Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris: book review

Blackberry Wine (2000) is set on a remote farm in southern France in 1999.

Jay Mackintosh is 37 years old, with a best-selling book, Jackapple Joe, that he wrote 14 years ago. It won the Prix Goncourt in France. He hasn’t written anything of worth since, even with the encouragement of his 25-year-old wife Kerry. He is getting tired of London, and his life.

He recalls 1975, when he was nearly 13 years old. That’s when he met Joseph Cox, the gardener who grew pototoes (jackapples), and made his own wine. Joe lived in Pog Hill Lane in the Yorkshire town of Kirby Monckton. Jay’s memories of Joe are wonderful. He learned so much about gardening from him. Jay ‘began to see in Joe something he had never seen in anyone else. A vocation. A sense of purpose.’

Joe always wanted to have a vineyard in France. But that never eventuated. But he did produce six bottles of 1975 home-made wine, including blackberry wine, that he gave to Jay, and Jay has never opened – until now, 1999.

On a whim, Jay buys the Chateaux Foudouin on a remote property in Lansquenet-sous-Tannes in France, leaving London and his wife. When he arrives in Lansquenet, the spirit of Joe seems to guide Jay as he renovates the property. The villagers must get used to having a best-selling author in their sleepy village.

Jay meets reclusive neighbour, Marise d’Api. She thought the property would be hers, because the previous owner ‘promised’ it to her. But that never eventuated. Marise has a proposition for Jay.

The novel, from the author of Chocolat, is a whimsical tale of nostalgia as Jay Mackintosh slowly remembers the lessons of the past, which help to transform his present. He has to face the realities of his new situation and his dream of a quiet life. For me, the ending is somewhat of a fairy-tale, but loyal readers will love this book.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. That

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog