The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Orion (4 April 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1409170756
• ISBN-13: 978-1409170754

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her ‘special’ child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend.

But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray.

The arrival of Narcisse’s relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist’s across the square – one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own – all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence – even, perhaps, a murder…

 

Review

I can’t believe it is twenty years since I spent a day in the garden reading the wonderful and charming Chocolat. Since then we have had the sequel The Lollipop Shoes and now the exciting third book The Strawberry Thief.  Vianne is back in Lansquenet-sous Tannes running her chocolate shop with her daughter Rosette, now sixteen, whilst Anouk is living in Paris.  After the death of local Narcisse, who leaves Rosette his wood, trouble comes to the small town in the form of his family and a new threat to Vianne blows in on the wind.  The book is set during the month of March and narrated by Vianne, Rosette, and Le Curé Reynard, and has excerpts from a letter to Reynard that tells Narcisse’s life story.

It was exciting to be back in Lansquenet and catching up with old characters and meeting new ones.  The surprise of this book is that Reynard and Vianne are now friends, he has mellowed over the years and is not as strict on himself.  Roux and the river people are still at Les Marauds, Caro Clairmont is still gossiping  and Josephine has her cafe; it was like meeting up with old friends.  There were also some memorable new characters in Michélè Montour, Narcisse’s horrible daughter, her husband Michel and son Yannick, who I felt very sorry for.  The wind blows in the mysterious Morgane Dubois who rents Narcisse’s old shop, and who Vianne sees as a threat to the harmony of her life with Rosette and the community. Rosette is my favourite character, she has the wonderful innocence of children but understands more than people give her credit for.  Many feel sorry for her, and Vianne, due to her difference and individuality, but she has such a wonderful outlook on life and has her mother’s gift for the understanding of the wind and is at one with nature; and of course she has Bam for company.  Joanne Harris vividly brings these characters, and their quirks to life, making them jump off the page and into your heart.

Joanne Harris’s writing is remarkable, her observations and witty one liners bring the quirks of town life, the petty squabbles and allegiances to life and reminded me why I am such a huge fan of her writing.  The attention to detail of the landscape, Rosette’s wood and the boats on the river are a picture postcard in my mind.  In contrast to the beautiful setting there is a tale of murder, cruelty, the mother daughter bond and family feuds, that ripple through the quiet and quaint Lansquenet, bringing the wind of change to all.

The Strawberry Thief is a charming, bewitching and simply stunning read. It lived up to all my expectations, and left me feeling fuzzy and warm and incredibly happy; what more could you ask for in a book.  I immediately felt familiar with the characters, and the plot had me engaged from the first with a murder mystery and the wind blowing in Morgane to add a bit of trouble to the community.  This is a must read for fans of Chocolat, an absolutely fabulous read.

 

I would like to thank Orion Books and Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for asking me to take part in the blog tour for The Strawberry Thief.

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