Items related to Blackberry Wine: A Novel
As a boy, writer Jay Mackintosh spent three golden summers in the ramshackle home of "Jackapple Joe" Cox. A lonely child, he found solace in Old Joe's simple wisdom and folk charms. The magic was lost, however, when Joe disappeared without warning one fall.
Years later, Jay's life is stalled with regret and ennui. His bestselling novel, Jackapple Joe, was published ten years earlier and he has written nothing since. Impulsively, he decides to leave his urban life in London and, sight unseen, purchases a farmhouse in the remote French village of Lansquenet. There, in that strange and yet strangely familiar place, Jay hopes to re-create the magic of those golden childhood summers. And while the spirit of Joe is calling to him, it is actually a similarly haunted, reclusive woman who will ultimately help Jay find himself again.
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Review:
Joanne Harris weaves spells of "everyday magic" once again in Blackberry Wine. Her previous novel, Chocolat, was a delicious confection, melding together bewitchment and romance in a chocolatier, in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet. This time around six bottles of home-made brew are the catalyst for her "layman's alchemy." The story is even told by a Fleurie 1962: "A pert, garrulous wine, cheery and a little brash, with a pungent taste of blackcurrant!"
Review:
Jay Mackintosh, once a literary star, is stalled. He spends his time writing second rate science fiction, leading a hollow media life and drinking: "Not to forget, but to remember, to open up the past and find himself there again." Nice, expensive wines don't do the trick, it's the six "Specials", a gift from Joe, an old friend, that are the magical elixir. Just like Proust's lime blossom tea, they give him the gift of his memories but also unlock his future; Jay escapes the rut of his London life and buys a house in Lansquenet.
As Jay settles in, he contemplates his childhood friendship with Joe, who made the Specials and whose idiosyncratic outlook on life was the inspiration for his only successful book. Jay becomes involved in village life, meeting up with some familiar characters from Chocolat. Caro and Toinette, the snooty troublemakers, make an appearance and Josephine, the bar owner and battered wife of the earlier novel, becomes a real friend. But it is a new character, the enigmatic Marise that becomes the real focus of his attention. It's the lure of her story that really changes his life, re-ignites the flare of his work.
The book is hugely enjoyable. Joanne Harris' Lansquenet is fast becoming a fairy tale destination, where daydreams become enchantingly possible. Joanne Harris's prose in Blackberry Wine adds to the spell. It's warm and heady, an intoxicating read. --Eithne Farry
?A charming fairy tale for grown-ups.?--"Kirkus Reviews?An entertaining narrative, equal parts whimsy and drama.? --"Publisher's Weekly"Harris' best-selling novel "Chocolat [was] a frothy cup of spicy chocolate [that] could liberate and transform lives . . . "Blackberry Wine takes us to similar imaginative territory."--"The San Francisco Chronicle"[Harris'] voice is crisp and sure, touching the edges of things with cool light . . . as reliably darling as ["Chocolat] . . . a well-crafted escape into a world where lessons can be learned and evil [can] be given the slip."--"Seattle Times""Blackberry Wine is a classic of a beach book . . . [a] poetic pastiche of magical realism and travelogue-by-surrogate . . . in Harris' hands the gentle tug of the past is like a tsunami."--BookPage.com"Lost summers -- described vividly and nostalgiacally -- form the heart of the novel . . Harris has a lively and original talent."--"Sunday Times, London
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- PublisherWilliam Morrow & Company
- Publication date2001
- ISBN 10 0380815923
- ISBN 13 9780380815920
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages368
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. As a boy, writer Jay Mackintosh spent three golden summers in the ramshackle home of "Jackapple Joe" Cox. A lonely child, he found solace in Old Joe's simple wisdom and folk charms. The magic was lost, however, when Joe disappeared without warning one fall. Years later, Jay's life is stalled with regret and ennui. His bestselling novel, "Jackapple Joe, " was published ten years earlier and he has written nothing since. Impulsively, he decides to leave his urban life in London and, sight unseen, purchases a farmhouse in the remote French village of Lansquenet. There, in that strange and yet strangely familiar place, Jay hopes to re-create the magic of those golden childhood summers. And while the spirit of Joe is calling to him, it is actually a similarly haunted, reclusive woman who will ultimately help Jay find himself again. From the author of "Chocolat" comes an intoxicating tale of love lost and found, set in a small French village. As a boy Jay spent summers in Europe hanging out with his friend Joe and his homemade wines. Now a young man, Jay returns to France to recapture some of the magic of his lost youth. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780380815920
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