Our monthly meeting for August discussed Chocolat by Joanne Harris.
The general feeling towards the book was one of a reasonable read, but, not fantastic or gripping. We felt that Reynaud was definitely the villain of the piece and none of us could sympathize with the motivations and feelings behind his actions. Reynaud and Vianne were clearly natural enemies, Reynaud believing that Vianne embodied the temptations that would lead his flock to stray and to Vianne, Reynaud represented the figures of authority that her mother had run from all her life. It was therefore impossible for them to have any form of relationship.
The author used the first person narrative voice for both of her principal characters, it was felt that this lead to confusion as often the reader had to work out who was actually talking. However, this did allow the reader to gain a clearer view of the motivations of the characters.
After moving and settling down frequently in the past Vianne's character badly wanted to stay in the village. It was thought that this was primarily to provide her daughter with the childhood that she had not had herself.
We all felt that the book ended with a fizzle rather than a bang and most of us believed that Vianne would continue to move around and not settle in one place for long.
Comments
Trilby -5 Enjoyable holidy read, empty and inconsistent
Tahnee - 5 Comfy, easy to read
Irene - 7 Realistic sketching of country french life
Kerry - 6 Pleasant read
Colleen- 5 Disjointed and era not known
Hannah - 6 Enjoyable at start but ending disappointing
Kaye - 6 Disconnected, required concentration to read
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Weird Books
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