Description
Chocolat by Joanne Harris follows Vianne Rocher, a single mother who arrives with her young daughter, Anouk, in the conservative French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes at the beginning of Lent. She opens a chocolate shop directly opposite the church, immediately drawing the disapproval of the parish priest, Father Reynaud, who regards her presence and her tempting confections as a threat to the moral order of his congregation.
As Vianne gets to know the villagers, her shop becomes a place where people find pleasure, companionship and the courage to change their lives. Her uncanny ability to sense what people need, combined with her unconventional outlook and hints of magic, gradually disrupts the rigid community. When Vianne plans an Easter chocolate festival, the growing conflict between her philosophy of indulgence and Reynaud’s strict beliefs divides the village. Blending magical realism, sensuality and social commentary, Chocolat explores pleasure and self-denial, tolerance and prejudice, and the effect one outsider can have on a tightly controlled community. First published in 1999, it was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2000 film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.
