Chocolat is written like a fairly tale. The writing is very fluid, lyrical and romantic. Written in first person, the story is told through the view points of two very different, yet similar people. Vianne is a drifter, has been a drifter all her life. Since childhood her and her mother have traveled from place to place never settling in one stop. Now an adult she is repeating the same patterns set by her mother. Reynaud is a country priest in the town that Vianne had decided to settle, at least for the moment. Reynaud is a local boy and worry of outsiders.

Early in the story Harris sets up the tense and animosity between Reynaud and Vianne. Vianne since that Reynaud sees her as a threat and worries what pain he will inflect on her and her called. Reynaud sees Vianne and her daughter as sinners, sent to wreck havoc on his congregation. Its and interesting battle, Reynaud takes it more seriously than Vianne. Yet, the reader can feel the struggle of between the characters. Reynaud's frustration has citizens of Lansquenet welcome Viannee and her chocolate shop into there community is almost tangible. His struggle with setting an example by being pleasant but wanting to protect his sense of tradition are strong.

Vianne, on the other hand, is struggling with her past and the hopes for her child's future. She can't decide if Reynaud is an actually threat or rather a manifestation of past worries and insecurity. Readers get to see how Vianne's personality and ability to understand people draw people into her show and how bonds between her and the town are formed. Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, are very likable characters. There bond is nice written and portrayed in the story.

Chocolat, has been made into a movie and the books has a different feel. The movie (if I remember correctly) is more of a love story. The book is not a love story, its a story about change. Yet, like the movie it has a very whimsical feel. Harris does a good job of illustrating Vianne and Anouk gifts without making the story overly exaggerated. The fantasy magical aspect seems like a part of the story without making the story see make believe.

The one thing that this story lacks is a climax that does the story justice. The climax in the story is very lackluster. It almost came and went. The story was set up for this final battle between Reynaud and Vianne but that never manifested.
Pros: Writing, Characters, Plot
Cons: Climax

Overall Recommendation:

Chocolat is a good novel. The writing is excellent and the character likable. Highly recommended. But be aware that the movie does not follow the book that closely and if you are looking for a great love story this is not the night novel. Instead, tryLike Water for Chocolate. ( )

The magical story of a small French town, one windy day a new inhabitant arrives and turns the town on its side. She open a chocolate shop that is so much more than that. The descriptive details of the tastes and smells were amazing. I really need to find some fine chocolate for myself now. ( )

One February day, Vianne Rocher finds herself with her 6 year old daughter Anouk, in Lansquenet, a small French village. Having lived in many places and never having settled, Vianne decides to stay. She opens a chocolaterie opposite the local Catholic Church, and in doing so, encounters the disapproval of the Priest, Reynaud.

Reynaud - a cold man, who suffers with his own guilt and anger - believes that the chocolate which Vianne sells is encouraging his 'flock' to indulge in excess and sin. He watches with dismay as the townspeople start to come to Vianne's shop, drawn in by her almost instinctive understanding of their lives and thoughts.

When a group of river gypsies, led by the enigmatic Roux come to Lansquenet, Reynaud is further distressed as Vianne's acceptance of them leads to the other people also accepting them. She helps people discover their inner strength - aiding a woman to escape her abusive woman and comforting a man who has to face the truth about his beloved pet's illness.

As Reynaud tries to think of a way to stop his flock abandoning him for the pleasures of Vianne's creations, events come to a climax at Easter time.

I really enjoyed this book. Quite apart from anything else, the descriptions of the chocolates are mouth watering, and made me hungry!

Vianne is an interesting character, and throughout the entire book, I cheered along with her small victories. Reynaud is deliberately without charisma or warmth. He is not a nice man, and neither is supposed to be. However, he is portrayed with just enough sympathy to make him a believable 'villain' of sorts.

There are several other characters, all of whom play their own part in the book...Armande Voizin, Vianne's friend; Josephine Muscat, an outcast in who Vianne sees something with even Josephine is not aware she possesses; and Roux, the tough but fair leader of the gypsies. Each and every character in the book is distinctive and realistic.

This is an ideal book to curl up with on a lazy afternoon (with a big mug of hot chocolate)! I will certainly be seeking out the sequel. ( )

"I believe that being happy is the only important thing. Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or torturous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive."

If you've watched the movie from a few years back and you've only decided just now to pick up the book where the movie was based on, prepare to be surprised (although in what way exactly, I leave it to you). I can hardly believe that a novel so richly packed with meaning could be so relatively short. Harris' prose here is at its finest, as we follow the narratives of Vianne, the free-spirited chocolate-creating witch, and Reynaud, the guilt-stricken oppressive village priest.

Young widow Vianne Roche's mouthwatering bonbons, steaming mugs of liqueur-laced cocoa and flaky cream-filled patisserie don't earn her a warm welcome from the stern prelate of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. In Francis Reynaud's zeal to enforce strict Lenten vows of self-denial, he regards his sybaritic neighbor with suspicion and disdain. It is Lent, the priest has decreed abstinence, deprivation. Yet, Vianne's shop is a "red-and-gold confection," her window a proliferation of truffles, pralines, candied fruits, hazelnut clusters, candied rose petals, all there to tempt Reynaud's parishioners. He sees it as a disgrace, a degradation of the faith, and eventually preaches against Vianne from his pulpit.

Undaunted, Vianne garners support from the town's eccentrics, chiefly Armande Voizin, the oldest living resident, a self-professed sorceress who senses in Vianne a kindred spirit. A fun-loving band of river gypsies arrives, and a colorful pageant unfurls.

Each narrative is uniquely told, with personality quirks inherent to each, and each narrative can be subtly imperfect - Reynaud slowly descends into madness, as does his precise narrative; Vianne's fear of weakness and displacement causes her to falsely claim that she never cries, causes her to state a yearning to move on which does not exist, and causes her to doubt her own importance to her lover Roux - creating a tantalizing problem for the reader: do we believe Vianne or do we believe Roux and his actions? The problem is - like Vianne's chocolates - delicate and bitter-sweet, with possibilities abounding on either side.

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.

"Places all have their characters, and returning to a city you've lived before is like coming home to an old friend. No, places do not lose their identity, however far one travels. It is the heart that begins to erode after a time."

A surprising yet fitting denouement caps this deftly told tale of lust, greed and love. Francophiles will be drawn to the evocative descriptions of daily village life, while gourmands revel in the mouth-watering descriptions of chocolate preparation. "Chocolat" is a heart warming and enjoyable story. The only downfall: the intense chocolate cravings the whole time you read!

Book Details:

Title Chocolat
Author Joanne Harris
Reviewed By Purplycookie ( )

i loved this novel about a mysterious woman who comes to a small town in france. with her daughter, and her daughter's imaginary friend/pet, the town wakes up to a new understanding of the pleasures of life, thanks to scrumptious chocolate creations. ( )