Chocolat and other stories

It was lovely. Just reading a book for no purpose except to read it. No lines to underline. No comments to make on the margin. No page number to write down. Just read it for the sake of reading. I have read other books by Joanne Harris before, and whilst her books are very different in their subject, they were never disappointing. Interesting though is that I never quite got round to reading Chocolat. For some reason, the book just lay in my bookshelf for over a year before getting the attention it so much deserved. I loved the baddie perspective. I loved the magic. And of course I loved the chocolate. Now I might not sell my soul for a bit of really good chocolate (unlike Mr. Moon, who seems to live for the stuff), but of course I do enjoy it, I do appreaciate it. I certainly loved the story, but I am not sure whether so much about chocolate as human nature and subnature, if you like. But then, it is just natural for Joanne Harris to expose the various sides of human being in her writing. She has done that before. If the book was not enough, Mr. Moon and I, watched the film, over dinner last night as well. Maybe not the best idea, as I have recently entered a bet to lose a stone in 8 weeks, we did it anyway.
I liked the film in it's own right, but I did not like it as a film based on the book. They changed the name of the chocolaterie, they changed the baddie into another person altogether, they even changed the story, the beginning, the ending. In fact apart from Chocolate and the main names of the characters there was very little of the book left in the film. Even Pantoufle, became a Kangaroo instead of a rabbit!
Of course, it was beautiful, elegant, romantic, extravagant and very tasty looking, but I can not quite grasp the purpose of such a drastic change in the story line. Do great books have to be changed so radically to become films? I am not sure if it is the right thing to do. I mean to change the book so much, but who am I, if not just another little, annoying voice in the world wide web...
Anyway, as I enjoyed the book so much I wanted to share the joy, and I gave it away right after reading it. It went to really good hands, my book buddy, Lisa and I am sure she is the right person for it. What pleased me most was her pleasure in receiving a book. I love giving and receiving books but most of all I love seeing the happiness which I don't always get to do.
However, going back to the other lovely books I have read by J. Harris. If I remember right Five Quarters of the Orange was the first one. I was completely hooked to this author and raided many charity shops before I found another book by her. Back then I have heard of Chocolat but never took the time to connect the two together. At the end of the day it did not matter to me. I saw the film Chocolat many, many years ago, or so it feels, and knew the story a little bit, thus the book was not a priority for me. The reason I loved Five Quarters of the Orange so much was because, Harris somehow managed to express the child-thought so realistically. In fact the child story-teller in the book is so convincing that sometimes you do start thinking that you are in fact being told a story from someone who is a child. Then somehow it gets more confusing and you think you are remembering it together.. But not everything makes sense in that book until you completely get involved, if you like entangled in the plot, before it will show you it's secrets and release you!
Next I was intrigued by a review I red somewhere about a book, in which the story was told by a bottle of wine. This is how I came across the Blackberry Wine. Many years ago I had an uncle John who made the stuff and it was divine... So was the book. Maybe because it is about a writer (I have a penchant for books about writers) or maybe because it was written really well. It was one of those consuming reads. I absolutely could not put that book down. I read it in a day and was very happy with myself. Sadly it was a borrowed copy, but I do have all the good intentions of searching all the charity shops for another copy of it, as I would absolutely love to re-read it. Trust me, it does not happen very often. I haven't re-read that many books in my life. Yet this book is certainly worth my time and anyone else's. What I love about this author most is the fact that she can write about both women and men without separating them entirely thus creating books that can be read and enjoyed by both men and women alike. I think it is an exception in this day and age as so many modern authors aim for a particular audience, whether it may be male or female...
Not long after completing Mulberry Wine and recomending Joanne Harris to someone else by some great fortune I ran into one of her books on a book trolley in a hospital. This time it was something very different. But very very exciting nevertheless. Gentlemen and Players was a great book and a very confusing one too. I did not have a clue about many things until the very last chapter when Joanne so gracefully revealed everything. Whilst it may not have been a book I would have purchased after reading a review (unlike Blackberry Wine) I am glad I have read it. I gave my copy quite a while ago. To a lovely lady called Joanne. This reminds me, I should write to her and see her sometime, as I haven't seen her since November (not long after giving her the book).
Still this is not the end.

After reading Chocolat I did some reasearch and found a lovely Joanne Harris website. As those who clicked on the links in this post already found out. I was aware of her other books, but apart from Chocolat and Blackberry Wine they are not a very common find in charity shops. Maybe people dislike parting with her books, and I can see why. However, she has recently had another book published. It is called Blue Eyed Boy, what I found unusual about this book is the video trailer for it. I have never known a book to have a video trailer but you live and learn these things, don't you? I must admit this may not be my thing entirely. I am not much good for murders, but the writing side is interesting and I am seduced by the idea of adding this book to my endless wishlist.
At the moment I am reading few other books, I can count five from the top of my head, still, this pleasure will soon be over as from Friday I am reading my university stuff again as usual. Exams are close so there isn't much time to have fun now.. It will have to wait, at least until mid-June.