Chocolat

This is one of the rare occasions I'm giving up on a book but I just don't enjoy this one at all... From the beginning, I'm confronted with “paranormal”, “supernatural” bullshit.»My mother was a witch.«Yes, sure... But that's not all, superstition abounds...»The forking of the fingers to divert the path of malchance.«Then there's the catholic priest... I despise anything related to so-called “churches” which, to me, are dens of bigotry, hypocrisy and a haven for hostile and misanthropic beliefs and people. And, worst of all, home to any kind of preacher (the child-molesting variety gets extra protection).So, yes, even in a negative context as in this novel, I don't want to hear about those male harpies. Also, a novel that in all seriousness tells me »Scrying with chocolate is a difficult business.« is beyond redemption. The 25% I've read were also very, very clichéd with simplistic characters, a heroine that left me entirely and completely devoid of interest in herself or her “illegitimate” daughter and parts that felt so old-fashioned I was afraid of dying of boredom.When I realised I was actually binge-watching the worst kind of TV show just to avoid reading this one (despite having ample time to read after a minor (but really annoying!) surgery), I allowed myself to let this one go. Since I don't feel I read enough to give a star rating, I'll abstain for once.Blog Facebook Twitter Mastodon Instagram Pinterest Medium Matrix TumblrCeterum censeo Putin esse delendam

Only read if you are able to separate the movie and the book (if you liked or watched the movie). They can only be read as two separate stories. The characters are very different. I watched the movie and then learned there was a book, and figured since the movie was so good the book would be too. The book is missing elements good books should have, such as characters that are able to change, and characters with redeemable characteristics. The priest is evil, greedy, and has no good traits. Vianne is a bit bitchy. Armande is a pretty cool old lady. It is also difficult to distinguish in what time period the story takes place.

Vianne Rocher and her young daughter Anouk sweeps into the little French town of Lansquenet one day and opens a chocolate shop across the square from the local church.[return][return]It is Lent, and parishioners are breaking their vows faster at record speed. The priest Pere Reynaud, is livid. Vianne must be a witch, he decides, and vows to run her out of town before the Chocolate Festival she is planning for Easter.[return][return]He may not be getting very much support from the villagers however. Vianne wins them over in her own quiet, uncanny way. She seems to know exactly what ails them, and which of her chocolate confection will cure them. [return][return]With the opposing teams identified, it became a battle between church and chocolate. Is Vianne a witch? Can she read minds? Will Reynaud run her out of town?[return][return]Scattered liberally around the little village are a bunch of intriguing secondary characters whose lives are changed by Vianne the battered wife Jos

Great Read

Цей кінець був прекрасним.

I enjoyed the voices in this narrative, but I have to admit I enjoyed even more the annotations that happened to be handwritten in my copy, haha. The movie definitely managed to capture the same tone, in my opinion, so if you've seen it, you know what you're in for!

I don't know what to say about this book. I just didn't like it at all. I was bored for most of the time. I don't even know why this book was written in the first place. Maybe I just didn't understand something.

There are so many things going on in this book that it'll take me a while to sit down and decipher all of it. A really mesmerising book, and I loved it to the very end.
The characters were really rich, the prose was poetic, and the atmosphere was magical.

В целом книга мне понравилась. Однако, сюжет для меня остался скомканным. Женщина с ребенком приезжает в маленький город, где командует пастор и живет своей жизнью. Все остальное я не уловил.

Зато Харрис отлично использует аллегории и я это очень люблю. В целом книгу читать легко, поэтому не смотря на сложности с сюжетом я ее освоил с удовольствием.

Я бы хотел читать эту книгу так, словно пьешь горячий шоколад из красивой кружки и смакуешь его. У меня же вышло что-то вроде ведра, из которого я черпаком вытаскивал вкусный напиток, но все же процесс прерывался не потому, что я уже не мог больше его пить на одном дыхании, а потому что черпак маленький был. Вот я так всю книгу кусками и прочитал.

Но ради нескольких изумительных моментов (вроде последних нескольких глав) я хочу почитать и вторую книгу — «Леденцовые туфельки».

This is the perfect fantasy for anyone who's not afraid to be different. Instantly drawn to this story, I found myself getting further and further into the plot while relating more and more with Vianne Rocher and her delightful daughter Anouk.
Filled with vivid depictions of a small-town attitude contradicting a world traveler's broadened horizons, one is instantly drawn to Vianne's witty, intelligent, exotic, and ecclectic personality. She is intuitive to the extent of being a witch, yet uses her supernatural gifts for the good of the town (whom for the most part wishes her away at once). Those villagers (whom I just want to hug!) who had the courage to befriend Vianne, find they are not disappointed. On the contrary, they find a beautiful friendship which they all needed more than anything.
Not only does Vianne inspire in her friends and customers of the Chocolaterie a yearning to be different, she gives them the courage to indulge, enjoy life, live a little.
Although I expected a romance to develop in this story, it's not what one expects. However, that is by far not its importance. For that, one can go to Blockbuster and watch Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp's romance in the film.
A very moving story with an exotic mysticism that will leave you entranced...A must-read!

I did read the version with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp on the cover, but I really hate doing that. I prefer to see what the author/publisher felt the cover should look like before there were famous faces to sell it with.

I found this book quite charming, much like the movie! I did see the film, a long time ago, and I didn't remember much of it, though it came back while I was reading the book. I did like that Armande in the novel got to make it fully clear that she was choosing to kill herself.I did find that many of the characters in the novel were sympathetic, despite their actions. I felt for Reynaud despite his position as “the villain”; he was damaged in his own way by past events and the gossipy nature of small towns. I don't know that it's a masterpiece, but I really enjoyed reading this book.

Review to come.