Chocolat |
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Joanne Harris
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Pages: 336 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0552998486
Pub: Black Swan
Pub date: 2000-03-02
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 6003
Editorial Review:
I hear our M'sieur le Curé already has it in for you ... Does he know you're a witch?Lansquenet-sous-Tannes--"a blip on the fast road between Toulouse and Bourdeaux"--and new home to Vianne Rocher, her six-year-old daughter Anouk, and Anouk's "imaginary" rabbit, Pantoufle. They arrive "on the wind of the carnival", and, a couple of days later, Vianne opens a luxuriant chocolate shop. "La Céleste Praline" bubbles over with the most tempting of confections, topped with an irresistible selection of rich, smooth chocolate drinks. It's Lent, the shop is opposite the church (which Vianne and Anouk don't attend) it's open on Sundays and Francis Reynaud, the austere parish priest with the "measuring, feline look" is not exactly happy.
As one by one the villagers sidle into the shop to sample Vianne's concoctions, we learn of their characters and secrets, their loves and desires, their troubles and hopes. Sad, polite Guillame and his dying dog. Shoplifting, beaten Joséphine Muscat. And Armande Voizin, still vigorous and perceptive in her 80s, who can see Pantoufle, and recognises Vianne for who she really is.
But Reynaud has his power base. And when Vianne advertises a Grand Festival of Chocolate to start on Easter Sunday, it's all-out war. War between church and chocolate.
Read clearly and precisely by Samantha Bond--whose voice is almost choclatey enough for Vianne--and Gareth Armstrong -- who sounds marginally too rich for Reynaud--this is an elegant adaptation of an utterly delicious novel, the denouement of which brings a new, literal meaning to the phrase "a sticky end", and which proves, indisputably, that soft centres are best. --Lisa Gee
Reader Reviews:
Life is Like a Box of Chocolates... (0/0 people found this helpful)
Looking at all the reviews below, opinion seem to be split between favouring and disliking this book. I'd seen the film a while ago, hadn't read any of these reviews and borrowed it as a bit of light holiday reading. After completing it, I have to plant myself firmly in the negative camp.
Without re-iterating the arguments below, I measure the value of a novel in it's ability to generate a page-turning plot, well-rounded characters that you actually care about and, most importantly, to give the reader a revelatory insight either into themselves or the world around them.
Unfortunately this book does none of these things, unless of course I'm mistaken and rural France is a religiously repressed society ruled by tyrannical priests who gorge themselves in sinful acts such as arson, adultery and...eating chocolate. I'm sure the writer is mistaken.
The book is told from the perspective of two characters - Vianne Rocher (single mum, free spirit, mystical, likes cooking) and Curé Reynaud (priest, and therefore morally ambiguous, The Black Man). At the beginning of every chapter the only way we know who is narrating is that Reynaud says 'pére' a lot as he speaks to his comatosed forbear.
The plot revolves around Vianne opening her chocolat shop, the effect this has on the villagers, and Reynaud's battle to try and get her, and the temptation she brings with her, out of the village. And that's it.
It's not all bad, however, as the saving grace of the book is Armande's (old lady, diabetic, mystical) relationship with her grandson Luc (young man, s-stammers a lot), although these scenes are few and far between.
The magical, mystical element of the book was also lost on me. It leaves the reader thinking at the end, as with the whole of the book, what's the point?
Apparently life is like a box of chocolates as you never know what you're going to get. Unfortunately with this book, they're all coffee flavoured.
Leaves a bad taste in the mouth - avoid.
Not bad (0/0 people found this helpful)
This is an easy read with some really lovely descriptive passages, but it failed to grab me entirely.
The plot centres on a mother and daughter who arrive in a small French village and open a chocolate shop opposite a church. The mother then tries to win over all the people who are suspicious of her intentions.
Not a bad book, but I didn't care enough about the characters for it to be really enchanting.
Unique read for Chocolate lovers! (0/0 people found this helpful)
Before reading The Lollipop Shoes in which Vianne Rocher returns, I decided to revisit Lasquenet during Lent and rediscover all those wonderful characters.
Vianne and her daughter Anouk, mysterious strangers arrive in the village and open a chocolate shop which immediately begins to have a strange but generally good effect on the inhabitants. However the bigoted village priest Father Reynaud thinks she is there to turn his flock against their catholic religion. 'Church not Chocolate' is the true message of Easter according to some of the villagers. However there is also an element amongst the residents that just love Chocolate as I do myself! Around this theme we are told the stories of various villagers, amongst my favourites are Guillaume Duplessis who lives for his dog `Charly' and Armande Voizin a spirited local matriarch who does not intend to let failing health spoil her life.
Something I rarely do is read a book more than once unless studying it, as my thoughts are that there are too many books I want to read and too little time to do so! Surprisingly though I enjoyed it just as much on this second reading. Joanne Harris writes very descriptively and you can almost taste the chocolates and imagine yourself in the French countryside she describes. The trouble is having now seen the film I do tend to picture scenes from it rather than forming my own pictures in my mind. This is why I always prefer to read the book first, if it is made into a film and use my own imagination!
Naive! (0/1 people found this helpful)
Are we so simple that we need a story that is written so basically that it takes away all excitement. The book mixes style between modern and 1950s which does not work well. I have to admit I gave up before the end as I couldn't endure any more!
Truly Magical (1/1 people found this helpful)
I loved this book and have kept it to read again in the future. I found it magical. I can just sit back and think of the little shop with all its chocolates and indulge in its mystery. It is an enchanting read and I can only describe it as a book which you read when you were young when you totally believed in Fairies or faraway magical lands!
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