Reviews

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

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katiegilley's review against another edition

4.0

This is the story of a woman (Framboise) who owns a restaurant (of course, Joanne Harris and her food books!) in France who was a young girl during WWII and when the German soldiers were patrolling the area. The premise of the story seems to be that the girl's mother gave information to the soldiers and was ran out of the village in shame. Framboise went back to the village as an older woman (with a different last name) and kept her identity a secret and opened a very successful restaurant. It flashes back and forth from current times to when she was a little girl - and we learn more and more about the truth of the story. love reading books set in WWII and this one has really hit the spot for me.returnreturnThis book really moved me - I think many of us can remember back to when we were young and to that summer when our lives completely changed forever. How strong young love is and feels - and how that connection and memory can truly last into adulthood. Especially when the end of that relationship is so terribly tragic.

kathydavie's review against another edition

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5.0

Fabulous. But then all of Joanne Harris' work is great.

doritobabe's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

entertaining and I enjoyed this

nouvellevogue's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

shellydennison's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn't enjoy this as much as other Joanne Harris novels, it's as good as ever on food and French village life, and astute on how children see the world and what they misunderstand. That said, it was a little on the angry / bleak side for me although the ending was sweet.

logolepsy_e's review against another edition

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4.0

E' che le storie della Harris riescono sempre a incantarti.
In questo caso è la storia di Boise e della sua famiglia; una madre opprimente che non regala mai un gesto di tenerezza, due fratelli che crescono più in fretta di lei e presto finiscono per escluderla dalle loro vite di "adulti", degli incontri nati per gioco ma che hanno una natura del tutto diversa, della caccia a un luccio particolare e anche della guerra. E poi della Boise del presente, una Boise più vecchia, più saggia (o forse no?) e così simile al ricordo d'infanzia di sua madre...
In questa storia si intrecciano tante cose: amore, odio, guerra, paure, speranze. Tutti i pensieri di Boise, raccontati con il tono fresco e semplice di una bambina che però sembra troppo cresciuta. Il suo presente difficile, influenzato dalla sua infanzia rovinata dall'arrivo della guerra in quel paese così tranquillo, giunta a creare scompiglio e a portare astio tra persone che altrimenti avrebbero vissuto in pace e armonia...
Forse questo è uno dei migliori romanzi di Joanne che ho letto. Nonostante la lunghezza, tiene incollati alle pagine e non si vorrebbe mai posare.