2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Chocolat by Joanne Harris, the first book of the Chocolat series.


Pages: 306 pages


Length: 1 Month (March)


Participants: Nóri, Frezita.


Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

SarahKat wrote: "This thread is to discuss Chocolat by Joanne Harris, the first book of the Chocolat series.


Pages: 306 pages


Length: 1 Month (March)

I read this years ago and loved it. If I had time I would read it again but instead will rely on my memory and on the movie.


Participants: Nóri, Frezita.

..."

I'm planning to start this today. Saw the movie about 15 years ago, had the book sitting on my shelf for almost as long... I think it's time I finally read it :)

Nóri wrote: "I'm planning to start this today. Saw the movie about 15 years ago, had the book sitting on my shelf for almost as long... I think it's time I finally read it :)"
Oh, my gosh! That sounds exactly like me! I finally read this two years ago and loved it. Although the movie is one of my favorites, I think I still prefer the book even though it seemed a bit lower-key to me. I own several of her other books that I also intend to read...sometime... 😊

Hey! still waiting for my copy - it has been delayed. I'll start as soon as it arrives.

Frezita wrote: "Hey! still waiting for my copy - it has been delayed. I'll start as soon as it arrives."

That's okay, I also started it later then I thought I would. Right now I'm still getting to know Vianne and the villagers. It was a bit confusing when at chapter 3 the POV suddenly switched to the village priest without any disctinction in the text. Hope that doesn't get confusing later.

Nóri wrote: "Frezita wrote: "Hey! still waiting for my copy - it has been delayed. I'll start as soon as it arrives."

That's okay, I also started it later then I thought I would. Right now I'm still getting to know Vianne and the villagers. It was a bit confusing when at chapter 3 the POV suddenly switched to the village priest without any disctinction in the text. Hope that doesn't get confusing later."
I didn't find it to be confusing, so hopefully you won't either.

Lynn wrote: "Nóri wrote: "Frezita wrote: "Hey! still waiting for my copy - it has been delayed. I'll start as soon as it arrives."

That's okay, I also started it later then I thought I would. Right now I'm sti..."

I don't, after all :) But I still don't really know what to make of this book, and I am now almost halfway through (which shows that it's very slow going for me, even though it's such a short book).

I think my problem is that the main conflict of the book and what it represents (Vianne/individualism vs. Reynaud/authority) is done in a very unconvincing and hamfisted way. Vianne is a very likable character that I would find easy to side with, except that his opponent is so cartoonishly malicious for no reason that the whole thing is cheapened for me. It's like every time a new source of conflict pops up, like when the chocolate shop opened right at the beginning of Lent, or when the gypsies came to town, what could be an opportunity to show two sides of the argument is completely wasted, because the priest is obviously Bad so whatever he thinks is obviously Wrong, and the reader is almost hammered over the head with it like... see, THIS is what you're supposed to think!

I'm not sure I'm articulating this all that well, but anyway... I wish Reynaud's antagonism and plotting was done in a more subtle way.