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A review by veraveruchka
The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris
3.0
Chocolat is one of my favourite book (and movie, too), so when I -a bit late- found that there are sequels to this book, I felt elated.
Several years after Lansquenet Sous-Tannes, the wind swept away Vianne Rocher and her daughters' life to a little chocolaterie in Montmartre, Paris. Vianne changed her name into Yanne Charbonneau, vowed not to do magic anymore, and strived to live as normal as possible. This decision was tried when a girl named Zozie L'Alba came into their life and get curious about Yanne and her daughters' secret. The past Yanne had so carefully concealed now haunted them again, putting their 'normal' life in jeopardy. But did Yanne and her daughters really want a normal life?
The story was told in several POV : Yanne's, Anouk's, and Zozie's. It's harder to get used to the POVs than in Chocolat, but after a while, I can enjoy it. I think the illustration of cat and moon before Yanne's POV and Pantoufle before Anouk is cute and spot on. Anouk's POV is particularly enjoyable to read. The voice is authentically early teen and at the same time more mature beyond her age, as often described by her mother.
The Girl with No Shadow is basically a story of Good versus Evil. Only the 'Good' and 'Evil' is not always easy to define. I like that it also talks about the issue of tolerance and xenophobia, in more netral way. And finally it brought the question of existentialism : Can we be happier if we accept who we are? But exactly who are we? What is our true identity, how to define what we are? Is it better to stood out or blend in the crowd?
The book leans more into 'magical' side more than 'realism', with the appearance of mysterious Zozie. The subtle magic and superstitious in Chocolat has become more serious and powerful. It's a bit hard to keep track to cantrips used and their effects, especially because of the Mexican names which I'm not even sure how to spell. It's also kind of difficult to understand Zozie's motive. But Harris' specialty is still well preserved in this book. The life stories and secrets of seemingly minuscule characters enrich the story, sometimes heartbreaking. Also, her descriptions are beautiful and enticing as always
If you have read other Harris' novel, you might realize that Framboise and Paul from the village of Les Laveuses in Five Quarters of Orange made appearance again in this book. I have read it, like it so much, and I find it as a pleasant surprise, like the characters of those two books really dwell in this same universe.
I like this book moderately but I will definitely read other Harris' books. Especially the third installment of the series : Peach for Father Francis.
Several years after Lansquenet Sous-Tannes, the wind swept away Vianne Rocher and her daughters' life to a little chocolaterie in Montmartre, Paris. Vianne changed her name into Yanne Charbonneau, vowed not to do magic anymore, and strived to live as normal as possible. This decision was tried when a girl named Zozie L'Alba came into their life and get curious about Yanne and her daughters' secret. The past Yanne had so carefully concealed now haunted them again, putting their 'normal' life in jeopardy. But did Yanne and her daughters really want a normal life?
The story was told in several POV : Yanne's, Anouk's, and Zozie's. It's harder to get used to the POVs than in Chocolat, but after a while, I can enjoy it. I think the illustration of cat and moon before Yanne's POV and Pantoufle before Anouk is cute and spot on. Anouk's POV is particularly enjoyable to read. The voice is authentically early teen and at the same time more mature beyond her age, as often described by her mother.
The Girl with No Shadow is basically a story of Good versus Evil. Only the 'Good' and 'Evil' is not always easy to define. I like that it also talks about the issue of tolerance and xenophobia, in more netral way. And finally it brought the question of existentialism : Can we be happier if we accept who we are? But exactly who are we? What is our true identity, how to define what we are? Is it better to stood out or blend in the crowd?
The book leans more into 'magical' side more than 'realism', with the appearance of mysterious Zozie. The subtle magic and superstitious in Chocolat has become more serious and powerful. It's a bit hard to keep track to cantrips used and their effects, especially because of the Mexican names which I'm not even sure how to spell. It's also kind of difficult to understand Zozie's motive. But Harris' specialty is still well preserved in this book. The life stories and secrets of seemingly minuscule characters enrich the story, sometimes heartbreaking. Also, her descriptions are beautiful and enticing as always
If you have read other Harris' novel, you might realize that Framboise and Paul from the village of Les Laveuses in Five Quarters of Orange made appearance again in this book. I have read it, like it so much, and I find it as a pleasant surprise, like the characters of those two books really dwell in this same universe.
I like this book moderately but I will definitely read other Harris' books. Especially the third installment of the series : Peach for Father Francis.