---
product_id: 5440275
title: "Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel)"
price: "R514"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/5440275-chocolat-a-novel-a-vianne-rocher-novel
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel)

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- **What is this?** Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel)
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## Description

desertcart.com: Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel): 9780140282030: Harris, Joanne: Books

Review: Magic and good food makes the world go round.... - Chocolat - by Joanne Harris Here is a book filled with magic and smells and tastes that had me craving chocolate and sweets the entire time I was reading it! Chocolat is the story of an unmarried woman, Vianne Rocher, her 6-year-old daughter Anouk, and their impact on a small French town called Lansquenet. Lansquenet is a very Catholic place, and the townspeople (parishioners) are very structured in the way they lead their lives. Church on Sunday, abstinence during Lent - only a handful dares to disobey these traditions. Vianne comes to town with a mission - to show these people how to live and love and enjoy life to the fullest. Enter Pere Reynaud. He's the head of the local church, the shepherd for his sheep of followers. He hides behind the cloth and believes that what he preaches is for the good of the church and in the name of God. However, a lot of hate and prejudice underlies what he preaches in the chapel. He instantly sees Vianne as the enemy (her being unmarried has Reynaud labeling her from the start). Vianne, with her instincts and sixth sense, sees all this, and decides to help the town overcome Reynaud's unhealthy grip on their lives. She soon opens up a chocolate shop in the middle of Lent, shocking the townspeople and Reynaud especially, but soon she wins many of the townspeople over. We are introduced to many interesting characters, all of whom become Vianne's friends and supporters, including Roux, a rough-looking vagrant gypsy, and Armande an older woman with the spirit of a younger one. The book heads towards a climax with the announcement of a Chocolate festival at Easter. At first the town splits into factions, and the reader is left to guess who will win - Pere Reynaud, or Vianne Rocher. Told in the viewpoints of two narrators, Vianne and Pere Reynaud, the reader learns slowly of Pere's darkest secrets and Vianne's deepest fears. Pere's narration is told as he "speaks" to an older priest and apparent confidante, confiding in him his doubts and sinful feelings, revealing secrets that are probably left untold. Through Vianne's narration, we learn of her past and the reasons why she fears Pere Reynaud so much. I highly recommend Chocolat for its imagery and beautiful writing. I consider it light reading despite some of its heavier themes, but all in all, a great summer read.
Review: A Gentle Story of The Temptations of Chocolate, and Friendship - This gentle story follows one Vianne Rocher, a wandering woman who comes with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk, into the tiny French hamlet of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. She falls in love with the place and decides to put down roots there for the first time in her life, and accordingly she opens a chocolate shop right across from the town church. The priest of the church is Pere Reynaud, a dour man with ugly secrets who takes an immediate dislike to Vianne and Anouk, and the battle is joined between the hippie and the priest. Caught in the crossfire between these two enemies are a number of the townspeople, some of who side with the priest and some of whom side with Viannne. Things never get too out of control, though, as this book is essentially about people's basic decency, and the ending is a surprise for the priest and a funny one at that. Along the way we meet about a dozen interesting characters who pull for this side or that one and add their unforgettable voices to the struggle. The book is not all sweetness and light, however. The priest harbors dark secrets from his own past, there is a wife-beater and his downtrodden lady, and one of Vianne's best friends is slowly going blind and is fighting it all the way. But the overall tone of the book is one of uplift, and having faith in people. It is a good message, and an enjoyable book, and a fun read.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | 0140282033 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #69,483 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #383 in Magical Realism #2,228 in Literary Fiction (Books) #9,790 in Contemporary Romance (Books) |
| Book 1 of 4  | Chocolat |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (4,366) |
| Dimensions  | 7.74 x 5.06 x 0.62 inches |
| Grade level  | 12 and up |
| ISBN-10  | 9780140282030 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0140282030 |
| Item Weight  | 7.7 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 306 pages |
| Publication date  | January 1, 2000 |
| Publisher  | Penguin Books |
| Reading age  | 18 years and up |

## Images

![Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81yJiJ9lQtL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Magic and good food makes the world go round....
*by R***Y on June 23, 2002*

Chocolat - by Joanne Harris Here is a book filled with magic and smells and tastes that had me craving chocolate and sweets the entire time I was reading it! Chocolat is the story of an unmarried woman, Vianne Rocher, her 6-year-old daughter Anouk, and their impact on a small French town called Lansquenet. Lansquenet is a very Catholic place, and the townspeople (parishioners) are very structured in the way they lead their lives. Church on Sunday, abstinence during Lent - only a handful dares to disobey these traditions. Vianne comes to town with a mission - to show these people how to live and love and enjoy life to the fullest. Enter Pere Reynaud. He's the head of the local church, the shepherd for his sheep of followers. He hides behind the cloth and believes that what he preaches is for the good of the church and in the name of God. However, a lot of hate and prejudice underlies what he preaches in the chapel. He instantly sees Vianne as the enemy (her being unmarried has Reynaud labeling her from the start). Vianne, with her instincts and sixth sense, sees all this, and decides to help the town overcome Reynaud's unhealthy grip on their lives. She soon opens up a chocolate shop in the middle of Lent, shocking the townspeople and Reynaud especially, but soon she wins many of the townspeople over. We are introduced to many interesting characters, all of whom become Vianne's friends and supporters, including Roux, a rough-looking vagrant gypsy, and Armande an older woman with the spirit of a younger one. The book heads towards a climax with the announcement of a Chocolate festival at Easter. At first the town splits into factions, and the reader is left to guess who will win - Pere Reynaud, or Vianne Rocher. Told in the viewpoints of two narrators, Vianne and Pere Reynaud, the reader learns slowly of Pere's darkest secrets and Vianne's deepest fears. Pere's narration is told as he "speaks" to an older priest and apparent confidante, confiding in him his doubts and sinful feelings, revealing secrets that are probably left untold. Through Vianne's narration, we learn of her past and the reasons why she fears Pere Reynaud so much. I highly recommend Chocolat for its imagery and beautiful writing. I consider it light reading despite some of its heavier themes, but all in all, a great summer read.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Gentle Story of The Temptations of Chocolate, and Friendship
*by N***G on February 15, 2013*

This gentle story follows one Vianne Rocher, a wandering woman who comes with her six-year-old daughter, Anouk, into the tiny French hamlet of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. She falls in love with the place and decides to put down roots there for the first time in her life, and accordingly she opens a chocolate shop right across from the town church. The priest of the church is Pere Reynaud, a dour man with ugly secrets who takes an immediate dislike to Vianne and Anouk, and the battle is joined between the hippie and the priest. Caught in the crossfire between these two enemies are a number of the townspeople, some of who side with the priest and some of whom side with Viannne. Things never get too out of control, though, as this book is essentially about people's basic decency, and the ending is a surprise for the priest and a funny one at that. Along the way we meet about a dozen interesting characters who pull for this side or that one and add their unforgettable voices to the struggle. The book is not all sweetness and light, however. The priest harbors dark secrets from his own past, there is a wife-beater and his downtrodden lady, and one of Vianne's best friends is slowly going blind and is fighting it all the way. But the overall tone of the book is one of uplift, and having faith in people. It is a good message, and an enjoyable book, and a fun read.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Highly Recommend, Add a Little Magic to your Life
*by M***I on July 20, 2013*

I don't even know why I'm bothering to review this book when my comments will only add to the symphony of praise here! I first saw the movie before learning there was a book; now I love both. Chocolat is especially fascinating because it treads a fine border between magic and the mundane. In Harry Potter, there, too, is a boundary between "magic" and "normal," but the boundary is much more distinct. You're either a "muggle" or you're not. In Lord of the Rings, the whole world is, well, another world; although it may share similarities to our world, it is still Middle Earth--not OUR Earth. Chocolat is set in our world; Vianne, her daughter, and the people she meets in the quaint French village are relatively 'normal' people in that they don't use magic wands, fight with epic swords, cross parallel universes, or what have you. Yet even so, there is something magical about the way Vianne creates her chocolate and, in the process, affects the lives of everyone in the village. Although the story mentions "magical" artifacts like tarot cards, it never really asserts what should be believed or what is real/magical and what isn't. You're left wondering, does Vianne really have some supernatural powers that allow her to, say, divine the desires of others? To read her future in the cards? Or is it more the nearly-supernatural power of great intuition? Are you born with magic, or can you learn to acquire it through a more open-minded, insightful perspective on life? This is what I love about the book most--not to mention Joanne Harris's writing voice makes the story a delight to read and easily a page-turner. Chocolat makes you look for the everyday magic in your own life, and we could all use a little magic...

## Frequently Bought Together

- Chocolat: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel)
- The Girl with No Shadow
- Peaches for Monsieur le Curé: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel)

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*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-02-10*