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Five Quarters of the Orange (P.S.)

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Five Quarters of the Orange (P.S.) Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

The novels of Joanne Harris are a literary feast for the senses. Five Quarters of the Orange represents Harris's most complex and sophisticated work yet — a novel in which darkness and fierce joy come together to create an unforgettable story.

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 Mirabelle Dartigen — the woman they still hold responsible for a terrible tragedy that, look place during the German occupation decades before. Althrough Framboise hopes for a new beginning. She quickly discovers that past and present are inextricably intertwined. Nowhere is this truth more apparent than in the scrap book of recipes site has inherited from her dead mother.

With this book, Framboise re-creates her mother's dishes, which she serves in her small creperie. And yet as she studies the scrapbook — searching for clues to unlock the contradiction between her mother's sensuous love of food and often cruel demeanor — she begins to recognize a deeper meaning behind Mirabelle's cryptic scribbles. Whithin the journal's tattered pages lies the key to what actually transpired the summer Framboise was nine years old.

Rich and dark. Fire Quarters of the Orange is a novel of mothers and daughters of the past and the present, of resisting, and succumbling, and an extraordinary work by a masterful writer.

Synopsis:

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. . . .
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About the Author

Joanne Harris is the author of seven previous novels—Chocolat, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Coastliners, Holy Fools, Sleep, Pale Sister, and Gentlemen & Players; a short story collection, Jigs & Reels; and two cookbook/memoirs, My French Kitchen and The French Market. Half French and half British, she lives in England.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
cominguplray, November 12, 2012 (view all comments by cominguplray)
I really liked this book. It is a bit slow-moving, but the steady pace allows for such a rich development of all the characters and a vivid portrayal of the settings. The story delves into the past of the main character and covers different time periods. It definitely has a few surprises, and truly had me engrossed with the plight of Framboise, the protagonist. It is really well-written, and is a great book in which to lose yourself.
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Gypsi, June 6, 2010 (view all comments by Gypsi)
Framboise returns to the village of her youth as an old woman, unrecognizable because of her age and using a different first name along with her married name. None of the villagers connect her, a 65 year old widow, respectable though peculiar, with the skinny kid that was run out of the village with her mother and two siblings some fifty years prior. She's Mirabelle Dartigen's daughter. . . if they only knew.

In her return "home" Boise must face the past and sort out what happened to her enigmatic mother. The album, with it's clippings and cryptic writing, leads her to discoveries about her mother that shock her and change her whole view of who her mother was.

At the same time, Boise relives her own life, especially that pivotal summer. This, side by side with her discoveries from the album, form a full picture of what did happen, answer some of her questions and give the reader a story told in patchwork that, when fit together, makes a lovely quilt of story.

The story is told in the first person, going back and forth from Boise's childhood to her current struggle with first the village and then her relatives. It transitions smoothly, the story is firm and real--and like the oranges that play such a crucial role, the scent of the story lingers for some time after the reading.

The main plot was a well-used one, and as such disappointed me a bit. Harris managed to make up for that, though, with her style which kept me intrigued even during the most obvious bits. Over all the novel was a good one and I look forward to reading more by Harris.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780061214608
Author:
Harris, Joanne
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
Author:
by Joanne Harris
Subject:
General
Subject:
Cookery
Subject:
World war, 1939-1945
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Mothers and daughters
Subject:
Domestic fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
2007
Edition Description:
Trade PB
Series:
P.S.
Publication Date:
20070131
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
336
Dimensions:
9 x 6 x 0.125 in 2.24 oz
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Romance » General
History and Social Science » American Studies » Popular Culture

Five Quarters of the Orange (P.S.) New Trade Paper
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$13.99 In Stock
Product details 336 pages Harper Perennial - English 9780061214608 Reviews:
"Synopsis" by , 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. . . .
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