Chocolat

By Joanne Harris
Read: December 2009
Rating: Delicious

I saw the movie ages ago, but I don’t remember it very well. A good deal of the book felt familiar, which means the movie did bear some similarity to it. Not that anyone would really care when they could gaze on a GORGEOUS Johnny Depp.

The book is lovely. Intriguing, with a current of mystery. I don’t think the movie did justice to the deep internal conflicts occurring in the two main characters.

Vianne is the unmarried mother of a little girl. They live as vagabonds, moving from place to place as the wind takes them. Now they are settling in a small town in France, on the banks of a river. To support them, Vianne opens a chocolaterie.

This sets her instantly at odds with the dour priest, Reynaud. He sees Vianne and her mystical, pagan ways as a direct threat to his church, and to him personally. From their first meeting, they recognize one another as the enemy.

Vianne brings more than chocolate to this small town. She brings change. Most of it good. Most of which makes Reynaud squirm.

Absolutely worth reading. A much richer experience than the film, though probably less ‘feel good.’