Vianne and Anouk return from the ashes

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	• The Girl with No Shadow CD: A Novel Joanne Harris HarperAudio, 2008 average customer review:based on 22 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Deliciously wonderful novel!

The Girl with No Shadow is an absolutely brilliant sequel to Chocolat.

If you also enjoyed Gentlemen and Players then you'll find this newest novel doubly delightful.

No, the novel is not Disneyesque; but then neither was "Chocolat" really.

More like the Talented Mr.Ripley takes a trip to the Twilight Zone and meets Harry Potter in Paris. :-)

What I found interesting was how the story was told from the perspective of three different characters, leaving you to guess for a few seconds at the beginning of each chapter as to who was now speaking.

The reader is also left tantalizingly guessing, even at the end, at just exactly how effective any of the "magic" really was, or was it all simply scheming and social engineering and the occasional fortutitous or not happenstance.

Joanne Harris has over the years honed and perfected her skills as a writer by producing an unbroken series of novels with an intriguing storyline and an engaging cast of characters. "The Girl with No Shadow" demonstrates convincingly that Ms. Harris continues to get better and better at her craft.

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Excellent and relevant

Over four years have passed since Vianne Rocher got into a local brawl over the sale of her special chocolate confections declared as contraband by the Lansquenet, France clergy during Lent (see CHOCOLAT). Tired of the sweet war, Vianne repudiated the magic part of her recipe, changed her name to Yanne Charbonneau and seeking security, accompanied by her two daughters, teenage Anouk and infant Rosette, moved to Montmartre in Paris where she opened up a more mundane chocolaterie.

However, Yanne begins to understand the curse of motherhood as she wants her children safe, but Anouk rebels. Zozie de l'Alba obtains a job at Yanne's Paris store, but soon Anouk is enchanted by the newcomer. Worried for her child, she has doubts about Zozie's intentions; Yanne returns to her past as Vianne. She needs to use her magic to keep Anouk safe and to generate a special chocolate concoction but since it is Advent season the righteous frowns on her sweet creations.

This sequel continues the adventures of everyone's favorite confectionaire (outside of perhaps Willie Wonka) who has become a die hard conformist out of fear for her daughters until forced out of fear for her oldest child to be a born again magician. The story line rotates perspective between Zozie, Yanne and Anouk while once again a major religious season is in the background causing problems for the non-conformist heroine. Readers will appreciate this strong tale with implications in today's world; the story line focuses on the problems of fighting evil when the good side gives up its moral high road behaving more malevolent based on the end justifies the mean.

Harriet Klausner

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Vianne and Anouk return from the ashes

Joanne Harris's Girl With No Shadow comes a decade after the original novel Chocolat, later made into a feature film (Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series))starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Chocolat revolved around the culinary magic of Vianne Rocher, an unorthodox chocolatiere who includes a sprinkle of magic that shakes up the local conservative villagers. In Girl With No Shadow, Vianne, now renamed Yanne Charbonneau, has relocated to Paris after fleeing several other bad situations. She has shunned her magical tendencies, putting away the tarot cards and forbidding incantations by Anouk (renamed Annie), thereby trading her individuality for a stable life at the side of Thierry Le Tresset, wealthy (and stuffy) bachelor.

The novel is told from the (confusing) viewpoint of three different characters: Vianne, Anouk, and Zozie de l'Alba in a narrow timeframe ranging from October 31 to December 24. At times, the three are commenting on events happening on the same day. Vianne's past literally comes back to haunt her in the form of the mysterious Zozie, and the young Anouk is sliding into perilous teenage rebellion, hanging out in cemeteries and engaging in forbidden acts of magic.

The cast of characters is too large to be explored in detail, and even the appearance of an old friend from the original novel is lost in the fray. Having three narrators fails to solidify the action, and it took me a few chapters to clue in that different characters were narrating (the images at the top of the chapters are different for each character). Flashbacks were to actions not covered in the original novel, and the frequent time travel left me confused at the all-too-important omissions of pivotal earlier events such as the birth of Vianne's second child, Rosette, who at four is non-verbal and quite possibly autistic.

Although the descriptions of chocolates are mouthwatering, too often the action felt staged, stale, and not in the magical spirit of the original novel Chocolat. Make no mistake: this is no sweet Chocolat Part Deux; it's dark, gritty, and haunting, wrapped in dark secrets, past injustices, and the desire for revenge that consumes several characters at various points. It's definitely not a feel-good book, although if you enjoyed Vianne's character, you may enjoy The Girl With No Shadow. It's most definitely a reinvention of classic fairy tales for grown-ups.

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The Girl With No Shadow

This is a "must read". Each page, paragraph, and chapter are riveting and will keep you in the edge of your seat. As a member of the Smithsonian Associates Program, I had an opportunity to meet the author today. When asked if she were planning another book sequel to the life of Vianne (The Girl With No Shadow), she replied that she didn't think so. Something tells me that like the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, the public may not leave her with much choice. This book is awesome and addictive. It leaves you wanting more and more. I would not be surprised if another movie follows. I rate this book with 5- stars. Excellent reading. And by the way; after the book review the chocolate treats and champagne were served; as mentioned in the book and in the movie "Chocolat". Hmmmmmm, yummm. I couldn't drink the champagne, but the chocolate treats were delicious. Do yourself a favor, buy and read this book. A summer treat.

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Bravo!

Bravo Ms. Harris. Although not necessarily what people might agree is a "true" sequel to Chocolat, it was just as daring and on the very edge of what makes "fairy tales" real. If you have ever listened to Clarissa Pinkola Estes, you will particularly enjoy the element of "storytelling" within the pages of The Girl with No Shadow that deems this book one to be read aloud. There is wonderful cadence in the way each character narrates.
I love that Vianne and Anouk have lost themselves (as mothers and daughters do). You must reach deep inside the pages to find Vianne and Anouk, to imagine what they endured. The element of magic is different this time, dark and tempting, like bittersweet chocolate.
I could not put the book down. I could hear all of the voices within the pages as if they were speaking to me, telling the tale.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5

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