- Chocolat
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This article is about the novel. For the film adaptation, see Chocolat (2000 film). For other uses, see Chocolat (disambiguation).
Chocolat 
First edition coverAuthor(s) 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) OCLC Number 40881895 Followed by The Lollipop Shoes 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.[citation needed]
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 French for "chocolate", and is pronounced [ʃɔkɔˈla] or "shocola".
A sequel to the novel, The Lollipop Shoes, was released in the UK in 2007; under the title The Girl with No Shadow, it was released in the US in 2008.[2]
Contents
Plot summary
The story begins as a woman, by the name of Vianne Rocher, and her daughter, Anouk, move into the small French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. They are brought by "the wind" during the last days of carnival, and they settle and open a chocolaterie, La Praline Celeste. The village curate Francis Reynaud, is initially mystified, because Lent, has just begun, but his confusion turns rapidly to anger when he understands that she does not obey the church, and "flouts" the unspoken rules that he feels should govern his "flock".
Vianne, we learn from her personal thoughts, is a witch though she does not use the word. Her mother and she were wanderers, going from one city to another. Her mother strove to inspire the same need for freedom in her daughter, who was more social and passive. They were born with gifts, and used them as domestic magic, to earn their living. Before her mother's death, they've been running from the Black Man, a recurring motif in her mother's tarot. When her mother was killed by a cab, she went on her own, trying to evade the Black Man and "the wind" and settle down.
The chocolaterie is an old dream of hers. She has an innate talent at cooking and a charming personality. She tries to fit in and help her customers. She starts having regulars, and, to Reynaud's dismay, she doesn't go out of business.
Reynaud attempts to have Vianne run out of town, and he talks about every Sunday, at church. Some people initially stay away but not for long. His conflict with her becomes his personal crusade. Vianne, however, announces a "Grand Festival of Chocolate," to be held on Easter Sunday.
Characters
- Vianne Rocher, mother of Anouk, blows in to the small village of Lasquennet-sous-les-Tannes and opens a chocolaterie, during the time of Lent. She is described as taller than the average woman, with black curly hair, "dark eyes that seem pupilless", straight brows that would make her face stern if not for the amused quirk of her mouth, a little too big. Her favourite chocolate is and her favourite scent is mimosa. She loves Anouk very much, and her greatest fear is that they'll be torn apart. She was a friendly, charming personality, but stubborn too, and she stands up for her beliefs, in a mild yet firm manner. She has a keen sense of people and great powers of intuition.
- Francis Reynaud is the Black Man in this book. He tries to make Vianne and her daughter leave as he initially believes her shop inappropriate during Lent, but he later comes to believe that she is Satan's helper. He is fanatical and puritan in his beliefs, due to the inspiration of père Michel, the former priest of Lansquennet, and of his troubled childhood. He has a strong sense of dignity, which might be mistaken for pride sometimes, an obsession with following the rules and believes himself superior in terms of moral strength and intellect as he observes with chagrined disdain in one of his confessions.
- Anouk Rocher
- Josephine Muscat is the wife of Paul-Marie Muscat. At the beginning of the book she is a silent fearful figure, the result of the incessant brutal treatment received at the hand of her husband. She starts to hope after Vianne offers her her friendship, and finally she leaves her husband. Vianne offers her a job and residence at her chocolaterie, arguing that if she leaves the town, she'll never stop running. Under her guidance, Josephine transforms, becoming more stubborn, self-confident and charming.
- Paul-Marie Muscat married Josephine so that he could use her as his personal servant. He beats her often and he drinks too much. Under his father's guidance he developed a cruel personality that, coupled with his need for vengeance, made him incinerate Roux's boat.
- Armande Voizin, the mother of Caroline Clairmont, is a witch, by her own account, and she is the first to anticipate the changes Vianne's arrival would bring. She believes Vianne is also a witch, though Vianne doesn't agree with the word. They become friends, due to a similarity in personalities and the freedom of spirit they both share. Vianne helps Armande reconnect with her grandson, Luc, and Armande helps Vianne after one of Reynaud's strong sermons. She has a secret love of underwear and the poetry of Rimbaud. It is revealed that when she was a very good climber, she would often throw things at passers-by from the trees. She has a strong disdain for Reynaud and some of the villagers that follow him blindly, who she calls 'bible groupies'.
- Caroline Clairmont is one of the aforementioned 'bible groupies' and doesn't have a good relationship with her mother, the result of which was banning Luc from ever seeing his grandmother again. She is superficial and spiteful, and she fusses too much over Armande, a fact which the latter hates. She's quick to point out everyone else's mistakes but not her own and rarely does anything without expecting something in return.
- Luc Clairmont is Caroline Clairmont son, whom she raised with obsessive care, because of his father's death. Luc has a penchant for the dark and bizarre which he's been hiding for fear of upsetting his mother.
- Guillaume
- Narcisse
- Roux is the nickname of a red-haired gypsy, who, along with others, docks near Lansquennet, to the chagrin of Reynaud and other villagers. As a sort of 'ambassador' of the 'river-people' he gets to know Armande, and then Vianne and Anouk, whom he takes to immediately. He has a strong sense of independence and is not one to trust easily, but would go to great lengths for people he cares about.
- Zezette & Blanche
- Samson Fay
- Tengo Sukat
Reception
Charles de Lint praised the novel, saying "Harris's prose is an absolute delight.", He compared Chocolat to Like Water for Chocolate "but with a European rather than a Latin flavor."[3]
Film adaptation
Main article: Chocolat (2000 film)The novel was adapted for film in 2000, directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp.
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)
Sequel
Main article: The Lollipop ShoesA sequel to Chocolat titled The Lollipop Shoes, was published in 2007
References
- ^ "About the Book". Joanne Harris Website. http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/pages/bookpages/chocolat.html. Retrieved 2007-06-09. Contains comments by the author.
- ^ The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris
- ^ Books to Look For, F&SF, October/November 1999
External links
Categories:- 1999 novels
- Novels by Joanne Harris
- Novels adapted into films
- British magic realism novels
- 1990s novel stubs
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