joanne harris

[eleanor2]

well i cant believe it.i really enjoyed her five quarters of an orange.strange book but vry unputdownable.i am now reading blackberry wine.i found first 2 chapters strange.but i really like her way of writing.i am right into the book now.any other joanne harris fans.i find her style of writing qite different.makes you have to concentrate.obviously being based in France makes them more intriguing.

[Crocus]

Hi Eleanor, I haven't read her books yet, but this sounds intriguing. I must go to the library tomorrow so will have a look. The title 'five quarters of an orange' sounds very interesting.

[dragonfly]

I've not read any of hers Eleanor. I am still reading the White Queen. We will have to do a swap.

[Crocus]

I've just had a look on her website Eleanor, and noticed "The French kitchen' and 'The French Market'. Perhaps you will like to read these books. x

[eleanor2]

crocus i am so pleased.i havnt heard of these and was hoping she had written more.i find her writing so intriguing.she kind of searches out and deals with traumatic childhoods defining the outcoming adulthood.yet she brings in so much of the french culture.especialy the cooking culture.five quarters of an orange.who would believe what the 5th quarter was for.cant tell you have to find out.this new book blackberry wine i'm right into the book by the 4th chapter.i love the way she describes her characters not just physically but really goes into emotions and mental states.outcomes from our and others actions.d.f will def do a swap with you.cant wait to read white queen.

[jazzactivist]

I read Chocolat and Five Quarters of an Orange, eleanor, but find Joanne Harris a bit light for me most of the time. I do think that she is a very evocative writer about France though, and she certainly doesn't shy away from exposing the 'underbelly' of French village society in a gentle way. I really like the way that she takes a sort of bawdy poke at traditional French stereotypes - like the butcher and priest in Chocolat - but everyone gets their come-uppance in the end.

I am currently reading The Little Stranger by one of my favourite authors, Sarah Waters, and will then move on to a book that I discovered ina charity shop called "Unsuitable for Ladies - an anthology of women travellers". It is a collection of letters, articles and excerpts from women travellers from the 1700s - 1990s. I think that it will be really interesting to find out how early women travellers coped and enjoyed their journeys abroad.

[cindy]

I have just finished Little Stranger, Jazz and thought it was her best yet

[eleanor2]

isnt it great there are such a variety of writers.as we are all so diferent.i even like the pictures on the front and back of joanne harrises books.they intrigue me too.i have put a few bottles of wine down my cellar,that i am keeping.from chateuxs in bordeaux. yes they have lasted a few years i am doing well.so this blackberry wine is funny to me as well as intriguing.i think i have a certain wave length of my own and these books reach that wave length.i have found a recipe for buckwheat pancakes in last months country living.cant wait to try them with a glass of french wine.oh la la.daughter has bought her dad a french apron for his birthday.will have him cooking some french food soon as.

[jazzactivist]

I love Joanne Harris's descriptions of food and meals, eleanor. You just want to be there joining in. Buckwheat pancakes and a glass of Bordeaux sounds really good, with hubby on the side in his little apron - My, my!!!

[eleanor2]

i have realised why this book blackberry wine is so intriguing.hahaha i think i am a bit werd too.i realise i have the same tendancy .i have a bottle of bollinger chapagne,which is best not kept but is kept for nostalgia.i have a boxed bottle of port a friend bought back from potugal 6 years ago.this friend had a nervous breakdown and suffers wth deprssion. have witten on the box not to be touched till we are celebrating the renewed health of friend.i have a bottle of bordeaux wine from a vineyard owners son who lets you taste them and talks to you about them on the local market.i have an expensive red from a very posh chateux.we were taken into a big old room with a massive polished wood table.we were given large glasses.and we had a proper private taste testing.the lady of the house accomodated us and shared a few interesting facts.i keep all these bottles down my cellar.rattling away with thier own story.jazz i will get hubby cooking some french mealswith his french apron.might draw a black curly moustache on him for efffect.

[eleanor2]

well i finished the book and enjoyed it so much.even tho its a bit mad.am ready for another joan harris book.havnt had any time to read at the moment.but when i get home i am going to mad rush my back jobs then go on strike and read a new book.

[Crocus]

Something I think you well and truly deserve Eleanor!