Rating: 
Summary: Liked the First Half
Review: As with Joanne Harris' other books, I really didn't get any sense of "France" with "Chocolat" so I was a little disappointed with the setting, but that was okay; fictional places can often be more fun than real ones.The first half of "Chocolat" seemed light and fun, a fantasy of sorts, with the most delectable descriptions of chocolates thrown in for good measure. Most of the characters were interesting (though I did feel Armande to be rather shallow), and the dark element of good versus evil was quite enticing. During the second half of the book, however, things just seemed to unravel...piece by piece by piece. First, Harris introduced new characters (one in particular) and the entire focus of the book seemed to crumble. The huge battle between good versus evil, which Harris had spent many pages setting up dissolved when the priest (for reasons never made known) simply left the village. Vienne, the protagonist of "Chocolat," did something that seemed so completely out of character, something that seemed to show she wasn't the friend we'd been led to believe she was, that I began to actively dislike her. Her betrayal of Josephine's trust was quite disappointing. Had "Chocolat," in the second half, developed into the book it promised to become in the first half, it would have been both delightful and charming. The sad fact is, it didn't and I came away from the book puzzled and dissatisfied. Why didn't Harris continue to develop the charming fantasy she had worked so hard to set up? When I reached the end of "Chocolat" I definitely felt I'd finished a different book from the one I'd begun. And the one I'd finished was the inferior, by far. I felt this was a shame, since the beginning had been quite delightful. I do intend on renting the video; I think this may be a case where I'll actually like the movie more.
Rating: 
Summary: Magnifique!
Review: I really liked this book! It was charming in its simplicity, yet the descriptions of the characters and the little French village where they all lived made me yearn for more. The whole story was just so much like a fairy tale for adults! I had seen the movie before I read the book, yet I truly enjoyed both in different ways. The book gives you a little more depth than the movie, I think. The only problem was that I kept craving chocolate while I was reading this book, so eventually I just gave in to it and ate Dove chocolates like crazy! The thick creamy chocolate bits made the book just that much sweeter. You will like this book, too--just be sure you have plenty of chocolate on hand while reading! P.S. - Try some of Joanne Harris' other books, too. They are just as good!
Rating:
Summary: Chocolat Delight
Review: It was like a tempting box Milk chocolates. I picked the book up on holiday and read a couple of pages - the first chocolate slowly popped into the mouth. Next day and two sittings later it was finished. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Vianne Rocher dances across the pages - a mysterious outsider, always on the move, always on the run. From what? 'Are we staying here?' asks her daughter Anouk as they arrive in the quiet French village where life is quiet, predictable and dominated by the local church. She opens a chocolate shop in Lent, immediately invoking the wrath of Reynaud, the Priest whose insecurites about his faith and influence eat him away as much as his lenten fasting. The confrontation is inevitable as Vianne plans a chocolat festival at Easter. The conclusion mixes comedy and tragedy as Reynaud's 'weakness' brings his downfall. The story line is intersting but it is the characters who shine. Vianne herself is the light which shows the true character of those she meets. The hypocritical Caro, the evil Muskat, the downtrodden Josephine, the wonderful Armande. The book carries a thread of the supernatural. How much does Vianne really know? What powers did her mother have? There is even the slightest hint of Mary Poppins - 'I'll stay until the wind changes'. The wind does change. A 'must read'. By the way there is a very good movie of the same name.
Rating:
Summary: Undermined by two paragraphs
Review: Chocolat was thoroughly enjoyable and a delight to read until the entire premise was undermined by Ms. Harris creating "a need" for the lifestyle of V's mother--fleeing capture for the crime of kidnapping. Until the kidnapping revelation, both V and her mother were individuals all should expire to emulate (ie, Individuals having the ability to enjoy life and to recreate life and its enjoyment for others.) I wish I had fallen asleep reading and accidently skipped the page!!!
Rating:
Summary: stirring up the sweetness of life
Review: This book was magical bringing up rich, deep, dark, mysterious longings. I definately enjoyed the words and phrases as well as the positive nature of the book. The movie paints a beautiful picture of the story but the actually read is more involved and not as simple as the film production. I felt the spice and spells weave themselves around me as I immersed myself in this book!
Rating:
Summary: I actually liked the movie better
Review: It seems strange, but I liked the movie better. The novel did not quite achieve the same level of magic. I don't want to give away anything but the outcome with the priest was not as satisfying as with the mayor in the movie. But it is not without merit- and was a quite enjoyable novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A treat to the tounge and the soul
Review: As I slip a nougat of dark chocolate into my mouth I feel a tingle go down my spine and my mouth craves more! More! This is similar to the sensation I got when turning each page of Chocolat. We all know what a treat a delicious piece of chocolate is to the tongue. But, this novel, Chocolat, was just as delicious to my soul. Just as I find myself craving my daily intake of the warm dark candy, I couldn't stoop thinking, yearning to get home to continue reading in my beloved novel, Chocolat. Whimsical and sentimental, with the perfect combination of ingredients, this novel takes its reader on a journey to the small French town where the story is set. A great book to curl up in bed to or relax after a long day.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very creative
Review: This is a poorly written book about some sort of a magical woman and her daugher bringing "happiness and freedom" to a French village where they spend a period of time. Well, not that the idea itself is bad, but it has been used hundreds of times before in much better ways!! If you really want to have the solid version of this kind of tale, rent Mary Poppins for instance, and be happy and free...
Rating:
Summary: Delicious
Review: This is a lovely book to read, full of delightful characters and thoroughly evil bad guys, set in a picturesque French village. If you have seen the movie, which is equally delightful, you get the picture, though be warned, some of the characters and scenarios have changed a little on the big screen. If you like chocolate, you will of course like this book. The descriptions of Vianne's wares are just like standing in a chocolate shop and I suppose that these goodies are the real characters in the book. It really does evoke the passion of chocolate, and how it can change a life, and even an entire community. If I have a small criticism of the book, it is that it is a little predictable, but then again so is the taste of a good chocolate, and we never let that get in the way! Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: An interesting read
Review: I found this to be an enjoyable read. It consideres the age old war between religion and humanity and what happens when the two clash. The man of religion, Father Reynaud , takes himself a little too seriously and fails to realize that life can't and shouldn't be made miserable by your beliefs. You have to celebrate them and who you are, or you are condemned to be miserable and alone. Viviane and her daughter Anouk may seem to represent temptation, but to me they represent life,-in particular life lived to the fullest. Father Reynaud tries to stamp out their influence on "his" town and extingish the fire they kindle in the hearts of many instead of embracing them like a true man of God should, with disasterous results-for him. The main lesson I got from this book is, no matter what your beliefs are you deserve to be happy in this life and to be able to live that life the way you want...and no one should be able to take that away from you. Beliefs and happiness should live in harmony together, not tear each other apart.
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