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Chocolate Chocolate: The True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That Could
When their beloved father died suddenly, authors Frances and Ginger Park (To Swim Across the World) comforted themselves with chocolates and mused on opening a confectionery shop with their small inheritance. The idea felt right to them--"a shop our late father would've loved just by virtue of its chocolates and daughters"--and despite their inexperience, they decide to go for it, with their mother as silent partner. In 1984, on the day f their Washington, D.C., store, named Chocolate Chocolate, opened, they already were beset with difficulties, from crumbling walls and cracking floors installed by a shoddy, shady contractor to trying to conjure strategies to gain attention and sales. Bit by bit, their clientele grows; the sisters write fondly and often humorously of the recurring characters in their new, chocolate-centric lives, from favorite customers to the kooky sales rep who becomes an employee and dear friend. They easily move between musings on friendship and family, all the while offering inspiration and valuable lessons for budding entrepreneurs. The recipe for their house truffle rounds out this appealing, engaging memoir that's sure to appeal to a range of readers, chocoholics or not. --Publishers Weekly
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Frances Park
23 books27 followersI grew up in an era when the U.S. Census Bureau need only come to my family's house to get a total head count of Koreans in my ‘burb. That reality is often reflected in fourteen books by publishers big and small for readers young and old.
BLUE RICE (Vine Leaves Press/June 2024) is a timely tale of a young woman from northern Korea who takes what fate deals her following the Korean War, including her acclimation to 1960s America when her husband deserts her.
On the horizon is a children's book SUKA'S FARM (Albert Whitman/March 2025), a testament to a hungry Korean boy's desire to feed his family during the Japanese Occupation.
THE SUMMER MY SISTER WAS CLEOPATRA MOON (Heliotrope NYC/Sept 2023) is a revised and streamlined version of a novel originally published in 2000, long before the era of K-Pop and K-Dramas. A quarter century later, the Oscars have proven that stories about the Asian American experience have certainly come to light, and that audiences are receptive. That said, playing in my mind like vintage footage, I was always hoping that somehow, someday, I could bring the Moon family back to life, sisters Marcy and Cleo cruising around in that yellow Mustang on their way to Taco Town in the summer of '76. And here it is!
Other works include GRANDPA'S SCROLL (Albert Whitman/May 2023), my sixth co-authored children's book with sister Ginger, my includes my memoir THAT LONELY SPELL: STORIES OF FAMILY, FRIENDS & LOVE (Heliotrope NYC/2022) and CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE: THE TRUE STORY OF TWO SISTERS, TONS OF TREATS, AND THE LITTLE SHOP THAT COULD (Thomas Dunne/ 2011), Shorter works - stories and essays - have appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine, The Chicago Quarterly, The Massachusetts Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, The London Magazine, Pleaides, Spirituality & Health Magazine, OZY, Slice, Folio, Gulf Coast Journal, and Arts & Letters, to name a few. One work earned a spot on THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2017 Notable List.
More co-authored and highly-praised children's books include MY FREEDOM TRIP: A CHILD'S ESCAPE TO NORTH KOREA (Boyds Mills Press/1998), winner of The International Reading Association Award; THE ROYAL BEE (Boyds Mills Press/2000), winner of The Joan B. Sugarman Award; and GOOD-BYE, 382 SHIN DANG DONG (National Geographic Children’s Books/2002), described by Newsweek magazine as "the perfect all-American story".
I've been interviewed on 'Good Morning America', CNN, the Diane Rehm Show, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and NPR.
When I'm not in writing mode, I'm at Chocolate Chocolate, a sweet boutique in Washington, DC breaking bonbons with customers. Books + Chocolate = A Dream Life!
Visit me at www.parksisters.com.
BLUE RICE (Vine Leaves Press/June 2024) is a timely tale of a young woman from northern Korea who takes what fate deals her following the Korean War, including her acclimation to 1960s America when her husband deserts her.
On the horizon is a children's book SUKA'S FARM (Albert Whitman/March 2025), a testament to a hungry Korean boy's desire to feed his family during the Japanese Occupation.
THE SUMMER MY SISTER WAS CLEOPATRA MOON (Heliotrope NYC/Sept 2023) is a revised and streamlined version of a novel originally published in 2000, long before the era of K-Pop and K-Dramas. A quarter century later, the Oscars have proven that stories about the Asian American experience have certainly come to light, and that audiences are receptive. That said, playing in my mind like vintage footage, I was always hoping that somehow, someday, I could bring the Moon family back to life, sisters Marcy and Cleo cruising around in that yellow Mustang on their way to Taco Town in the summer of '76. And here it is!
Other works include GRANDPA'S SCROLL (Albert Whitman/May 2023), my sixth co-authored children's book with sister Ginger, my includes my memoir THAT LONELY SPELL: STORIES OF FAMILY, FRIENDS & LOVE (Heliotrope NYC/2022) and CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE: THE TRUE STORY OF TWO SISTERS, TONS OF TREATS, AND THE LITTLE SHOP THAT COULD (Thomas Dunne/ 2011), Shorter works - stories and essays - have appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine, The Chicago Quarterly, The Massachusetts Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, The London Magazine, Pleaides, Spirituality & Health Magazine, OZY, Slice, Folio, Gulf Coast Journal, and Arts & Letters, to name a few. One work earned a spot on THE BEST AMERICAN ESSAYS 2017 Notable List.
More co-authored and highly-praised children's books include MY FREEDOM TRIP: A CHILD'S ESCAPE TO NORTH KOREA (Boyds Mills Press/1998), winner of The International Reading Association Award; THE ROYAL BEE (Boyds Mills Press/2000), winner of The Joan B. Sugarman Award; and GOOD-BYE, 382 SHIN DANG DONG (National Geographic Children’s Books/2002), described by Newsweek magazine as "the perfect all-American story".
I've been interviewed on 'Good Morning America', CNN, the Diane Rehm Show, Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and NPR.
When I'm not in writing mode, I'm at Chocolate Chocolate, a sweet boutique in Washington, DC breaking bonbons with customers. Books + Chocolate = A Dream Life!
Visit me at www.parksisters.com.
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December 4, 2017
Subtitle: The True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That Could
When their father died of a stroke while on vacation, the Park sisters were left adrift. They were in their twenties, and still living at home in suburban Virginia with their mother when they decided to use the inheritance their father had left them to open a boutique specializing in high-end chocolates. This is the story of that “little shop that could,” and of the bond between two sisters.
It’s a charming memoir, but I found it repetitious. While I admit to self-medicating with chocolate, reading about that in chapter after chapter is less satisfying. Co-authored by the two sisters, it is also written in an oddly first-person-plural style combined with third-person references. So they’ll write something along the lines of “We were excited…” Followed by “Francie gave the customer…” I honestly don’t know how else they might have written it, as co-authors, but for me, it just didn’t flow.
Still, they have an interesting story to tell, and I really likeved their relationship with their mother and with their customers.
When their father died of a stroke while on vacation, the Park sisters were left adrift. They were in their twenties, and still living at home in suburban Virginia with their mother when they decided to use the inheritance their father had left them to open a boutique specializing in high-end chocolates. This is the story of that “little shop that could,” and of the bond between two sisters.
It’s a charming memoir, but I found it repetitious. While I admit to self-medicating with chocolate, reading about that in chapter after chapter is less satisfying. Co-authored by the two sisters, it is also written in an oddly first-person-plural style combined with third-person references. So they’ll write something along the lines of “We were excited…” Followed by “Francie gave the customer…” I honestly don’t know how else they might have written it, as co-authors, but for me, it just didn’t flow.
Still, they have an interesting story to tell, and I really likeved their relationship with their mother and with their customers.
September 28, 2020
Un libro abbastanza carino, la classica storia scritta da persone che sono riuscite a coronare il loro sogno americano: una lettura piacevole e leggera, mi ha tenuto compagnia nei lunghi viaggi in treno. :)
Le due sorelle Park raccontano tutte le difficoltà incontrate nel raggiungimento del loro sogno americano, cioè aprire una cioccolateria: tra architetti truffaldini, fornitori arroganti e fidanzati non pervenuti o male azzeccati, le due sorelle si consolano con una buona dose di umorismo e tanto, tantissimo cioccolato!
...Le due ragazze infatti ne sono ossessionate, a tal punto da dedicare ogni capitolo del libro ad un diverso tipo di cioccolatino. Una storia simpatica nella sua semplicità. In effetti, è esattamente come un cioccolatino: te lo gusti per il tempo necessario a levarti la voglia di cioccolato e poi si lascia dimenticare lasciandoti una vaga sensazione di buono.
P.S. rimane da scoprire come il titolo originale Chocolate Chocolate sia arrivato nelle librerie italiane col nome di I Piaceri Intimi del Cioccolato...misteri dell'editoria...!
Le due sorelle Park raccontano tutte le difficoltà incontrate nel raggiungimento del loro sogno americano, cioè aprire una cioccolateria: tra architetti truffaldini, fornitori arroganti e fidanzati non pervenuti o male azzeccati, le due sorelle si consolano con una buona dose di umorismo e tanto, tantissimo cioccolato!
...Le due ragazze infatti ne sono ossessionate, a tal punto da dedicare ogni capitolo del libro ad un diverso tipo di cioccolatino. Una storia simpatica nella sua semplicità. In effetti, è esattamente come un cioccolatino: te lo gusti per il tempo necessario a levarti la voglia di cioccolato e poi si lascia dimenticare lasciandoti una vaga sensazione di buono.
P.S. rimane da scoprire come il titolo originale Chocolate Chocolate sia arrivato nelle librerie italiane col nome di I Piaceri Intimi del Cioccolato...misteri dell'editoria...!
March 21, 2025
BORING
July 14, 2012
As the book stated, it was a sweet story. I read about the book in our local newspaper in a Sunday review, and knew I had to read it. These two women knew nothing about small business, retail or chocolate (except that they liked it)! They beat all the odds (which were quite a few), and turned this into a successful business. Just the descriptions alone, of these heavenly morsals, were enough to send me scrambling to the internet to see if they are still in business. They are! So after my next doctor's appointment, I will place an order, and will tell my newphew and his wife to make a visit the next time they are in the D.C. area. A VERY enjoyable read of friends, family and the love that apparently still sustains these beautiful ladies and their business.
June 26, 2018
(3.5 stars) Two sisters receive a financial legacy after their father’s untimely death. Despite their inexperience in business, Frances and Ginger decide to open a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C. in the early 1980s. They chronicle their challenges in getting space, renovations, getting suppliers, and finding a customer base. The descriptions of some of the chocolates will make your mouth water, and the descriptions of some of the customers will make you laugh, The sisters grow and develop themselves, going in and out of relationships, before they find their way. Eventually, their interests lead them beyond the business into authorship, and they tell stories that have meaning to them, including their mother’s journey across Korea as a young girl, and their imagined story of a family food truck. The book ends with the recipe for their house truffle.
October 10, 2020
Sweet true story of two Korean American sisters who open a candy shop in downtown Washington D.C. It starts slowly, but stay with this one as the sisters deal with all the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Their friendships, romances and especially their close relationship with their indomitable mother give this story it's heart and soul. I'm not a chocoholic. so it took staying power for me to make my way through the pages of prose describing all the different, decadent chocolates. Just reading it made me want to start a diet. Thanks to the good friend that recommended this one.
October 27, 2021
This review is not from a current read. I read this about two years ago while working on LEARNING WITH CHOCOLATE. This book did not fit the needs for that book, but I fell in love with the Park Sisters, Frances & Ginger. They have so much passion for chocolate. Their dedication to their customers are impressive. Their story of sisterhood is amazing. One day I will reread the book and give it a better review.
NOTE: Before COVID the little Chocolate Chocolate shop was still in operation.
When winter comes, I will check to see if I can get some high quality chocolate mailed to my house.
NOTE: Before COVID the little Chocolate Chocolate shop was still in operation.
When winter comes, I will check to see if I can get some high quality chocolate mailed to my house.
April 23, 2022
I loved this! A beautiful, heartfelt memoir from two sisters who run a chocolate boutique about a mile away from me. It was fun to read about the first 25 years of their business (though now, by 2022, they’ve been in business for about 39 years, I think). They clearly love chocolate, and it was fun to hear about their lifelong dream to run this store. It was also really neat to hear their stories and descriptions of local DC neighborhoods and stores, since I know many of them. A delightful story. (I was delighted to meet them in person and make their acquaintances this spring.)
March 22, 2023
Two sisters start up a chocolate shoppe together. A sweet little book. The incessantly chirpy tone started to drive me a little crazy sometimes. But there's a lot to like here. They've organized the chapters w/the theme of a different chocolate for each, which I liked. Keep the candy box nearby! This story will definitely make your mouth water. The book didn't have the best writing style I've ever read; but it was still endearing, kind of like joining this family for their journey through the ups & downs of life & business, w/friends. Pleasant reading.
August 1, 2021
Książka "Życie jest słodkie" przy pomocy czekolady działa na zmysły, wręcz je uwodzi. Pomimo, że pierwsze rozdziały czytało mi się bardzo topornie, były w pewien sposób ciężkie i rozwlekłe, to jednak później wiernie kibicowałam siostrom Park, trzymałam kciuki za kolejne sukcesy i przekonałam się do dalszej lektury. Okazało się nawet, że czekolada jest najlepszym lekarstwem na wszystko: niezapłacone rachunki, nieodwzajemnione miłości aż po niespełnione marzenia :-)
June 9, 2017
This is a gem of a book. Two sisters bravely decide to open up a chocolate shop in Washington, DC after their father dies unexpectedly. They take us through setting up the shop, choosing which domestic and international chocolates to sell, and the type of customers they encounter. Every chapter made me want to run out and buy some new chocolate to try.
July 4, 2018
Two sisters born of immigrant parents decide (after their father passed away) what to use their inheritance for. Reading this book and how they started their chocolate shop makes you crave chocolate. Finding the right location to begin with and also with their Korean mother's help they open up the shop and become very succedssful.
December 2, 2018
This was more like a 4.5 stars... because of the ending (good ending - just written a little too dramatic). I also always want pictures in non-fiction works... and they didn't include any.
But, this was such a good story about a chocolate shop - and I did crave good chocolate the entire time I read it - but fun story.
But, this was such a good story about a chocolate shop - and I did crave good chocolate the entire time I read it - but fun story.
May 11, 2020
A very likeable non-fiction about the store, Chocolate Chocolate, located in Washington, D.C. and the two sisters who own and run it. It is told from the view point of first time business owners with the ups and downs involved in running a small business. The book was a quick easy read.
March 11, 2022
I enjoyed this quick read. It read like a Hallmark movie (nothing wrong with that) but was an entertaining non-fiction account of two young women realizing their dream.
December 19, 2024
It was cute and endearing and I am so happy for these two sisters fulfilling their dreams! ♥
November 30, 2025
A cute, true story! Enjoyable characters! A few curse words and a few sensual words/references that weren't necessary, but nothing graphic.
September 17, 2021
Chocolate Chocolate transports the reader back in a time most did not think of as simpler but the ingenious Park Sister, Frances and Ginger, manage to make the trip both compelling and gentle--like biting into one of the many friandises their enterprise has to offer. Particularly poignant are memories of a can-do deceased North Korean emigre father and his colorful surviving wife. Indeed, Chocolate x 2 is peppered with one colorful character after another that ride this often rollercoaster story. They all contribute to injecting life in a city maligned or reduced to its symbolic importance: Washington, DC.; yet without gore (no pun intended). The tone flirts with a certain magic realism and bares the occasional yet fleeting resemblance to Like Water for Chocolate. Again, one the memoire's great strengths is the ebb and flow between 1980s America and a more removed in time Korea, cocoa mysticism and a yen for writing, hard work and passion seeking to be recompensed.
(The generous, kindly sister gave me their book after I handed them a copy of All of the Night).
(The generous, kindly sister gave me their book after I handed them a copy of All of the Night).
September 14, 2015
Content warnings: Mentions of Korean war, mentions of poverty, lots of talk about food, slight slut shaming, mentions of sex, mentions of death
Ok so I'm kind of a sucker for memoir type books. I really am. This book was no exception. I really enjoyed reading it. And it was really cool reading about their parent's struggles before they came to the U.S.
So this book highlights the lives of two Korean American sisters on the East Coast and their struggle to open their own chocolate shop in the 1980s. It gives background on their Korean parents and how they fared both before and after the Korean war, their eventual winding up in America(though that's more or less kind of glossed over), their meeting, and a brief overview of their lives together until the death of their father.
The book reminisces on their father and his life quite a bit. It also talks about the girls opening the chocolate shop, the types of chocolates they sold, their experience at a confectionary convention in New York, the trials and tribulations of owning your own no name store (no name meaning not part of a large corporation), dealing with contractors and real estate people, as well as getting loans from the bank, a bit of info on some of their customers as well as nicknames they gave them, and talks about them writing books together.
I really like that they stuck to their guns when it came to writing and selling the story of their mother's life and how they refused to change the ending into a happily ever after. Especially since not all stories are happily ever afters. It was sad to hear about what happened to their mother's mother but things do happen especially in countries that have had wars. At least though the mother got some sort of closure about what happened to her mother.
All in all this was a very good book that I'd definitely recommend. That during some of the chocolate descriptions gave me a toothache from how sweet they sounded. And if you're interested in chocolate this is a pretty good book too.
Ok so I'm kind of a sucker for memoir type books. I really am. This book was no exception. I really enjoyed reading it. And it was really cool reading about their parent's struggles before they came to the U.S.
So this book highlights the lives of two Korean American sisters on the East Coast and their struggle to open their own chocolate shop in the 1980s. It gives background on their Korean parents and how they fared both before and after the Korean war, their eventual winding up in America(though that's more or less kind of glossed over), their meeting, and a brief overview of their lives together until the death of their father.
The book reminisces on their father and his life quite a bit. It also talks about the girls opening the chocolate shop, the types of chocolates they sold, their experience at a confectionary convention in New York, the trials and tribulations of owning your own no name store (no name meaning not part of a large corporation), dealing with contractors and real estate people, as well as getting loans from the bank, a bit of info on some of their customers as well as nicknames they gave them, and talks about them writing books together.
I really like that they stuck to their guns when it came to writing and selling the story of their mother's life and how they refused to change the ending into a happily ever after. Especially since not all stories are happily ever afters. It was sad to hear about what happened to their mother's mother but things do happen especially in countries that have had wars. At least though the mother got some sort of closure about what happened to her mother.
All in all this was a very good book that I'd definitely recommend. That during some of the chocolate descriptions gave me a toothache from how sweet they sounded. And if you're interested in chocolate this is a pretty good book too.
June 6, 2011
Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, true story about two sisters who dream of opening a chocolate store in Washington D.C. When their father dies unexpectedly just as he is about to achieve his lifelong goals, Ginger and Frances are devastated. With the small savings he leaves them they work to realize their own goal of opening a sweets stop, but it turns out to be a little harder than they expect. First they must find the perfect, jewel box storefront, but the landlord turns out to be the Evil Empire. Then they hire a charming, cheap, and ultimately useless contractor who swindles them. As they bravely open anyway Ginger and Frances find themselves in an all too often empty store with the shelves literally crashing to the floor around them and huge cracks appearing in the floor. But the two are determined to honor their father and, together, they believe the magic of chocolate will pull them through.
What really makes this cute little book are the characters constantly wandering in and out of Chocolate, Chocolate. It quickly becomes clear that the sisters like their customers almost as much as they like their chocolate! The endearing vignettes of the various people they meet and befriend are enough to make anyone envy the girls their profession. As Kahlua Lady, the Bulldog, and Our Girl Friday come and go Ginger and Frances rent a typewritter and begin writing their stories in between helping customers. Its a charming picture that they create and reading the book is like being invited to join in the fun. Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, feel good, easy read that goes down as smooth as a House Truffle!
What really makes this cute little book are the characters constantly wandering in and out of Chocolate, Chocolate. It quickly becomes clear that the sisters like their customers almost as much as they like their chocolate! The endearing vignettes of the various people they meet and befriend are enough to make anyone envy the girls their profession. As Kahlua Lady, the Bulldog, and Our Girl Friday come and go Ginger and Frances rent a typewritter and begin writing their stories in between helping customers. Its a charming picture that they create and reading the book is like being invited to join in the fun. Chocolate, Chocolate is a sweet, feel good, easy read that goes down as smooth as a House Truffle!
January 28, 2015
A pleasant read about a chocolate shop. After the death of their father, Ginger and Frances Park are a little adrift in life. But then they find the inspiration to open a chocolate shop in Metro Washington, DC. The book is a story of the store (Chocolate Chocolate), its origins, their customers, and some of the personal lives of the two sisters.
Overall it's a pleasant read about a small, independently owned shop. Some of it is quite predictable. The store goes through tough times getting set up. They don't have the money. They get a skeezy contractor. The store doesn't do well at first.
But eventually they pick up up business and gain loyal customers. The store is cited in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. They get word out via customers. The sisters watch as Washington DC changes (the store opens in the mid 80's) to moving towards casual Fridays, 9/11, etc. But they are still there, and still sell chocolate.
It's a pleasant read, worth a day or a few. The writing is a little disconcerting, being both in third and first person. I get that the two are writing the book but this switch of viewpoints could have been eliminated. I also wanted to know a bit more about their family history--the Korean War took the lives of several of their relatives (as the family is Korean) but this was presented in occasional anecdotes that don't really tie into the ongoing story.
I don't think someone who is looking to open their own business will get much out of it, but as a memoir of running a business, (or chocoholics!) will probably enjoy this.
Overall it's a pleasant read about a small, independently owned shop. Some of it is quite predictable. The store goes through tough times getting set up. They don't have the money. They get a skeezy contractor. The store doesn't do well at first.
But eventually they pick up up business and gain loyal customers. The store is cited in newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. They get word out via customers. The sisters watch as Washington DC changes (the store opens in the mid 80's) to moving towards casual Fridays, 9/11, etc. But they are still there, and still sell chocolate.
It's a pleasant read, worth a day or a few. The writing is a little disconcerting, being both in third and first person. I get that the two are writing the book but this switch of viewpoints could have been eliminated. I also wanted to know a bit more about their family history--the Korean War took the lives of several of their relatives (as the family is Korean) but this was presented in occasional anecdotes that don't really tie into the ongoing story.
I don't think someone who is looking to open their own business will get much out of it, but as a memoir of running a business, (or chocoholics!) will probably enjoy this.
January 23, 2012
I came across this book randomly on the "new book" shelf at my local library. I was drawn in by the adorable cover and pulled in even more once I read the inside of the cover and realized this was a book set in Washington, DC that had nothing to do with politics (YES and YES!). I've talked about how much I love books about my city of DC that aren't political. There is so much more to this city! I had never heard of Chocolate Chocolate before even though it's so very close to where I am. I'm fixing this soon after reading this book! You better believe it!
Imagine Chocolat being set in the Nation's Capital and that's pretty much what you get with this book. Armed with a dream, sisters Frances and Ginger Park start a small chocolate shop just steps away from the White House. The road is hard to make the shop successful. They contend with a bunch of issues of a small shop just starting out as well as surly bunch of DC-ers but they're able to come through it all through perseverance and relying on each other.
Each chapter is named after one of the chocolates in the story along with a little description of what the chocolate was. Oh man, what an amazing way to get the readers sucked in the story. I'm going to venture to guess that my chocolate consumption increased by, well, quite a bit as I read this book. The descriptions of the chocolate and this charming store just really made me want chocolate! Read this book and you won't be able to help yourself either.
Bottom line: This is a delicious story!
Imagine Chocolat being set in the Nation's Capital and that's pretty much what you get with this book. Armed with a dream, sisters Frances and Ginger Park start a small chocolate shop just steps away from the White House. The road is hard to make the shop successful. They contend with a bunch of issues of a small shop just starting out as well as surly bunch of DC-ers but they're able to come through it all through perseverance and relying on each other.
Each chapter is named after one of the chocolates in the story along with a little description of what the chocolate was. Oh man, what an amazing way to get the readers sucked in the story. I'm going to venture to guess that my chocolate consumption increased by, well, quite a bit as I read this book. The descriptions of the chocolate and this charming store just really made me want chocolate! Read this book and you won't be able to help yourself either.
Bottom line: This is a delicious story!
May 25, 2016
A lovely true story of two sisters who start a little chocolate shop in Washington. Sounds fantastic, but it's not all 'song and dance'- they tell the truth. In fact they struggle à lot to keep thé business going. Days without customers, days with to many (&rude) customers (On Valentinesday), regulars with their Own nicknames (Kahlua lady), à battle with à terrible contractor. I love the fact that, no matter what happened, they keep positive and thank God - at least there's always enough chocolate around for à little 'pick me up'. This story covers a timespan of more than 25 years...it's Nice to see the ladies and their shop evolve over time.
I love the fact that these ladies use the time 'when business is slow' to write. It's pays off, because after years of struggeling they get published. Yeah, that's right. They do not only own a chocolate shop, but are published (awardwinning) writers. OMG!
The only thing that bothered me a little, was that the story was told in a combination of 'narrator/we' version instead of an expected 'me/we' while it is clear that they tell/wrote the novel themselves...minor detail and just my personal preference- so please don't let that stop you to read this 'delicious' Novel from these lovely ladies.
I love the fact that these ladies use the time 'when business is slow' to write. It's pays off, because after years of struggeling they get published. Yeah, that's right. They do not only own a chocolate shop, but are published (awardwinning) writers. OMG!
The only thing that bothered me a little, was that the story was told in a combination of 'narrator/we' version instead of an expected 'me/we' while it is clear that they tell/wrote the novel themselves...minor detail and just my personal preference- so please don't let that stop you to read this 'delicious' Novel from these lovely ladies.
May 14, 2012
So far, it's an interesting true story about 2 women with no business experience who desire to own and operate a chocolate shop. I love anything about women who beat the odds. Still reading...
Finished! I enjoyed it and admire the Park sisters' persistence to create their dream into a reality. It made me crave good chocolate and made me more aware of the process involved in making or ordering from large chocolatiers. (It even includes a recipe at the end to make one's own chocolates)
Unfortunately, I found the character development lacking and at times the storyline fell to boring levels. I can tell they felt an obligation to include key customers who were memorable to them and probably deserved mention for keeping their business afloat, however, they felt like unnecessary distractions to the story.
It's a good read when you want to live someone else's life for a day. (or a few)
I did pick up one of their children's books that my children and I thoroughly enjoyed. Goodbye 382 Shin Dang Dong. It's a great story to reassure kids about moving houses.
Finished! I enjoyed it and admire the Park sisters' persistence to create their dream into a reality. It made me crave good chocolate and made me more aware of the process involved in making or ordering from large chocolatiers. (It even includes a recipe at the end to make one's own chocolates)
Unfortunately, I found the character development lacking and at times the storyline fell to boring levels. I can tell they felt an obligation to include key customers who were memorable to them and probably deserved mention for keeping their business afloat, however, they felt like unnecessary distractions to the story.
It's a good read when you want to live someone else's life for a day. (or a few)
I did pick up one of their children's books that my children and I thoroughly enjoyed. Goodbye 382 Shin Dang Dong. It's a great story to reassure kids about moving houses.
February 16, 2015
I had never heard anything about this shop or the owners before picking up this book. It turned out to be a good read and an absolute celebration of chocolate. It's also an interesting look inside a small business for anyone who has ever dreamed of opening up their own shop. These sisters had a really rocky start, but in the end they were able to fulfill their dream. The book doesn't sugarcoat their struggles and it also addresses some tough subjects such as their father's death and both of their parents' experiences in war-torn Korea. There were lots of happy moments as well and overall, it was a sweet, heartfelt story.
See more of my reviews at: http://bucklingbookshelves.blogspot.com
See more of my reviews at: http://bucklingbookshelves.blogspot.com
September 4, 2012
I liked this. It's a quick read and it's full of descriptions of various yummy-sounding chocolate treats. The girls had setbacks and triumphs and it's all set in DC. The story of the beginning of the store was truly interesting because it's filled with "we found a public phone and called mom" kinds of things - funny how we forget what life was like before cell phones!
The writing style was a little difficult to get used to - "Frances did..." and "Ginger did..." then it would move to "we did..." so you never knew who was speaking. But I got used to it.
It met my basic criteria for a non-fiction book - it helped me pass the time in a pleasant manner and I learned something and it left me wanting to know more - about the sisters, their shop, their other books.
The writing style was a little difficult to get used to - "Frances did..." and "Ginger did..." then it would move to "we did..." so you never knew who was speaking. But I got used to it.
It met my basic criteria for a non-fiction book - it helped me pass the time in a pleasant manner and I learned something and it left me wanting to know more - about the sisters, their shop, their other books.
June 30, 2011
Chocolate Chocolate is the name of the Washington DC shop opened in 1984 by the two authors (sisters) after the death of their father.
Their story is a rollercoaster ride with the ladies surviving various challenges personally and professionally, and delightfully cute recollections of their sometimes charming, frequently eccentric customers.
Overall the book is perfectly inoffensive and reads more like it was geared toward young adult readers. The authors have previously written children’s books and the writing has that kind of innocent tone. In one word: sweet, because it describes not only the subject matter but also the prose.
Their story is a rollercoaster ride with the ladies surviving various challenges personally and professionally, and delightfully cute recollections of their sometimes charming, frequently eccentric customers.
Overall the book is perfectly inoffensive and reads more like it was geared toward young adult readers. The authors have previously written children’s books and the writing has that kind of innocent tone. In one word: sweet, because it describes not only the subject matter but also the prose.
May 21, 2012
Enjoyable, quick, and light little read about two Korean-American sisters who open a chocolate shop in DC. A bit different than I expected - I assumed they were the chocolate makers as well, which shows you how much I know about chocolate.
This book seems like a counterpart in some ways to MY KOREAN DELI, which I read earlier this year, although a bit more sweet and a bit less laugh-out-loud funny.
This made me SO hungry for chocolate, and I'm not even a chocoholic (I like it, but I don't crave it like other women I know). The descriptions of chocolate are definitely the highlight here, and I could definitely go for a whole ton of cashew clusters or peanut butter smoothies right now.
This book seems like a counterpart in some ways to MY KOREAN DELI, which I read earlier this year, although a bit more sweet and a bit less laugh-out-loud funny.
This made me SO hungry for chocolate, and I'm not even a chocoholic (I like it, but I don't crave it like other women I know). The descriptions of chocolate are definitely the highlight here, and I could definitely go for a whole ton of cashew clusters or peanut butter smoothies right now.
June 14, 2012
True, touching story of two Korean sisters who decided to open a chocolate store (called Chocolate Chocolate) in Washington DC in the 1980s after their father died. The book is funny, easily read, and genuine. I recommend it to anyone who is thinking of starting a small business, and also to all chocoholics. After a rocky start, the store has thrived and is still open today. The sisters have now branched out to writing children's book and one of their books, the story of their parents' immigration to the United States, has won a Children's Book Award. After reading this book you will go away wanting to expand your chocolate palate.
May 14, 2012
Chocolate Chocolate by Frances Park and Ginger Park is a charming story of two Korean-American sisters who are devastated after their father's death and are looking to make a future for themselves. Their love of family and chocolate leads them to decide to open a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C. Easier said than done! Charming story. Quirky characters. I want to taste a Half-Moon Buttercream Dream!!!
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