Five Quarters of the Orange
by Joanne Harris
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1763)
bookshelves:
fiction-and-literature,
food,
re-read
Read in August, 2007
I first read this book some time ago. When I read it, I throughly enjoyed it. This year, I found my mind going back to the book several times and decided I needed to read it again.
There are only two books (other than the Harry Potter Series) that I have read more than once - Cold Mountain, and now this book. While reading this book for the second time, I wondered at length, what is drawing me back to this book.
The story is a dark story of a child growing up with a very difficult, unpr...more
There are only two books (other than the Harry Potter Series) that I have read more than once - Cold Mountain, and now this book. While reading this book for the second time, I wondered at length, what is drawing me back to this book.
The story is a dark story of a child growing up with a very difficult, unpr...more
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lighter-and-or-chick-lit
Read in May, 2008
What I liked about this book: the main character is richly drawn, and I especially enjoyed seeing her at different stages of life. There's also a momentum to the story that keeps you reading, wanting to know just what will happen next (and what really did happen way back in the past). The setting is fabulous -- especially for anyone who studied French in high school and dreams of extended travels in the Loire Valley. And of course the food talk. Yummmmm....
What I didn't like about this book:...more
What I didn't like about this book:...more
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Read in March, 2008
Under the shroud of a new identity an aging woman returns to her childhood town. She opens a café and reopens the wounds of her past.
In German-occupied France, 9 year old, Framboise, and her brother and sister secretly befriend a German soldier and trade secrets for black market goods. Using the black market oranges to provoke her mother’s migraine headaches, Framboise torments the woman and ensures herself unsupervised time with the soldier. The friendship spurs a series of events which...more
In German-occupied France, 9 year old, Framboise, and her brother and sister secretly befriend a German soldier and trade secrets for black market goods. Using the black market oranges to provoke her mother’s migraine headaches, Framboise torments the woman and ensures herself unsupervised time with the soldier. The friendship spurs a series of events which...more
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Read in April, 2008
If you like to read about food, then you will like this book. It's about an older French woman named Framboise who after inheriting her misunderstood mother's journal/recipe book, returns to her childhood farm and in the course of restoring the farm and cooking her mother's recipes, recalls the summer when she was nine and German soldiers were occupying her rural village during WWII. It's an intriguing story about Framboise's complicated relationship with her mother and the devastating result of...more
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Read in March, 2008
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read-recently
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Francophiles, WWII, psychological drama
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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great-story
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Anyone interested in culinary appearances in literature or looking for a slow, downer summer read
This book seriously dragged me right along to an inevitable (and dark) conclusion. I kept toggling between enjoying her writing style, loads of unique description and a nice layer of old memories and new experiences for the main character, and being sort of shocked and horrified by the absolute coldness of most of the characters in the story. It was an interesting book, but I had a hard time absorbing myself in it(which is what I've been looking for lately).
Perhaps the other drawback (and m...more
Perhaps the other drawback (and m...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in December, 2007
recommended to Jeanette by:
FrankophilesThis review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in September, 2006
recommends it for:
Those intrested in food, mystery and French culture
Reading this book made me want to eat, read, eat and read more! Ms. Harris uses food to create a culture and setting for her story. The author creates a substantial level of suspense and the story unfurls through a child's uncharacteristically mature eyes.
The story is set in German-occupied France during World War II. It spells the tale a family burdened by guilt, instability and disgrace. Despite the unfortunate life described in its pages, the book creates a comforting and descriptiv...more
The story is set in German-occupied France during World War II. It spells the tale a family burdened by guilt, instability and disgrace. Despite the unfortunate life described in its pages, the book creates a comforting and descriptiv...more
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Read in January, 2007
This book was recommended to me after we made a trip to France. It takes place during WW II in Brittany where the Germans occupied the province. It is not a "happy" read, but it is intrigueing and the characters are vividly protrayed. The story focuses on the story of a war-widowed French woman raising her 3 children. She sufffers from a mental malady that alienates her from her children. Her children befriend a German soldier who frequents their village, which, of course, is forb...more
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Read in April, 2008
The story is a mesmerizing story of WWII France. The narrator of the story is the youngest member of the Dartigen family. She retells of her life on a farm living with her ill almost mad mother and dealing with her loneliness and emptiness. Joanne Harris weaves beautifully provincial food and folklore and which gives a magical presence and symbolism to the story. It is in her mother's recipe book that helps the protagonist uncover her mother's past and her own. It is a story about secrets and s...more
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Read in June, 2007
Another novel by Joanne Harris, filled with memories of food, however this one is much darker. The village and Framboise, the main character, are filled with memories of the WW II and the aftermath of that. Framboise has recently returned to this village of her youth to confront the demons of her past and really restart her life, even as an older lady with grandchildren.
An amazing look at the struggles and situation of occupied France, and the modern village struggling to continue and deal ...more
An amazing look at the struggles and situation of occupied France, and the modern village struggling to continue and deal ...more
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Read in November, 2002
I read this book quite some time ago - distinctly remember it was over a Thanksgiving holiday at a friend's house in Santa Monica. It's one of those books that's great to curl up with on the couch on a dismal weather day. As other readers have noted, it's a dark story that peruses the complex thoughts and emotions of a child growing up in post World War II occupied France. It has vivid period imagery for those who like historical fiction, the characters are well developed, and at the end of the ...more
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I read this book a few years ago but find myself thinking of it at odd moments. Ok, maybe not so odd if you have read the book - like when I am looking for a recipe in my cupboard and see scrawled notes to myself in the margin. The book itself jumps around some and the characters don't particularly stand out in my mind- like I don't remember their names - but the whole ambiance of the novel stands out ... the struggles of coming in age in occupied territory, the want to leave that behind but b...more
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i thought that this was the best of all joanne harris' books. her character, framboise, had such a beautiful voice...she was easy to sympathize and truly grow to care for. the book of recipes and stories she inherited from her mother was amazingly described...and beautifully uncovered a tragedy from her own young life.
this book is a page turner, because of it's tragedy, heartbreak and beautiful main character.
this book is a page turner, because of it's tragedy, heartbreak and beautiful main character.
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Read in July, 2007
i loved her culinary metaphor. to anyone who loves to cook, her comparisons were deliciously perfect. i believe she likened the color of someone's eyes to the color of caramelizing sugar. it's a very specific shade which you can only know if you stare at a pan of sugar in its original state and watch it morph into clear liquid, to various hues of amber and then brown, burnt sugary charcoal mess. if you look away for too long, you might miss it. her description was written in way that was sp...more
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general-fiction
Read in July, 2004
This is the first book that I've ever read by this author and I was struck by the very delicate way she writes. The story was good and kept me guessing right till the end just what the main character's secret was. I liked the flashback style she was writing in. I'm not sure that any of the characters were entirely sympathetic; there were things to dislike about all of them. Yet, I suppose that's what makes them human.
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Read in November, 2007
Like "Chocolate", this story by Joanne Harris captures the taste and smell of the orange. A captivating story of the War years in France, this book tells of a young family's struggle to survive. I wanted to tast the cherry branding, to smell the herb garden, to wrap my arms around the mother, and protect the children from the meanness of the small town. Harris captures the French village with remarkable clarity.
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one of my favorite books, this book is written with such intelligence and creativity ... it was so easy to feel the imagery through her compelling descriptions and almost smell the scent of oranges. it is a book that keeps your senses alert, and draws you deep within the characters and their thoughts. i read the last few pages so slowly, because i truly did not want the story to end. it stays with you for years ...
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Joanne Harris also wrote Chocolat, which is why I chose this book to take with me to Peru over the summer... I figured I wouldn't be eating any luscious food, so I might as well be reading about it.
Most of my WWII-placed readings take place in the US or Africa, and this one is in France, which was a welcome change. Harris is a beautiful writer with wonderful depth, and this novel was no exception.
Most of my WWII-placed readings take place in the US or Africa, and this one is in France, which was a welcome change. Harris is a beautiful writer with wonderful depth, and this novel was no exception.
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