Chocolat (by Joanne Harris)

"Chocolat” by Joanne Harris
Much like the sweet of the same name, life is a little better because “Chocolat” exists.
This is the tale of a young French woman, Vianne Rocher, and her 6-year-old daughter, Anouk, along with Pantoufle, of course, Anouk’s invisible rabbit. This family of travelers arrives in the small town of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes during the town’s celebration of “Shrove Tuesday”.
Vianne opts to stay in this town for a bit and quickly opens a “chocolatier's”. Located across the street from the church, open on Sundays - during Lent for that matter – the shop creates moral dilemma for the parish priest, Francis Reynard. Vianne’s mysterious abilities to “guess” everyone’s favorite treat, amongst other talents, also confuse and upset the priest. But when Vianne is encouraged by the children of the town to hold a Chocolate Festival on Easter Sunday, Reynard draws the battle line between church and chocolate.
This is an incredible, unexpected story and Vianne is a character which young girls and women can and should look to as a role model. She is a strong, independent woman, taking care of her family, while at the same time, befriending townspeople – the lonely, the abused, and the unappreciated.
Ms. Harris’ beautiful fairy tale – for that is what it seems to be – is compassionate and hopeful. Through the drama and animosity, which must accompany any good story, there seems to be a continuing feeling of optimism. As I read this, I found myself hoping for the best even for the most antagonistic character.
This story was made into a feature film in 2000, starring Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina and Johnny Depp, and was nominated for 5 Academy Awards. The movie was wonderful.
The book, forgive me for sounding cliché, was so much better. -Denise Cordoni