Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Chocolat by Joanne Harris
3.5 stars - I read this book as a pick from the list - Books that are better than the movie and then watched the movie, itself. The book, written in 1999, takes place in a small French village in the early 1960s. Vianne and her daughter, Anouk, arrive on a north wind at the very beginning of Lent and open a chocolatier, or chocolate shop. This immediately causes friction with the church, for whom Lent is a season of denial. But Vianne is a generous, giving, intuitive woman, who befriends all, and even treats her would-be enemies with kindness and compassion.
I enjoyed reading the book, but it clearly was written as the beginning of a series. It hints at back stories, creates more questions than it answers. The movie, on the other hand, keeps the same characters and setting, but tells the story in a different way, giving the viewers a neat ending. I appreciated that about the movie, and enjoyed it for both the acting (Dame Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, and Juliette Binoche) and the ending.
I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention the parallels between this book and Lessons in Chemistry, which I recently finished. The time period in both is mid-twentieth century, and the protagonists are very similar. Each woman is a single mother to a precocious young daughter, who are running from their pasts, while trying to create a loving home for their child. While they may love a man, they are not dependent upon them. Vianne creates her living changing people's lives through chocolat, Elizabeth has a television show called "Supper at Six," that touches and changes lives in much the same way. They are both compassionate, funny, and smart. The books make good companion reads.