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Chocolat

This series of stories follows an enigmatic stranger and her daughter as they settle in small French villages. Through their magical chocolate shop, they disrupt the established social order and traditions. Their delicious confections and unconventional views on life bring a spark to the villagers' lives, prompting them to reconsider their prejudices and routines. It's a celebration of freedom, tolerance, and the transformative power of good food.

The Strawberry Thief
Peaches for Monsieur Le Curé
The Lollipop Shoes
Chocolat

Recommended Reading Order

  1. Chocolat

    • 320 pages
    • 12 hours of reading

    Try me...Test me...Taste me. When an exotic stranger, Vianne Rocher, arrives in the French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock - especially as it is the beginning of Lent, the traditional season of self-denial. War is declared as the priest denounces the newcomer's wares as instruments of murder. Suddenly Vianne's shop-cum-cafe means that there is somewhere for secrets to be whispered, grievances to be aired, dreams to be tested. But Vianne's plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community in a conflict that escalates into a 'Church not Chocolate' battle. As mouths water in anticipation, can the solemnity of the Church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate éclair? For the first time here is a novel in which chocolate enjoys its true importance, emerging as a moral issue, as an agent of transformation - as well as a pleasure bordering on obsession. Rich, clever and mischievous, this is a triumphant read.

    Chocolat1
    4.0
  2. The Lollipop Shoes

    • 592 pages
    • 21 hours of reading

    THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING CHOCOLAT SERIES 'A delicious urban fairytale' DAILY MAIL Seeking refuge and anonymity in the cobbled streets of Montmartre, Vianne Rocher - disguising herself as 'Yanne' - and her two daughters live peacefully, if not happily, above their little chocolate shop. Nothing unusual marks them out, and the wind has stopped - at least for a while. Then into their lives blows Zozie de l'Alba, the lady with the lollipop shoes, ruthless, devious and seductive. With everything she loves at stake, Yanne must face a difficult choice- to flee, as she has done so many times before, or to confront her most dangerous enemy. 'Chocolat was a hard act to follow but Harris has managed it in style' DAILY EXPRESS 'She is terrific, she can write about anywhere, anything, anyone' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'Harris is as good at portraying the agonies of motherhood as she is at evoking the scent of bitter chocolate laced with cinnamon and chilli' SUNDAY TIMES

    The Lollipop Shoes2
    3.9
  3. After a years long absence, chocolatier Vianne Rocher returns to the village of Lansquenet in south-west France, to find that newcomers from North Africa have brought big changes to the community, and a minaret is now situated next to the church of Saint-Jerome, calling people to prayer.

    Peaches for Monsieur Le Curé3
    4.1
  4. The Strawberry Thief

    • 368 pages
    • 13 hours of reading

    The compelling new novel from the author of the bestselling Chocolat. Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her 'special' child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend. But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray. The arrival of Narcisse's relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist's across the square - one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own - all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence - even, perhaps, a murder...

    The Strawberry Thief4
    4.0