Rating: 
Summary: Not Sweet to Me
Review: Many years ago, Jay Mackintosh wrote the prize-winning first novel"Jackapple Joe" but has been unable to achieve that success again. He writes sci-fi to make money, and is depressed at the thought that he might never again write something to equal his first book. On an impulse, Jay leaves his girlfriend and London and purchases, sight-unseen, an old house in a rural French village where he thinks he can change his life and conquer his writer's block. After reading "Chocolat", I had high expectations for Joanne Harris' next book. Perhaps that is why I was so disappointed by "Blackberry Wine". As charming as her first book was, this one was just plain tedious with a lot of dark undercurrents that I did not like. It is a shame that the author did not just somehow stick to the stories of Jay, Joe Cox, and the village of Lansquenet and forget about the magical wine. I thought that if I read about those silly bottles clanking together and *speaking* to Jay one more time I would scream! The book could have been so appealing to me had it been organized differently. I really loved reading about Joe's magic with the herbs and seeds that he saved for many years. I felt that the magic realism was very clumsy and almost seemed like it was tacked onto the book--and the love story was pretty awkward too. As much as the magic realism worked for me in "Chocolat", it did not spin its same spell in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Not Sweet to Me
Review: Many years ago, Jay Mackintosh wrote the prize-winning first novel"Jackapple Joe" but has been unable to achieve that success again. He writes sci-fi to make money, and is depressed at the thought that he might never again write something to equal his first book. On an impulse, Jay leaves his girlfriend and London and purchases, sight-unseen, an old house in a rural French village where he thinks he can change his life and conquer his writer's block. After reading "Chocolat", I had high expectations for Joanne Harris' next book. Perhaps that is why I was so disappointed by "Blackberry Wine". As charming as her first book was, this one was just plain tedious with a lot of dark undercurrents that I did not like. It is a shame that the author did not just somehow stick to the stories of Jay, Joe Cox, and the village of Lansquenet and forget about the magical wine. I thought that if I read about those silly bottles clanking together and *speaking* to Jay one more time I would scream! The book could have been so appealing to me had it been organized differently. I really loved reading about Joe's magic with the herbs and seeds that he saved for many years. I felt that the magic realism was very clumsy and almost seemed like it was tacked onto the book--and the love story was pretty awkward too. As much as the magic realism worked for me in "Chocolat", it did not spin its same spell in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Blackberry Wine
Review: My favorite book by her. I liked it better than Chocolat for some reason. Maybe it is because of the ending (don't want to say too much) and it also revisits some of the characters from Chocolat.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick read-not much else
Review: My mom left this book at my house.
So I thought..."Hey, free book."
If you read quickly and frequently you should go ahead and give this a try.
If you are a slow reader. . .spend your time on something with more substance.
After a fairly long drawn-out story with little humor and not much suspense I was surprised to find the final chapters to reasonably satisfying.
Hence the two stars.
But I assure you there is zero "kung-fu" in this one.
Rating:
Summary: perhaps.....
Review: Perhaps Joanne Harris had a hard time identifying with a male perspective. Perhaps the only topic she knows is the magical and medicinal attributes of herbs and plants. Perhaps she had her own 'Nick' (a minor in this novel, Nick is the pushy publishing rep who tries to convince the main character, Jay, to hurry his follow up novel through the presses). Who knows? But this book just didn't have the panache of "Five Quarters of the Orange" and "Chocolat". The plot struggles at times and characters from the other novels make cameos with no apparent purpose other than to remind the reader that this book is by the same author. Sigh. Just like Peter Mayle, Joanne Harris has strong sophmore efforts that are well worth reading but seems to fall flat in this subsequent attempt. If you haven't yet read "Five Quarters...", I would highly recommend it for it's complex yet well crafted storylines. If you've already read it, read it again and pass on "Blackberry Wine".
Rating: 
Summary: An intoxicating read
Review: Retaining the atmospheric intensity of Chocolat, Joanne Harris creates another tale which cleverly interweaves the childhood
and new life of Jay Mackintosh, a one-novel wonder who now fills his time producing pulp standard science fiction and drinking
in an effort to recreate the glorious past he once possessed. After witnessing the decline of a relationship with his literary vulture girlfriend, Mackintosh buys a derelict French farmhouse in Lansquenet which inspires memories of his blissful childhood. As with fiction, nothing is quite what it seems and Jay finds himself caught in the middle of a long-standing dispute between
members of the village whilst discovering that his writing ability is now as fertile as the land surrounding him. By cutting back to Jay's childhood, Harris encapsulates the mystique and adventure of moving to foreign fields, contrasting it with the relationships that Jay forms and breaks during his upbringing. This is often billed as being a romance novel but it can also claim to hold a number of other redeeming qualities, not just a great eye for the provincial French farmland but also the
nuances of a teenager's experiences. These range from love to betrayal and the realisation that no matter what something
appears to be, the truth is often a great deal harsher.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute gem.
Review: The work of genius has been said to be 'that which can enchant a child yet move the most worldly of men to tears.' I probably don't need to say more than that to recommend this book.It is such a gem.I'm usually very picky about what I read and virtually NEVER finish reading most fictional works as they fail to engage my interest. This book had me enthralled from the moment I read the first page; I read it all in one morning and then more thoughtfully over the next couple of days. I have just finished reading it a third time.What is so enthralling about it you may ask.The book is written from the viewpoint of a vintage bottle of wine that just happens to be the same age as the main character, Jay. (Yes I'm sure you can now guess what happens right at the end.) The intense emotional saga of Jay throughout the book is neatly counterpointed by the 'character' of the bottle of wine (memories of long-remembered past summers, suppressed, changed and matured by years of 'confinement'.)The relationship between Jay and 'Jackapple Joe' will strike a chord with anyone who remembers a special childhood relationship with an old person - in particular the way the child takes everything for granted and regrets this years later when it is too late to remedy.In the book Jay is given a magical second chance with Joe (I won't spoil things for potential readers by saying how, or whether he is successful.) There are various other subtle and clever themes woven into this tale, which on a first reading appear perhaps disconnected from the more central ones. I appreciated the unity of the entire book by reading it again.Any review of an excellent work obviously does not do either the work itself or the author justice. I apologise for this. You will miss out if you do not taste 'Blackberry Wine'.
Rating: 
Summary: Blackberry Wine Bore
Review: This book entirely missed the mark for me, which was a shame as I had really enjoyed her earlier work "Chocolat", in this case I felt that the character of Jay Mackintosh and several of the other cast were completely boring and stereotypical, even his early years as a adolescent with the ubiquitous bully boys and his 'saviour' Joe, divorcing parents and elderly disinterested grand parents left me unmoved....
Rating:
Summary: This could be the best...
Review: This is a fantastically inspirational novel, and could be one of the best I've ever read. The novel was always exciting and kept you reading. I loved Harris's descriptions and style, the characterisations and exchanges between characters. I have only one complaint: In the French village, I found it difficult to keep track of characters. I was unsure as to who was who from time to time and what their position in the story as a whole was. This only occurred with extreme secondary characters, but was disappointing nonetheless. It struck many emotional cords within me. Fear, disgust, sheer glee, sadness. I, as a reader, connected with this novel in a profound way. Not because it has some hidden message I found, but because it is just so damn good. I felt like I was back in time, in nature. I felt like I was in small villages with mysterious and interesting people, beside a dried canal, in a little house. It made me taste things, smell things, hear things. This book will be with me as a warm memory forever. It left its mark like a glass of wine, who's gift will never ware off.
Rating:
Summary: Tres bien!
Review: This is a novel to sip and savor. Like in Chocolat and Coastliners, Joanne Harris transports us to the intimate world of a small French village where an English writer flees to reconnect with his muse. It's imaginative and filled with lush imagery. The only small annoyance for me is that the two key characters have such similar names (Jay and Joe). Otherwise, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. Merci beaucoup!
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