Lansquenet is a small village, where nothing much has changed in over a hundred years. The conservative and close-minded outlook of the people and various prejudices are stuck in a time warp. Vianne Rocher is a beautiful single mother, who arrives at Lansquenet, and is faced with a mix of curiosity and hostility from the townsfolk. She sets up a Chocolaterie in the midst of its idyllic but judgemental atmosphere, and opens the doors of her new shop on the first day of Lent. This incurs the wrath of the town priest, Pere Reynaud, the self-righteous, prejudiced and judgemental focal point of the town.
Slowly, with a winning combination of delightful chocolate creations and open-minded friendliness, Vianne wins over the towns people, and is one of the few who welcome the river gypsies, who moor their boats just outside the town. As Vianne prepares for a grand gala on Easter, Reynaud is himself preparing to bring her and her sinful shop down. Who will win this battle of wills?
The story alternates between first-person narration of Vianne and Reynaud, with each perceiving events coloured by their past experiences. The reader gets to take a deeper look into the psyche and innermost thoughts of both these complex and layered characters.
As a rule, I don’t like magic realism much, but this book keeps the magic to a minimum, limited to a little bit of Tarot reading. The imagery is vivid, and the cast of characters are colourful and entertaining. The good and enjoyable read.