Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Chocolat fiction series set in France and revolving around Vianne Rocher.
My Take
I hadn’t realized that the movie Chocolat was a Joanne Harris novel, and I was determined to read it. Then I learned that Peaches for Father Francis was third in the series. A whole series of which Chocolat was merely the beginning! Now circumstance has allowed me to start at the beginning with Chocolat. To learn how close the novel is to the film. To be able to progress on to the second in the series, The Girl with No Shadow and learn how Vianne and Anouk go from here to there.
Now that I’ve read Chocolat, I feel a need to watch the film, and read the book again. And I’m sure I’ll want to keep alternating forever and ever, for Joanne Harris is a brilliant writer. A must-buy writer with whom you’ll never go wrong. Harris pulls you in to the scent and feel of the story. Well, yes, chocolate will do that to you! But she makes me see Pantoufle and feel Anouk’s frustrations. I can see how very merry Vianne is, how determined she is to stay for once, how much she enjoys life. She is indeed a formidable foe for one who is so unChristian as the village priest. A man for whom pride is his most overweening sin, one he does not recognize. The bigotry and judgmental attitudes of the unhappy ones.
You can’t help but hate him and Caro, and yet Harris makes it’s easy to see how pogroms and inquisitions arose and chased out people who didn’t conform as she provides the words that help me to empathize with their viewpoint. It’s terrifying how people can interpret another’s actions so poorly and be so intent on destroying. All in the name of community! It’s lucky that the majority of the citizens of Lansquenet were on Vianne’s side.
Thinking about the villagers, I realize how everyday their lives were. Worries about the harvest, one’s health, love for family, envy, the lack of confidence and how it affects one’s outlook and views about others. It’s the familiar, the ordinary and when the expected is challenged by Vianne’s presence...oh, look out. Her cheeriness and unexpected behavior cause others to fear for themselves, to lash out. To want to destroy. It doesn’t matter who else it might hurt, as long as the one blowing life up can go back to his or her routine.
What is it with a priest who can condone a man beating his wife, but thinks she is so wicked because she leaves him? Why does Caroline want her mother to move into the local nursing home so badly?
It’s both today and the past as Vianne has a foot in both. She surges forward, living life today, but her doubts and worries pull her back to her memories of her mother.
It’s interesting that those who enjoyed people and life were the one who were happy while the others...ah, they were so very unhappy...
The Story
A single mother, a witch, and her child blow into the village one day with a desire to put down roots. To open a business. One that makes people happy. A major catastrophe for the village priest as he knows that she is of the devil with her tempting wares and questioning child.
A few see her as a challenge to their authority whether it’s within the church or in a family, and they are determined to force Vianne Rocher out.
The Characters
There are hints about Vianne Rocher. That she is magic, she is a witch, she is psychic, but nothing is ever confirmed. She’s a free spirit who loves life in all its fragrances. Anouk is her six-year-old daughter. Pantoufle is her not-completely-invisible rabbit friend.
Michel Roux is a river man who arrives on his barge, a man who used to be a builder in a past life. He and his friends—Zézette, Blanche, and Ahmed—are unwanted by some in the village. But not Armande, the sneak!
Joséphine Bonnet Muscat is married to Paul-Marie, the owner of the Café de la République, who beats her.
Father Francis Reynaud is the curé of the parish. Proud, too proud as can be seen in his embrace of the fasting for Lent. A man with a deep, dark secret.
Armande Voizin is an eighty-year-old woman with a love for life. Georges Clairmont is Caro’s husband. Caroline is Armande’s social-climbing daughter more interested in status than her mother. Luc is the grandson Armande is forbidden from seeing. Monsieur Cussonet is the doctor.
Narcisse owns a nursery. Joline Drou is a schoolteacher and Caro’s friend. Jeannot Drou is the son who befriends Anouk. Guillaume Duplessis is a retired schoolmaster who loves his dog, Charly. Monsieur Poitu runs the bakery. Other children include Lucie and Claudine.
Les Marauds is a region of narrow streets, a tiny slum near the river.
My Cover
The cover of the version I read is quite sedate, much like the village of Lansquenet. A subdued red background with a simple square inset of the village square bordered by a white mat and three lines as a prim bit of decoration. The title is white against a dark blue background with an old-fashioned banner effect on the ends, and it too is decorated with the same three lines, only these are in the red of the background. It’s the assorted doilies backing the title and its banner and supporting the bottom of the covert that provide the subtle flair, much like Armande’s red petticoat.
The title is the metaphor, the theme, for it’s Chocolat that permeates the air, titillates the taste buds, and pleasures the eye, bringing us joy in our lives.
My Take
I hadn’t realized that the movie Chocolat was a Joanne Harris novel, and I was determined to read it. Then I learned that Peaches for Father Francis was third in the series. A whole series of which Chocolat was merely the beginning! Now circumstance has allowed me to start at the beginning with Chocolat. To learn how close the novel is to the film. To be able to progress on to the second in the series, The Girl with No Shadow and learn how Vianne and Anouk go from here to there.
Now that I’ve read Chocolat, I feel a need to watch the film, and read the book again. And I’m sure I’ll want to keep alternating forever and ever, for Joanne Harris is a brilliant writer. A must-buy writer with whom you’ll never go wrong. Harris pulls you in to the scent and feel of the story. Well, yes, chocolate will do that to you! But she makes me see Pantoufle and feel Anouk’s frustrations. I can see how very merry Vianne is, how determined she is to stay for once, how much she enjoys life. She is indeed a formidable foe for one who is so unChristian as the village priest. A man for whom pride is his most overweening sin, one he does not recognize. The bigotry and judgmental attitudes of the unhappy ones.
You can’t help but hate him and Caro, and yet Harris makes it’s easy to see how pogroms and inquisitions arose and chased out people who didn’t conform as she provides the words that help me to empathize with their viewpoint. It’s terrifying how people can interpret another’s actions so poorly and be so intent on destroying. All in the name of community! It’s lucky that the majority of the citizens of Lansquenet were on Vianne’s side.
Thinking about the villagers, I realize how everyday their lives were. Worries about the harvest, one’s health, love for family, envy, the lack of confidence and how it affects one’s outlook and views about others. It’s the familiar, the ordinary and when the expected is challenged by Vianne’s presence...oh, look out. Her cheeriness and unexpected behavior cause others to fear for themselves, to lash out. To want to destroy. It doesn’t matter who else it might hurt, as long as the one blowing life up can go back to his or her routine.
What is it with a priest who can condone a man beating his wife, but thinks she is so wicked because she leaves him? Why does Caroline want her mother to move into the local nursing home so badly?
It’s both today and the past as Vianne has a foot in both. She surges forward, living life today, but her doubts and worries pull her back to her memories of her mother.
It’s interesting that those who enjoyed people and life were the one who were happy while the others...ah, they were so very unhappy...
The Story
A single mother, a witch, and her child blow into the village one day with a desire to put down roots. To open a business. One that makes people happy. A major catastrophe for the village priest as he knows that she is of the devil with her tempting wares and questioning child.
A few see her as a challenge to their authority whether it’s within the church or in a family, and they are determined to force Vianne Rocher out.
The Characters
There are hints about Vianne Rocher. That she is magic, she is a witch, she is psychic, but nothing is ever confirmed. She’s a free spirit who loves life in all its fragrances. Anouk is her six-year-old daughter. Pantoufle is her not-completely-invisible rabbit friend.
Michel Roux is a river man who arrives on his barge, a man who used to be a builder in a past life. He and his friends—Zézette, Blanche, and Ahmed—are unwanted by some in the village. But not Armande, the sneak!
Joséphine Bonnet Muscat is married to Paul-Marie, the owner of the Café de la République, who beats her.
Father Francis Reynaud is the curé of the parish. Proud, too proud as can be seen in his embrace of the fasting for Lent. A man with a deep, dark secret.
Armande Voizin is an eighty-year-old woman with a love for life. Georges Clairmont is Caro’s husband. Caroline is Armande’s social-climbing daughter more interested in status than her mother. Luc is the grandson Armande is forbidden from seeing. Monsieur Cussonet is the doctor.
Narcisse owns a nursery. Joline Drou is a schoolteacher and Caro’s friend. Jeannot Drou is the son who befriends Anouk. Guillaume Duplessis is a retired schoolmaster who loves his dog, Charly. Monsieur Poitu runs the bakery. Other children include Lucie and Claudine.
Les Marauds is a region of narrow streets, a tiny slum near the river.
My Cover
The cover of the version I read is quite sedate, much like the village of Lansquenet. A subdued red background with a simple square inset of the village square bordered by a white mat and three lines as a prim bit of decoration. The title is white against a dark blue background with an old-fashioned banner effect on the ends, and it too is decorated with the same three lines, only these are in the red of the background. It’s the assorted doilies backing the title and its banner and supporting the bottom of the covert that provide the subtle flair, much like Armande’s red petticoat.
The title is the metaphor, the theme, for it’s Chocolat that permeates the air, titillates the taste buds, and pleasures the eye, bringing us joy in our lives.
aok700's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
anatrnd's review against another edition
4.0
минулого року я вирішила подивитись всі фільми з Джонні Деппом, тому нарешті познайомилась з екранізацією цієї книжки. тоді фільм сподобався мені своєю атмосферою, але зараз розумію, що треба його передивитись після прочитання. тому що фільм гарний (хоч я його і погано вже пам'ятаю), але це трохи інша історія, яка в мене викликала значно менше емоцій, ніж книжка
перш за все, це НЕ любовний роман. це набагато глибша історія, яка розповідає про маленьке консервативне французьку містечко та про протистояння в ньому різних цінностей: чужинки, яка відкриває у ньому свою шоколадну крамницю-кафе, і релігійного священика, який не хоче допустити зміни у містечку. я дуже вдячна авторці, що тут в нас два povs (насправді зазвичай я не дуже люблю такі книжки): ми читаємо по черзі розділи від лиця Віани Роше та Франсіса Рейно
загалом, священика тут можна вважати головним антагоністом історії, але завдяки тому, що історію ми дізнаємось не лише від Віани, але і від нього, мені складно ставитись до нього абсолютно негативно (вдячна авторці [2], що можна прочитати розділи від лиця антагоніста, бо нечасто насправді зустрічаю такі книжки)
взагалі у цій книжці складно ставитись лише погано до якихось персонажів (крім аб'юзера, звичайно), тому що вони справді схожі на справжніх, звичайних людей, яких можна зустріти, подорожуючи десь по Франції. у січні читала "Різдво з червоним кардиналом" Фенні Флеґґ (спойлер: вона сподобалась мені значно менше, ніж "Шоколад", книжка на один раз), і ця історія нагадала мені її: атмосфера маленького (але зовсім іншого) містечка, нова людина у місті, приємні (здебільшого) персонажі і приємне відчуття суму, але і водночас надії, яке залишається вкінці, коли перегортаєш останню сторінку
до речі, про атмосферу. стиль написання авторки просто неймовірний. я прочитала книжку за декілька годин (хоч і мусила поділити на два дні, бо почала читати перед сном), тому що просто не могла відірватись. сторінки буквально затягують в себе, слова течуть так само повільно і густо, як шоколад, і неможливо не відчувати запах (а деколи і смак!) шоколаду, поки читаєш цю історію
додаю книжку в одну з улюблених цього року і тепер точно заміню своє старе видання на нове українською від "КСД", бо хочу колись знову перечитати цю історію (продовження теж читатиму, але трошечки пізніше, бо занадто багато планів). вона неймовірно атмосферна, просто читайте <3
перш за все, це НЕ любовний роман. це набагато глибша історія, яка розповідає про маленьке консервативне французьку містечко та про протистояння в ньому різних цінностей: чужинки, яка відкриває у ньому свою шоколадну крамницю-кафе, і релігійного священика, який не хоче допустити зміни у містечку. я дуже вдячна авторці, що тут в нас два povs (насправді зазвичай я не дуже люблю такі книжки): ми читаємо по черзі розділи від лиця Віани Роше та Франсіса Рейно
загалом, священика тут можна вважати головним антагоністом історії, але завдяки тому, що історію ми дізнаємось не лише від Віани, але і від нього, мені складно ставитись до нього абсолютно негативно (вдячна авторці [2], що можна прочитати розділи від лиця антагоніста, бо нечасто насправді зустрічаю такі книжки)
взагалі у цій книжці складно ставитись лише погано до якихось персонажів (крім аб'юзера, звичайно), тому що вони справді схожі на справжніх, звичайних людей, яких можна зустріти, подорожуючи десь по Франції. у січні читала "Різдво з червоним кардиналом" Фенні Флеґґ (спойлер: вона сподобалась мені значно менше, ніж "Шоколад", книжка на один раз), і ця історія нагадала мені її: атмосфера маленького (але зовсім іншого) містечка, нова людина у місті, приємні (здебільшого) персонажі і приємне відчуття суму, але і водночас надії, яке залишається вкінці, коли перегортаєш останню сторінку
до речі, про атмосферу. стиль написання авторки просто неймовірний. я прочитала книжку за декілька годин (хоч і мусила поділити на два дні, бо почала читати перед сном), тому що просто не могла відірватись. сторінки буквально затягують в себе, слова течуть так само повільно і густо, як шоколад, і неможливо не відчувати запах (а деколи і смак!) шоколаду, поки читаєш цю історію
додаю книжку в одну з улюблених цього року і тепер точно заміню своє старе видання на нове українською від "КСД", бо хочу колись знову перечитати цю історію (продовження теж читатиму, але трошечки пізніше, бо занадто багато планів). вона неймовірно атмосферна, просто читайте <3
missyjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
probably would really give a 2.5 stars. either this was a little disjointed or I was distracted while reading. I know that Vianne's life was disjointed so maybe J. Harris accomplished what she was trying to convey
alghesny's review against another edition
2.0
I see how it would make a good movie, but 3 stars seem too generous. Characters felt flat and two dimensional. Plot felt forced at times and clumsy at others, but delightful and atmospheric nevertheless.
meganbyrne14's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tashaseegmiller's review against another edition
5.0
This is a charming book, merging complicated issues of religion, acceptance, abuse, racism, and love in a small French town and surrounding a new chocolate shop. Harris tackles topics that need to be discussed, that feel heavy on their own, and yet it's totally accessible because Vianne is charmingly, lovingly accessible. Highly recommend.
bungadinding's review against another edition
3.0
awalnya memikat banget. sayangnya makin ke belakang makin kurang sreg sama plotnya, pendirian dan pemikiran tokoh2nya... jadi terpaksa 3 bintang saja u_u
raedanni's review against another edition
4.0
I have to start out by saying that this book has some of the most incredible characters that I've ever read about. Vianne is just awe inspiring both as a character in a book to follow and just simply as a person in her own right. I have officially found a new idol in her. The book was fascinating for me mainly for the many amazing characters. I felt like I truly became friends with these characters and I was completely invested in their lives. I also found the religious subjects extremely thought provoking and incredibly true to life (at least in my own experience). The only huge problem that I really had was that I felt like the ending happened way too quickly and that it just was not wrapped up as well as it should have been. I realize that there are sequels but I personally do not feel the need to read these (I adore this book as a stand alone) and I just wish that I had gotten just a slight bit more closure with the side characters of the novel.
erindoublee's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a great read for me, but this type of book is the genre I love. Chocolat was about Vianne’s coming into herself, fighting wit the constant need to run (flee, fly with the wind). She has ran her whole life and yearns to stop running, and in the meantime she inspires those around her with her spirit, love, candor, frankness, and her freeing spirit. She gives the advice she needs herself. I loved this novel.