Peaches for Monsieur le Curé: A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel Book 2) Kindle Edition

I enjoyed this third Chocolat book more than the second book because it returned to Lansquenet and all of the original characters from the first book. I’m excited to start the Strawberry Thief.

I have not read Chocolat. So, the novel took me totally by surprise as it's set in modern day France. The little village, Lansquenet still has all of it's charm! Luc sends Vianne Rocher a letter that he was instructed to send when he finally takes possession of his grandmother's house and the chocolat shop. She knew that Vianne would leave. But, she also knew.. that Vianne must return to assist various old friends. Including the priest, Francis Reynaud.Down by the river, many immigrants have moved into the area. They have established a community that is self-contained and outsiders are not really welcome. They build a mosque. So many secrets. The village resists outsiders. Poor old Father Reynaud.. he has been blamed for setting fire to the old chocolat shop. The shop was turned into a girl's school for the new community members. All of the girls wear the traditional garments of Muslim women. Their teacher is a woman in black who never is seen without her burka.It took me a while to get into the story as I love the movie. I was expecting certain characters to be acting a certain way. And, that just wasn't possible with the new time era. The characters are basically the same. Just modernized. I finally had to just mentally set aside the movie in my head.. and allow the book to take on it's own tale. Then, I was able to enjoy the book totally.The story is a good old who done it. Small town gossip and intrigue. Doesn't matter if it's set in France or the middle of no where USA. Small minds are always present. If they're born there.. they can never accept a new member. Even after decades.. the natives will still treat them as outsiders. The priest takes on the personality traits of both the priest and the movie's "Count". He is at "war" with the newly arrived immigrants and their religion.It always boils down to pride. Neither side is willing to see the beauty of others.. until the whirlwind of Vianne arrives to the little village to assist both sides to find the "community" once again. She lives in her old friend's house. Making both chocolate and peach jam. She arrives just in time for the peach tree harvest! A little sunshine in every jar!A lovely read! Just mentally discard the movie and read the story as a standalone. Then, it'll be a joyful experience!

Joanne Harris' latest novel is the third installment in the "Chocolat" series, and like the first two books, it does not disappoint. Like Vianne Rocher, I was looking forward to coming back to Lansquenet, which had become very real to me after reading Chocolat several times (I never tire of it). Re-visiting its people was like meeting old friends, and the changes Vianne found in the village realistically reflected the experience of someone returning back to a place of the past and finding that nothing has remained quite the same.Harris has a wonderfully insightful way of describing her characters and what makes them tick. Weaving her magic, this tale of a clash of cultures comes alive in the many colours Vianne sees in people - there never is a black-and-white. The complexities of human nature explored in this novel open the reader's eyes and mind to the human element in every conflict and remind us that nothing is ever as it seems - and that we need to stay open-minded and accepting of people's differences. Harris does so without ever sounding preaching or lecturing - which makes it such a lovely read. With her magical ways and her food (oh, how I would love to be able to taste the feasts cooked up in this novel!), Vianne soon overcomes the obstacles of narrow minded thinking and bridges the gaps between the two very different cultures living in the village. I love Vianne's spirit and her ability to remain non-judgmental, even in the face of such adversity. And yet she, too, always stays human, with all her many flaws, which makes her likeable and lets the reader relate to her. By giving Reynaud (Monsieur le Curé) a voice again, Harris lets us see his human side and how he, too, has grown as a human being. Because this Reynaud is very different from his younger version in Chocolat - and I found myself liking him.All in all, Harris' latest novel is a wonderful, pleasurable read, with a rich cast that will tug on your heartstrings and make you feel as if you are there amongst them. I was sad to turn the last page - I could have stayed in Lansquenet a little longer yet.

I am a long-time fan of Joanne Harris and was super excited to read another of her books. She has a writing style that draws a person in from the very beginning and makes one want to savor every delightful moment. Within an intriguing plot is woven a bit of magic, subtle moral commentary, and an interesting view of the many conflicting aspects of society. At times the story moves at a heart beating pace while at others it meanders along allowing the reader to smell the roses.This particular book includes many references to the previous two novels and it would be best if readers do them in sequence. In this novel, Vianne Richer returns to the village in France where we first met her in Chocolate. In some ways, it remains the smalll country village but in others it has changed considerably with the development of an enclave of Moslems on the outskirts of the village.Vianne finds herself developing a friendship with her former nemesis, the curé of the village. The main story line centers on Vianne' s efforts to help the curé and to resolve the issues between the two cultures to bring peace to the village.A secondary story line involves her personal life with her two children and her companion, Roux.Loved this book.

Vianne rides again! I very much enjoyed this novel. I love Joanne Harris's freshness of style, her readiness with "la phrase juste", her spontaneity, the clarity of her character-drawing be they characters ever so complex.....I could go on. Once again the author uses a symbol to indicate each chapter's narrator - a crescent for Vianne, a cross for M. le Cure. At least there are only two - unlike "Lollipop Shoes" where there are several and, for this reader at least, confusion reigned. The plot of "Peaches", as the title suggests, centres around the cure, Pere Francis Reynaud. There is a plethora of other characters, which gets rather challenging after a time, but never affects the flow of the story or the involvement of the reader. Basically, Reynaud gets himself into a mess, and the story relates the route by which he might be extricated. One finds oneself really caring about the cure's fate. There is a sub-plot concerning the two populations in the village, the notional Catholics from one side of the river, and the Muslims from the other side. Matters come to a head - but no, I'm not going to spoil the outcome for you. Just read this novel - it's so beautifully crafted, it's worth it. If you haven't read "Lollipop Shoes" or "Chocolat", you might be confused by references to characters who appeared in those other novels, notably the mysterious Zozie de l'Alba. Be warned, too, that two of the "characters", Pantoufle and Bam are not "real" characters - they are phantasms which wax and wane, created by Vianne's two children, Rosette and Anouk. The fact that Maya, another child, comes to long for her own "Jinni" (Djinn), becomes, in the final chapters, crucial to Reynaud's survival. Nuff said!

The author is one of my favourites so I knew I was going to love this. I did. It took me a ridiculous time to realise Monsieur le Curé of the title is the Priest who was Vianne’s nemesis in Chocolat. I loved being back in Lansquenet, the perfect village, in my humble opinion and a place the author brings alive. Although this is a sequel of sorts to Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes it’s a stand-alone book and you don’t need to have read either of the other books to enjoy this. This is a darker book than the other two. Vianne wonders why she’s come back to this village and who needs her help. Roux, her lover wonders the same thing and tells her it’s not her responsibility to save anyone. Vianne’s daughters are upset with her because they like Lansquenet and know she will make them leave again just as they start to feel at home. Vianne wonders who Ines is, a woman who wears a black veil and who the locals believe is a dark spirit bringing fear and unset. I had so many questions reading this and didn’t know where the story would go. Another treat from my favourite author.

In this sequel to Chocolat, Vianne Rocher returns, after eight years in Paris, to the small, French village of Lansquenet, to where she has been recalled by a voice from the past, informing her that someone there needs her help. We meet again many of the former residents, but also a more recent community of Muslim families, whose presence is threatening the peace and harmony of the village, not all of whom welcome the newcomers.I consider Joanne Harris one of our finest novelists ever, who manages to introduce so seamlessly elements of the bizarre and the occult into a story of present-day conflict, worry, doubt and love as few others can. With her usual charm and talent she entertains us, while at times keeping us on the edge of our seat in suspense. However, I was just a little disappointed at the denouement.

Familiar characters and places in this follow up story in the Chocolat series. I was thinking there might be something a little sickly and over sweet but Harris serves up nuance - sweet and bitter in the same package.Sinister, secretive and destructive, the story of two communities sharing a rural village. Set in the French countryside, it could be anywhere that immigrants have arrived, with their customs and dress and religions - all so strange and unfamiliar. But nothing is black and white. Some people do bad things. Everyone must be judged on their own merits and accepted too.The story drags you in and pulls you along in it’s current. There is everything you could want here - humour, suspense, tragedy - as well as kindness, generosity, self-sacrifice. We are different and the same and there is hope for reconciliation when we remember that.

Vianne and Roux are living in a houseboat in Paris with her two children when she receives a letter from someone who died 5 years ago. The letter suggests Vianne returns to return to Lansquenet and pick the ripen peaches from her garden taking some to Father Reynaud.Taking her daughters Vianne goes to Luansquetnet. Whilst many things appear familiar there have been changes. A Muslim community now inhabits the other side of the river filling the French air with exotic spices. Her old enemy, Father Reynaud, is suspected of setting a fire in her old Chocolatier, now inhabited by a Muslin woman and her daughter. Her old friend, Josephine, has a fatherless son and now owns the boat which once belonged Roux.Once more prejudice is in the air fuelled by religious beliefs it is inciting conflict as Vianne renews old friendships and makes new ones.