I was surprised at the rather fundamental differences between Harris characters and those in the movie of Chocolat, for example Reynaud is the town mayor in the movie, but a priest in the book. Harris’s descriptions of the food, the sight, smell and taste is wonderfully evocative. It is food in general, rather than Vianne’s chocolates, that unites the people of this story, from the peaches growing in the garden of Armande’s house where Vianne and her daughters are living, to the feasts served at sundown in Les Marauds.

Vianne’s experiences in Lansquanet forces her to consider if in always seeking change, Vianne has simply been running away. The ‘war’ between the (Catholic)French and Muslims is portrayed without disrespecting either religion, as Vianne tries to determine what is at the heart of the conflict.įor Vianne the changes in Lansquent are disorientating at first, not only the development of Les Marauds, but also the changes in the people she once knew so well, like Josephine and Reynaud. Peaches for Monsieur le Curé sensitively explores themes such as religious difference, tolerance, change and the meaning of home. I even came to like Monsieur le Curé, despite his stiff necked ways. I enjoyed being introduced to the author’s versions of the characters, admiring Vianne’s spirit and desire to create peace between the French and growing community of les Maghrébins (Muslims) who have established themselves at the fringes of the town.

Joanne Harris conjures the town of Lansquenet and its people so wonderfully, I was immediately entranced by the novel. The wind is restless as are the people and this time, Vianne’s magic may not be enough to unite the people of Lansquenet. With some trepidation, Vianne and her daughters do as Armande asks, only to discover a village divided and her old rival, Monsieur Reynaud le Curé in trouble. In it, Armande pleads for Vianne to return to Lansquenet with the conviction that that the townspeople need her once again. Vianne, Roux, Anouk and Rosette are living in Paris when a letter arrives from Luc Clairmont within which is a letter from Armande, despite her death more than 8 years before. Peaches for Monsieur le Curé is the third book in the Chocolat series, following on from Chocolat and The Girl with No Shadow. I remembered seeing the movie Chocolat quite some years ago (purely because Johnny Depp starred) and not being overly impressed, however with a few pages of this novel I was hooked and hated having to put it down, even briefly. When Peaches for Monsieur le Curé landed on my doorstep for review I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic.

Peaches for monsieur le curé