Csokoládécipő

Chocolat #2

by Joanne Harris

Ugye emlékeznek még Johnny Depp rosszfiús mosolyára és Juliette Binoche kacér boszorkányára? Öt év telt el a Csokoládé óta, amelyben egy "jó boszorkányt" hatéves lányával együtt egy előítéletekkel teli kis faluba fújt be a szél, hogy megnyissák a hírhedt csokoládéboltot, sokak örömére, és a helybeli pap bosszúságára.
Sok minden megváltozott. Vianne-nak született egy másik lánya, Rosette. Anouk elkezdte a középiskolát, és hármasban egy chocolaterie fölött laknak Párizsban, a Montmartre-on. Látszatra minden rendben: Vianne végre nyugalmat talált, a szél - egy időre - megszűnt fújni. De mindez nagy áldozatokkal járt; Vianne felhagyott a varázslással, nem készít csokoládét, lemondott élete nagy szerelméről, és férjhez készül menni az unalmas háziurához, aki anyagi biztonságot ígér. Anouk közben magányos kamasszá ért, aki gyűlöli Párizst, és kétségbeesetten vágyódik a régi melegség után.
Ekkor robban be az életükbe Zozie de l'Alba, a gyönyörű, szenvedélyes bohém, aki összebarátkozik Anoukkal, dolgozni kezd a boltban, és könnyed bájával elbűvöli a környékbelieket. De Zozie-t nem az önzetlen segítőkészség vezérli. Fokozatosan hatalmába keríti Vianne-t, a csokoládéboltot, a vevőket, de elsősorban Anoukot, aki az anyja félelmektől nem gáncsolt, régi énjét látja benne. Ahogy közeledik a karácsony, nyilvánvaló lesz, hogy a család egy hideg és rosszakaratú lény karmaiba került, aki mohóbb minden csokievőnél...
Joanne Harris, a világszerte népszerű Szederbor és Ötnegyed narancs szerzőnője megírta a Csokoládé folytatását, amely saját szavaival: "néhol olvadós tejcsoki, máskor keserű csoki, de végül is, minden csoki finom".

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Romance, France, Contemporary, Magic

546 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2007

About the author

Joanne Harris is also known as Joanne M. Harris

Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. She has also written a DR WHO novella for the BBC, has scripted guest episodes for the game ZOMBIES, RUN!, and is currently engaged in a number of musical theatre projects as well as developing an original drama for television.
In 2000, her 1999 novel CHOCOLAT was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE by the Queen.
Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She also spends too much time on Twitter; plays flute and bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16; and works from a shed in her garden at her home in Yorkshire.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Joanne Harris’s follow-up to Chocolat, Vianne and now two daughters have relocated from the rural town of their initial setting, Lansquenet, to Paris. The novel is tort-like in the density of its imagery, particularly early on. Zozie is a witch like Vianne, but without the self-control and kind heart. She seems mostly a dark spirit, a devil in a red dress looking to acquire souls. She sees power in Vianne’s daughter, Anouk, and tries to gain her loyalty. The story is of Anouk coming of age and of Vianne rediscovering herself. There is considerable shadow imagery here. Are shadows souls? Are they like the daemons of The Golden Compass, spiritual alter-egos? They appear as animals, like those from Pullman’s books. Are they the shadows of Dante’s Inferno, shades? The game is played throughout, leading to a climax battle between the two powers.


Joanne Harris - image from her site

Harris returns to her structural notion of centering the climax on a major holy day. Last time it was Easter. Here, it is Christmas. Parallelism is rampant as Harris points out that the witches both lie about their past, assume multiple identities, have issues with their parentage and cast spells of different sorts. It was a very enjoyable read. The similarity to Chocolat was considerable, but that is to be expected when the same characters return. I did not love it, but I did like it a lot. It sagged for me over time. I felt that Harris was too fond of repetition, and that it could have been maybe forty pages shorter, but that is a quibble. Read. Enjoy. Have some chocolate.



=============================EXTRA STUFF

Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and Tumblr pages

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

After enjoying LChocolat, I knew I'd be reading this sequel within the same year. The self reinvented Vianne opens a chocolaterie hoping to settle down in Montmarte, Paris. The peace cannot last, and the intriguing and enigmatic Zozie brightens up her and her daughters' lives. Zozie with the lollipop shoes! But does she come bearing gifts or something completely different?

It's the old white hats vs the black hats, but yet again a sumptuous Olde France is giving substrance and reality by Harris. In some ways this is better than Chocolat from a conventional story telling point of view, but being a sequel, lacks the vitality of Vianne's debut. 6 out of 12, Three Star read.
2008 read

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS - MILD SPOILERS

As the second book in the Chocolat series, I was excited to read The Lollipop Shoes. And it was reasonably good, but I just hated Zozie so much! I mean, we were supposed to hate her (she's the antagonist in the book and you know that from the start) but I don't think you were supposed to hate her as much as I did. As I do . I just hated how she influenced Anouk/Annie and how Vianne/Yanne didn't notice that she was evil. I hated everything that she did - becoming friendly to everyone and taking over the shop - and how she secretly laughed at Vianne and Anouk. I hated her so much! (I'm not sure if you knew yet). And I honestly think that the amount of time that Zozie spent with Vianne could have been cut shorter. So I can't say that I loved this book, but it was well written and the ending brought it up an extra half a star. I don't think I'll read the next book quite yet, but I'll read it eventually. And hopefully I'll enjoy it a bit more!

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been sitting in my chair thinking about what I was going to write about the story I just finished. The question, “what did you think?” always makes me feel like it is some kind of test and I am going to give the wrong answer. I try not to think about it that way. I always think that this is not the question that I should be answering. My question would be “what did you feel?” Ahhh, yes, that’s it.

Let me tell you about the story by telling you how I felt.

The whole time I was reading The Girl With No Shadow, I felt…anxious.

Anxious to start the story, anxious to know what was going to happen, anxious to find out why the characters in this second story were so different than in the first book, anxious to know what had happened to them, anxious about the new character in the story, stomach churning, bile in the back of my throat anxious about what she appeared to be, about what she was going to do, what she did, and what she said.

The first chapter shocked my socks off. Too much information! It scared me, not like I had never heard about it before, just to see someone – some character saying the things that were printed on the pages. Who was this? What did she have to do with the story and the characters I had left in the first book? Where were they? I wanted them, not this bad person!

And there they were, so, sad, so, melancholy, so not right, so ordinary? I wanted them to snap out of the gloom. I wanted to shake them and slap them until they could see what was happening and how wrong everything was. I wanted them to drink a cup of hot chocolate, because that makes everything better, right? I wanted to drink a cup of hot chocolate to make me feel better.

There were moments of hopefulness, glimpses of almost happiness, and snippets of laughter. Then, Bam! Then, more what?

Don’t get me wrong, there were answers, eventually, lots of them. There were a few shocking moments at the end. Then a glow began to clear away some of the tarnish and haze and allowed a sparkle to shine here and there.

I’m not so anxious now, except to start the next story…

[Nikoleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η υπέροχη συνέχεια της Καυτής Σοκολάτας. Η Βιαν Ροσέ με καινουρια ταυτότητα, κ που είναι το περίεργο; Έτσι την μάθαμε και έτσι την αγαπήσαμε. Τι συμβαίνει όμως όταν αυτή η νέα ταυτότητα έχει παρασύρει κ καταπιεί την αγαπημένη, δυναμική ηρωίδα που ξέραμε και την έχει μετατρέψει σε ένα άβουλο τρομαγμένο πλάσμα; Κ πάνω απ’ όλα όταν ο άνεμος φέρνει στην πόρτα της μια γυναίκα που θυμίζει πολύ περισσότερο τον παλιό αγαπημένο εαυτό της, ισως και περισσότερο απο'τι τον θυμίζει τώρα η ίδια. Όταν αυτή η μυστηριώδης γυναίκα αρχίζει να εποφθαλμιά και υπονομεύει την θέση της, στην Σοκολατερί, στην γειτονιά ακόμα στην οικογένεια της. Τι θα συμβεί; Αυτη την φορά ο άνεμος θα ξυπνήσει την παλιά καλή Βιάν που έχει θάψει βαθιά μέσα της; Η θα τα χάσει όλα; Ίσως η σοκολάτα έχει για άλλη μια φορά τις απαντήσεις…

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spider weaves its web elegantly. It is a thing of beauty to watch. But, to see it ensnare its prey is horrific, yet equally fascinating. Harris spins her own web in this delicious sequel to Chocolat. Who is the spider and who is the prey?

[Gerri Leen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Chocolat, and having loved that book, having been enchanted by the characters, I thought I'd love this. Wrong. Still intact from Chocolat is Harris's ability to weave the details of a thing or place so vividly that they become secondary characters--in this case the chocolates and the chocolate shop (in fact, it is that quality that keeps this from getting a D). What is missing is the sense of whimsy, the light-handed treatment of magic, and any possibly of liking these characters (much less getting to know them--there are so many, I lost track of who was who). This book is also too long, the characters pretty much whine incessantly--or twirl their hypothetical mustaches in the case of the villainess--in a rotating first person that had me continually popped out of the story as I tried to figure out who the hell was narrating (it didn't follow a set order and there was no textual indicator for who the POV was--apparently the image at the top of each page changes depending on who's narrating, but I never got that when I was actually reading it).

Very little happens in these many, many pages, and Vianne's character--so lovely in Chocolat--is reduced to the most boring woman imaginable. Parts of Chocolat are conveniently discarded to make the love story poignant. If Chocolat had a dash of magic, Harris threw the entire bottle in for this one. Like Vanilla, a little goes a long way and too much ruins the recipe. I'm into Mesoamerican stuff but I couldn't keep track of all the Mexican gods and signs and other magic the villainess uses--and I'm not sure I entirely got what was going on in the "thrilling finale." All in all: an utter disappointment for an author this good to a sequel to such a great book.

Rated: C

[Ceecee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s called Lollipop Shoes here in the U.K. !

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nov 16, 1130am ~~ Review asap.

Nov 16, 845pm ~~ The second of four books in the author's Chocolat series, this one caught me off guard at first. I was expecting to meet Vianne Rocher in the early pages, but the narrator in the first chapter did not seem like the right woman: she was a nomad also, but she was stealing things in order to live her life. Credit cards, identities, you name it, she stole it. I wondered what had happened to our lovely Vianne, until I found that this woman was actually The Girl With No Shadow.

After the confusion of the first couple of chapters, I settled into the story, and may I suggest to any publisher whose author changes narrators with each chapter that it is a big help to have a specific symbol for the narrating character above the chapter numbers? The Girl, whose name in this life was Zozie, had a drawing of a dark moon in clouds. Vianne herself had a cat sitting in a crescent moon. And Vianne's daughter had a floppy-eared rabbit in the moon. These little logos were wonderfully helpful. They allowed me to know who would be speaking in each section without reading for a paragraph or three before I realized it was someone else.

Anyway, we catch up to our chocolate lady four years after the end of Chocolat. She is now in Paris, but she has changed. She is not the brave, confident woman we remember. After certain events (can't explain, spoiler country) she decided she needed security for her family. So she is trying to be 'normal'. She has changed her name, her appearance, and she is not even making her own chocolate. She is now merely a vendor. The magic is gone. Not only from her chocolates but from her very soul.

But along comes Zozie. She is everything Vianne used to be and then some. She makes friends and worms her way into the family. Why? What are her plans? Because we know she has plans, she hints at them all along. Will she succeed? And are her plans actually what the reader begins to believe they are or is there something much more sinister in store?

It's always hard to talk about a series of books without giving away everything about not only the current volume but the ones before. So all else I can say is that there is more magic in this book, but it is darker magic, not the fey goodwill from the first book. There are still themes of control on many levels, mother/daughter interactions, and now bullying as well, because Anouk is 11 years old here and the outside girl at her school. There is a man who pretends to want something other than what he really wants, and a small group of somewhat lost individuals who might come together as a family....if the wind blows the right way.

I liked the book, but there were a few reasons I did not give it the five stars I gave Chocolat. Since I read that book right before this one, I remember very well how circumstances were in Vianne's life, and it seemed to me that in this book the author implies a great deal more happening than was suggested in the final chapters of Chocolat. Again, I can't give more details without spoilers, but trust me, there were a few times when I said to myself 'Wait, I thought THIS was the way things were in that village at the end, not THAT'.

I also was a little irked at the ending. The tension builds up and up, then all sorts of things start happening, but at a certain point the whole thing seems to get stuck in molasses. I felt like it took forever and a day to get through the final clash between the Powers That Be. I don't know how to explain it other than to say it was like someone not knowing quite how to stop writing a letter or a review. It dragged for me, and every time The Question was repeated, I kept wondering how many more times it would be asked.

But even so, I'm not ready to say goodbye to Vianne yet. I've already started the third book: Peaches for Monsieur le Curé. It begins four years after this one ends. I am anxious to see what Vianne will do with her life next!

[Nat K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever met someone that you immediately click with, as if you’d been friends for a long time? That knowing and understanding who the other is without needing the details. That’s how Vianne Rocher feels when she first sets eyes on Zozie de l’Alba.

Vianne has now renamed herself as Yanne Charbonneau, to distance herself from the events which ended the book Chocolat. It’s four years later, and Vianne now has two daughters, having welcomed Rosette into the world. Alongside her other daughter Anouk (now renamed Annie), the three again live above a chocolate shop. But this time she merely sells the chocolates of others, rather than creating her own. The wind that blew Vianne and Anouk into Lansquenet in Chocolat is the same one that blew them away and into Montmartre, Paris.. Rebuilding their lives and starting again. Hopeful that the anonymity of a big city will give them some breathing space from the past which chases them.

Although they should feel comfortable and able to settle, there’s an unease. Vianne is trying to be “normal” and has left her charms and colours behind. Settling for a uniform of all black, she is barely recognisable from the charming, confident Vianne who used to smile easily and wore red shoes and skirts which had bells sewn into the hem. Anouk is finding herself an outsider at the local school, the clique of popular girls making her life difficult as they are jealous of her otherness and friendship with a young lad they all have a crush on. Young Rosette is a flame haired petite slip of a four year old, who most find unusual due to her communicating via her own language. And if you squint the right way, you’ll see her devoted (supposedly imaginary) monkey Bam always close by her side.

Vianne is determined to settle and provide her daughters with the safety and security of a home that she didn’t have growing up. But seeing their struggles as well as her own to fit in Montmartre, she questions her choice.

”This time, we stay. Whatever it takes. Whatever it costs us, we stay.”

Zozie de l’Alba breezes into their lives like a breath of fresh air. She looks like Vianne used to. She acts like Vianne used to. She isn’t bothered by what others think, dresses eccentrically and colorfully, including with her wonderful, stack heeled red lollipop shoes. The two women soon strike up a fast friendship, they recognize the magic in each other. Zozie convinces Vianne to again start tempering and creating her chocolates, and soon the little chocolaterie is abuzz with clientele. Just like in the good old days in Lansquenet. All is well, until it isn’t. Slowly Vianne realises Zozie wants so much more than just her friendship. And Vianne has to again use the magic which she promised herself she would never use again to fight for her family.

As Joanne Harris is so good at doing, there is a slight menace in the pages, as Zozie digs deeper and harder to take over Vianne’s identity and possibly her entire life. Zozie is insidious, slowly working her way into everyone’s hearts and using every trick in the book to steal it all.

Being “other” and not fitting in with society’s norms is a running theme in these novels. How people shun others because they don’t conform, yet can be dazzled by charm or a smile, and not know they’ve been taken for a ride.

It’s a funny thing, as I was reading this I started to enjoy drinking hot chocolate again. But not the overly sweet powder you buy at the supermarket. Like Vianne, I used cacao, and added a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg. It wasn’t as exotic as the hot chocolate I imagine Vianne would create, but it just went hand in hand with reading this book.

What I found interesting in this book was that Vianne pondered on a story her mother told her about a boy who sold his shadow to a peddler, thinking that he didn’t need it. It was a strange bit of synchronicity, as a Shadow was a huge part in Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World. Without a shadow, we do not exist.

This is a re-read for me, which I enjoyed just as much as the first time. If anything, I possibly enjoyed it more as I read this through a different lens, with so many years having passed in between.

This is Book 2 of the Chocolat series. I’ll be following Vianne next in Peaches for Monsieur le Curé.

Magic is real if you believe in it enough ✨

[Bhargavi Balachandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book with a lot of expectations and i am happy to report that I enjoyed it thoroughly. Joanne Harris's Lollipop shoes is like dark,creamy chocolate with a hint of spice-totally heady and difficult to resist. Narrated from three POVs(Yanne, Anouk and Zozie), the narrative flows seamlessly. I loved how Joanne let a huge chunk of the narrative be told from Zozie's perspective- I don't really think i have read too many novels that have been narrated from the Villain's point of view.Also,even the minor characters seemed etched out and the writing exceptionally vivid.Despite being a sequel to Chocolat, this one reads like a stand-alone book.I don't think not reading the first book before tackling his one matters much.

The spells,totems,fables and stories about faeries and witches that Zozie and Yanne mention make the book more exotic and fascinating.It's no secret that I am a huge fan of magic realism-Joanne's book is a fine specimen of that genre.The writing is measured,yet intimate and warm,just like the characters in the book. There is something dangerously appealing about a slinky,chameleon-like villain and I loved Zozie's character the most(even more than Anouk and Yanne.). The bullying and name-calling that goes on in schools also forms a huge part of the story -atleast when the narration is done from the perspective of the eleven year-old Anouk.

Joanne's writing is breathtaking and flows beautifully.This has to be one of the best books I have read in a long, long time and I don't think I can rave enough about it. People who are fascinated with the art of chocolate-making will love the details that Joanne shares with us and the book is about good food as much as it is about anything else.

[Emma.catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chocolat series - Book 2 of 4

Okay, I have A LOT to say about this book. Firstly I would like to praise Joanne Harris - Chocolat was such a spellbounding success, I had no idea where this book was going to take me. Secondly, I love how Joanne took elements of the first book and really expanded them into an ‘urban fairytale’…a mystery with just a hint of magic 🪄 and thirdly…

“Who is Vianne Rocher?”

…and what is she willing to give up to save her identity.

Vianne Rocher’s life has always been guided by the change of the winds…leaving the small french village, Lansquenet behind her, she has formed yet another new identity in the busy streets of Paris - the question is how long can she stay hidden for and why or what is she hiding from?

4 year old Rosette comes onto the scene very early in this book - but the question is who is her father? Does she have a father? And what is Vianne trying to gain by leaving him behind.

I have to admit I was totally confused at the beginning of this book; It was about page 100 before I fully grasped what was going on. It is totally different from the first book, which of course it had to be to keep things interesting but it was totally not what I expected at all! Saying this once I got into the story I was incredibly intrigued as a sense of mystery flows steadily through this story; much more so than the first book.

Zozie is one of the main new characters we meet. She is definitely one to be watched; the whole way through you’re left thinking is Zozie there to do good or is she mischievous…She very quickly attaches herself to Vianne’s eldest daughter, Anouk and vice versa. But what is Zozie’s purpose? Why has she suddenly entered their lives, offering to run the chocolate shop while Vianne hand makes the chocolates out back for no money…it all seems very odd. But she is more seductive than that, teaching Anouk lessons as she struggles her way through school and of course, we can’t forget her amazing collection of shoes she is known for.

Better still, Roux is back! He was one of my favourite characters from book one so I was very happy to see him return - after all the new characters, it was like seeing an old trusted friend amongst the crowd.

Running steadily from October 31st until Christmas Day, the mystery slowly reveals itself…answering the main question…If someone offered you a whole new life, would you take it?

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

Dvejopi jausmai lankė skaitant šią knygą. Viena vertus, nesiskaito ji kaip tęsinys, net jei veikėjai pažįstami. Kita vertus, kam iš viso reikėjo tęsinio? Veikėjai čia tarsi kreivoki atspindžiai tų, pamiltų Šokolade – plokšti ir neįdomūs, nuspėjami ir neįkvėpti. Tačiau naujieji, tik Ledinukuose pristatomi – jau kur kas labiau intriguojantys, nestokojantys nei spalvų, nei jausmo. Čia daug magijos, aiškiai jaučiamos, ne tik tarp eilučių paslėptos, kuri mane žavėjo ir džiugino. Visgi, daug ir pasikartojimų, nuspėjamas siužetas, akivaizdžios kiekvieno posūkio baigtys. Knyga parašyta gražiai, bet jei reikėtų užsimerkus spėti, tai sakyčiau, kad čia koks nors Šokolado fanfiction‘as, prie kurio pati Harris neprisilietė – kur jai būdingas gylis, kur sudėtingi santykiai, kur visi tie kvapai ir skoniai, kuriais Šokolado ar Apelsino puslapiai pulsuoja? Čia, tarsi kokioje gerbėjo kūryboje, pasirodo tie veikėjai, kurių ir tikėtumeis, jie elgiasi taip, kaip norėtum, kaip patogu ir kaip labiausiai džiugina. Bet gi Šokoladas ne visada saldus. Ypač tikrasis.

Nereikalingas man atrodo šis tęsinys ir jei jame veiktų tik naujieji veikėjai, džiaugčiausi kur kas labiau – būtent jie Ledinukų batelius ir kilsteli virš nykios vidutinybės. Blogietės portretas ryškus ir maloniai piktas, logiškas, net jei kartais nuspėjamas. Trukdo ir ne visada aiškiai išreikšti veikėjai, kurie valdo atskirus skyrius, ir šiuolaikinis pasaulis, kuriame viskas vyksta – arba nepamenu, arba tikrai Šokolade nebuvo laiko nuorodų – todėl ir veikėjai (filmo IR knygos) atrodė esantys kokiuose 1950-uosiuose. O dabar, kažkodėl maigantys telefonus, jie praranda didžiąją dalį savo magijos. Kaip tęsinys ši knyga man nesuveikė, kaip nauja istorija – neblogas reikalas. Ir tikrai, palikus tik pastarąją, būtų galima išvengti pagrindinių problemų: nuspėjamumo, plokštumo ir ištęstumo. Net magija čia kitokia, nei kad Šokolade. Taigi, ragaukite atsargiai ir rimtai lūkesčius susivaldę.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to Chocolat, published as The Lollipop Shoes outside of U.S.

Chocolat was full of colors and enchantment that we never really knew the source of. The Girl with No Shadow reveals these right away. This story starts with none of the enchantment and mystery of Chocolat. We are introduced to Zozie who is leaving her previous life. Each chapter comes from the point of view of either Zozie, Vianne, or Anouk. This threw me at first until I realized we had switched characters. Roux returns but is not the same character he was in Chocolat. Vianne’s life before Chocolat and between that story and this one is explained where Chocolat never really addressed this. For some reason I always got the impression that Chocolat took place in the 1950s or so, but according to this story it took place in the present. Vianne and Anouk seem out of place in the present day, and it was hard to wrap my mind around.

It was a good story, but kind of flat for me. I prefer Chocolat.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book - I have such fond memories of *Chocolat* (probably because I read a borrowed copy on the plane home from a trip to Paris replete with French chocolates, but still...). I can't help but think that the sequel almost ruins the magic of the first one - it ended so...hopefully, and then *The Girl With No Shadow* happens and undercuts it all.

As a stand-alone book, though (which it very well could be), I'm much happier with it (and if it were a stand-alone book, I'd be tempted to give it four stars instead of three, although the ending was a little syruppy) - intriguing characters - I really like the shifting point of view - and charmingly, if a little too sweetly, written. Having finished, I feel a bit as if I've gorged on chocolates - pleasant memories and oh so good going down, but all the sugar gets cloying after a bit...which isn't necessarily all bad given how wonderful the sugar overdose is to begin with.

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also most excellent. I shall give a full review at a later date.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Chocolat was Dark Chocolate with a creamy milk chocolate filling then The Girl with No Shadow is a Dark Chocolate truffle with a smooth creamy finish.

"The Girl..." is not a simple tale. It's a complex tale that mirrors life and the way we interact with each other, the things we choose not to see, the choices we make because we believe them to be right and the ultimate decision of getting back to that place within yourself that truly represents who you are.

It's about love, vengeance, family, longing, truths and half-truths, growing up and expanding. To me the story is a darker and sadder tale than it's predecessor and while it ends on a realistic enough note, it doesn't completely satisfy you. When you're finished with this story you realize that the journey is never ending and while life is never about an ending that is given to you in a neat little bow, it is about making your own magic and being happy with what you have.

I leave it up to you to finish and try to decipher my meanings. I'm in love with this book (I'm biased because I love Joanne Harris) and if you've read Chocolat then you will appreciate this book.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

26/8/2016
God, I love this book. So, so much. Magic plays much more of a role in this one than in Chocolat, which could almost be described as straight up literature. This one relies fairly heavily on magic of varying sorts. It gives us the back story on characters we know and love, which also introducing one of the most unreliable and compelling narrators I think I've ever come across. Zozie is so creeptastic by the end, and yet in the beginning, the reader is as taken in by her as Anouk is.

Anouk is such a delightful child character, and she's so wistful for the life she knew before while also finding herself teetering on the brink of growing up. She's torn between wanting to run to her mother for comfort and acting cool in front of her peers, and I just want to hug her and tell her that everything's going to be okay.

Basically? I love this a lot. The end.

6/3/2014
There are literally no words to tell you how much I adore this book. In many ways, I actually prefer this to its prequel, Chocolat. The narrative is split between Vianne - who's in many ways not the woman she was four years earlier in Lansquenet -, Anouk - now eleven and telling her own story -, and a new and mysterious character called Zozie.

It's not always an easy read - Zozie's a complex and pretty mysterious character. You know throughout that she's up to something, but the big reveal is pretty bizarre and disturbing even on rereading. There are new characters to love, old favourites to adore all over again, and new characters that you'll love to hate. As with all of Harris' books, it's beautifully written and periodically serious-deep-thoughts provoking. Plus, it's the origin of one of my personal mantras: "Fuck you, I'm fabulous".

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say about this one? Reading it feels like looking through the window of a chocolaterie, seeing little boxes that you know contain the most delicious treats, but all the while aware of the pane of glass before you - and the worst is you never quite see what's inside the boxes, either.

But seeing as looking is half the fun anyway the reading is hardly a terrible experience, just not nearly as delightful as Chocolat.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to Chocolat is a much darker offering. The story is set 4 years later and it's clear that Vianne is fearful of something. She and Anouk have assumed new names, their spirits have dwindled, and they seem defeated. The story examines the debilitating effect of fear and the dangers it can expose us to. It also examines the choices we make to obtain the things we need. I'm beginning to suspect that Joanne Harris' dialogue of right vs wrong, good vs evil to be a signature for her. I've read three of her books and don't intend to stop there, so I shall see if that idea holds true for her other books.

While Chocolat's use of magic was understated, The Girl With No Shadow was more explicit. It was almost a character of its own. In a way, I preferred the understated magic in Chocolat.

The tension in this story was palpable. I couldn't stand it, and had to peek ahead. The characters are beautifully drawn, and I was invested in their well being and how this story was going to work out.

I wonder what is in store for us with the next book in the series. I shall find out!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both heartwarming and chilling. I wish I had a copy of my last review. As I've said, it was the first or second review I ever wrote. I have no idea how I experienced it then. But this book has as a core theme, mothering, and what it means to have loss, as your children grow away from you - which is a theme I can currently relate to. Its also about how Vianne deals with her power, which runs alongside her fear. But it is the love of her children, and her "life" that ultimately causes her to fight for what is her own. "Zosie" is a compelling character in the way that she is a very pitiable villain, one whose traumas are on her sleeve. A compelling theme remains, that we have seen in other places and forms. Does magic have its price, and if so, how and by whom, and when should it be used. And should it? As Chocolat is my series for the year, I suppose we will learn more in books three and four. I look forward to hearing more about this family, and am excited to jump in somewhere after this one left off. And I am quite curious about the newest character Rosette!

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I was hoping to be blown away, and there WAS a lot of talk about wind, but I wasn't moved. It's witchy too, if you like that stuff. I have to try something else by Harris. This book wasn't quite my cup of hot chocolate.

[The Book Whisperer (aka Boof) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so disappointed with this book; when it first came out I even bought it in hardback as I had absolutley loved Chocolat (and the others of Harris's that I have read). I had practically been counting down the days to the release of this book and was left feeling incredibly underwhelmed by the whole thing.

The Lollipop Shoes is the story of Vianne and Anouk and Vianne's new daugher who have moved to Paris and set up a chocolate shop there too but there is none of the magic of that first shop, it's very dull and lacks sparkle. Also, the characters in Lollipop Shoes don't even seem to be the same people they were in Chocolat; Vianne was carefree and happy in Chocolat and in this she is dull and conventional (I know she is supposed to be hiding from her past but I just didn't buy it). And I found the storyline of Red coming back to find her almost ludicrous as their relationship in Chocolat never developed into what we are lead to belive it did in this book.

Call me an old cynic but I just get the feeling that this book has been penned this in order for it to be made into another film - it had none of the magic I had expected. Infact, it left me feeling flat as a pancake.

I would always invite someone to make up their own mind about a book but this really didn't cut it for me.

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a few years ago I read Chocolat. Then I watched the film, which is not as good and not as dark as the book. Then I read other books by Joanne Harris: Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, Gentlemen and Players, Blue-eyed Boy and Different Class. They're all great reads. I now finally got around to reading the sequel to Chocolat, which is called "The girl with no shadow" in America. (Why do those American publishers have to be awkward and give European books a different title. I've seen it happen so many times and it causes confusion, while the original title is often better anyway. Idiots.)

The Lollipop shoes is a great sequel and I really enjoyed reading it. I said it before: Joanne Harris has a way of pulling you in and not letting go until you've finished to book. (She must be using magic.)

I'm delighted that I still have two more books in this series and also some other works by Joanne Harris to read. They will be patiently waiting for me on our bookshelves because my partner Orla is a great fan of her work so as soon as Joanne Harris brings out a new book, she buys it or I buy it for her. :)

The Lollipop Shoes is highly recommended and best read accompanied by bars of high quality dark chocolate, mugs of chocolate, death by chocolate (cake) or anything else made with high quality chocolate.

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book invites you.

Try me, test me, taste me...

I am not talking about chocolate. I am talking about the book. But why not to add some chocolate while reading, because the chocolaterie mood is in the air.

You won't regret. Even though you're on diet (no matter if it's for books or sweets).

Try it, test it, taste it...

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

The prose is beautiful enough to give it four stars, but the book made me so anxious for Vianne and Anouk and it was quite dark -- hence the three stars.

[David Canford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and hugely atmospheric - Joanne Harris is a gifted writer. The book could have been excellent -what’s not to like about a 'chocolaterie' in Montmartre and a bit of magic and menace? - but the plot is rather plodding. However, it’s still a pleasure to read with its splendid imagery. Overall, I preferred ‘Peaches for Monsieur Le Curé’ - the third book in the series.
‘Chocolat’ was the first, but I haven’t read it. I rarely read a novel when I have already seen the movie as I dislike already knowing what’s going to happen and my imagination being replaced by scenes and actors from the film.
The narrative is written from the POV of the three main characters. Symbols at the start of each chapter help identify whose voice is being used.

[Darka · Rating 4 out of 5]

ця книга різниться настроєм від попередньої, хоча історія все одно чудова. цікаво, що тут події відбуваються теж "від свята до свята", але тепер береться проміжок від Гелловіна до Різдва.

хочеться відзначити прекрасну постать антагоністки, вона справді моторошна.

і шоколад, багато шоколаду!

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Digital audio read by Susanna Burney


In this follow-up to Chocolat Vianne Rouche and her daughter Anouk are living in the Montmartre section of Paris with new identities – Yanne Charbonneau and Annie – and a second daughter, Rosette. Yanne wants to eschew magic and keep her family safe from the winds of change. But on a particular Halloween the winds blow a new person into their lives – Zozie de l’Alba – a vivacious woman with lollipop-red shoes, and a hidden agenda.

This was an interesting sequel but I missed the humor and romance of the original. It’s a much darker tale and the way the novel is structured makes it a bit confusing. It’s written with three narrators – Yanne, Annie and Zozie – but there is little clue at the beginning of each chapter to let the reader know who is telling the story.

Still, it held my attention, and I liked the coming-of-age aspect of the plot. Anouk/Annie is a confused pre-teen who fights with her mother (typical) and feels misunderstood and unappreciated (typical). There were times I was seriously worried about her, but Harris gave me a satisfactory resolution. Not sure I’ll bother with book 3 in the trilogy.

Susanna Burney does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has good pacing, clear diction, and was able to sufficiently differentiate the characters when they were in dialogue with one another.

[Sonia Gomes · Rating 3 out of 5]

“ Zozie de l'Alba has breezed into Vianne/ Yanne's life. What's she up to ? She who steals identities, is fun, has loads of magic. And Yanne (from Chocolat) why has she turned into such a wimp. Why is she trying to conform, be like "the others", of course its because she wants a normal life for her daughters Anouk/Annie and Rosette (who is mute). Although Zozie's intentions are far from good, she does manage to get Yanne back into business, she manages to inject a lot of life into the Chocolat shop which was just an ordinary shop before Zozie took over. Bad intentions Zozie...you tried to take away Anouk from her mother, but failed. Anouk stayed on with Yanne stronger than before, but why did she need Pantoufle and Rosette her Bam ? Chocolat had only good intentions but Lollipop Shoes shows that the world has evil in it too, even if it is the form of the very glamorous Zozie de l'Alba. ”