Customer Reviews
Riveting Tale - By: LindyLouMac, 11 May 2008 
Although I have had the majority of Joanne Harris's previous novels on my bookshelves for a number of years, so far I have only read Chocolat, Coastliners & Gentleman & Players. Now having just finished Blackberry Wine I intend to rectify this & catch up by reading the rest as soon as possible. So far she has proved to be for me a riveting storyteller, somehow making the locations & characters leap from the page. Her descriptions of food & wine so good that you feel you can smell & taste them. I finished this with a glass of wine sitting in the garden this evening & felt transported to Lansquenet, which was also the location for Chocolat. I believe also that some characters reappear in The Lollipop Shoes, receiving a copy of this recently as a gift is the inspiration to read the rest of her novels.
In Blackberry Wine the narrator is a bottle of wine `Fleurie 1962' unfolding the tale of Jay Mackintosh as a boy in 1975 & an adult in 1999, when he impulsively buys an old house in Lanssquenet, France.
In two interlinking narratives we learn how the time he spent as a teenager in Kirby Monckton with his friend an old man Joe, has a subconscious effect on his 1999 choices.
Magical! - By: Mrs. D. Miles, 13 May 2007 I have read 'Chocolat', 'Sleep Pale Sister' & 'Gentleman & Players' by Joanne Harris & enjoyed them alll. 'Blackberry Wine' definitely did not let the side down. The tale is told by a bottle of very special wine & this alone makes the story intriguing, mysterious & different. A tale of childhood memories & special friendships unfolds & impacts into present day. As with many of the author's books, a little bit of magic makes events take an unexpected turn & the bottles of 'special' wine rattle with excitement in their hiding place.......
Magical and inspring! - By: Margaret, 17 Feb 2007 Being a Joanne Harris fan I was reallly looking forward to reading this book, & I am so pleased I did. Being a wine drinker myself it had me wanting to open up a bottle, & I have even started to calll mine 'Specials!' LOL.
The book is about friendship between an old man Joe Cox & a teenage boy Jay Mackintosh. How Jay looks up to Joe & he learns about the magic in Joes life, & how Joe lives. Joe is connected to the magic of nature. & this facinates Jay.
Joe loves to make wine, & in later life Jay has some of these 'Specials', as he drinks them memories of the past rise & a journey begins. I won't go on about the story more than I have, as this story truly is magical.
In the book a bottle of wine begins to tell the story, this I felt was a great way to start the book. I have no problem with reading about an inanimate object talking, & I found it to be interesting & original. I have read that it put a smalll minority of other people off the book, but don't let other peoples opinions sway you. I highly recommend this book.
I could relate to some of the things in this book, with me being someone who respects nature & also believes in magic. Another thing I loved about this book, is some of the charaters from Joanne's book 'Chocolat' are in this book too, as some of this book is set in the French town of Lansquenet.
For me the book was a wonderful read, it tugged at my emotions, & I felt as though I was looking through Jays eyes, feeling his happiness, & his sadness.
A fabulous book to sit down & unwind with, the sort of book you sit down snuggled up on your bed, or by the fire & read.
My Verdict: Magical & inspring!
Delicious! - By: Book worm, 06 Jul 2006 An absolute gem of a book! At least as good as "Chocolat", which is one of my alll time favourites.
Blackberry wine-a nostalgic ,cheeky little number! - By: MissS E. Cresswell, 10 Apr 2006 I have read & re-read this book ,thoroughly enjoying it afresh each time. Don't be put off by the unusual beginning with bottles of wine seemingly talking to one another. Read on. The story starts with a struggling author,Jay Macintosh trying to recapture his early literary success. There are many flashbacks to his lonely childhood & his friendship with Jackapple Joe,a fantastic character. Jackapple Joe is an elderly ex-miner,dedicated to his garden & his specials & full of mystical, homespun wisdom. Jay feels driven to leave everything behind to live in France where Joe's influence & alchemy is still potent & where he helps Jay resolve his struggle.
A lovely book, told with great skill & poignancy. I suppose it's a modern day "Cider with Rosie" but so much better than that. Delightful!
