Five Quarters of the Orange - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
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When Framboise Simon returns to a small village on the banks of the Loire, the locals do not recognize her as the daughter of the infamous woman they hold responsible for a tragedy during the German occupation years ago. But the past and present are inextricably entwined, particularly in a scrapbook of recipes and memories that Framboise has inherited from her mother. And soon Framboise will realize that the journal also contains the key to the tragedy that indelibly marked that summer of her ninth year. . . .

Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Interesting chilldhood tale June 18, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris contained a mystery that kept me reading until I finished the book in just 3 nights. Harris wrote the book like the main character Framboise was just sitting around telling a childhood story to a friend over coffee. Reading the story, I felt comfortable as "Framboise's friend" and enjoyed her tale of adolescence. In the beginning of the story, Framboise casually tells us "I know, I know. You want me to get to the point... It has taken me fifty-five years to begin. At least let me do it in my own way." Harris' use of details and descriptions helped to paint of vivid picture in my mind of Framboise's childhood. I liked the way Harris described Framboise's older sister Reine-Claude in comparison to Framboise, "At twelve, my sister has already ripened. Soft and sweet as dark honey, with amber eyes and autumn hair... next to her I looked like a frog, my mother told me, an ugly skinny little frog with my wide sullen mouth and my big hands and big feet." The book describes the conflict of mother and daughter relationships. Harris shows that no matter how badly we don't want to end up like our parents, we can't help but to inherit some of their qualities. Framboise's mother tells her nine year old daughter "Hard as nails... I used to be like that...I always wanted to fight everybody too." When the older Framboise is stressing about her declining business while her daughter and granddaughter were departing from their summer visit, "I could see in her eyes that she felt I was unreasonable, but I could not find enough warmth in my heart to tell her what I felt... a sudden terror overwhelmed me. I was behaving like my mother... Stern and impassive, but secretly filled with fears and insecurities. I wanted to reach out to my daughter... but somehow I couldn't. We were always raised to keep things to ourselves. It isn't a habit that can be easily broken." Harris also details what it is was like to live in Nazi occupied France. We read about this time period in history books but it was eye-opening to see this from the perspective of the families who lived through this period of change and uncertainty. She writes about the German soldiers going to people's homes to take their food and prized possessions. Even when the families tried to hide their belongings, the German soldiers still found and took what they wanted. I also liked how Harris hinted at upcoming events at the ends of chapters to keep the reader interested in the story.

5 out of 5 stars

A Great Read February 15, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

The was a fabulous novel. JoAnne Harris is such a creative author. We read this for our book club. Everyone liked it. She always has such great story lines with creative twists that keep you talking. It was a great discussion. We read Gentlemen and Players the month before (it was very very good too) and just couldnt get enough of this author. A great read. You wont be disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars

shockingly good April 5, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I love this book. She has such a unique and lyrical manner of writing. Highly recommend it. Plus it's got a discussion section in this edition.

1 out of 5 stars

AN INTERESTING BOOK March 14, 2008
2 out of 17 found this review helpful

MY BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP JUST TALKED ABOUT THIS BOOK THIS MORNING. WE AGREED THAT IT WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND VERY INTERESTING. THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL DEFINED. THE STORY HELD OUR INTEREST. TRY IT! YOU'LL LIKE IT!

4 out of 5 stars

A good read... April 21, 2008
My family does a "Christmas book club" each year; "Five Quarters of the Orange" was the selection this year. The overall score was four stars -- two people loved it, two liked it, two thought it was just OK. It is a story about an adult woman, Framboise, who comes back to the French village in which she grew up. Events took place there during the German occupation during the war that have shamed her for years. The novel moves back and forth in time, showing the war-time events (when Framboise was a girl) and her life in the present. Some in our discussion thought Framboise's actions were horrible to the point that she wasn't a sympathetic narrator.

There are a few twists and turns, some interesting symbolism ("Old Mother" and all the food references), and an enigmatic ending that raised a few questions. I was one of the ones who liked the book, enough that I have bought a copy of "Gentlemen and Players" and plan to read it this year. Joanne Harris is an evocative writer worth another look.

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