Search - Five Quarters of the Orange

This was an OK read. I give it just an "OK" because I think I was more taken with her descriptions than with the story itself. Read the passage below to see what I mean. Great wording!

"I must have been born confrontational, but that summer I grew more so than I had ever been. My mother and I stalked each other like cats staking out their territory. Every touch was a spark that hissed static. Every word was a potential insult, every conversation a minefield."

Incredible - the story draws you deeply into the characters' lives; Told from the perspective of one woman, alternating between young child and older woman, Harris infuses every line with the emotion, fear, anger and confusion of a girl comming of age during a dangerous time.

I loved this book. Very satisfying story about mother and daughter, tragedy, revenge, suspicion, and love. As a review on book says, "better not read this on an empty stomach" "You will be treated to the tastes and smells of French food. Olive oil, fresh rosemary, ripe sheese, wild mushrooms and herb and apple sausages."

This book kind of snuck up on me and I found myself enjoying this more that I imagined. Compelling characters, suspenseful plot, poignant and lyrical language. This story takes the immense events of WWII and isolates them to a very everyday level. It left me wondering how many quiet stories there are like this one in the wake of those global events and the lasting repercussions of seemingly innocent and innocuous acts.

This book is about a woman in france, who is trying to reconcile her childhood experiences during WWII. As a child, her brothers and sisters became friends with a german soldier, who was providing them gifts in exchange for information. The book is not evil, or violent. The soldier is also quite young, and just trying to survive his situation. The book's plot goes in two different directions: the girl's relationship with her mother, and her coming to grips with the whole experience as an adult. the author's style is very readable. She describes the scene well, but not to the point that it is boring. if you are interested in france, or in cooking, these do have something to do with the plot. the characters in the book are interesting, and real. i think you would enjoy this book. it is not a non stop, page turner, but it is interesting.

Wonderful book!