A Novel (A Vianne Rocher Novel) - Peaches for Monsieur le Curé

A sensitive presentation of the diversity of cultural difference, but revealing the commonality of human warmth, compassion and humour. As always the intrigue of characters and intensity of plot make this book a satisfying, enjoyable read.

A wonderful read, thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, Joanne Harris' usual mix of mystery, magic, food and emotion. An small insightful peak into a secret world that leaves you contemplating long after the book is back on the shelf. Another triumph, please let there be more...

I found this book flowed so well. Joanne Harris has a mesmerising way of telling her stories and I though this book to be the best of the Chocolate series. Anyone who enjoys stories that take you on a journey will enjoy Peaches for Monsieur le Cure.

Wonderful, courageous, heart-warming. I can't speak highly enough of this author, her journeys with Vianne Rocher, and the metamorphoses we get to see in this novel. Read it immediately, then check out her other novels.

Multi layered, clever, suspense filled, informative, plot with surprises, character revealing, socially responsible, warm and more. Unraveling intentions of misunderstood, complicated people. Excellent plot. Couldn't put it down. Better even than Chocolat. There is a current that cracks the "certainty" of those who judge the intention of cross cultural and cross gender observations. It addresses prejudice and misunderstanding of others more effectively than a lecture.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. After being on holiday and downloading Shades of Grey (personally found dreadful), I needed to read a well written story, full of mystery and heart. Joanne Harris was the safest bet and the purchase did not disappoint. The story has Vianne Rocher going back to the tiny french town of Lansquenet, where she originally opened her chocolate shop. The town has changed with the arrival of cultural change and due to rural innocence and some poor communication, racial and religious segregation had set in. This story has all the vital elements of an entertaining read, mystery, intrigue and enchanting characters. Loved it!

I have enjoyed all three books (Chocolat, The Girl With No Shadow, Peaches for Father Francis), but I was not too happy with the very last page of Peaches. It just didn't end well for me. I also wish that a little more of Vianne's magic would have been more in the forefront of the story line.

Excellent reading but I would recommend that your read Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes (Chocolat 2) and then tis book. It will put the whole story into perspective. I didn't do this but still a good book to read. The Author writes in a very easy style and you do not struggle with unfamiliar phraseology.

I loved reading g C

I loved reading
Chocolat and Peaches is a wonderful continuation of the life of Vianne and.her.family and.also.friends.who become her extended family. In Peaches the tension on.both sides.of the town's river reveals the misunderstanding that comes from lack of knowledge and prejudice. It is interesting how the people resolved it·····Or did they? You get to decide.

A great sequel to Chocolat, although not having read Chocolat and only seen the film, I was surprised to find some characters were not portrayed as acting the same as in the film eg the Mayor and his secretary. and the young priest. I suspect the film makers changed the story for their own reasons.

This is the 2nd novel following Chocolat. It is filled with beautifully descriptive chapters following Viviann and her daughters as they return to the French countryside and reunite with the characters from Chocolat.

All the beautiful writing of Harris has returned in this work. It was such a delicious feeling to be in her literature power again.
I wish I lived in the little town in France she portrays so beautifully but a satisfying second place is to be lost in her words.
Congratulations to Harris and Bon Appetite to Us All.

Wrtitten much in the same vein as Three Quarters of the Orange, I enjoyed this book and a continuation of the characters in Harris's novels. Wonderful writing and it takes one along in a delightful etherial manner.

A great read for everyone who had liked the first 2 toms of Joanne Harris telling us about the life of Vianne Rocher ("Chocolate" and "The Lollipop Shoes"). In this book Vianne Rocher is back again in Lasquenet sous Tennes with her two daughters finding that a lot of things have changed but in the end its always the same old story ...

Loved this new book by Joanne Harris, as we revisited the characters from Chocolate to find out how they were faring and discovered new characters and culture, so wonderfully described. also loved the twists and turns of the plots and how diversety can end up bringing it all together.

what started out as being unique and enchanting and delightful is in danger of fermenting and might make you nauseous. I think this book may have crossed the line. It does try to demonstrate the clashing and over-lapping of cultures and the difficulty of accommodation. But the 'magic' is not there anymore and it feels like 'more of the same.........'

Although it was an interesting topic, muslim imigrants in a French village, it failed to really come to grips with that discussion. I felt it could have been cut back considerably - a lot of repetition and Roux was like some cardboard cutout, only there for a little bit of action and plot resolution in the end. I didn't much enjoy the "new age-ness" of it, coloured auras, magic etc. A lot of the time I felt it was a bit twee.

I am enjoying this book but have not quite finished it It is very easy to read and the characters are so diverse and interesting.
My knowledge of Muslim customs and belief is very limited and I have learned a little about the religion from the book.
It`s main message is tolerance and love.

I was disappointed in this book, especially since I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Harris's previous work. I thought Peaches was very slow moving and just, well....flat.
Honestly I did not even finish this book. I tossed it in the Goodwill bag because I was so bored with it.
That's just me, I'm just saying.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley. Receiving said ARC made me squeal in glee. Whatever power at Penguin books said let her have it, I love you.

There is something about the Joanne Harris and her books that are set in France. Every time you read one of them, you want to eat. It's not that want a new, rich piece of decadent cake feeling. It's a sit in the garden, open a bottle of wine, and have a nice dinner with family and friends type of feeling. The type of situation where the talk is just as important as the food. It's a nice cool night. No bugs. There's a fire and a lot laughter. The food is good and honest. The wine not too expensive, but not cheap either.

That's this book.

This book, more than The Girl with No Shadow, is the true follow up to Chocolat. The threads that Chocolat left that weren't touched on in Shadow are dealt with here. This book is far less forced in feeling than Shadow. Whether true or not, Shadow felt like it was written because of the movie's popularity. Peaches feels like a fruit growing from a well loved tree. It is a gift to readers.

After living with Roux, Anouk, Rosette, and Bam in Paris, Vianne finds herself called back to Lansquenet-sous-Tannes after receiving a letter from the dead. She returns to the village with her children, but without Roux who doesn't want to come and discovers that things have changed yet again, and Father Reynard stands accused of a crime that very few in the village think he is innocent of.

And this sense of change is the heart of the novel as is the question of innocence.

The change in Lansquenet at first blush seems to be due to the arrival of Muslim immigrants who once adapted to the town life, but then began to stand out by becoming too conservative, especially in terms of female dress, an issue that is debated in many countries in Europe today. Relations have gotten so bad that Father Reynard stands accused of burning down a Muslim school housed in Vianne's former chocolate shop. The resentment of the long time residents and new arrivals, the clash of immigrant and old timer, is one that is seen in most places. If it is not seen in your city, you see it somewhere in your country. Harris captures this conflict of feelings and tumult very well from both sides. She evens brings it up in terms of the church at Lansquenet with the addition of a priest who uses PowerPoint slides in his sermons.

It is difficult when reading this novel to not think of the 2005 riots in Paris as well as the debates about veil and burqa in France. Harris, however, moves beyond such debates and concerns. While the idea of immigrant is present, it is used to deal with the idea of what seems to be versus what is. It is not only the townspeople and the new arrivals that must deal with their prejudices, but Vianne as well. It is this flaw in character that makes Vianne totally human and not the saint that some in the book accuse of being. It is her problem with seeing what is versus what seems that leads to some of the tension in the book, tension and questions that Harris supports with a good foundation.

The use of this theme is illustrated not just in the character of Father Reynard but in his counterpart at the mosque, in the family of Said, in the character of Ines, and in the cat who has three homes. (Reminds me of a cat I know).

The theme resonates because the reader comes to the book with certain pre-convinced ideas, ideas that Harris challenges and ideas that are not just about immigration. It is a question of dreams and reality, of judgment and courage, a question of who we as a people are, and what makes a community.

Harris tackles religion in this book, not just Islam but Catholicism as well. This is a brave book because Harris doesn't fall into the conservative versus liberal fallacy. Both conservatives and liberals in terms of religion are being admired if not liked here.

Additionally, it is though the reader's view of such terms as applied to religion that Harris makes good use of what seems and then turns it on its head. For instance, Father Reynard is both as conservative and more liberal than he was in Chocolat, and his potential replacement does come across as a perverti as one character call him. Yet, liberal ideas in terms of religion are also present, and the villain is a villain because of the world view, not because of religion. It isn't religion be it liberal or conservative that is evil, but an idea held by a person and used to do harm that is evil. In this sense, as well as in the climax of the book, Harris harkens back to her earlier works such as Sleep Pale Sister and Holy Fools.

But what is most powerful about this book, besides the character of Vianne, is the food which becomes as in Chocolat another character in the richly woven tapestry. Here the food becomes two additional characters because in addition to the traditional French fare (here I'm including the chocolate), Harris includes Middle Eastern food. The food, both types, becomes another symbol in this rich novel. You'll want to go to a French café one night and a Moroccan cafe the next.

Many of the characters from the first book are present here and new ones, just as vivid, are introduced. Harris excels at capturing young girls in fiction, and Vianne's daughters are given new companions here. Vianne's return to Lansquenet is also the reader's return to old friends and by-ways. This is a worthy successor to the magic that was in Chocolat, and is far more daring in scope than that novel.

I found this book a marvelous study of human nature, cultural differences, and resolution of differences. The author brings out serious questions of faith and social structures. One has to face the issues of multi-culturalism and how far a society must bend to include minorities. In this case, the older Christian community faces impingement by an immigrant Moslem community. Those who would be neighbors are brought into a "war" by extremist Jihadist factions who would impose a primitive, oppressive and inhumane view of women and society. A timely book, characters wedded to neither community but who might be considered outsiders, or the fringes of society, can view the situation with wisdom and act as a bridge between factions. The reader learns that fundamentalism is the playground of the instable and wicked even as the friendship shown between people might have a touch of magic. Not having read other works by this author, I felt this story is beautifully woven with an important message to tell. I am nominating it as a selection for our bookclub as it deserves serious examination and discussion.