Jeanette Winterson's first novel was "Oranges are not the only fruit" written about Jeanette's childhood (although she does not refer to it as wholly autobiographical), being raised by evangelical parents somewhere in the north of England. Being a subject close to Jeanette's heart, "Oranges" also delves into Jeanette's teenage relationship with a young woman - a relationship that finally causes her to leave the church. "Oranges" became a successful BBC mini-series.

Much of her work is said to be written in the style of magic realism - although Jeanette herself denies this.

More of her works include:

  • The Powerbook - a plotless novel about a woman who writes the heroic stories of other people
  • Gut Symmetries - a strange combination of interpersonal relationships and physics
  • Art And Lies - the story of futuristic versions of Handel, a regendered Picasso, Sappho and Doll Sneerpiece, an eighteenth century whore.
  • Written On The Body - a unnamed and ungendered narrator and an affair
  • Sexing The Cherry - Set in the 17th century story of an orphan and the dog woman who rescues him
  • Art Objects - A series of essays on art
  • The World And Other Places - collection of short stories
  • The Passion - set in Venice, this is the story of a young Frenchman and a woman with webbed feet who walks on water and cross dresses
  • Boating For Beginners - A comic novel, based on a version of the Noah's Ark story. Out of print, and Winterson has shown no interest in republishing it.