Books
by Joanne Harris
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Blackberry Wine |
Set in London, Pog Hill and Lansquenet, the French village in 'Chocolat' (see March list), this is the story of Jay and his boyhood mentor, Jackapple Joe, whose ghostly presence pervades his adult life. Some of the villagers reappear but there are others too, like the reclusive Marise and her daughter, Rosa. Much of it is hugely enjoyable, though I was irritated by the narrator, a 1962 Fleurie, and thought Jay's mother and girlfriend were a little overdrawn.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 5 October 2000) |
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Chocolat |
On Shrove Tuesday Vianne Rocher, opens a chocolate boutique in a village in SW France and becomes embroiled with Father Reynaud (who has his own demons) in a battle for the hearts of the villagers. It's an exotic tale, beautifully written, full of the pungent smells of chocolate and spices.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 2 March 2000) |
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Five Quarters of the Orange |
Framboise, now sixty-four, seeks to unravel her painful memories of a fateful summer during the occupation of France. Oranges, her mother's album of recipes and coded jottings, her scheming nephew and his wife, the names on the village war memorial, her childhood friend Paul, the deceptively tranquil Loire, a pike called Old Mother and Tomas the German soldier all play a part in this complex tale of love, deceit, misunderstandings, blackmail and death. A must.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 9 June 2001) |
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Gentlemen & Players |
This is a great read and I couldn't put it down. Set in a northern boys' grammar school, it's a story of revenge, but you're not entirely sure who the perpetrator really is. The suspense is fantastic and the climax is gripping, but there are also elements of black comedy throughout to keep you smiling. And the Classics Master is a fantastic character. Thoroughly recommended.
(Annie Noble - bwl 36 September 2006) |
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Gentlemen and Players |
A strange tale - quite difficult to 'work out' at first but with its amusing moments - set in a Northern long-established boys' grammar. It tells of one pupil's intense grudge against the Establishment and how he spends his whole life planning revenge on the school and the teachers, becoming completely obsessed with engineering their ultimate downfall. Harris explains the petty rivalries that exist in schools, which help him to achieve his aim.
(Shirley Williams - bwl 55 Winter 2010) |
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Runemarks |
Just another famous author cashing in on the youth market? Taking the Norse Myths as her background, Harris creates an 'alternative' world where Religion a.k.a. The Reason dominates the lives of all. But the old gods are stirring; imagination cannot be suppressed - and Maddy, who thought she was just ordinary, finds herself involved in a race to fulfil a prophecy. But can she really believe Loki the Trickster? Richly imagined; worth reading.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 42 October 2007) |
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