Filled with a vivid depiction of rural France, the story charts how the arrival of the mysterious stranger Vianne Rocher, changes the lives of a
small community. Vianne and her small daughter Anouk, along with Pantouffle, Anouk's imaginary friend, take residence amidst initial hostility and resentment from the townsfolk who are unused to someone as exotic and colourful as Vianne.
Vianne opens a chocolaterie, much to the dismay of the
local priest and Vianne's nemesis, who distrusts Vianne unwaveringly, feeling she is flouting convention by keeping her shop open on Sundays, the traditional day of worship.There are mouthwatering
descriptions of
chocolate which pervade the book;you can almost taste the chocolate truffles, gingerbread and florentines;Vianne is almost synonymous with the chocolate;
warm,tempting and offering comfort to those who ask it of her.
For those who choose to
accept Vianne, they are richly rewarded; she is deeply intiuitive and has almost magical talents in helping and bringing
people together;she has not only the gift of divining what people's 'favourites' are when they come into the shop but can also find what their hidden sorrows are and helps the likes of Josephine, the harassed wife of the local bully, and Roux a surly traveller. Of course there are some who do not wish to accept anything from Vianne, and there are excellent descriptions of various narrow minded and hypocritical individuals, who occasionally inhabit small towns and give rise to 'small town mentality'.
Vianne is not perfect herself; she has for as long as she can remember been unable to settle down in one place. She is afraid but doesn't know what she is running from; sooner or later she will have to face her fears, especially if she is to call anywhere her home...
This is a rewarding read; rich with vividly drawn characterization and descriptions of chocolate, it is difficult to put down;a really warm and fantastic book.
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