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Amazon.co.uk Review
Joanne Harris' sensational novel Five Quarters of the Orange revolves around a recipe book, continuing the theme of culinary intrigue begun in Chocolat and Blackberry Wine. Framboise, the middle-aged narrator, begins her story in Les Laveuses, on the banks of the Loire:
When my mother died she left the farm to my brother, Cassis, the fortune in the wine cellar to my sister, Reine-Claude, and to me, the youngest, her album and a two-litre jar containing a single black Perigord truffle.Framboise returns to the village where she grew up during wartime, and with the help of the recipes scribbled in her mother's album, opens up a small restaurant. However, she is desperate to keep her identity a secret even amongst the aged villagers with whom she played on the banks of the Loire in the years of German occupation during the Second World War. Framboise immerses herself once again in the peaceful rhythms of village life, pungently evoked by Harris's evocative prose. But slowly, reluctantly, Framboise begins to unravel the terrible wartime secret that drove her family away from the village. As she cuts between idyllic descriptions of the village and the increasingly dark memories of the war, Framboise admits:
I know, I know. You want me to get to the point. But this is at least as important as the rest, the method of telling, and the time taken to tell. It has taken me fifty-five to begin, at least let me do it in my own way.This could be a description of Harris's prose itself, as it slowly and deliberately cuts between Framboise's fragile present and her happy childhood, destroyed by the tragic innocence of youth. Although Five Quarters of the Orange finds Harris on familiar ground to Chocolat, this is a much darker and compelling novel of childhood nostalgia and betrayal, and the need to confront the tragedies of the past before they destroy the possibilities of a happier future. --Jerry Brotton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Times
'Vastly enjoyable, utterly gripping'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'Five quarters of the orange' is a story of a childhood tragedy in wartime France, and the shadows it casts across the later life of the heroine Framboise Dartigen. Written so blandly the book appears dark and gloomy, but this is far from the case.
Wartime France is portrayed through the eyes of the nine year old Framboise who's unworldly insight into the German occupation is in sharp contrast to the more familiar resistance-focused found in history books. She lives a life of fishing and adventure against the backdrop of her mother's kitchen – a place of wonderful cuisine brought to life with great skill. What tragedy turns her into the lonely old women that she becomes is kept well concealed until late in the story, providing a suspense that forced me to keep turning pages to find the answer.
The nuance of the recipes that form a large feature of the book were lost on me, but I'm sure will appeal to those who know their kitchen better. For those, like me, who prefer a compelling and human story this novel is sure to deliver. A book to be savoured!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I won't write about the storyline as there are enough reviews on here to satisfy anyone.
In my opinion this is simply the best book JH has ever written and I have read them all. It is thoroughly brilliant from beginning to end and it sits handsomely in my top 3 all time favourite books.
In my opinion this is simply the best book JH has ever written and I have read them all. It is thoroughly brilliant from beginning to end and it sits handsomely in my top 3 all time favourite books.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read this book twice I love it with a passion, and think it the best of the 3 foody books (see also...Chocolat, Blackberry Wine). I envy the way Joanne Harris seems to write so flawlessly and can bring the sights and smells to life as if they were a separate character within her story. She has the happy knack of flitting backwards and forwards in time to bring us this tale of guilt and regret. No doubt I shall read it again at some point and for me this is the type of book that you can't bear to pass onto friends for fear of losing your copy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Five Quarters of The Orange and I couldn't resist it all
I picked up this book and read the cover. It was more than a cover and much more than was expressed on the back. I loved it! Read more
Published 2 months ago by valeriemar
Disappointing
This was the first book by Joanne Harris that I've read and I won't be rushing to read another. In my opinion to enjoy a book the reader must have empathy with at least some of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Wendybee
Excellent book, One of My Top 10 Favourite Novels
The tale of a elderly plump women reminiscing of her childhood during the second worlds war in provinces of France may not seem super exciting book but this is a great story... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Hagrid's Umbrella
Beautiful, magical and engrossing
I've read all Joanne Harris' books so far, but one ("Coastliners", which I'm planning on reading as soon as I finish the book I'm reading currently) and "Five Quarters of the... Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2009 by Y. Rodgers
Not as good as Chocolat
I think the author was trying a little too hard to be clever here. I enjoyed Chocolat partly for its simplicity, but this work was trying to use some complex ideas to gradually... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Sulkyblue
Compelling reading
I hadn't read a Joanne Harris novel since Blackberry Wine 5 or 6 years ago and had forgotten how truly visual and sensual her writing is. Read more
Published on 19 Aug 2009 by Cristal Carolyn
one of the best books i've ever read
I first read this book when it first came out a few years ago and i absolutely loved it. I've re-read it a few times since then and i love it every time; its one of the best books... Read more
Published on 26 May 2009 by Sarah Louise Shields
A feast for the senses
I am head over heels in love with this book. Only a terrific author can write about something as appalling as war and occupation and uneccesary death but yet make you feel so alive... Read more
Published on 20 April 2009 by Boof
A wonderful and delighful novel
Five Quarters of the Orange is wonderful and fulfilling novel by Joanne Harris. The main features of the novel include a well defined plot, the characters and beautiful setting of... Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2009 by P. DATTA
Not my usual fare, but loved it.
I read 'Chocolat' and enjoyed it, but this is definitely my favourite of Joanne Harris's books. More bitter than sweet, she sets you down in a hot French summer during the Nazi... Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2009 by Alder
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