When the exotic stranger Vianne Rocher arrives in the old French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique called La Celeste Praline directly across the square from the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock. It is the beginning of Lent: the traditional season of self-denial. The priest says she'll be out of business by Easter. To make matters worse, Vianne does not go to church and has a penchant for superstition. Like her mother, she can read Tarot cards. But she begins to win ...
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When the exotic stranger Vianne Rocher arrives in the old French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique called La Celeste Praline directly across the square from the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock. It is the beginning of Lent: the traditional season of self-denial. The priest says she'll be out of business by Easter. To make matters worse, Vianne does not go to church and has a penchant for superstition. Like her mother, she can read Tarot cards. But she begins to win over customers with her smiles, her intuition for everyone's favourites, and her delightful confections. Her shop provides a place, too, for secrets to be whispered, grievances aired. She begins to shake up the rigid morality of the community. Vianne's plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community. Can the solemnity of the Church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate eclair? For the first time, here is a novel in which chocolate enjoys its true importance, emerging as an agent of transformation. Rich, clever, and mischievous, reminiscent of a folk tale or fable, this is a triumphant read with a memorable character at its heart. Says Harris: You might see [Vianne] as an archetype or a mythical figure. I prefer to see her as the lone gunslinger who blows into the town, has a showdown with the man in the black hat, then moves on relentless. But on another level she is a perfectly real person with real insecurities and a very human desire for love and acceptance. Her qualities too -- kindness, love, tolerance -- are very human. Vianne and her young daughter Anouk, come into town on Shrove Tuesday. Carnivals make us uneasy, says Harris, because of what they represent: the residual memory of blood sacrifice (it is after all from the word carne that the term arises), of pagan celebration. And they represent a loss of inhibition; carnival time is a time at which almost anything is possible. The book became an international best-seller, and was optioned to film quickly. The Oscar-nominated movie, with its star-studded cast including Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) and Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, whose previous film The Cider House Rules (based on a John Irving novel) also looks at issues of community and moral standards, though in a less lighthearted vein. The idea for the book came from a comment her husband made one day while he was immersed in a football game on TV. It was a throwaway comment, designed to annoy and it did. It was along the lines of...Chocolate is to women what football is to men... The idea stuck, and Harris began thinking that people have these conflicting feelings about chocolate, and that a lot of people who have very little else in common relate to chocolate in more or less the same kind of way. It became a kind of challenge to see exactly how much of a story I could get which was uniquely centred around chocolate. Other Books Five Quarters of the Orange Blackberry Wine Sleep, Pale Sister The Evil Seed Suggested Reading John Allemang The Importance of Lunch Peter Mayle A Year in Provence; Encore Provence Patrick Suskind Perfume Jeannette Winterson Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
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Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $2.43, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $2.59, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
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Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $5.27, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $7.99, fair condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $8.33, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Doubleday Canada.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $12.99, very good condition, Sold by Russell Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Victoria, BC, CANADA, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $23.01, new condition, Sold by Robin Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Kingston, ON, CANADA, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
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New. New 306pSmall crease in the cover Quality Books Because We Care-Shipped from Canada Usually ships within 1-2 business days If you buy this book from us, we will donate a book to a local school We donate 10, 000+ books to local schools every year If there are any problems, pleases ask us to resolve it amicably before leaving any feedback.
Add this copy of Chocolat to cart. $27.75, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Doubleday Canada.
Add this copy of Chocolat: a Novel to cart. $33.00, very good condition, Sold by Hourglass Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Vancouver, BC, CANADA, published 1999 by Doubleday Canada.
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Very Good in Very Good, Not Price Clipped jacket. Book Complete number line from 1 to 10; some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition.
