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Blackberry Wine

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 5,879 ratings · 416 reviews

As a boy, writer Jay Mackintosh spent three golden summers in the ramshackle home of "Jackapple Joe" Cox. A lonely child, he found solace in Old Joe's simple wisdom and folk charms. The magic was lost, however, when Joe disappeared without warning one fall.

Years later, Jay's life is stalled with regret and ennui. His bestselling novel, Jackapple Joe, was published ten year...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published April 24th 2001 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published October 1999)

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Apr 24, 2008 Holli rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. I liked the setting (England and France) and the magical quality of the story. I liked the old character, Joe and in my mind saw one of our library patrons playing his part. It made me want to read more of Harris's books. I like the way she conveys that there is more going on in our lives than meets the eye.

From Publishers Weekly
Like her well-received 1999 novel, Chocolat, Harris's latest outing unfolds around the arrival of an outsider in a tiny French town. This time win...more I really enjoyed this. I liked the setting (England and France) and the magical quality of the story. I liked the old character, Joe and in my mind saw one of our library patrons playing his part. It made me want to read more of Harris's books. I like the way she conveys that there is more going on in our lives than meets the eye.

From Publishers Weekly
Like her well-received 1999 novel, Chocolat, Harris's latest outing unfolds around the arrival of an outsider in a tiny French town. This time wine replaces chocolate as Harris's magic elixir, and the newcomer to the village of Lansquenet sur Tannes is Jay Mackintosh, a 37-year-old has-been writer from London. Fourteen years have passed since Jay's debut novel, Jackapple Joe, won the Prix Goncourt. Since then, he has been churning out B-novels under a pseudonym; he currently lives with his girlfriend, Kerry, an aggressively successful 25-year-old celebrity journalist. Flashbacks reveal that Jay's only recollections of happiness are the golden summers he spent as a youth with old Joseph "Jackapple Joe" Cox in the small English town of Kirby Monckton. Joe, a colorful character who made wines from fruits and berries, inspired Joe's successful first novel. But one day he disappeared. When Jay stumbles across an advertisement for an 18th-century "chateau" in wine-growing country, the spell of his misery is broken. After downing a bottle of Joe's '75 Special, which he has been hoarding for 24 years, Jay decides to buy the house sight unseen. Leaving Kerry in London, Jay moves to Lansquenet and starts a new rural life, beginning to write under his own name again. He is bewildered by his reclusive neighbor, Marise d'Api, who apparently coveted his derelict house and land, and is ostracized by the townspeople. Jay's quest to discover why everyone, including Marise's former mother-in-law, blames Marise for her husband's suicide keeps the plot moving at a steady clip. Despite some unbelievable twists and a slightly uneven paceAit begins slowly, but by the last quarter races aheadAthis is an entertaining narrative, equal parts whimsy and drama. (July) (less)

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Aug 12, 2012 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this book as an escape - what could be better than a farmhouse in rural France, lots of food,wine, mystery and intrigue!

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May 13, 2013 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Of all the books written by Harris, this is my favorite by far. It is a delightful tale of young Jay MacIntosh and the friendship he develops with Joe Cox over the course of 3 summers spent at a small village in England. Joe's past is never made clear; his tales become truth and his truths become tales. The one certainty is that Joe, in his ramshackle cabin knows all there is to know about gardening, herbs and their "magical" healing and protective powers, and wine-making. Althouogh the quality...more Of all the books written by Harris, this is my favorite by far. It is a delightful tale of young Jay MacIntosh and the friendship he develops with Joe Cox over the course of 3 summers spent at a small village in England. Joe's past is never made clear; his tales become truth and his truths become tales. The one certainty is that Joe, in his ramshackle cabin knows all there is to know about gardening, herbs and their "magical" healing and protective powers, and wine-making. Althouogh the quality of the wine could be debated. After Jay's parents divorce and he is sent back to school in London, his unhappiness is so great that he decides to return to Joe; only to find Joe has vanished without a good-bye.
Jay grows up to write one acclaimed novel based on Joe Cox, his childhood friend, but no more great writing comes to him. When Jay sees a picture of a farmhouse in Lansquenet, France, he is reminded of Joe's dream of one day owning such a place. On sudden impulse, Jay buys the property without seeing it first, packs a duffle bag, his typewriter and a few bottles of wine he managed to retrieve from Joe's abandoned home and leaves his urban London life to farm and to write another novel.
I loved the few references to Vianne and Roux (Chocolat); I also loved the fact that while a strong woman character enters the story, this is the story of Jay, a male character who is struggling to find himself and to put his friendship with Joe into perspective without the feeling of betrayal at not being able to say good-bye. There is still magic and whimsy, but it is without the darkness of the controversy between magic and the church. Finally, I loved the fact that Jay does write his next great novel with surprising results, and that he does win the struggle of finding out just what he has been searching for over the years. Oh! One more thing....the references to so many of the great songs in the 70's was a delightful, whimsical touch, no magic needed, that made me smile. (Springsteen, Beach Boys, Elvis...)_(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Dolors rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

My first novel by the author of Chocolat and I have to say I enjoyed it far more than expected.

The story of Jay Mackintosh, a 37 years old writer, famous because of an only novel written fifteen years ago. Jay seems to have lost inspiration and faith in the magic of life, as if all these feelings had been spent in that successful novel.
The novel moves forward and backwards in time, and the reader is able to know young Jay, when he meets Joe, an eccentric old man who leaves a deep impression in l...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-contemporary-authors

Fair warning: I’m on a bit of a Joanne Harris binge these days. ”Blackberry Wine” is the story of a writer, widely acclaimed for an insightful novel written fourteen years earlier and financially solvent from lesser sci-fi writing, who is now stuck on so many levels.
The novel alternates between Jay McIntosh’s memories of three summers over twenty years before and the present. Adolescent, lonely, left adrift by his parents’ egocentricity and divorce, Jay finds solace from an eccentric, mysteriou...more Fair warning: I’m on a bit of a Joanne Harris binge these days. ”Blackberry Wine” is the story of a writer, widely acclaimed for an insightful novel written fourteen years earlier and financially solvent from lesser sci-fi writing, who is now stuck on so many levels.
The novel alternates between Jay McIntosh’s memories of three summers over twenty years before and the present. Adolescent, lonely, left adrift by his parents’ egocentricity and divorce, Jay finds solace from an eccentric, mysterious man whose stories he is not sure he believes. Nevertheless he is mesmerized by them and what the old man can grow on land that would seem unable to sustain any living thing. Over the course of three summers he learns as much as his adolescent personality allows him to understand about living resourcefully, close to the earth, “having a heart,” and a bit of magic. Meeting a fearless young girl who shares his fascination with found objects in Pog Hill and the dark canal nearby, he fills his days with adventure and finds courage sometimes to stand up to the bullies that troll the area.
In the present, Jay McIntosh, self-centered, self-pitying, impulsively buys a property in the tiny village of Lansquenet and flees London and his live-in girlfriend carrying six bottles of homemade wine from those summers long ago. Surrounded by many of the characters from “Chocolat” and “Peaches for Father Francis,” he immerses himself into the lives of the villagers, finding another "important" novel to write, rebuilds his farmhouse and land, pays attention to the magic of the six bottles of wine, and finally finds his way.
The pull of this novel for me is about the rebuilding of land and heart and the story of Jay’s reclusive neighbor and her daughter, resiliency and fierce love set against the gossip of the village. Jay spends a lot of time in the novel battling anger that I couldn’t always understand its power to blind or mislead him after so many years (I am a believer in the “moveon.com” philosophy), but this is still a rich, sustaining story filled with lush descriptions of the land, the people, and their conversations.
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Mar 05, 2013 Belinda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've met some really cool musicians on my trips up to Portland for the Old Time Music Mecca, some of which highly recommended this book ... so much so that they gave me an extra copy. It was as delicious --- in a much different way --- than another recommendation of theirs (Wildwood) and I devoured it slowly, over several glasses of red wine.

A coming of age story, effused with some mysticism --- but just a little --- and an excellent commentary on small-town politics, human nature, and why life...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Blackberry Wine Joanne Harris presents a novel about Jay, who is a writer. Some years ago Jay created a character in Three Summers With Jackapple Joe, the novel that made his name. But since then, Jay’s products have been mediocre and his career has stalled. We meet him looking at his life, especially his relationship with Kerry, whose own media career seems to go from strength to strength. There is tolerance in the air, but resentment and envy are not far from the surface.

Jay reminisces abou...more In Blackberry Wine Joanne Harris presents a novel about Jay, who is a writer. Some years ago Jay created a character in Three Summers With Jackapple Joe, the novel that made his name. But since then, Jay’s products have been mediocre and his career has stalled. We meet him looking at his life, especially his relationship with Kerry, whose own media career seems to go from strength to strength. There is tolerance in the air, but resentment and envy are not far from the surface.

Jay reminisces about Joe, the ex-miner in Yorkshire who became something of a local hero for the young writer. Back in the 1970s, when Jay Mackintosh was an impressionable lad growing up in Yorkshire, Joe seemed so sophisticated, a much travelled man of the world whose collection of exotics from all over the planet facilitated the concoction of strange brews from the fruit of his plants. Blackberry Wine is actually written from the point of view of one of Joe’s bottles of home brew that survived for decades after its initial fizz. The device is interesting at the start and end of the book, but for the most part it is best ignored. It remains a good idea, but does not quite come off.

Chapters describing Jay’s present in London and then France and his past as a child and adolescent in Yorkshire are interleaved. Joe’s magic seemed to work those years ago when talismans cast spells that protected Jay from local bullies. They also seem to work when, disaffected with city life and frustrated by his continued lack of achievement, Jay disappears to a rural French farmhouse. There, lubricated by some of the home brew preserves, Jay finds himself haunted by old Joe and, once again transformed, as if by magic, newly able to write.

Jay finds that there is more than meets the eye in his little French town. The small community is riven by family feud and accusation, alongside general disagreement about how the area should develop in the future. Should it retain its rural roots or appeal to the holiday trade? Perhaps displaying latent Romanticism, Jay finds himself securely on one side of the discussion. He negotiates his way through new relationships, some mixed with a little local politics. Meanwhile his muse, Joe’s old wine and its associated ghost, encourage him to write a new and successful book.

Jay’s neighbour in France is Marise. She has a daughter, Rosa, who apparently is deaf after an illness contracted when an infant. For some unknown reason, Marise is determined to buy the very farmhouse that Jay himself has bought. The competition from over the fence intrigues Jay. He is at a loss to explain how passionately Marise appears to want his property.

Joanne Harris’s characters are thoroughly credible. Their weaknesses are truly human and their reserve makes their shortcomings understandable. But overall Blackberry Wine fails to convince. Not only is the setting in which Jay finds himself too soon accommodated by both himself and the locals, but the book simply has too many themes. Jay’s relations with the locals could have been the single focus of the book, but we also have his childhood, his inspiration, his relationships with two different women, his coming of age. As a result, none of the themes is thoroughly examined. This gives the book a lightness that aids a skimming read, but which simultaneously undermines any real engagement with the character. Some of the book’s themes, indeed, become submerged and apparently forgotten, only to spring up again without warning. The novel remains, however, a rewarding read and an interesting take on what really has the power to motivate people to achieve. There might be an added dimension of autobiography, but that would be another story.
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Dec 04, 2012 Encruzilhadas Literárias rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: edições-asa, cláudia

Apesar de algo irreverente, a história deste livro é contado por uma garrafa de “Fleurie 1962”, uma garrafa de vinho com sabor a amora. Todos os acontecimentos desenrolam-se em volta de Jay Mackintosh, um escritor de sucesso com apenas um livro publicado. Esse mesmo livro retratava acontecimentos dos verões da sua infância, onde Jay conhecera um senhor invulgar que o levara a descobrir novas filosofias de vida e novas maneiras de combater o inevitável. No entanto, esse senhor desaparece um dia s...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Brenda Murray rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like Chocolat, Blackberry Wine appeals to our senses of taste and smell. It strokes to life our recollections of the perfect wine long forgotten. The title itself suggests a knowledge of a secret recipe perhaps passed down. Most unusual is that this story is narrated by “Fleurie, 1962”, a wine with a hint of blackberry, the last surviving bottle from a crate of twelve. Fleurie observes, dryly, as Jay marks the significant events of his life by uncorking one of the “Specials” passed on to him by...more Like Chocolat, Blackberry Wine appeals to our senses of taste and smell. It strokes to life our recollections of the perfect wine long forgotten. The title itself suggests a knowledge of a secret recipe perhaps passed down. Most unusual is that this story is narrated by “Fleurie, 1962”, a wine with a hint of blackberry, the last surviving bottle from a crate of twelve. Fleurie observes, dryly, as Jay marks the significant events of his life by uncorking one of the “Specials” passed on to him by Jackapple Joe, a wizened subsistence farmer. Joe becomes Jay’s bohemian mentor by happenstance at a time when Jay needed a caring adult in his life. Joe teaches Jay to respect the land, the plants, the zen of agriculture. He coaxes from the earth all that he needs to survive on a scrap of land “borrowed” from the railway. He cans, preserves and ferments everything from elderflower to raspberry to potatoes. His tall tales of mining and world travel transport Jay from the neglect and bullying he faces outside of the garden. He slips him a pouch of herbs, “everyday magic” he tells him, that will ward off the evil bullies. What he really slips him is a panacea that serves to bolster his confidence and inspires him to take risks. His consistent message to Jay is to have faith. Faith that the earth when properly cared for can be relied upon to produce. Faith in himself and in his own abilities. Later in life Jay applies this advice producing a bestselling book based on his friendship with Jackapple Joe. But the euphoria eventually fades as do his memories of his mentor and Jay reverts back to the frightened, emotionally closed personality of his youth. Then, inspired by a memory, Joe impulse-buys a neglected farmhouse in France. He becomes intrigued by Marise, the secretive woman living next door. That’s when Joe, or the ghost of Joe appears, dispensing advice on love and gardening with all the acerbic charm of the old Joe. But it can’t be. He can be nothing more tangible than a recollection of the perfect wine long forgotten. Yet it is enough. It is all the everyday magic Jay needs to take the courageous step out of himself. To take a risk. To really live.(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Jill Furedy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unlike Chocolat, these characters couldn't hold their own, which is funny since the book is set near Lansquenet and the charcters from Chocolat hover in the sidelines throughout the story. Josephine and Caro and Georges Clairmont are the main people who interact with Jay, though Roux darts through various scenes as well. But Roux was never as charismatic in the book as he was in the movie, so I didn't mind his non-impact here..though it just seemed like odd name dropping by the author to continu...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Chris Eastvedt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I prefer tea….

I have mixed feelings about Blackberry Wine, unfortunately more negative than positive. For the first ten chapters I despised this book: I didn’t care about the characters, couldn’t care about the plot and wanted nothing more than to just get through the thing so I could move on to another story. Even though the chapters are short, fifty-seven pages is more than I want to wait for a story to get interesting.

Blackberry Wine describes the life of Jay, a one-hit-wonder in the literary...more I prefer tea….

I have mixed feelings about Blackberry Wine, unfortunately more negative than positive. For the first ten chapters I despised this book: I didn’t care about the characters, couldn’t care about the plot and wanted nothing more than to just get through the thing so I could move on to another story. Even though the chapters are short, fifty-seven pages is more than I want to wait for a story to get interesting.

Blackberry Wine describes the life of Jay, a one-hit-wonder in the literary arena who fell victim to the freshman curse and now lives as a writer of trashy sci-fi novels and part-time fantasy-conference attendee. One day he impulsively buys a farmhouse in France that brings back childhood memories and moves in, hoping to find what he thinks he’s lost. Via astral projection, his friend/mentor Joe, visits the farmhouse to continue giving the advice he started in Jay’s youth. Jay the adult reverts back to the child he was time and again in his bitterness at being abandoned by the old man’s sudden parting, continuing the legacy. Blackberry Wine is written as a piece of commercial fiction, but has definite elements of fantasy that feel out of place. This inconsistent tone added to my discomfort.

One of the reasons I had trouble with this book is because of the way Jay is written. Personally, I thought he was schizophrenic, but I don’t think that was the author’s intention. He seems like an intelligent person, but has the insight of a fifteen-year-old boy coupled with a dog’s manic need to defend his territory (or in this case, Jay’s righteous indignation). Jay’s lack of maturity and poor decision-making ability mark him as a victim, a martyr, so I had trouble caring about him.

This book jumps back and forth in time about every other chapter which I found distracting. The copious descriptions were a bit much and repetitive: how many times did I have to hear about the canal, or that something was yeasty- an odd word to be given such prominence? And don’t get me started on the magically animated bottles of wine….

On the upside, once the story warmed up it was engaging. Jay’s garden renovation and the relationship with his neighbor and her daughter were nice, the practical peculiarities of Joe added color and interest and the French townspeople formed a nice backdrop. All in all I thought Blackberry Wine was flawed, but it did have moments.(less)

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Jul 26, 2011 Jenny Sparrow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-stars

"Ежевичное вино" - шестой роман Джоанн Харрис в моем зачете :)

Главный герой - англичанин-писатель Джей Макинтош, повинуясь чарам "Особых" вин, созданных эксцентричным садовником Джо, и детских воспоминаний, приезжает в уже знакомый нам городок Ланскне-су-Танн, чтобы разобраться в своем прошлом и найти своё будущее.

Я в восторге! Эта книга понравилась мне больше, чем все остальные (исключая, может быть, Леденцовые туфельки, хотя в целом, для меня сравнивать книги Харрис между собой по критерию "нр...more "Ежевичное вино" - шестой роман Джоанн Харрис в моем зачете :)

Главный герой - англичанин-писатель Джей Макинтош, повинуясь чарам "Особых" вин, созданных эксцентричным садовником Джо, и детских воспоминаний, приезжает в уже знакомый нам городок Ланскне-су-Танн, чтобы разобраться в своем прошлом и найти своё будущее.

Я в восторге! Эта книга понравилась мне больше, чем все остальные (исключая, может быть, Леденцовые туфельки, хотя в целом, для меня сравнивать книги Харрис между собой по критерию "нравится больше/меньше" довольно трудно). В Ежевичном вине мне понравилось решительно всё - и сюжет, и новая встреча с Ланскне (не таким, каким он был в Шоколаде) и его жителями, и главные герои, и ретроспектива, и фрукты-вина-овощи-травы, и загадка Маризы, и напряжение тайны - в общем, всё-всё-всё. Последние страницы я читала так жадно, что засиделась вчера допоздна - не могла остановиться! Бесподобным назван роман в аннотации и я горячо присоединяюсь! Вот уж не ожидала, что буду в таком восторге. По сравнению с этим романом Остров на краю света кажется бледным, шаблонным. Шоколад всегда казался мне слишком затасканным, приторным на грани фола, Ежевичное же вино - как раз по мне!(less)

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Apr 29, 2013 Alisea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anche il vino può avere delle storie da raccontare, a chi sa ascoltarlo. La strana alchimia della fermentazione alcolica cattura segreti, progetti, amori, tradimenti... Specie se i vini sono magici come quelli che produce Joe Cox con patate, mele rosse e altri frutti misteriosi. Erano questi i sapori e i profumi protagonisti delle estati di Jay Mackintosh da ragazzine, e Jay torna a cercarli ora che, scrittore trentacinquenne alle prese con un libro che non decolla e un rapporto amoroso in crisi...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Djrmel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, z2009-read

Blackberry Wine followed Harris's Chocolat, but well preceeded the movie of Chocolat that brought so many readers to her books. The timing of the writing of these books is relevent, because Blackberry Wine takes place in the same world as Chocolat, with a few characters making cameo appearences. Then came The Lollypop Shoes (or The Girl with No Shadow), a true sequel to Chocolat, and the casting and plot changes from the film are stamped all over the story. But Blackberry Wine continues with the...more

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May 05, 2013 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-fiction

Jay Mackintosh is the author of Jackapple Joe, a book that saw him hailed as the next great thing. Ten years later, he is still struggling to live up to his potential. Stuck in a rut, with permanent writer's block, he takes a drink and then a leap of faith, buying a farmhouse in Lansquenet, a small French village (and location of other Joanne Harris novels). Once there, the words flow much more freely and he begins to find himself again. He also finds himself haunted by the ghost of Jackapple Jo...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars

Picked up at a book sale because of Joanne Harris's name. Not as good as Chocolat.

Starts with a bottle of wine as the narrator. Switches between England (1977) and France (1999), every short chapter. A retired miner, Joe, who's a gardener and expert in potions/magic tries to pass on some of his expertise and university of life skills to a 14 year old boy, Jay, he befriends.

Joe's a bluff Yorkshireman who dreams of owning a "Chatoo" in France. Jay becomes an author who's best selling book is bas...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book looked at the 2 periods in the life of a man, Jay: when he was young and growing up and later in life when he had become an author and was working on writing another book that would be as successful as his previous one. When he was younger he used to go to Pog Hill in the summer to visit his grandparents- it was here that he met Joe, a gardener who influenced Jays life in more than one way, before disappearing without even a good bye. Future Jay is visited often by Joe (who claims he i...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Faith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005

I'm totally fascinated. Blackberry Wine is yet an other wonderful Joanne Harris-book. I love them. This time it is writer Jay Makintosh who has to make up with his past involving the betrayal of an old friend. Harris keeps writing about the same themes in book after book. But that's really nothing negative. It's great. There definitely is a great bit of nostalgia over her books.

Besides haunting pasts one of her themes is small villages and the special kind of societies they make. Everybody know...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Nerdanel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A través de una botella de vino vamos conociendo la historia de Joe Cox. Una vida que inspiró la primera novela del otro personaje principal, Jay Mackintosh (escritor de fulgurante éxito con su ópera prima basada en los veranos que pasó en el pueblecito de sus abuelos - Kirby Monckton-).

Se entretejen las dos historias por medio de flash backs que te llevan hacia los años 70 (rememorando esos veranos de su juventud junto a Joe Cox con la banda sonora de fondo de una radio local), y va saltando ha...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Irene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Blackberry Wine is about an author who breaks out of writer's block after a successful first novel by impulsively casting aside his current life to follow his muse, leaving fiance and home to purchase a run down chateaux on the Tannes where he begins to write again. In the process he learns something can be true even if it isn't real and vice versa. Sorting out which he wants will determine his future as well as the future of an entire town.

Harris weaves together her gifted storytelling with a f...more

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Aug 03, 2009 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2008, reviewed, romance

This is the book I received in the Book Swap. It’s by the same author as the book Chocolat and set in the same village.

I enjoyed the book as a bit of a light read. The main character, Jay, was interesting to me and different from other characters I have seen. I loved the contrast between London, the small English time where he spent his childhood and the French village that he came to.

The appearance of his old friend Joe as an “out-of-body” traveller was interesting, but not as clunky as it coul...more

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May 14, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, fiction-general

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book -- but when it was all said and done, I quite liked it.

I've also read Chocolate and Five Quarters of the Orange, by the same author, and this book had some of the same elements with regard to life in a small town in France, as well as the mystical qualities of food, herbs, and wine. There were enough believable elements of the story mixed in with the magical elements to make the story interesting --- and I thought it was charming that parts of...more

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Mar 12, 2010 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think Joanne Harris is my new favorite author. I'm known to drink a glass or two of wine from time to time, and Harris absolutely captured the magic, romance, and flavor of wine. I nearly felt seduced by her descriptions of wine, gardening, and the town. It took me awhile to warm up to the lead character, Jay, but I immediately fell in love with Joe. He seemed like a man who knew the meaning of life and wasn't going to let his circumstances stop him from his dreams. The book was set in the sam...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Ellen Black rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful book, written by the author who later wrote Chocolat. Blackberry Wine takes place in both England and the same small French town that is the setting for Chocolat.

Blackberry Wine tells the story of Jay, who as a boy, meets an eccentric man named Joe, who opens Jay's world to gardening and magic and homemade wine. As an adult and established author, Jay escapes his stifling life in England by buying a small cottage in Lansquenet, France, where he not only becomes a gardener, bu...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed Chocolat the movie so gave this a try and thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact Chocolat the movie did not portray the same sense of food (or wine in this case) so I must try to read the book. I just loved the narrative by a wine bottle and I don't even like wine.'Behind us in the dark cellar the strangers were restless....they were effervescent with activity, seething in their bottles, rattling against each other, jumping at shadows, bursting to talk, to open, to release their essence into the...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: romance readers who like a twist

Shelves: 21st-century-fiction, slipstream, reading-group-pick

This was a reading group pick and I voted for it because I liked the movie "Chocolat" so wanted to read some books by this author. Blackberry Wine is pretty good; a romance made better because she addressed creativity, community, financial greed and a few other issues.

Jay Mackintosh is a blocked novelist, living in London with one of those business-like, smart, pushy young women who seem to run the world these days. He wrote one good novel but now can only write trash. Luckily the trash brings h...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Jerry Widjaja rated it 3 of 5 stars

An enjoyable comfort read. This is the second book that I read by Joanne Harris. She becomes one of my favorite authors because of her dreamy quality of her prose. She always does a good job describing the settings of her story, which makes me want to be transported to the place where her story takes place. "Blackberry Wine" is known as one of Joanne Harris' "food trilogy" that she wrote aside of "Five Quarters of the Orange", which I absolutely love, and "Chocolat", her bestseller, which was ma...more

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Dec 07, 2010 Kirsty Darbyshire added it

I needed something fast and easy to dive into and this was just the thing. I enjoyed it better than Chocolat though it was good to come across some of the same characters again. I knew these books were a kind of trilogy but i didn't realise I'd end up back in the same village with some of the same characters. This is a device I really quite like in books, starting off with something completely different from earlier books but having the universes join up on you in the middle. Great fun.

I had a l

...more

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Sep 23, 2008 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: joanne-harris, magic-symbolism-mythology, cooking, my-favorites

This book offers everything I want in a novel: magic, superstition, gardening, introspection, interesting characters, nostalgia. Yet another book I had to read with pen in hand so I could underline favorite passages. Similiar to Alice Hoffman, Joanne Harris is my new favorite author.

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Jan 25, 2012 nimrodiel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books-read, bookcrossing-books, fiction

This was an ok story. I didn't think it was as great as Five Quarters of the Orange or Chocolate.

Part of the problem was the plot jumping back and forth between the mid 1970's England and 1999's rural France (present day for the story). The flashbacks are important, they describe events and people that shape the main character into whom he is now. We need to know who Jackapple Joe is, we need to know about the specials, Joe's everyday nature magic, and love of growing things. However, the way we...more

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About Joanne Harris

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Joanne Harris was born in Barnsley in 1964, of a French mother and an English father. She studied Modern and Mediaeval Languages at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and was a teacher for fifteen years, during which time she published three novels; The Evil Seed (1989), Sle...more

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Quotes from Blackberry Wine

“Some things can be both real and imaginary at the same time, . . . some lies can be true, . . . broken faith may be restored.” — 29 people liked it

“The right circumstances sometimes happen of their own accord, slyly, without fanfare, without warning. Layman's alchemy. . . . The magic of everyday things.” — 22 people liked it

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