Back in November 2001 I was flying to New York on my honeymoon. There are so many things that I remember about that year but on a personal level marrying the man I love was a pretty memorable highlight. It was during that flight to New York that I pulled out a crisp, freshly purchased paperback edition of Chocolat by Joanne Harris. And so I fell in love again, this time with a story filled with magic, intrigue, bravery and of course chocolate. This was the first time I had read anything by Joanne Harris and I fell in love with her writing too. She has written many fabulous books but Chocolat holds a very special place in my heart and is also the one I have re read the most. Now 24 years later , what a joy it has been revisiting Vianne Rocher and following her journey right from the beginning, before she opened her little chocolate shop in the small French village, Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, even before little Anouk had arrived. Vianne is a prequel but I feel it is a perfect standalone novel in it’s own right so please do not worry if you haven’t read Chocolat (or indeed the novel’s that continue Vianne’s journey after Chocolat). In fact, I think it is wonderful that new readers can choose to either read the books in the order they were written or to follow Vianne’s path from the beginning of her story, with Vianne. How lucky you are, you fresh new readers, to be able to read these books for the first time. I urge you to read leisurely and enjoy every morsel. You are in for a treat.

Vianne was a joy to read. We follow Vianne as she arrives in Marseille, to feel the wind as it mischievously moves her along, to see the goodness in her heart as she begins to understand something of the person she is, the person she wants to be and the comfort she can bring. Yet she is scared of her abilities, of the price she will be asked to pay. You feel her running from something or someone. A lack of trust with life and how it feels to love, really love something – after all, the fear of loss is always love’s companion.

I loved the characters that we meet within the pages of this novel. Each with their own stories, each trying to find their way in the world. Personalities and beliefs clash but in the end there is a common thread that binds them together. I read this quickly, swept away by Vianne and the magic that surrounds her, a magic conjured by Joanne Harris herself – who still, after all these years, remains a master storyteller.

Now you can choose where to start with Vianne’s story. The journey is yours to take. It is one that I will undoubtedly return to again and again. I lost my first paperback copy of Chocolate many years ago now – lent to an old friend who is part of that time but no longer in my life. I hope she read it and loved it as much I did. Some years ago now I managed to find a beautiful hardback originally published in 1999 and it is a much loved part of my book collection. I was even able to have it signed when I was lucky enough to meet Joanne at a Literary festival some years back. I wonder now if Vianne’s journey is complete or will another story come along? They are always welcome of course but in the meantime I urge you to try all the others. It is a tale worth investing in – a story that will stay with you long after the reading.

Try me… Test me… Taste me…

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on Vianne. Do let me know if you do decide to read the book – and what you think of it too! I hope you love it as much as I do.

If you would like to find out more about this or any other of Joanne’s novels then do check out her website here.