Customer Reviews:
 It just didn't work for me September 20, 2008
I loved Chocolat and the Lollipop Shoes and had just finished the even better Five Quarters of the Orange when I picked up Blackberry Wine. Unlike the others, this was a real struggle to get through. The characters seemed shallow and one-dimensional, as though they needed more work. The plot didn't really develop until well into the novel (it didn't start to get in the least bit interesting until about two thirds of the way in) and even then, it was weak. I think that one of the biggest mistakes was to set it in the same village as Chocolat, making vague references to the events of that novel and giving some of the characters cameos in this one. While I am glad that I made it to the end, this is one book I won't be reading again.
 Mixed feelings July 8, 2008
Although I found the characters somewhat flat and frankly disliked a couple of them such as Kerry, I thoroughly enjoyed being transported to Joe's and Jay's gardens and homes and -- through Harris' magical pen -- found myself believing in those "talking" wine bottles as living things. On the whole, I enjoyed the process of getting to the denouement, but felt somewhat disappointed at the way the plot ends were all tied up on the last few pages. I got hooked on Harris with her Gentlemen and Players and, though I didn't feel Blackberry Wine was quite up to the standard of the former, I still have a bunch of her other books stacked on my nightstand ready to be read.
blackberry wine June 13, 2008
excellent!--- if you liked 'chocolat' its more of the magic--in fact some of the characters and events from 'chocolat' are mentioned in 'blackberry wine'
I Prefer Tea.... March 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have mixed feelings about Blackberry Wine, unfortunately more negative than positive. For the first ten chapters I despised this book: I didn't care about the characters, couldn't care about the plot and wanted nothing more than to just get through the thing so I could move on to another story. Even though the chapters are short, fifty-seven pages is more than I want to wait for a story to get interesting.
Blackberry Wine describes the life of Jay, a one-hit-wonder in the literary arena who fell victim to the freshman curse and now lives as a writer of trashy sci-fi novels and part-time fantasy-conference attendee. One day he impulsively buys a farmhouse in France that brings back childhood memories and moves in, hoping to find what he thinks he's lost. Via astral projection, his friend/mentor Joe, visits the farmhouse to continue giving the advice he started in Jay's youth. Jay the adult reverts back to the child he was time and again in his bitterness at being abandoned by the old man's sudden parting, continuing the legacy. Blackberry Wine is written as a piece of commercial fiction, but has definite elements of fantasy that feel out of place. This inconsistent tone added to my discomfort.
One of the reasons I had trouble with this book is because of the way Jay is written. Personally, I thought he was schizophrenic, but I don't think that was the author's intention. He seems like an intelligent person, but has the insight of a fifteen-year-old boy coupled with a dog's manic need to defend his territory (or in this case, Jay's righteous indignation). Jay's lack of maturity and poor decision-making ability mark him as a victim, a martyr, so I had trouble caring about him.
This book jumps back and forth in time about every other chapter which I found distracting. The copious descriptions were a bit much and repetitive: how many times did I have to hear about the canal, or that something was yeasty- an odd word to be given such prominence? And don't get me started on the magically animated bottles of wine....
On the upside, once the story warmed up it was engaging. Jay's garden renovation and the relationship with his neighbor and her daughter were nice, the practical peculiarities of Joe added color and interest and the French townspeople formed a nice backdrop. All in all I thought Blackberry Wine was flawed, but it did have moments.
Left Me Wanting More January 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Beautifully written, this book left me wanting more. I was sad when the book came to the end. I had grown fond of the characters (excluding Kerry, who I found utterly irritating) and wanted to know what came next. I could feel the main characters disappointment, his fears and loneliness. I enjoyed how the book balanced between the main characters childhood and adulthood, 1975 to 1999. It was wonderful to see the character develop throughout the story. And of course, there was Joe, the most colorful character of all. His presence throughout the book, even in spirit was truly charming. I certainly recommend this book and cannot understand why some people gave it only 1 or 2 stars. I definitely plan to order more of Joanne Harris' books based of reading this one.
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