Blackberry Wine

Details Author Reviews Description Joanne Harriss first novel, Chocolat , was set in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet, where enchantment, romance, and soft-centered truths issued from the local confectioners shop. She returns to the same location for Blackberry Wine . But as the title suggests, shes shifted her focus from food to drink, choosing a half-dozen bottles of homemade plonk as the catalyst Joanne Harriss first novel, Chocolat , was set in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet, where enchantment, romance, and soft-centered truths issued from the local confectioners shop. She returns to the same location for Blackberry Wine . But as the title suggests, shes shifted her focus from food to drink, choosing a half-dozen bottles of homemade plonk as the catalyst for her laymans alchemy. And even the narrator is no human being but a faintly tannic Fleurie 1962: A pert, garrulous wine, cheery and little brash, with a pungent taste of blackcurrant! There are, of course, some less vinous characters in the novel. Harriss protagonist, Jay Mackintosh, is a former literary star, now sadly 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. Yet the nice, expensive wines dont do the trick. Instead, six Specials--a gift from his old friend Joe--function as Jays magical elixir. Like Prousts lime-blossom tisane, they give him the gift of his memories but also unlock his future, which encourages him to flee the rut of his London life and buy a house in Lansquenet. As Jay settles in, he contemplates his childhood friendship with Joe, whose idiosyncratic outlook was the inspiration for his only successful book. Meanwhile, he becomes involved in village life, encountering some familiar faces from Chocolat . Caro and Toinette, the snooty troublemakers, soon put in an appearance, and Josephine, the bar owner and battered wife of the earlier novel, becomes a real friend. But its a new character, the enigmatic Marise, who becomes the focus of Jays attention--and who helps to restore his literary joie de vivre. This feat of resurrection makes for a hugely enjoyable read. It also goes one step further in adding Lansquenet to the map of imaginary destinations, where daydreams can come true with intoxicating frequency. --Eithne Farry Joanne Harriss first novel, Chocolat , was set in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet, where enchantment, romance, and soft-centered truths issued from the local confectioners shop. She returns to the same location for Blackberry Wine . But as the title suggests, shes shifted her focus from food to drink, choosing a half-dozen bottles of homemade plonk as the catalyst Joanne Harriss first novel, Chocolat , was set in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet, where enchantment, romance, and soft-centered truths issued from the local confectioners shop. She returns to the same location for Blackberry Wine . But as the... Read More

Categories: Action & Adventure