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Five Quarters of the Orange
Joanne Harris Book Review

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Plot Summary of Five Quarters of the Orange
"'Five Quarters of the Orange' is trademark Joanne Harris. Like 'Chocolat', it take place in a small Frech town near Angers, only during WWII and the occupation of the Germans. It is a coming of age tale told in flashbacks by Framboise Dartigen, who struggles still as an old woman to find peace with the memory of her harsh, drug-addicted mother, and the events that happened one year that changed her family and brought scorn upon them. Family recipes and a small cafe are also interwoven in the story."
Amanda Goodwin, Resident Scholar

"Frambiose Dartigan is a crabby old lady, recalling the days of her past. Her childhood coincided with the German Occupation. She and her brother and sister traded on the black market with the Germans, developing a friendship with a soldier named Tomas. This intrigue provide a distraction from their grim home life.Their father was killed in WWII, and they had a mom who was always secretive and troubled.

Their mom couln't tolerate an orange. Whenever she was around the aroma or scent of an orange, she would come down with these severe migraine headaches for days on end and be bedridden. Frambiose recalls these nightmarish days with her mom all through this story.
"

Boppy, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Five Quarters of the Orange
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Mother (or standin)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians Yes
Conflict: - War, general - War, WW II

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status: - farmer - small businessman
Age: - 60's-90's - long lived adults
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - homemaker
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Dumb - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique - physically sick

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - France - Germany
Farm/Ranch? Yes
Farm/Ranch: - farm - lot of descript of crop raising
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - moderately detailed references to deaths
Lot of foul language? Yes
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Five Quarters of the Orange
Harry's War by D. Edward Bradley
The Geisha's Granddaughter by Chayym Zeldis
Bridge to Holy Cross by Paullina Simons
The Chestnut Tree by Charlotte Bingham
War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk


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Joanne Harris Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Amanda Goodwin  

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