Five Quarters Of The Orange: from Joanne Harris, the bestselling author of Chocolat, a powerful drama about the dark repercussions of Nazi occupation in a rural French village

· Random House
4.2
10 reviews
Ebook
432
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

A gripping page-turner set in occupied France from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris. With the sensuous writing we come to expect from her, this book has a darker core. Perfect for fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy, Maggie O'Farrell and Rachel Joyce, this fascinating and vivid journey through human cruelty and kindness is a gripping and compelling read.

'Her strongest writing yet: as tangy and sometimes bitter as Chocolat was smooth' -- Independent
'Harris indulges her love of rich and mouthwatering descriptive passages, appealing to the senses... Thoroughly enjoyable' -- Observer
'Outstanding...beautifully written' -- Daily Mail
'Very thought provoking. I read the book in two days and am still thinking about it a few days down the line' -- ***** Reader review
'Absolutely gripping from the very first page' -- ***** Reader review
'Joanne Harris at her very best!'-- ***** Reader review
'Superb' -- ***** Reader review
'I just couldn't put this one down'-- ***** Reader review 2

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THE PAST WILL ALWAYS CATCH UP WITH YOU...

Beyond the main street of Les Laveuses runs the Loire: smooth and brown as a sunning snake - but hiding a deadly undertow beneath its moving surface. This is where Framboise, a secretive widow, plies her culinary trade at the crêperie - and lets her memory play strange games.

As her nephew attempts to exploit the growing success of the country recipes Framboise has inherited from her mother - a woman remembered with contempt by the villagers - memories of a disturbed childhood during the German Occupation flood back, and expose a past full of betrayal, blackmail and lies...

Ratings and reviews

4.2
10 reviews
A Google user
April 11, 2012
This doesn't seem to be that popular a book which I found surprising because I absolutely loved it. I haven't read the others in the food trilogy nor was I even aware that this was part of a trilogy surrounding food therefore lack of reference to food did not bother me. The main character was quite horrible alot of the time but she still somehow managed to maintain enough charm that I didn't hate her and was intrigued by her adventures and the shattering of her innocence (not that she'd seemed to have much to begin with). I thought this story was beautifully told.
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Steve
December 7, 2014
Keeps you gripped until the end. An end which is not entirely unpredictable but enough to keep you reading.
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

Joanne Harris is one of our best-loved and most versatile novelists. She first appeared on the scene with the bestselling Chocolat (made into an Oscar-nominated film with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp), which turned into the sensuous Lansquenet trilogy (with Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé). She has since written acclaimed novels in such diverse genres as fantasy based on Norse myth (Runemarks, Runelight, The Gospel of Loki), and the Malbry cycle of dark psychological thrillers (Gentlemen & Players, Blueeyedboy, and now Different Class).

Born in Barnsley, of an English father and a French mother, she spent fifteen years as a teacher before (somewhat reluctantly) becoming a full-time writer. In 2013, she was awarded an MBE. She lives in Yorkshire, plays bass in a band first formed when she was sixteen, works in a shed in her garden, spends far too much time online and occasionally dreams of faking her own death and going to live in Hawaii.

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