Five Quarters of the Orange: A Novel (P.S.)

This book was recommended to me as a great holiday read by a very dear friend. Having read and loved Chocolat, I eagerly began this novel, which is set in a small village in France in contemporary times, segueing back to the German occupation during World War II as well.The heroine is the feisty, secretive and hard Framboise Simon, a widow in her sixties and brilliant cook whose gifts in the kitchen become renown not only in her little village but also, much to her chagrin, beyond. A loner (her daughters are adult with their own children and lives), who has returned to the village in which she grew up, but with a new identity, Framboise hopes that her age and the fading memories of those around her will keep her presence and real self secret. Soon, however, relatives and the media are knocking down her door to not only gain access to her marvellous recipes, but the woman who creates them, a woman who eschews extended family, attention and the riches it could bring her, preferring to remain hidden so she can keep her past and the terrible burden she carries buried.No-one really understand why she desires anonymity, but it becomes evident that it’s something to do with her mother, the infamous Mirabelle Dartigen (who, during the occupation, did something so terrible, it condemned the family to exile and notoriety), as well as the beautiful scrapbook she inherited from her. It’s a book filled with recipes and encoded messages and, as the story proceeds, it becomes the key to unlocking the past and the terrible incident that changed everyone’s lives.This is a beautifully written book that is so raw and honest in its dealings with mothers, daughters and families and the painful histories we create and which we sometimes pass on like character traits, lumbering the next generation with old problems and idiosyncrasies instead of facing and dealing with them at the time. It explores the delicate balance that must be preserved, the fragility of communication, the strength of love and hate and how close these two emotions really are. It also maps the getting of wisdom and how time accrues for those who self-reflect and ponder its own rewards.Framboise as an old woman has softened in some respects, but it’s herself she’s hardest upon, and no more so than when the story moves back to the time when she was nine years old and the Germans and later, Nazis, came to her village, remaining, demanding and integrating into parts of the community – but for what purpose? The youngest of three, with a widowed mother who works hard to make ends meet, ‘Boise, we learn, is most like her mother: intelligent, manipulative, not above lying to get her own way, but also incredibly brave and loyal. Reflecting back on what and who she was and did all those years ago, as well as her siblings, the story is as much a painful memoir of childhood and a specific point in history as it is about the damage secrets can wreak upon the soul.But as ‘Boise learns, the past co-exists with the present and it’s only by coming to terms with one that you can heal the other – and there is only one way to do both.A haunting, delicious book, this one will resonate long after the last page.

This was a book my book group recently read. I was dubious because of how disappointed I was to read Chocolat years after the movie came out. Did not know the movie had been based on the book. And was stunned how unalike in very important ways they were to each other. How the movie was so much better - which is so unusual.So... wasn't unbiased going to to Five Quarters of the Orange.The author writes beautifully. You just want to gobble up her descriptions and even her plotting keeps you engaged. Plot, Pacing, Descriptions. Some of the subplots were fantastic. Definitely some gems in there. But man, by the end of the book... I was ready for it to be over. I only liked one of the characters by the end, and it sure wasn't the main character.Her stories have so much potential, but something just gets lost in execution and you don't even really know where it happens. Like a gorgeous dessert or entre' that ends up being seasoned just a little off.On the other hand, 2 of our group LOVED the story. It's World War II, it is a Mother/Daughter story in the end, and not a flattering one, which they found refreshing. It is in France, Oh Beautiful France, (lol, sorry, but there could have been angels singing when they spoke about how the author describes France, - which we all agreed was accurate).For our discussion night we tried to make recipes from the book and, of course, drank French wine. So that was fun. And the conversation was good, as we tried to pinpoint exactly what just wasn't working. We did not come to consensus on that. So, props for generating a good conversation, a satisfying title, a mystery that kept everyone engaged, even if you figured it all out.Was not wasted time.

Joanne Harris, best known for Chocolat, writes about village life in France better than anyone. In Chocolat she created a magical place, full of interesting characters with all kinds of flaws. In Five Quarters of the Orange she does the same. But, this time, she adds quite a bit of mystery and intrigue.The story is about secrets. Framboise returns to her home village after being gone (we later learned banished) for over forty years. She comes with an assumed name, but lives on her family farm, hoping to remain aloof and anonymous. The author takes us back to the summer when everything went badly for Framboise's family, particularly her mother. At that time Framboise was a wild nine-year-old who loved to escape to the woods and fish. It was also during the time of the Nazi invasion. Framboise and her brother and sister befriend a Nazi soldier and that, of course, leads to trouble.The reader suspects disaster throughout the book as the author skillfully takes us from the present to the past. The story builds as the time moves forward. She provides enough hints throughout to make the ending predictable but still satisfying.Joanne Harris writes beautifully. I couldn't help but mark some amazing passages:...His moony, round face has darkened, grown pouchy and mournful. A limp mustache the color of chewed tobacco....My breath stopped. I felt as if a flake of fire had blocked my windpipe and suddenly I was underwater, brown river clutching me under, fingers of flame reaching into my throat, my lungs......age had shrunk him; had softly sunk him into himself, like a failed soufflé....we had watched her with the wary caution of primitives at the feet of their god--and indeed, she was a kind of idol to us, a thing of arbitrary favors and punishments, and her smiles and frowns were the vane upon which our emotional weather turned.Harris tells a story about love turned to hate about fear turned to violence and about the destruction of families due to war. She does it in a beautiful way that will keep the reader turning pages. This isn't just another book about the tyranny of World War II. It's much more than that.If you like beautiful writing with vivid descriptions of village life and people this book is for you. If you like reading about savory food and preparations of amazing sauces, breads coming so clearly from the page the reader can practically taste them, this book is for you. If you like mystery and intrigue this book is for you.

Un racconto originale, a volte frustrante, a volte intrigante, scritto con quello stile narrativo tipico di Joanne Harris.An originale tale, at time frustrating, and at times stimulating, written in perfect Joanne Harris style.

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Five Quarters of the Orange caught me by surprise. It was not your usual light weight read. Nothing saccharin about this book at all. It has unexpected depth and a lot of heart and at no point was I distracted by a sense of disappointment in the craftmanship of the author.Set in provincial France during World War Two the story follows one family, and one community struggling to cope with the pressures of life as well as the difficulties of 'occupation'.I fell in love with this book. To me it is a classic

very thought provoking arousing many questions