Rating: 
Summary: Ho hum!
Review: After reading and watching Chocolat, I expected an equally delightful book with lovely characters. This book had dull characters, with whom one could hardly sympathize, a homely setting of no charm at all, and a dull plot, which only became interesting once the neighbor started talking to Jay; too little, too late. The alternating flashback chapters were so horribly useless as background material, I read them quickly, only to find myself bored once again by the tiresome plot of silly Jay and his shallow life among the not-quite-eccentrics of his French village. Pity!
Rating: 
Summary: Pungent, Earthy Wine/Life
Review: "Blackberry Wine" akin to "Chocolat" both written by Joanne Harris- I think not. This book started out so well, a tale of Jay MacIntosh, a writer with writer's block, now living in London with a girlfriend and living the high life. He realizes his life is not what he wants, but does he want to get out of this rut? A trip to his basement looking for a bottle of wine,and he finds the bottles of wine from his childhood, buried beneath a rack. Memories of his childhood come flooding back, and
he brings one bottle upstairs.Kerry, his girlfriend, breaks the moment by walking into the house and reminding him of a cocktail party they both needed to attend. He declines and starts to tell her about the wine, what it means to him, about his childhood, but Kerry cuts him off and goes upstairs to change. Jay starts drinking the wine and brings back his memories. Pog Hill, Summer 1975- Jackapple Joe, a ragamuffin gardner, maker of wine, fruit orchard owner. He lived in a ramshackle house on a terrace a half mile from the train tracks. Joe knows everything, knows how to do everything,understands all things and becomes Jay's best friend during the summers he spends near Yorkshire,England with his grandparents. Joe disappeared suddenly during the third year that Jay went to stay with his grandparents, but he left Jay 3 bottles of his homemade wine. But better than that he left Joe the wisdom and magic of his childhood summers. Jay's first book was a rememberance of those summers and his Joe. While looking at his mail the next day, Jay discovers a phamplet fo homes for sale in France and glances through it. He suddenly finds the chateau that Joe wanted to move to in the countryside of France. Jay calls the realtor and offers more money than the home is worth, and in one phone call buys the chateau. A split decision that changes his life. He leaves his girlfriend Kerry, moves to Lansquenet, France in the midst of wine-making country. Thus begins the story of Jay's life changing event-meeting his mysterious neighbor, Marise, completely re-doing his chateau, and most of all resolving his writer's block. This is a story or more of an adult fairy tale, that starts off with an agreeble drama that turns into a mystery and a romance novel. Not my stuff, for sure, but an entertaining read.
Joanne Harris has a wonderful gift, and her narrative is done with charm and grace. Somehow, I wanted this book to become a story of a man who finds himself, not that of a man who finds his neighbor as a romantic interest. However, the book was entertaining and well written. enjoy. prisrob
Rating: 
Summary: No sparkle in this wine...
Review: A bought this on a friend's recommendation and was excited about reading it. I hadn't read Harris' first book Chocolat, but I enjoyed the movie. When I feel asleep after reading the first few chapters, I knew I was in trouble. Harris mixes together two stories, one from the protagonist's childhood and one from his present. The chapters of story intersperse each other, one to one. For me, this had the effect of pulling me out of each story, just as I was becoming involved. I found that I wasn't concerned with the dilemmas of the novel (writing a second novel and reconciling his past), possibly because of the way the stories were constructed. I finished the book simply because stories nag at me when I don't finish them.
Rating: 
Summary: great
Review: A delicious book. A wonderful follow-up to Ms. Harris' first book, "Chocolat," another delicious book. Both take place in a small town in France, and trap you there until you put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: It's not chocolat
Review: After Chocolat, I suppose I should have expected a let down. The plot was good - the young writer dropping everything and going to France, his traumatic learning experiences during his teenaged years, searching for the woman that got away, his mentor who just up and disappeared, the wine bottles salvaged from the rubble of his youth that take on a sort of magic of their own, all very compelling stories. My problem was the way the author presented the stories. It jumped around EVERY chapter. I got tired of jumping between decades so frequently. Read it, but just don't buy it new.
Rating:
Summary: A Magical Vintage
Review: An intoxicating tale of Jay Mackintosh who escapes his mundane life in London amidst the pretentious world of literary launches, bored journalists and cheap champagne to a derelict farm house in the French village of Lansquenet. Flashbacks to his childhood where he was befriended by Joe Cox of Pog Hill - an itinerant gardener and wine maker of note make for some fascinating reading. In Lansquenet his reclusive neighbour, Marise who has a terrifying secret, is shunned by the inhabitants of the village -a veritable collection of interesting and colourful characters. Its been 10 years since Jay has made any contribution to the literary world and it is here in Lansquenet that he hopes to magically write his long overdue novel, but magic, like wine, needs teh right conditions in order to work. As usual, a totally absorbing story and another wonderful book from Joanne Harris. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing, but I had very high expectations
Review: As a big fan of Joanne Harris, I was excited to read Blackberry Wine. Maybe I just could not relate to Jay or to Joe the mysterious ghostly gardener. I finished this book in just a few hours and it did hold my attention. It did include beautiful scenary with great details of nature and the art of gardening. The character development was fairly flat. The great mystery of the of the silent neighbor Marise was disappointing. After Chocolate and Five Quarters of the Orange, I was expecting another 5-star novel. Instead I got a solid, interesting, and decent book. Definitely read her other novels first!
Rating:
Summary: Blackberry Wine
Review: Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris soothes and warms the heart and soul. Part fairy tale, part real life humanity, all tied together with words of wit and a timeless, almost magical feel. You won't be sorry that you met "Jackapple Joe" as seen through the eyes of the main character, Jay Mackintosh. A five star read. http:www.pages.about.com/lindabeltran/marchand.html
Rating:
Summary: Too sentimental
Review: Blackberry Wine is sickenly sweet in its sentimentality but it does score points for having a unique narrator. The flashbacks to Pog Hill distract from the present day story. The book is tighter and more compelling a read when those chapters are skipped. When the story finally moves away from Jay's fond memories of how great Joe was and goes to the mystery of Jay's neighbor and her daughter Rosa the story hits its stride. I wish it had focused more on them and less on "Jackapple Joe."
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderful second novel by Joanne Harris!
Review: Blackberry Wine is warm and sweet. Sweet like her Chocolat. This novel offers a chance to revisit Lansquenet and the dig into the mysteries the village holds. Having enjoyed Harris' Chocolat I was anxious to read her new novel and have only found that I am anxious to read more. This was fun. A romp through the garden. This book was as welcome a summer read as a good glass of wine!
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