Chocolat

It's taking me a while but I'm making my way through the challenge. Up next Chocolat...

Vianne Rocher arrives in the small French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes on the first day of Lent in Joanne Harris's novel Chocolat. As the title suggests, chocolate is Vianne's business, or more appropriately, magic. In a matter of days, with the help of her daughter Anouk, she transforms an abandoned bakery into the decadent La Celeste Praline chocolate shop. Vianne watches her potential customers on their way to church, right next door, and slowly entices them into her shop and away from their Lenten fast.

Watching her is the priest Francis Reynaud. He sees Vianne as a usurper of the church, a pagan, and probably a witch. Where Reyaund belittles the problems of his flock, Vianne listens with an open heart. In a short time, Vianne wins over the people with her warmth while Reyaund never really fit in to begin. He disapproves of even the simple pleasure of good chocolate. When Vianne plans a chocolate festival on Easter Sunday, Reynaud views it as a battle for the souls of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes.

Chocolat wasn't a bad little book. The prose was lovely and the thought of all that chocolate...slurp...sorry, drooling. However, it was a little over the top. Reyaund was just so evil, it was almost silly. He is a caricature: Vianne's Black Man brought to life. I guess I should keep in mind that this is a modern fairy tale with Vianne as the Good Witch and that every fairy tale needs a dastardly villain.

Vianne herself was the least interesting character for me. She's nice, she makes chocolate, she had a hard childhood. Josephine, Armande, Guillaume, Roux, although secondary characters were lively, complex characters with odd quirks that made them fun to read about. I did enjoy reading this. It was a fun diversion.

I think I have a lot in common with Chasida and Margo. I loves me some chocolate. I wish I had La Celeste Praline near me.

Anne of the Island

This was from Becky's 5.

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery is the third of the Anne of Green Gable series. Anne has put off teaching to pursue university life. Anne, Prissy Grant, Gilbert Blythe, and Charlie Sloane head to Redmond College in Kingsport, Nova Scotia to study for their B.A.'s. Being Anne, she finds more than her fair share of adventures.

The title really should be Anne of the Many Proposals. She's proposed to six times by my count! Some of them quite funny. Poor Anne has all her illusions shattered in the romance department. But in the end she finds out what love really means.

Anne of the Island is a series of vignettes that range from the touching (the death of a friend) to the humourous (the Baking Powder short story or Davy's letters). It spans the whole three years she spends at university with visits to Avonlea. I enjoyed most of these scenes although the whole "how to kill a cat" incident didn't do well with age (don't worry. The cat is fine). It's definitely a story of it's era. It was a pleasant visit to a more innocent time.

I think Becky is a romantic at heart to have picked this book. Maybe she has some traditional and sweet ideas about life and love as well. It was a great pick.

The Thirteenth Tale

Two days.

Suppers were late, a child was neglected for the two days that I lived this book. The first couple of chapters were so-so but once the story within the story started I was hooked and couldn't put it down. This description of Margaret and her father reading about covers it:

"In the background is the hiss of the gas heater; we hear the sound without hearing it for, side by side, together and miles apart, we are deep in our books.

'Shall I make tea?' I ask, surfacing.

No answer.

I make tea all the same, and put the cup next to him on the desk.

An hour later the untouched tea is cold. I make a fresh pot and put another steaming cup beside him on the desk. He is oblivious to my every movement."

There isn't much I can say about this book without giving away all the juicy little bits that make it so worth reading. What I can tell you is that the narrator, Margaret, is invited to write the biography of a popular but reclusive novelist. Her story is an unbelievable tale of a bizarre family in England. It reminded me a lot of Wuthering Heights because of the insanity and the passions of the people involved.

About half way through, I had a nagging little voice whispering, "There is a huge hole in the plot here. I swear I can see the living room wall through it." But the story had me and it wasn't letting go. Then, toward the end, TA-DAH! it all came together and made perfect sense. It was one of those moments as a reader that I live for. Brilliant. All I can tell you is Jane Eyre is the key, but I can't say how. It comes up everywhere and I love when my favorite books turn up in my reading.

This was Kristin choice. What good taste she has! I loved this book. It's probably the best I've read so far this year. Kristin loved it as well. I think she could relate to it as an obsessive reader. I know I could. There were several references to coming out of a book blurry eyed. I've felt that way often.

Crime & Punishment Reviewed by Christina

I just finished this a couple of days ago. It took me quite awhile. I reviewed it on my blog here.

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's great Russian novel, Raskolnikov, a student fallen on hard times, commits a heinous murder of an old pawnbroker. No spoilers here, right from the get go Raskolnikov contemplates this crime that he believes is not a crime and by the end of Part 1, the deed is done. After the murder, the majority of the novel is spent in Raskolnikov's head, as he falls ill from the mental strain of not only trying to hide what he has done but philosophizing whether or not the murder was a crime.

Although not a difficult novel to read, I found that being in the mind of a man who is a nearly loony strenuous and I had no trouble putting it down for days at a time. Raskolnikov's erratic behaviour and bizarre ramblings were hard to follow. Fortunately, Raskol has a lot more going on in his life to keep us from going over the deep end with him. He has a poor mother and sister who's marrying a despicable man, a new friend with a consumptive wife and prostitute daughter, plus a crew of ne'er-do-wells living around him in the seedy side of St Petersburg. It's never a dull moment, and very inconvenient for a man who would just like to lose his mind in peace.

I didn't love it. It's hard to love such a dark book but it was very interesting. I'm quite glad I read it.

This was JMC's pick. She hasn't committed any murders but has thought of the perfect murder while at the grocery store. I can relate to that! The only problem with that is that Raskolnikov made such a mess of it that I'm surprised he wasn't caught in the first 50 pages. I hope she can do better than that...Or maybe not. Maybe stay clear of JMC if you happen to see her at the grocery store just in case ;)

To Kill a Mockingbird

I reviewed this on my blog here.

I'll post it here as well:

Harper Lee’s masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around the childhood of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout recalls the most important events of her life in those years: the quiet dignity of her father Atticus, her adventures with Jem and her friend Dill to sneak a peek at Boo Radley, and most of all the trial of Tom Robinson. Atticus must defend the innocent black man from charges of raping a white woman in the Alabama of the 1930's. In one summer, she grows up.

This novel has been challenged and banned from school libraries many times (it’s #41 on the top 100 most challenged), for many reasons, but the racism is hard to ignore. It’s uncomfortable to read, but necessary to the story. Scout’s small town, both good (like Boo and Maudie) and the bad (the bigots and racists), is revealed to us through the innocence of a child’s eye. It’s a clever device by Lee to use that innocence to make an important point.

When I first read this book, I was a teenager. I related to Scout more than the other characters. Now as an adult I relate more to the adults, even though the point of view is Scout’s.

Atticus Finch, although not the narrator, is the hero of the novel. He is a quiet, honest man, who uses his mind and his words to fight for justice. After the children have their eyes opened to the injustice in the world, they are comforted by the neighbour, Maudie: "...there are some men in this world who are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father is one of them." He is a good foil for all the evil in the novel. At the beginning of the story, Atticus tells Scout:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

This is an important statement. Throughout the book, we walk around in many of the character’s skin: a new teacher, a poor farmer’s son, a recluse, an accused black man and his pathetic accuser.

There are so many memorable characters is this book. Although it is character driven, there is plenty of action. It’s a page turner and is truly a classic for all time.

5/5

This was Stephanie and Janet's pick. I've 'known' Stephanie for a few years now and I can understand why this is her favorite book. Atticus is such a strong moral character and a great parent. Janet wishes to be as innocent as Scout, ethical as Atticus and loyal as Jem and I agree with her- I would as well. Everyone should read this at least once.

Christina's Picks

I'm surprised by how many of the books I've already read! Everyone had such great picks.

Books I've Already Read:
East of Eden (Vasilly)
Pride & Prejudice (Bookworm, Pattie)
Gone With the Wind (Bookworm)
The Poisonwood Bible (Bookworm)
The Time Traveler's Wife (Dewey)
Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons (Tiny Librarian)
Anne of Green Gables (Tiny Librarian, Trish, EnnaVic)
Bridget Jones' Diary (Tiny Librarian, Trish)
The Historian (A Book in the Life, Maryanne, Heidijane)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (A Book in the Life)
Anna Karenina (Athena)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Stephanie)
Wuthering Heights (Suey, Trish)
The Amateur Marriage (Nattie)
Lolita (Heather)
The Awakening (Pattie)
Charlotte's Web (3M)- I sort of remember reading it.
Evening Class (raidergirl)
The Eyre Affair (Heidijane, Valentina)
Heidi (Heidijane)
I, Elizabeth (Soleil)
Little Women (Lucca, Alyson)
The Canterbury Tales (Faith)
The Secret Life of Bees (EnnaVic)
Island of the Blue Dolphins (Juli)
Lovely Bones (Chasida)

My Choices:
Crime and Punishment (JMC)
Chocolat (Chasida, Margo)
Can you keep a secret (Kathrin)
Of Human Bondage (Athena)
The Thirteenth Tale (Kristin)
To Kill a Mockingbird (Janet, Stephanie) *I just finished this yesterday
The Robber Bride (Ellen)
Anne of the Island (Becky)
Anne of the Windy Poplars (raidergirl)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (Lucca)

Alternates
The Red Tent (Sarah Miller)
March (Dewey)
The Writing Life (Megan)
Anne Frank (Pattie)