I was given this book from a friend, and I wasn't too sure if it was going to be my sort of thing. After reading "The Evil Seed" I did kind of wonder if a book by the same author is going to grip me as much as the other book did, but I don't even know why I questioned it... I loved this book more than you could imagine, and it's definitely up there amongst my favourite books of all time.

Joanne Harris is a British author who has written many books (most of them I have got and I'm just eager to read them). So far I have read "The Evil Seed", "Chocolat" and its sequel "The Lollipop Shoes". She was born to a French mother and an English father in her grandparents' sweet shop. Her great-grandmother had an odd reputation and enjoyed letting gullible people think she was a witch and a healer. These experiences fuelled Joanne Harris' novels and especially in this book, there are a lot of links from her life and this novel. I didn't think she would have been able to capture me, once again, in a delightful book. Her writing style is so engaging and very different to any I have come across, I know that if I pick a book up that was written by her I'd fully enjoy it, even if the story was totally boring and nothing great happened, her writing will grip me enough to enjoy it. She is currently writing a third book in this "Vianne Rocher" series, and I'm really looking forward to that.

This book is set in a quaint French village called Lansquenet. Vianne Rocher decides to open a chocolate boutique directly opposite the church. The people who live in the village are intrigued by her. However Father Reynaud believes she is a danger to his flock and decides to declare war on her and denounces Vianne's wares as the ultimate sin.

Vianne's shop-cum-cafe means that there is somewhere for secrets to be whispered, grievances to be aired, dreams to be tested. Vianne decides that the village needs an Easter Chocolate Festival, but this divides the community into a conflict that escalates into a 'Church not Chocolate' battle. Can Vianne make everyone believe that chocolate is a pleasurable thing? You'll have to read to find out.

The one thing that annoyed me when I was reading this book was that I had no chocolate in the house whatsoever. So when I was reading about the making of chocolate, it made me want to eat chocolate right then, I wanted to taste it as I was reading about it. I definitely suggest you get some sort of chocolate to eat while reading this otherwise, your mouth will water for the rest of eternity.

I really enjoyed this book, it's so detailed and very well written that the book absorbs you in the first few lines, and to try and get out so that you could eat a meal or something is really difficult. This is definitely one book that you don't want to finish, but you don't want to stop reading either. I like how Joanne Harris paints this perfect picture of a little village, in your head, and then creates these little cracks that may be something big if no one's there to prevent it. The ending is powerful, it's the only word I am able to describe it, and I definitely would re-read this book, if I wasn't stocked up with books that will last me a life-time. But I can definitely see myself reading this again in the future, and then again after that, and then again after that. It will be one that I'll probably keep for the rest of my life, and one that I'll just re-read over and over again.

Now the film... I have not watched it yet, this is because A) my mom hasn't read this book yet, and I always believe in reading a book before watching a film. Also we have this little house rule where everyone in the house must watch the film together, even if there are guests in the house. And B) I don't currently have it yet, but I know that I'm going to be really eager to watch it. The film stars Johnny Depp amongst many other well known actors and actresses, and the film has also won a few awards. There is no news that "The Lollipop Shoes" will be adapted into a sequel, but I really hope that it does.

This is definitely a book you should go and buy RIGHT NOW! Even if you think the story line isn't for you, I know that you really won't be disappointed. I also suggest you buy enough chocolate that will last you for about a week, because trust me you'll need some.