Chocolat

Chocolat

By: Joanne Harris

Summary:

...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. bn.com

Since I'm currently reading the sequel to this book, I thought I should do a post about Chocolat. I loved this book! I was drawn in by the main character, Vianne. This mysterious woman comes to quiet, church-centered town and dares to open a chocolate store! She somehow knows what everyone likes, what they need, and it drives the town's priest insane. The whole chocolate part was my favorite! Reading of Vianne making it, decorating it, and serving it had me drooling! Joanne Harris did a phenomonal job of creating a story around my favorite treat!I also loved watching this group of characters unapologetically come together.

I loved the secondary characters! There was only a couple that I didn't enjoy reading about, but that's how Joanne wants them to come across. The mysterious drifter, Roux, who you can't help but become drawn to. The priest who refuses to believe the store won't be the end of the town.

Woven throughout the book is the story of Vianne's life. The mother storyline, after awhile, got a bit dark for me and uninteresting. Her mother's death was not something I needed to have drawn out the way it was. A brief synopsis would have been fine with me. I also got fed up about fearing the dark man. However, through learning of Vianne's past you come to see why she's the drifter she is.

I loved all the little magic ever so subtly involved. It wasn't an amount that would have freaked me out, but enough to make the book all the more interesting to read. This is definitely a book I would read again; I'd just skip past the mother storyline after awhile.

If you decide to read this great book, I strongly advice doing so with some kind of chocolate with you. I am convinced it made the reading experience all the more magical and enjoyable!