When Framboise Simon returns to a small village on the banks of the Loire, the locals do not recognize her as the daughter of the infamous woman they hold responsible for a tragedy during the German occupation years ago. But the past and present are inextricably entwined, particularly in a scrapbook of recipes and memories that Framboise has inherited from her mother. And soon Framboise will … realize that the journal also contains the key to the tragedy that indelibly marked that summer of her ninth year. . . .
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Brilliant story, cleverly plotted. Murder, mystery, secrets, surprises. Set in the Loire valley under Nazi occupation, this book is more about family–love, hate, greed–and the complexity of living in a small village. A real page-turner.
not able to follow from the beginning
Completely original characters in difficult situations. I guess there will never be too many angles from which to tell WWII stories. This one involves several children who have to grow up too soon, and it moves back and forth from their childhood to the near present. Excellent read.
Confusing.
Joann Harris is an author that I read every one of her books. This one is probably one of my favorites and it has stayed with me throughout all the years since I read it. Great writing, good characters, interesting story with enough little twists to keep you wondering what is next.
lovely location, atmospheric. Love her writign this was not as good as the others but enjoyed it.
I wanted to like this book but I found that I just could not find a character I liked. I thought this would be similar to Chocolat but it was a tale about a woman raised by her mother who basically went out of her way to torment one another. There was a lot of cruelty and I just could not find myself wanting more from any of the characters. …
This book surprised me. It was suspenseful and tense, yet tragic and tender at times. It is based in a small village in WWII France and focuses on one family, the relationship they had with their mother and how it was seen through the eyes of a nine year girl. But also about the small village they lived in and how one event turned them against …
What is it like to grow up in the middle of WW2 without understanding that your town, your country, is occupied by Hitlers army? A beautiful description of the confusion of childhood and the complexity of adulthood.
Ms. Harris never fails to write characters that draw you into the story. A though provoking book.
Very unique, fascinating book.
This was a very realistic depiction of childhood reaction to diifficult situations and their understanding of war and who the enemy is.
She is a good storyteller. Sad story but realistic.
I enjoy WW2 books and this one was based in a small village in France. Learning how the people coped with the war and one another was interesting. When it moved into more current times, it was a bit confusing, but still very entertaining.
Insight into effects of war.
I just didn’t want to continue reading – I guess it was just the story line and not wanting to read about children betraying adults to curry favor with the Nazi’s and the Nazi’s using them.
Interesting and entertaining look into what makes people tick.
This book started out very slow and was hard to get into. It wasn’t until toward the end when it all pulled together and got interesting. I did not enjoy it very much but it was informative.
I could not put this book down! The author slowly and methodically kept drawing me closer and closer to the unspeakable event upon which the story was based. Incredible characters!
This was a riveting read. It was original and unpredictable read with unique characters.