Chocolat

Rating:
Summary: chocolat: a novel
Review: A wonderful book--complete with witchcraft, love, and lots of chocolate--twirls, swirls, creams, hot coco, you name it, and it's there. Even if you're not a choc-aholic (and some of us aren't) you'll want some chocolate before you finish this book. The description of the feast/party is marvelous. Charming...a lovely book if you like food, and a gracious story-line.

Rating:
Summary: Make sure you have enough chocolate at home befor you start!
Review: I think I would never have red this book, but a friend recommended it. And suddenly I was caught in the story about Vianne Rocher, a woman who has been traveling for all her life, first with her mother and now with her daughter. When she arrives at Lansquenet, a small French village, she thinks this time she might stay. She opens a chocolate boutique, not only opposite of the church but also at the beginning of lent so that the priest sees her as a danger and starts to fight her. This war divides the village into two groups: a group that follows the priest ("Church not Chocolate") and a group that visits the chocolate boutique regularly not only to buy sweets but also to seek advice from Vianne instead of turning to the priest. Realizing that he is loosing his influence the priest sees only one way to win his flock back: he has to destroy the chocolate Vianne offers. But even for him it is not easy to resist all the sweets she made for Easter Sunday...

The moment I started this book I loved it. You always get the two sides of the story: the story from Vianne's and from the priest's point of view. And It is not only a story about chocolate, it is also about the fears and problems the people from Lansquenet have and how some of them develop as soon as they follow Vianne's advice, even if this means to break with traditions. What I didn't like were a few mistake like writing the wrong name for a German meal or the insulin shot in the crook of the elbow which would have killed a woman in reality but in the book it saves her life. And the story is too realistic to say that it is a story where everything is possible. But if you can read over these mistakes I am sure you will enjoy it!

Rating:
Summary: Chocolat
Review: This is a delightful little book with an unusual premise. It's magical and spiritual, intriguing and mysterious -- anyone interested in the the little towns and villages of France and the people who might live there will be enthralled. It was read from cover to cover on a 10+ hour flight from France in September. I judge a book by two things: how much I care about the story and characters while I am reading it and how much I remember about it when I have put it down. In both cases this is a 10! One reviewer didn't like the ending...he (or she) should pick up where this left off, back in Lansquenet, with "Blackberry Wine".

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing end!
Review: The imagery in this book was delightful...I could almost taste and smell the confections. It was an enjoyable story until the end. What a disappointment! I anticipated a satisying conclusion, but it only left a bad taste in my mouth. I think the author forgot to tie up some of the storylines...am I the only one wondering what the big secret was between Armande & Reynaud? Also, I would have liked more background on Reynaud & Pere's relationship. The mouthwatering descriptions deserve 5 stars, but I give the plot 2 1/2!

Rating:
Summary: Chocolat is good for you
Review: If you're caught in a bit of twix, with nothing to read, then may I suggest this excellent bounty? It is produced, not by Mars of Slough, but Joanne Harris of Barnsley, a chef who excels in the art of couverture chocolate. Step into her boutique, 'La Celeste Praline', and you'll be caught unawares by her classy wares. Chocolat is a novel of great sweetness, perfect for those who like their confictionary to be well milked. For readers with richer palates, however, Harris has also produced an intoxicating blend of dark chocolate, which is - dare we say it - extremely 'topic'al. If you're looking for a few delightful snickers, and not a lengthy marathon, then this is the novel for you. It's certainly richer and more exquisite than the most popular currency of chocolate bars.

Vianne Rocher arrives in the French village of Lansquenet during its carnival, a feast before the fast of Lent. With her is daughter Anouk (who seems to be named after a chocolate treat), and Anouk's companion, the mysterious Pantoufle. Joanne Harris tends to write a lot about alchemy in connection with cooking (see her excellent new novel, 'Blackberry Wine'), but Vianne Rocher would seem to have more than culinary skills at her disposal... This is especially apparent, though, in her delicious meeting with Armande Voizin, to which there is more than meets the eye. 'Pantoufle' refers to Charles Perrault's fairy tale of Cinderella, and as such, could be a subtle hint as to Vianne's true identity... It would seem appropriate here to compare Harris' work with that of Kate Atkinson, especially with regards to her new book, Emotionally Weird. Atkinson says that she has been trying to write a fiction with all the richness of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. But it seems to me that Joanne Harris is more adept at writing fairy tales - her characterisation is stronger, certainly. Whilst Atkinson plays with words, Harris plays with thoughts and emotions. Chocolat is full of magic and fairy tales, from the realisation of a true Gingerbread house, to Vianne's use of Pagan cards and charms.

It is holy appropriate then, that the conflict and drama within this novel stems from the masculine Church's opposition to Vianne Rocher and her culinary work. It even seems that that Joanne Harris could be engaging on a narrative in which God the Father and Mother Earth are the main combatants, featuring their eternal struggle as man and wife. Father Reynaud is the country priest who sees danger in Vianne's shop, and the novel is narrated in the first person by both of these antagonists. Reynaud relates his tale to the mysterious pere, whilst Vianne muses greatly on her long lost mother, with both 'parent' appearing to be flawed in some way. However, this struggle between the masculine and the feminine does not become too abstract, since Josephine Muscat has to bear the bruises in her role as battered wife. Chocolat has its fair share of romance, but also contains a swift punch of brutal reality.

Like Blackberry Wine, Joanne Harris has decided to serve some home truths, along with the after dinner mints. The novel deals with thorny issue of immigration, currently a hot potato in Britain, and the problems of a population which is growing ever older. The Pope's recent apologies for the crimes of Roman Catholicism also resound within. These issues may be set in the exotic French countryside, but they still have relevance to us. Okay, so the richness of the carnivalesque and the mystique of magic realism have been added to the mixture, but their presence only serves to add depth, and never confusion. Vianne has a reluctance to see her fate in the stars, but this novel has won near universal admiration and is soon to be made into a film. It's a fiction which works on so many different layers, but like a particularly rich cake, there is something within it for everyone. The author uses simple words in her prose, but the combination of these coarse ingredients is explosive. Harris certainly knows how to play on our heartstrings, to make us feel for her characters.

Current medical advice would certainly indicate that Chocolat could play a powerful part in reducing stress and lowering cholesterol. It's potent mixture: a benign, yet provoking stimulant which melts on the tongue. As for its aphrodisiac qualities, well, I can hardly say... But the only disappointment to be had from Chocolat is that it has to end.

Rating:
Summary: A delectable novel
Review: Joanne Harris's first novel is a gem, small, but sparkling nonetheless. Her cast of chracters, mainly Vianne Rocher, are so startlingly human, you feel like you're one of their neighbors in the tiny French village of Lansquenet. I'm surprised that this didn't make Oprah's Picks. It's heartwarming, charming, humorous, and magical. The simple theme of good vs evil, which Harris depicts as the church vs chocolate, has never been this much fun. This is the perfect book for one of those chilly days when you're curled up near the fireplace with your mug of tea. It will definitely leave you with a smile on your face.

Rating:
Summary: A slow start but engrossing to the end
Review: A modern fairy tale, magical and sensual, Joanne Harris's novel was a trifle hard to get into, but after the first chapter, I was hooked. The mystery of Vianne's past, the fantastic descriptions of the chocolates she makes and sells in her shop, the rising tension between Vianne and the small town priest, the joy in living life to its fullest, all combine to transport the reader beyond the boundaries of ordinary life. Vianne is a woman who believes the greatest joy in life is to make oneself and others happy. She knows, before she even meets the townspeople, just what kind of chocolate or sweet each one will love. Soon she finds her influence expanding as she mends broken hearts and reunites longlost relatives. But will she be forced to leave the small French town she and her daughter have come to love? I discovered the answer while sitting in a grounded jet at O'Hare. Thank goodness for Joanne Harris. And thank goodness for Chocolat.

Rating:
Summary: Charming and Hypnotic
Review: Much like the confections she describes, Joanne Harris' story is a sweet indulgence. The book is similar in tone to Alice Hofmann, with a mystical outsider, Vianne Rocher arriving in a small town and her effect on it's inhabitants. The book early on sets up it's themes of right and wrong, spirituality, religion, and the delight in sensual pleasures. But be aware, this isn't a sappy candy coated romance or mortality tale. Underneath it's simple story are a set of rich and complex characters battling their own demons, and who help bring alive this small French village. The book is also soon to be released as a motion picture with Juliette Binnoche, and Johnny Depp

Rating:
Summary: about as nourishing as chocolate is
Review: Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate. I also have a great respect for wiccan, mother-centric religions, a deep mistrust of the organized church, a soft-spot for women trying to make it on their own against the odds, and I always cheer for the underdogs. Why then, did this book leave such a flat taste in my mouth?

Well, for one, and I know I'm not the first person to mention it, the characters are simply drawn and without more than a smidgen of complexity. In the same way that my son's cartoons feature really really bad guys, and really really good guys, Chocolat features heroines and villians, good versus evil, and pushes these characters so far into their assigned roles that all they can seem to do by the end of the book is repeat their initial gestures and thoughts. Again. And again. And again.

Not that Harris doesn't try to come up with some character development. With foreshadowing that was at first sort of interesting and then got tedious, we are made aware that the priest (A Bad Guy) has a mildly shocking, secret past that has made him the sad twisted individual he is. Vianne (A Heroine) is given over to moments of doubt, and in a really bizarre little paragraph towards the end of the book, it's suggested that her own mother perhaps abducted her as a youngster, a thread which is immediately dropped (perhaps because it would bring in too much complexity). Everybody else in the town is as predictable as a Disney movie, in fact it's such a simplistic story that it would be ideal for optioning--perfect Hollywood fare, and would probably be pretty popular for a while, as this book seems to be.

Chocolat has its moments--the descriptions of the chocolates themselves, the cooking techniques and the window displays were intruiging and mouth-watering enough to make me consider a trip to our local chocolatier. Vianne's daughter's imaginary friend Pantoufle kept me interested, the idea that a child's desire could create a reality that some could even see. The description of Armande's birthday feast was a moment of graciousness, a la Babette's Feast, and it was mildly interesting to see the roles of the vagrant gypsies (Good Guys, in case you were wondering) brought up to date complete with pierced eyebrows.

Listen. This is not a bad book, and you're not an idiot if you loved it. The Good Triumphs Over Evil (and Evil Gets its Just Desserts (no pun intended)) plotline satisfies a deep need in our souls for assurance that the good things we do will be rewarded, and people who do bad things will pay somehow. Stephen King's The Green Mile gives us a similar message. Unfortunately the end result of that kind of thinking is that it classifies people into Good and Bad categories, with no room for Grey, and that, my friends, is how all those witches ended up getting burned in the first place.

Rating:
Summary: almost as delicious as the real thing
Review: I was seduced by Harris and her tasty novel. Like the real thing it was an indulgance that the reader could savor. I fell in love with this novel and it's incredible writer immediately. You should see my copy-it's falling apart from reading it a couple of times and loaning it out to anyone I could find. Definitely a story to share with others. This book has a rainbow of characters whom capture your heart. Harris's main character Vianne with her sweet young Anouk, weaves a colorful web of strangers that she gives you feelings of empathy for. There is the eccentric Armande, gentle Guiallme, the surly Roux, and the timid yet defiant Josephine. Even Reynaud, the pensive and obsessive priest made me laugh out loud now and then.

I especially appreciated the author's sensitivity toward other religions, as a wiccan it is a relief to not be bombarded with whimsy fantasy that witches are often associated with. Read Harris's dedication and you will see why. Harris use of herbalism, tarot, scrying,and magic is honest and sticks to tradition.

Read this book! But buyer beware: a movie is in the works and it's coming soon. Don't forget the many wonderful books that have been picked apart at the hands of Hollywood-I've read the premises. It's like Hersheys trying to making belgian chocolate. Read this book before it's too late!;-)