Chocolat
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| Chocolat | |
 First edition cover |
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| Author | Joanne Harris |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Publication date | 4 March 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 394 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-385-41064-6 (first edition, hardback) |
Chocolat is a 1999 novel by Joanne Harris. It tells the story of Vianne Rocher, a young mother, who arrives at a fictional insular French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk. Vianne opens La Céleste Praline, a small chocolaterie, and her confections quickly begin to change the lives of the townspeople through magic, setting up a conflict with Francis Reynaud, the parish curate. Chocolat is a recent contribution to the literary stream of Magic Realism.
Harris has indicated that several of the book's characters were influenced by individuals in her life:[1] Her daughter forms the basis for the young Anouk, including her imaginary rabbit, Pantoufle. Harris' strong-willed and independent great-grandmother influenced her portrayal of both Vianne and the elderly Armande.
Chocolat is the French spelling of "chocolate", and is pronounced [ʃɔkɔˈla].
A sequel to the novel, The Lollipop Shoes, was released in the UK in 2007; under the title The Girl with No Shadow, it is set for a May 2008 release in the US.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot Summary
Vianne Rocher and her 6-year-old daughter, Anouk, arrive in the small village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes--"a blip on the fast road between Toulouse and Bourdeaux"--in February, during the festival of Mardi Gras. Three days later, Vianne opens a luxuriant chocolate shop opposite the church. It is Lent, however, and the chocolate shop is open on Sundays, and Francis Reynaud, the austere parish priest, is livid. One by one the locals succumb to Vianne's concoctions and their private lives become intwined. There's sad, polite Guillame and his dying dog; thieving, beaten-up Joséphine Muscat; Armande Voizon, still vigorous in her 70s, who can see Anouk's "imaginary" rabbit, Pantoufle, and recognizes Vianne for who she really is; Roux, a traveling gypsy who, along with his companions, is ostracized by many of the closed-minded villagers, including Armande's snobby daughter and Joséphine's violent husband, all under the guidance of Reynaud. So when Vianne announces a Grand Festival of Chocolate commencing Easter Sunday, it's all-out war: war between church and chocolate, between good and evil, between love and dogma.
[edit] Characters
- Vianne Rocher
- Anouk
- Josephine Muscat
- Paul-Marie Muscat
- Armande Voizin
- Francis Reynaud
- Caroline Clairmont
- Luc Clairmont
- Guillaume
- Narcisse
- Roux
- Zezette & Blanche
[edit] Film adaptation
The novel was adapted for film in 2000, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina, Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp.
[edit] Release details
- 1999, UK, Doubleday (ISBN 0-385-41064-6), Pub date 4 March 1999, hardback (First edition)
- 2000, UK, Black Swan (ISBN 0-552-99848-6), Pub date 2 March 2000, paperback
- 1999, USA, Viking Adult (ISBN 0-670-88179-1), Pub date February 1999, hardback
- 2000, USA, Penguin Books (ISBN 0-14-028203-3), Pub date January 2000, paperback
- 2000, USA, Penguin Books (ISBN 0-14-100018-X), Pub date November 2000, paperback (film tie-in edition)
- 2000, Australia, Black Swan (ISN 0-552-99893-1), Pub date 2000, paperback (film tie-in edition)
[edit] References
- ^ "About the Book". Joanne Harris Website. Retrieved on 2007-06-09. Contains comments by the author.
- ^ The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris
