Five Quarters of the Orange

Joanne Harris's books are a sensory literary extravaganza. Harris's most intricate and nuanced work to date is Five Quarters of the Orange, a book that masterfully blends melancholy and intense delight to tell an enduring tale.

The people in the little town on the banks of the Loire do not know that Framboise Simon is the daughter of the notorious Mirabelle Dartigen, who they still blame for a horrible catastrophe that happened decades before during the German occupation. Despite her desire for a fresh start, Framboise soon realizes that the past and present are intricately linked. The booklet of recipes she acquired from her late mother is the best place to find evidence of this.

Framboise uses this book to replicate the recipes her mother used to make the little creperie meals. But as she looks through the scrapbook, looking for answers to explain the paradox between her mother's indulgent eating habits and her sometimes harsh personality, she starts to understand that there's more to Mirabelle's cryptic notes than meets the eye. Tucked inside within the worn pages of the book is the secret of what really happened the summer Framboise was nine years old.

Dark and rich. Five Quarters of the Orange is a remarkable book by a gifted author about mothers and daughters from the past and today, about overcoming resistance and giving in.