I liked this book a lot, too, but it does suffer from what might be identified as a first novel's imperfections - especially the metaphorical fables plunked into the middle of the narrative without any connecting language. The rest of the novel so successfully carries us along in the flow of Jeanette's life that the fables, meaningful or not, are interruptions. This quibble aside, OANTOF is a charming melange of working class comedy, evangelical exposé, and coming of age story. It's not surprising that sexuality, that most fundamental aspect of the human condition, is what wakes Jeanette to her self and leads to the break with her church, yet in her innocence she isn't even aware of the consequences until they are spelled out for her. That is wonderfully well conveyed and believable. Winterson wins my respect for her generous spirit: she treats no character meanly or vengefully, even the most repressive ones. If anything, that's what proves the narrator has risen above the petty proscriptions among which she was raised.