Chocolat - Joanne Harris

The name of the book stuck to my mind since the year when I had seen this movie being nominated for the Oscars in The Best Foreign Picture category....and mind you , that was a long time ago.

Suddenly, one day while browsing through a book store, I came across the book. Needless to say, all the dormant curiousity was aroused. So, without much deliberation, I bought the bok.

It was one of the most prudent decisions of my life.

UNlike most other novels and long stories, this book has no tedious beginning...right from the page 1 you get hooked to the book for its vibrant yet subtle style. The protagonist of the story is Vianne Rocher who comes riding the carnival wind. She comes with her daughter little Anouk and Anouk's imaginary friend-the rabbit Pantoufle.. In no time, you get absorbed in the book as the soul of the citizens of Lansquennet-de-Tanns is laid bare layer by layer like an onion being peeled deliberately so that the core comes out-white and unscathed. The people of the village-the most amusing and interesting being Armande Voizin- a fiercely independent lady who despises the church, and more particularly the pere of the church---described by Rocher as ''the Black Man''.....

Slowly, armed with her scribing skills ( Vianne scribed with chocolate ) and an army of various delicious confectionery to melt anyones heart, and her peculiar insight into the likes and dislikes of the people, her shop La Celeste'Praline ( Divine Praline-praline being a confectionery made out of chocolate) becomes a sort of rebellion against the stern authority of the church, to the utter annoyance of the pere, more so as it was situated right across the road.

The actual fun starts when Rou arrives with his troupe of gypsies and even though the Father preaches otherwise, Armande gives them a place to harbour their boats..

The best thing about the book is that Harris has accomplished the rare feat of not portraying anyone as completely evil or good-she portrays every body in the same light....the people of the village as suppressed souls and Vianne as a free spirit, a gypsy. The pere is only a suppressed soul who refuses change even though the path that Vianne follows is more fulfilling...

Read the book, if you have ever felt emotionally strangulated, it is assured that you will definitely identify yourself with one of the characters in the book. All in all. its a sweet book with lots of references to chocolate--so a statutory warning- do sit with a handful of chocolate, otherwise your stomach will gurgle like hell. And if you are weight conscious, there is high probability that there will be a terrible craving for chocolate..

Do read the book, it opens a new vista of dreams and possibilities......

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She came on the wind of the carnival. She and little Anouk. She will set up home here - one more time. She is Vianne Rocher.

He has god on his side. And the god given right to bring his straying sheep back into the fold. It frets his soul, to be leading ''this languid procession of liars, cheats, gluttons and pathetic self- deceivers''. But his resolve will not be broken. He will win as always.

''Chocolat'' is based on an age old theme of ''good'' and ''evil'' that has been convoluted by time into a battle between the church and man. It pits piety, self-denial, guilt and repentance as represented by Reynaud against indulgence, kindness, comfort and love as represented by Vianne. its a battle that comes to you through the inner thoughts of these people. And as the narrative, alternating between Vianne and Reynaud, developes - you stop reading and start listening.

Both the voices appeal to you in their own way - stern and severe in the case of Reynaud and seductive and sensuous in the case of Vianne. But you very soon find out who the sympathies of the author lie with. And god help you if you are on the other side, because Joanne Harris's writing will melt all your defences and you will find your own sympathies change.

Harris knows her Chocolates, her English, her Magic, her characters and seems to know her France. And from this vantage position of an expert she writes a descriptive prose that effectively paints the picture of a little town in rural France and its people, to perfection.

''One main street, a double row of dun-coloured half-timbered houses leaning secretively together, a few laterals running parallel like the tines of a fork.....headscarves and berets are the colour of the hair beneath, brown, black and grey..''

Hers is a prose where the physical and the abstract blend seamlessly with the sole objective of communicating. In her words, the struggle between the burning curiosity and natural reserve of the village people becomes ''a kind of seething, a whispering of speculation, a twitching of curtains, a gathering of resolve''. A prose that is as smooth as the chocolat that she writes about.

And as you bite into this delicious feast you will encounter little nuts of thought provoking ideas - ''Oh, I am not allowed chocolate.... or anything else that I may enjoy....first smoking, then alcohol, now this ..... God knows, if I gave up breathing perhaps I might live for ever.''

Harris loves her chocolat. She writes about chocolate the way Enid Blyton writes about food. You may not know your pralines, Venus's nipples, truffles, mendiants, candied fruits, hazelnut clusters, chocolate seashells, candied rose-petals, and sugared violets - but that will not stop your mouth water. And for a vegan like me, there is the added comfort that they are unlikely to turn out to be pigs and cows, like those very delicious sausages did.

Next time you got to the bookstore you may notice a purple and gold and silver book beckon you and seductively whisper

Try me... Test me... Taste me...

My advice - succumb to temptation.

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Delicious?Sweet...Salivating?.Addictive?Tempting?Sinful?Indulging ?Scrumptious?Delectable?or simply but aptly, mmmm Yummy?....these members of vocabulary do rounds in my mind when I hear something called chocolate. Had heard somewhere that as with most fine things, chocolate too has its season.

There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate. I can see the curve of your lips going up. Not surprisingly, a research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate.

That was a prelude for the review on ''CHOCOLAT'' by Joanne Harris. Undoubtedly, a FUN and SWEET book to be engaged with. If crafted in one sentence, it sure is a luscious tale of Church versus Chocolate.

The novel traces 40 whole days in the life of a little French village, beginning with Mardi Gras and ending with Easter Sunday. Vianne Rocher, her six-year old toddler Anouk and her imaginary rabbit friend Pantoufle walk into Lansquenet-sous-Tannes on the carnival day, decide to settle into a bakery across from the Catholic church and the eyes of its pastor Pere Francis Reynaud, and set up La Celeste Praline, a Chocolaterie.

Vianne, with her her shop, brings a touch of luxury and a splash of color to the otherwise conservative village. She knows the favorite sweets of her customers without asking, or possibly the way she can pull their deepest wishes and worries from them with just the slightest touch. Vianne's arrival changes the town, for better and for worse.

Reynaud, the Black Man, is threatened by everything that Vianne represents and fights back through manipulation of his flock whom he nevertheless despises. It all comes to a head with the children's plea for a Grand Festival du Chocolat for Easter, when Vianne will make ''a thousand and one epiphanies of spun-sugar magic-carpet rides more suited to an Arabian harem then the solemnities of the Passion.''

Joanne Harris's novels read like adult fairy tales;charming, curious and threaded with magical realism. The beautiful fabric that she weaves with such innocence and simplicity without being flowery is bound to bowl you over. Ms. Harris does a wonderful job with the character development of the residents, contriving a close examination of the concepts of friendship, obsession, pride, and asceticism.

You actually feel the characters and their pain, temptation, vulnerability, and also their release, freedom, delight and their smile.

Apart from the chief theme, the novel also attends to issues like violence against women, racism, rights for the senior citizens, bigotry and euthanasia. The main highlight of the story is the sensual magic of chocolate carried out by an individual to change people?s lives.

By the closing stages of the novel, we come to believe the fine line we all walk when we deny ourselves of pleasure, and consequently end up making the object of denial an obsession. A wonderful story?beautifully told?and better savored with a bar ... or more correctly, ... bars of chocolate!!!

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To me the word chocolate suggests indulgence, luxury, extravagance and sensuality, however it may also represent temptation, greed and even sin. In the book Chocolat, by Joanne Harris, chocolate becomes a tool to represent and explore all of these emotions. Chocolat is a story which follows the time old fairytale tradition of good versus evil, however the plot continues to twist and thicken as we are presented with clues about the mysterious pasts of many of the characters, which ultimately fit together like pieces of an intricate jig saw puzzle. The story centers around the enigmatic Vianne Rocher, who arrives with the south wind to a small town in France with her young, illegitimate daughter Anouk. Vianne is depicted as an understanding, insightful and compassionate person, who, in her own special way is fighting the power hungry, intolerant and influential Reynaud, the town priest and unofficial leader. Complications arise with the arrival of the river gypsies who seem to pose a threat to the harmony of the quite town. Under Reynaud influence, the town’s people shun them, however Vianne welcomes then and slowly the towns people become somewhat less suspicious and a little more tolerant. In Vianne’s struggle to defeat the ever present Black Man, she makes many new friends and gives them the strength and confidence to overcome their own Black Men. She provides friendship and trust in the form of chocolate, instinctively knowing each person’s favorite. She proves there is nothing wrong with a bit of indulgence, and that denial can do more harm than good.

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''CHOCOLAT'' as tempting as the name of the book is, I always thought this would be one of those mushy love stories that I dislike reading & for this reason I have also avoided watching the movie based on this novel [even though I adore Johnny Depp] but while on a break I had decided to read all the books looking at me, waiting to be read & it was Chocolat that I picked up first.

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Try me...Test me...Taste me!...The Chocolaty Story

Vianne Rocher alongwith her six year old daughter, Anouk, moves into a small conservative town Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, with the Mardi Gras carnival. Life in the village is quiet, predictable & dominated by the church. Taking an instant liking for the village, Vianne then decides to stay & sets up a exuberant chocolate shop-cum-cafe 'La Celeste Praline', right across from the town's Catholic church!

As it is the beginning of Lent [a 40 weekdays before Easter, observed as a period of penitence], at first most town people are reluctant to visit Vianne's choc shop but when one of the locals succumbs to the delicious choc concoctions, word gets around & instantly her shop draws all the villagers. This chocolaterie, which is also open on Sundays, attracts people as they attend church for their morning prayers, most cannot resist the tempting confections & mouth-watering variety of hot chocolate drinks. Soon it becomes the place where people air their grievances, their motivations, reveal their dreams to Vianne. This is the place where they delight at surrendering to innocent temptations & enjoying the small pleasures of life. With her exotic chocolates & her charm Vianne becomes popular, much to the annoyance of the village priest Pere Francis Reynaud, a strict shallow man who suspects Vianne to be a witch!

A church or chocolate war is inevitable when Vianne announces a Grand Festival of Chocolate commencing Easter Sunday, prompting Reynaud to declare her chocolates as the ultimate sin - Church, not Chocolate is the True Message of Easter! He also plots to put a stop to her choco festival because he sees this as the plan of the devil, to break their Lenten fasting.

However, deep down Reynaud is the one who has certain insecurities about his own faith & in this contest of wills.... he faces a temptation that finally brings his downfall.....

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The Book/Author

This scrumptious & almost magical novel is written by Joanne Harris who has produced a most unusual story with some autobiographical elements: Harris's grandparents' had a candy shop & her great-grandmother was a witch healer. Blending these ingredients Harris has created a novel that is as exotic & delightful as chocolate itself. Harris is a master at knowing what would appeal to the reader, her prose is simple yet luxurious especially when we read about the making of those magical confectionaries that also seem to problem solving.

The story weaved is as good as a fairy tale with various good & evil characters, with conflict & drama that play with the reader's thoughts & emotions. The story is told alternately from two viewpoints-Vianne's & Reynaud's, giving the reader a back to back information on what is happening on both sides. This is the most unique aspect of the book. Reynaud's character is rather pigeonholed as the unredeemably evil adversary but it suits the need of the story and its interesting to read the story from his viewpoint too.

Harris has done a wonderful job with the character development of the villagers, there are many characters who make the novel more richer, understandable & more interesting as we see them grow & change as they come in touch with Vianne & appreciate/give in to her chocolate treats.

My favourite character in the book is Vianne; a very intriguing woman who always talks about her relationship with her dead mother & the reader often wonders about Vianne's past life or her paranoia for her daughter or why is it that she is unable to settle herself in one place? By the end of the story all these questions are answered presenting Vianne as a strong minded woman who is not only capable to facing up her fears & challenges but also a woman who has helped some villagers to solve their problems. As the story ends the reader falls in love not only with the deliciously tempting chocolates she make but also with Vianne for her pride, dedication & her concept of friendship.

The novel has its share of romance & also takes a look at some serious truths like immigration, old age, religion & traditional beliefs. The story is at time richer & more exquisite than the most enticing chocolates. The conclusion is comic, ironic, deliciously witty..... and leaves us wanting more of Chocolat Delight!

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My Word:

The story of Chocolat is set in the month of March, which is also my birth month, it’s a time to be in special moods, time to make new resolutions [which I would forget the very next day], a time to enjoy birthday treat & look forward to gifts! This is also the time when Lent is observed and certain people cannot indulge in the simple pleasures of life. This book makes one question their beliefs on fasting & also certain traditions, one wonders whether it is apt to follow them or pursue our own happiness? The fact that everything works out in favour of Vianne is encouraging & yet another Good'' triumphs over ''evil''. It shows that to follow one belief we need not starve or deprive ourselves from something that gives us pleasure. There is place for everything in ones life; be it praying or just freaking out on our personal happiness. [Wish my mom could read this novel… I wouldn’t have to keep all those forceful fasts! lolz]

Having read this novel, I now look forward to watching the movie just to watch Vianne & my favourite gypsy hero Johnny Depp & of course, the book descriptions of the chocolates was so enchanting, it would be a treat to watch Vianne making those mouthwatering chocolates !! So whether you are a chocoholic or not, a read of this novel is guaranteed to make you reach out for your share of chocolates. ENJOY!!

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