Customer Reviews

The Lollipop Shoes

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Joanne Harris's sequel to her sly, clever novel, Chocolat, finds Vianne and her two daughters living in Paris four years after the wind blew them out of the village of Lansquenet. Gone is the magic that enriched their lives and transformed the village, and that is fine by Vianne. Now calling herself Yanne, she only wants her family to be normal and safe, and on the surface, it seems to be. Anouk is now a pre-teen with an early adolescent's normal angst. Her younger sister, Rosette, appears intelligent enough even if she can't talk. And Yanne herself is soon to be engaged to her staid bourgeois landlord. Life couldn't be more ordinary, until the fateful wind blows into their lives a mysterious and exotic woman who seems to know all about "Yanne" and her family. Soon Vianne faces an adversary who threatens everything she holds dear and whose skills are as great as her own.

Although it's a sequel to Chocolat, The Girl With No Shadow is not Chocolat II. It is a darker, grittier story of mothers and daughters, love and loss. Although readers may expect the same Disneyesque charm of the first novel, this contemporary fairy-tale is more in the vein of the Brothers Grimm. My only quibble is I missed the zest of earlier Vianne during most of the story. The villain was a much more compelling creation. Nevertheless, fans who want to follow the characters from Chocolat will enjoy this book.

While in France last week I discovered The Lollipop Shoes in a book store and read the first two lines on the back cover. Not only was I hooked, I couldn't get the euros out of my pocket fast enough. This is the sequel to Chocolat (one of my favorite novels) and picks up four years after the last story ends. While it is told in the first person from 3 different people I did not find it difficult to decide who was speaking. It is part of the charm of the story.

Joanne Harris has a true knack for narrating the yin and yang in life. She did an amazing job in Chocolat and continues to do so in Lollipop Shoes. Her characters are wonderfully developed and very realistic. I do recommend reading Chocolat first if you want the background of the main characters going into this novel. My interest was held from the first page to the last.

When Ms. Harris uses food in the titles of her books, you are in for a feast. Bon appetit!

Joanne Harris's Girl With No Shadow comes a decade after the original novel Chocolat, later made into a feature film (Chocolat (Miramax Collector's Series))starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Chocolat revolved around the culinary magic of Vianne Rocher, an unorthodox chocolatiere who includes a sprinkle of magic that shakes up the local conservative villagers. In Girl With No Shadow, Vianne, now renamed Yanne Charbonneau, has relocated to Paris after fleeing several other bad situations. She has shunned her magical tendencies, putting away the tarot cards and forbidding incantations by Anouk (renamed Annie), thereby trading her individuality for a stable life at the side of Thierry Le Tresset, wealthy (and stuffy) bachelor.

The novel is told from the (confusing) viewpoint of three different characters: Vianne, Anouk, and Zozie de l'Alba in a narrow timeframe ranging from October 31 to December 24. At times, the three are commenting on events happening on the same day. Vianne's past literally comes back to haunt her in the form of the mysterious Zozie, and the young Anouk is sliding into perilous teenage rebellion, hanging out in cemeteries and engaging in forbidden acts of magic.

The cast of characters is too large to be explored in detail, and even the appearance of an old friend from the original novel is lost in the fray. Having three narrators fails to solidify the action, and it took me a few chapters to clue in that different characters were narrating (the images at the top of the chapters are different for each character). Flashbacks were to actions not covered in the original novel, and the frequent time travel left me confused at the all-too-important omissions of pivotal earlier events such as the birth of Vianne's second child, Rosette, who at four is non-verbal and quite possibly autistic.

Although the descriptions of chocolates are mouthwatering, too often the action felt staged, stale, and not in the magical spirit of the original novel Chocolat. Make no mistake: this is no sweet Chocolat Part Deux; it's dark, gritty, and haunting, wrapped in dark secrets, past injustices, and the desire for revenge that consumes several characters at various points. It's definitely not a feel-good book, although if you enjoyed Vianne's character, you may enjoy The Girl With No Shadow. It's most definitely a reinvention of classic fairy tales for grown-ups.

The Girl with No Shadow is an absolutely brilliant sequel to Chocolat.

If you also enjoyed Gentlemen and Players then you'll find this newest novel doubly delightful.

No, the novel is not Disneyesque; but then neither was "Chocolat" really.

More like the Talented Mr.Ripley takes a trip to the Twilight Zone and meets Harry Potter in Paris. :-)

What I found interesting was how the story was told from the perspective of three different characters, leaving you to guess for a few seconds at the beginning of each chapter as to who was now speaking.

The reader is also left tantalizingly guessing, even at the end, at just exactly how effective any of the "magic" really was, or was it all simply scheming and social engineering and the occasional fortutitous or not happenstance.

Joanne Harris has over the years honed and perfected her skills as a writer by producing an unbroken series of novels with an intriguing storyline and an engaging cast of characters. "The Girl with No Shadow" demonstrates convincingly that Ms. Harris continues to get better and better at her craft.

Joanne Harris's novel 'Chocolat' was a successful book-to-movie endeavor. In 'The Girl With No Shadow', Harris strikes another high note following Vianne Rocher and her two daughters Anouk and Rosette into the small village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. Taking on a new identity as Yanne Charbonneau, Vianne opens a chocolaterie on Montmartre street, renting the space as well as the apartment above it. Entering the threesome's life is 'charming and enigmatic' Zozie de l'Alba, who is at first a 'breath of fresh air'; however, as time passes the friendship becomes tainted, revealing oddities about Zozie, and the revealing on intentions to 'face another witch [Yanne] in her home ground, ... collect her life... add it to my [her] charm bracelet'. The chapters alternate with narrations by Vianne/Yanne, Anouk, and Zozie. The progress of the base staff is enhanced by scenes of Zozie's difficulties at school -- her difference from classmates, while youngster Rosette 'speaks' through a sign language all her own, drawing pictures that are crude but 'oddly alive...managing to convey facial expressions with only a couple strokes of the pen.' Wealthy Thierry le Tresser, owner of the rented building, offers romance as he falls 'head over heels' for Yanne; and shy Alice connects with Fat Nico, while the stoic Madame Luzeron comes in each day with her canine to purchase certain delicacies in the same amount each time.

An ultimate read for chocolate lovers and of the works of Joanne Harris, 'The Girl With No Shadow' is a must- not-to-be-missed read, to be savored along with the cast members, especially those who 'cast' a little magic here and there to enrich people's lives. Harris delightfully delves into the nature of the characters, providing descriptive insight to surroundings and day-to-day actions, flowing as lyrical prose, not wanting to be in a rush to read, not to miss each tasty morsel of words, phrasings, and conjuring of spells. Gentle yet compelling script keeps the reader intrigued... "The gardens are crisp and bright... pebbled with sunlight beneath a kaleidoscope of autumn leaves." Josephine A. Locke, BookLoons.com Reviewer

Bravo Ms. Harris. Although not necessarily what people might agree is a "true" sequel to Chocolat, it was just as daring and on the very edge of what makes "fairy tales" real. If you have ever listened to Clarissa Pinkola Estes, you will particularly enjoy the element of "storytelling" within the pages of The Girl with No Shadow that deems this book one to be read aloud. There is wonderful cadence in the way each character narrates.

I love that Vianne and Anouk have lost themselves (as mothers and daughters do). You must reach deep inside the pages to find Vianne and Anouk, to imagine what they endured. The element of magic is different this time, dark and tempting, like bittersweet chocolate.

I could not put the book down. I could hear all of the voices within the pages as if they were speaking to me, telling the tale.

I just loved this book! Even more, I think, than _Chocolat_. My only real complaint was the whole Roux/Josephine-thing was never explained... And the rather open-ending makes me wonder if a third one is planned... Either way, this was a terrific book and such a satisfying read! I really enjoyed this much more than I expected that I would. It was a beautiful magical story!

Oh ... thank God that's over.

I am a big fan of Joanne Harris, and I loved the movie Chocolat, and of course the book it was based on was good too (though I think the movie was better.) This is the "continuation" of the story.

Wow. It was so bad.

For reasons that are never fully comprehended, Vianne is fixated upon by a woman who wants to steal her identity. Because that's what she does. Steals identities, and sees colors and does cantrips. This woman, Zozie, is supposed to be so fun and hip and cool and interesting, but she wasn't. She was just awful. And also, all she did was see colors and do cantrips. And then she taught Anouk to see colors and do cantrips, so then Anouk was seeing colors and doing cantrips. And did I mention there was the seeing of colors and the performing of cantrips?

It was so boring, and I really didn't want to finish it, but I was 300 pages in before I was totally fed up and I felt like I was so far in it would have been a shame not to get to the rushed, entirely uninteresting, and predictable ending.

All the charm of Chocolat was missing, and the magic was jammed down your throat at every opportunity.

The book could have been 200 pages shorter, and you know, had about 700 less cantrips.

Incidentally, Harris's Five Quarters of the Orange: A Novel (P.S.) was one of my favorite books read this year, so if you are looking to read Harris, I definitely suggest that one.

I still love Harris, and will continue to read her books, but this one was painful. I will now perform a cantrip to try to get it out of my head.

In my view, not the best Joanne Harris I have read.

Positives: The descriptions of people with their many hang-ups, idiosyncrasies and preferences were beautiful. As ever, the descriptions of food were simply super (particularly the repetition used when referring to the persuasive power of certain treats, mendiants and macaroons, for example) and added atmosphere to the narrative. Reading about food is invariably a pleasure, and this book is no exception.

However, in terms of plot I found it lacking in comparison to other stronger plots. In many of Harris' novels the strength lies in the very unexpected final twists and turns and I find myself often trying to work out the plot for hours as I go about my day, only to still be surprised in the end. In this one, the plot seems fairly predictable, and no, the ending did not hold any treats in store. The obvious happens, the villain scarpers and all others are happy. Mmmm. The narrative from the 11-year old Anouk's point of view also seemed too mature.

This book still deserves recommendation as it has many strenghts and the descriptions are as ever beautiful.

If you believe in true love and that good triumphs over evil, that characters you've come to love can revisit you, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, that chocolate still works its magic, you will finish this book wanting for more . . . of everything it brings to you.