Chocolat

Although different from the movie, I loved this book. The spirit and language just takes me away. I was a little late coming to this book, but I am so glad I did. The characters just jumped off the pages, and the movie (one of my favorites) did not detract or distract. I pictured some of the people portrayed in the movie, but since the book was not the same, I was able to picture my own characters as I read. Just lovely! The story, for anyone who is not familiar with it, revolves around a lovely witch and her young daughter, who travel with the wind, landing in a small village in France, filled with an odd assortment of characters. An eccentric old woman, a surly barman and his abused wife, an old man with a frail old dog, and an unbelievably unsympathetic priest. The witch opens a chocolate shop and soon endears herself to many of the townspeople, much to the irritation of the priest. As he tries to find a way to rid himself of the fly in his ointment, river people appear on the banks of their quiet town, bringing with them "filth, and disease". By befriending the outsiders, Vianne, the witch, finds herself even further in hot water with the more conservative folks from the town. Joanne Harris has written a delicious confection, heady and lovely, taking me on a journey that I won't soon forget.