“Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure: Chocolat 3” is the third book about Vianne Rocher, the village of Lansquenet -sous-Tannes and its people. It follows “Chocolat” and “The Lollipop Shoes”.
I’m liking
I read “Chocolat” several years ago but I haven’t read “The Lollipop Shoes”. I like to think that Joanne Harris found that the characters from Chocolat were still alive in her head and kept getting up to more adventures!
I felt that the priest, Francis Reynaud, got a hard time in “Chocolat”, so I enjoyed seeing his character develop more depth in this book. I also found Vianne Rocher, the main character, more believable and likeable in this book than in “Chocolat”, as she wasn’t always right about the people she met.
I enjoyed seeing how Vianne’s daughter Anouk had grown up – I think it’s easier for authors to write idealised stories about children than about teenagers!
There are some good twists and turns in the story and there’s exciting tension near the end.
Things that made me go hmmmm
I found the tone of the writing a little bit patronising at times. There were a lot of terms in italics (muezzin, maghrébine, citron pressé…), which I find annoying (it’s a pet peeve of mine!). I felt that Joanne Harris could have explained the terms, or used a similar English term, or just not used the italics. On the other hand, if the words were so foreign for readers, maybe a glossary would have been a good idea? I found the introduction of “current issues in France” a bit forced at times.
I also felt that there were too many minor characters, so I couldn’t always keep track of who was who (partly because it’s been a while since I read “Chocolat”).
The conclusion
This book could be read by itself, but readers who have enjoyed “Chocolat” or “The Lollipop Shoes: Chocolat 2” will enjoy meeting the characters again and seeing how they deal with some of the tensions of modern life. “Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure: Chocolat 3” would also appeal to people who are interested in interfaith relations and the relationship between religion and society in general, particularly in France.
