Even before it was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film starring
Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, Joanne Harris' New York Times
bestselling novel Chocolat entranced readers with its mix of hedonism,
whimsy, and, of course, chocolate.
In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years,
beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive
and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious
bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne's uncanny perception of its
buyer's private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a
witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to
temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity
and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival. Chocolat's every page
offers a description of chocolate to melt in the mouths of chocoholics,
francophiles, armchair gourmets, cookbook readers, and lovers of passion
everywhere. It's a must for anyone who craves an escapist read, and is a
bewitching gift for any holiday.