There is hardly anyone who is not familiar with the 1999 bestseller Chocolat by English-French author Joan Harris. If by any chance you have not read the book, you must have at least watched the Oscar-nominated movie starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.
However, some of you might not be aware of the fact that the captivating story of its main character, Vianne Rocher, has been going on for more than 20 years already. Harris continued the Chocolat plot by creating three more sequels.
The Girl With No Shadow (known as The Lollipop Shoes in Europe) was published in 2007. April 2012 saw the release of the third book, Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, and the fourth, and so far, the final part of Vianne’s story, The Strawberry Thief, appeared in 2019 to mark 20 years full of delicious literary adventures. Follow me as I explore Vianne’s enthralling story below.
Chocolat: The Beginning
The world first met the charming fictional persona of Vianne in 1999, when Harris published Chocolat. Vianne is a chocolatier and a single mother to a young girl named Anouk, who arrives in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes in search of a new life for herself and her child. It so happens that her arrival coincides with Lent, which the religious population of the French village takes very seriously.
Vianne’s kind heart, sympathy, and friendliness quickly win over the hearts of the locals. However, her chocolate craft scandalizes the village priest Francis Reynaud and his followers. They blame Vianne for interfering with the holy time of self-repentance and moderation and compare her artisan chocolate delicacies to temptations brought by the devil. Inevitably, the priest and Vianne clash on Easter, but I will reveal no further spoilers for those who are still unfamiliar with the story.
Chocolat: The Movie
The beautiful plot and full-blooded characters won over the hearts of readers and Hollywood producers alike, and on January 19, 2001, Miramax Films released the film Chocolat into theatres. The movie starred celebrities like Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss, and more.
The film was a huge success. It attracted massive audiences worldwide and received five nominations at the 73rd Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Binoche, who played the part of Vianne, won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance. Dench received a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2001 for her appearance in the movie.
The Girl with No Shadow (The Lollipop Shoes)
Following Chocolat’s tremendous success, audiences across the world demanded to have more of Vianne Rocher and her magical adventures. This is how the next book in the series was born. It was published in 2007 under the title The Girl with No Shadow within the US. In the rest of the world, the book is called The Lollipop Shoes.
The story continues to follow the life of Vianne, who now has two daughters – Anouk and Rosette. At the book’s opening, we meet a Vianne who is completely different from the character we know from Chocolat. She has settled for a monotonous life in the Montmartre district of Paris, and her magical powers have faded.
Although Vianne has consciously chosen to live a dull, mediocre life, she feels dissatisfied. Until she meets Zozie de I’Alba, that is. Zozie manages to rekindle the magic in the little family’s life, but is this exciting lady who she claims to be?
Peaches for Monsieur le Curé
As you might imagine, Vianne’s vagabond spirit does not stop in Paris. In Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, published in 2012, the enigmatic lady and her two daughters seem to have finally found a peaceful and satisfying existence living on a houseboat on the River Seine.
However, one beautiful day Vianne receives a curious letter from Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, which sparks her magical spirit and prompts her to return to the village with her daughters. She is surprised to observe how much things have changed and to reexamine her relationships with long-lost friends and former enemies as well as to make new acquaintances.
The Strawberry Thief
The last and possibly final chapter in Vianne’s mesmerizing story is The Strawberry Thief, which Harris published in 2019. The action again takes place in the village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, where a mysterious tattooist, Morgane Dubois, arrives much like Vianne herself did a couple of decades before.
Morgane possesses the extraordinary gift to know precisely the type of art her clients would prefer to have inked onto their skin. She turns the flower shop of the recently deceased local florist, Narcisse, into her tattoo studio. Morgane’s arrival is accompanied by a lot of peculiar situations and events, and Lansquenet-sous-Tannes once again becomes an arena of magical forces.
About the Author
Joan Harris is a very prolific writer, who has authored many works. She is of British and French origins, that is why you will find a strong French theme recurring in her works. Harris first became known as a writer of Gothic novels. However, her early works gathered only a small cult fandom. It was the Chocolat novel that earned her a global reputation