General Fiction Reviews
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Viking, Feb., 1999.Hardcover, 242 pages.
ISBN: 0670881791.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In the tiny, drab town of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, France,
(population 200) it is carnival time, just before Lent
begins. The wind is changing
and, on its heels, in sweeps beautiful single mother Vianne
Rocher and her six year old daughter Anouk on a tide
of gossip from the curious inhabitants. The mysterious new residents
promptly open a chocolate shop across the town square
from the church, much to the dismay of the
puritanical Father Reynaud, who fears for the Lenten
vows of his parishioners. Horrified at Vianne's unabashedly
single state and friendly and carefree ways, the
town's busybodies, encouraged by the priest, set out on a
campaign to malign the lovely Vianne and ruin her business.
But Vianne is not so easily dissuaded, and soon her delicious
confections and ability to see into the hearts and souls of
her customers earn her many friends and a successful business.
Some claim she is a witch, others feel she is an angel and that
the evil resides in the town's church which hides some
rather nasty secrets. When Vianne organizes a chocolate
festival to occur on Easter day, the priest is beside himself
with fury for what he sees as a return to paganism,
and sets events in motion which will lead to a terrible showdown
between good and evil.
Chocolat is an absolutely enchanting novel by Joanne Harris. With lyrical, loving and mouthwatering discussions of the wares of the chocolaterie and lilting prose, the novel sweeps the reader into a compelling and sometimes magical and passionate tale of good and evil -- and the strange faces behind which they sometimes reside. The characters, especially of Vianne and of her mother, are especially well-drawn, and the humor is soft and subtle -- except for one crucial scene which will elicit loud laughter for the fate of the hypocritical. Highly Recommended.
-Claire E. White
The Magic Circle by Kathryn Neville
Ballantine, Feb., 1999.Paperback.
ISBN: 0345423135.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Ariel Behn is a nuclear scientist at a secure facility.
Devastated to learn of her brother Sam's sudden death, she
is immediately plunged into a world of intrigue when
she is informed that she is the sole heir to Sam's considerable
fortune. She has also inherited a strange manuscript which
a large number of nasty people seem determined to get their hands on.
The manuscript supposedly contains the location of
a number of sacred objects which could be used to harness
great power in the coming Millennium. While tracking down the
provenance of the manuscript, Ariel comes face to face with
some very nasty and shocking facts about her already-bizarre
family. Apparently they were friends with Hitler
himself (affectionately known as "Lucky"), and had a hand in
creating the mysterious manuscript. Along the way, Ariel will
meet love, lies, betrayal and some very odd characters, indeed.
Katherine Neville, author of the bestselling novel The Eight, has crafted an exciting tale with The Magic Circle. The story is told by flashing back to various historical periods and back to the present day and Ariel's story. The historical flashbacks take us to Jesus' last days on Earth, Hitler's last days, Alexander the Great's time, and many other places and times. The narrative bogs down when it describes Ariel's incredibly complicated family tree; some judicial editing here would have been invaluable. But the historical asides which touch on everything from astronomy to religion are interesting, and Ariel's adventures while searching for the manuscript are entertaining. Fans of history, mysticism and the occult will find much of interest here.
Return to the February 1999 issue of The IWJ.
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