An addictive treat...

books:


	• Chocolat Joanne Harris Penguin (Non-Classics), 2000 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 208 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An addictive treat...

Exquisite writing and wonderful characters made this
book by Joanne Harris her best. I've read other novels
by Harris ("Five Quarter of the Orange" was good, and
I actually did not care for "Holy Fools") but did not
read this one since I saw the movie. Of course, I
should have known it was even better than the movie,
as the books usually are superior.

I finally got around to reading "Chocolat" because I
heard she had a sequel coming out. "Chocolat" made me
drool. Not only for the precise details about the
chocolate making process (Oh, how I would have loved
to have seen that Easter window!), but for the lyrical
writing and mesmerizing story and characters. Her
descriptions of the small French village
Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the remodeling of the bakery
into a chocolate haven, and the personalities of the
initially aloof French villagers are detailed. I could
see the town and knew its inhabitants.

The story is told through two different view points,
the proprietor of the chocolate shop, Vianne Rocher,
who opens her establishment as Lent begins, and
Francis Reynaud, the priest of the parish. And
different view points they are as Reynaud initially
tries to woo Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, into
church, and Vianne stays firmly away. This sets up a
battle of wills and morality issues which pervade the
novel since each has a very different approach to
integrity.
Reynaud attempts to turn the villagers against Vianne
and her daughter, and Vianne's warmth and tempting
chocolate shop lure them into her sphere.

Beautifully drawn characters become very real. My
favorites were Guillaume, one of Vianne's first
friends and customers, with his failing dog, Charly;
and the rebellious outspoken 80-year-old, Armande
Voizin, who plans her own birthday party and disagrees
with most everything her uppity, self righteous
daughter, Caroline Clairmont represents. There are so
many delectable characters (Josephine, Roux, Armande's
shy grandson) that I would take up too much space talking
about them.

The story is an addictive treat, just like the
chocolate described. I couldn't put it down and was
constantly delighted by the imagery. There's magic and
romance in contrast to the darkness of the tale.
Perhaps this is her best because Harris writes about
what she knows best, having been brought up by a
chocolate maker and a great grandmother who was known
as a witch. I cannot wait to read the sequel, "The
Lollipop Shoes."

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Not thrilled

I don't think that I have ever said that a movie was better than the book in my life, but I will have to say it now. I had high hopes for "Chocolat", thinking that it would have all of the charm, sweetness, seduction and delight of the movie (and would probably be even better). Instead I found the characters to be very 1 dimensional, the ending unsatisfactory, and I thought that the narrative of the preist was very disruptive to the flow of the story. Over all I was not impressed. I will admit, the descriptions of the chocolate were very yummy (and it did make me want to go eat chocolate) but on the whole I think that the movie was far more gorgeous than the book with the visuals, story line etc. Of course there were good aspects, the scene where the priest stuffs himself with chocolate is quite good, and the relationshop between Vianne and her daughter Anouk is sweet, but on the whole I think that this story just really does work better as a visual film. Plot gliches were also cleared up in the movie. Acting is wonderful, charming, one of my favorite movies. See the movie!!

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Short and Sweet

Looking for an easy read, I picked up Chocolat at a nearby bookstore. I expected something simple and enjoyable, and that's exactly what I got; no more, no less. This book is by no means a literary classic; I cannot imagine readers many years from now picking it up with reverence, regarding it as the epitome of anything remarkable. Furthermore, I didn't experience any epiphanies or deep changes in my personal beliefs as a result of reading it. But honestly, that was exactly what I wanted. Joanne Harris has an undemanding writing style where the reader isn't expected to read too deeply into the text.
I would recommend it as a fantastic summer book. Set in a small village in France where chocolate shops are an unnecessary luxury, the book has a rather romantic, fantasy feel to it. Magic is referenced to lightly, as an ingredient to the wonderfully described confections served up by Vianne. This ties in well with the sweet, rather fairy-tale like ending in which many of the loose ends created by the small town characters are tied up nicely as all those deserving reach their own personal happiness. It's a good escape from boring reality, and as pleasant as the confection after which it is named.

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Perfection

Quiet, magical, beautiful, enchanting. I have rarely read a book so touching as this one. The characters and settings are so real and tangible, that one can feel the cold nip of the bitter wind and (far more welcoming) the warm scents and allure of the beckoning chocolate shop...What more can I say that hasn't already been said here, and better? Pick up a copy today and lose yourself in Chocolat.

Yummy

For about the first ten pages I didn't think I was going to like this book. Then something magical happened, and I was hooked. There's nothing extraordinary about the storyline, but the writing is spectacular. Read the book then watch the movie, and don't forget your chocolate!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Greeted as "an amazement of riches ... few readers will be able to resist" by The New York Times, Chocolat is an enchanting novel about a small French town turned upside down by the arrival of a bewitching chocolate confectioner, Vianne Rocher, and her spirited young daughter.

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