Chocolat: (Chocolat 1)

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The chocolaterie is an old dream of hers. She has an innate talent for cooking and a charming personality. She tries to fit in and help her customers. She starts to build a group of regular customers, including Armande, Guillaume and Narcisse, and, to Reynaud's dismay, she doesn't go out of business. Reynaud attempts to have Vianne run out of town, and he talks about her every Sunday at church. Some people stay away, but not for long. His conflict with her becomes his personal crusade. Also, the moral of this book seemed to be: "Indulge yourself! Do what feels right! (Even if you consequently die/get pregnant/shame yourself forever.)" Yeah. I'm not really digging that moral. Beautifully drawn characters become very real. My favorites were Anouk, Vianne's utterly delightful child (not to be without her imaginary rabbit friend, Pantoufle); Guillaume who comes out of his shell after the death of his beloved dog, Charly; and of course Mme. Armande Voizin who was reunited with her grandson even under the close scrutiny of her self-important daughter. I was most touched in a jarring way of the domestic conflict between Josephine Muscat and that of her husband. I cheered for her when she finally found the inner strength to leave him for good and live her own life.

This scandalises Francis Reynaud, the village priest, and his supporters. As tensions run high, the community is increasingly divided. As Easter approaches the ritual of the Church is pitted against the indulgence of chocolate, and Father Reynaud and Vianne Rocher face an inevitable showdown.There are two first person narrators of this story. One is Vianne and the other is the priest, Monsieur Renynauld. Vianne tells the story to us, the reader, and the Monsieur tells his to someone called only "mon pere". I liked it. It added a mystery to the story, that slowly unfolded.

Ebert, Roger (December 22, 2000). "Chocolat". Chicago Sun-Times. RogertEbert.com . Retrieved April 20, 2020. Themes of religion, superstition, prejudice towards gypsies, the idea of Home to those who are always on the run etcArmande, Vianne's elderly landlady, is one of her first allies. Armande's daughter Caroline will not let her see her grandson Luc, as she is a "bad influence". Vianne arranges for him and his grandmother to meet in the chocolaterie, where they bond. After finding out about their secret meetings, Caroline reveals her mother is diabetic, but she continues to eat the chocolate when visiting the shop.

It was ok. That pretty much sums up my feelings toward this book. There were parts I liked - mainly the side characters like Armande, and her grandson Luc. I liked Josephine and her storyline. Loved Runemarks…a core fantasy much like the stories of David Eddings or Terry Brooks, with a cool twist on Norse mythology. (Stephenie Meyer) Folklore/fairytale The taciturn son of Claire and grandson of Armande, he is obedient to a fault and stutters badly when he speaks as a result of the overbearing, smothering presence of his mother. Despite his silence and his willing submission to his mother Luc actually possesses a rebellious streak and maturity beyond his age. He also possesses a love of poetry and literature. Eventually Luc learns to defy his mother’s wishes and sees his grandmother on the sly establishing a close, warm relationship with her until her passing and this act of defiance acts as a catalyst for his character transformation. Anouk Rocher Imagine if she’d lived a normal life: a house, a son, a husband, a job in an indie bookshop. Not a very happy life, but a normal, boring, suburban life in a busy part of London.

My only issue in terms of description, is Harris’s intensive use of French words and names for things, names she does not explain fully in the text. Of course, Harris herself, as a French teacher who is also half French is naturally fluent in the language, but to those of us who aren’t, a word or two of what pain d'épices is for instance would have eased occasional fits of linguistic confusion. Indeed I was fortunate to be reading the audio book of Chocolat, since trying to decipher idiosyncratic French spelling in a written novel would not have been enjoyable. This also unfortunately made several elements, such as the rhymes Vianne sings to Anouk, and several of Vianne’s recipes a little impenetrable and thus lessened the impact they had on the plot, which was a shame, since when she does take the time to describe, rather than name the goodies Vianne is working on it’s a gastronomical treat with even Vianne’s surname reminiscent of a common chocolate brand.