Initially I wondered if there was going to be some unexpected secret (was Vianne a witch? An angel? An extra-terrestrial?) but as the book continued, I realised that it was just that her personality and life experience were in stark contrast to those of the people around her.
There's a sort of mystical element running through the book which slightly puzzled me. In many ways she's the catalyst for changes in this ultra-traditional town: she asks questions, challenges people's ideas, and generally tries to make life more pleasant for them. She particularly arouses the ire of the local priest, a parsimonious and rather unpleasant man. Vianne opens a chocolate shop, and gradually makes friends - and also enemies. They've been travelling, but decide to settle down in a small town in France. The story is about Vianne Rocher, a single mother with a six-year-old daughter.
It was pleasant, well-written, and a bit different to most modern books - but having finished it, I wasn't entirely sure entirely why the world raved over it. That was a good thing, in that I didn't find it gripping or un-put-down-able (so I was able to get on with regular life as well), but it means I don't class it as one of the best books ever. It's not a long novel (just over 300 pages in paperback) but it took me about a week to read it. But somehow, despite the alluring title, I wasn't keen enough to buy it new, so had to wait until I found it in a charity shop. I had read quite a few reviews, all of them enthusiastic, calling the book a modern fairy-tale, or a delightful romp, or even suggesting it was one of the best books ever written. It took me a few years to get around to reading this novel by Joanne Harris.
Summary: Vianne and her daughter arrive out of the blue in a respectable town, and shock the residents by opening a chocolate shop during Lent.
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