wants to be with God or with Demons. According to the Demon, orange was the colour of Jeanette's aura. In the mean time, Melanie becomes 'healed' by God.
Melanie falls in love with another girl, Kathy, leaves the church and her family.
Plot
Jeanette spends her childhood with her non-biological parents. Her mother believes in God in a very strong way. Jeanette's mother is against things like sex and alcohol, because of her strong belief. Jeanette thought of herself as a normal kid, but her mother wanted her to be a missionary, and she has to change the world. Somebody read Jeanette's hand, and said that she will never get married and never get any rest. One day, Jeanette's mother receives a letter, that Jeanette has to go to school.
The church thought a while, that Jeanette was full of the spirit, but it turned out that she was deaf and had to be operated. When Jeanette's mother visited her, she brought her oranges, because they where 'the only fruit'.
Jeanette scared children at school with her religious. She has to go home.
One day Jeanette meets a girl named Melanie. Jeanette founds her pretty. She teaches her about God and Melanie gets religious too. They fall in love with each other. When Jeanette tells that to her mother, her mother becomes furious and scared. She told the church and they say that Jeanette and Melanie are poisoned by demons. They lock Jeanette up. That's when Jeanette 'meets' on orange demon (like the fruit) and wants to help Jeanette decide whether she wants to be with God or with Demons. According to the Demon, orange was the colour of Jeanette's aura. In the mean time, Melanie becomes 'healed' by God.
After some time, nobody talks about the incident anymore, but then she meets another girl, Kathy. They fall in love, and leave the church. That's it for her mother. She has to leave the house, because of her bad influence on the church.
When Jeanette visits her mother, the mother tells her about what she does nowadays: helping parents with children with demons. But she wants to go to Torremolinos in Spain and live there.
Jeanette leaves and goes to a hill, where she thought about God for a while. She doesn't want to be with her parents anymore ever. They are the wrong family. The mother doesn't care, because she thinks of Jeanette as a sinner.
Throughout the whole story, a lot of people keep giving Jeanette oranges (her mother, Melanie, etc.).
Theme
The author shows you the way, some religious people live, the positive and negative sites of it, and how to get out of it.
Explain the title
It means there's more than just one thing. Not only heterosexuality exists, but also homosexuality. Not only the church, but also non-church things. There is more than just oranges. Oranges are not the only fruit.
For Jeanette's mother the orange becomes her way of avoiding the truth. For example she would avoid talking to Jeanette by giving her an orange to eat.


So tell me what do you think of the book?

http://www.planetout.com/entertainment/books/interviews/2000/11/winterson.html