Laura Grandi Livres

A Lansquenet, petit village du sud-ouest de la France, rien ne va plus entre les chrétiens de la commune et les musulmans du quartier des Marauds. Et voici qu'un incendie avive encore les tensions. Plus qu'une solution : appeler à la rescousse Vianne Rocher, l'ancienne chocolatière. Huit ans auparavant, elle avait réconcilié les habitants en les convertissant aux plaisirs gourmands. S'aidant de ses ensorcelantes recettes, elle mène de nouveau l'enquête. Pour se rendre compte que la religion n'est pas la seule responsable des conflits. Et qu'à Lansquenet chacun a ses secrets...

When the exotic Vianne Rocher opens her chocolate boutique “La Celeste Praline” in the French village of Lansquenet, she becomes a target for Father Reynaud, who views her as a threat to his congregation during Lent. Vianne, who doesn’t attend church and embraces superstition, begins to charm the townspeople with her delightful confections and intuitive understanding of their desires. Her shop becomes a haven for secrets and a challenge to the community’s rigid morals. Vianne's plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival create a rift in the town, pitting the solemnity of the Church against the allure of chocolate. This novel elevates chocolate as a transformative force, blending rich storytelling with elements of folklore. Vianne, portrayed as both a mythical figure and a relatable woman with insecurities, seeks love and acceptance. The narrative explores the complexities of community and the unease surrounding carnivals, symbolizing a break from inhibition. The book quickly became an international best-seller and inspired an Oscar-nominated film featuring a star-studded cast. The author was inspired by a comment from her husband about chocolate and its significance to women, leading her to craft a story uniquely centered around this beloved treat. Rich in metaphor and exquisite prose, this tale invites readers to indulge in its sweetness.

Lorsque Framboise Simon revient dans le village de son enfance sur les rives de la Loire, personne ne reconnaît la fille de la scandaleuse Mirabelle Dartigen, tenue pour responsable de l'exécution de onze villageois pendant l'occupation allemande, cinquante ans auparavant. Framboise ouvre une auberge qui, grâce aux délicieuses recettes de sa mère, retient l'attention des critiques, mais suscite les jalousies de sa famille. Le carnet de recettes de Mirabelle recèle des secrets qui donneront à Framboise la clé de ces années sombres. Peu à peu, elle découvrira la véritable personnalité de sa mère, parfois si tendre, maternelle et sensuelle, subitement cruelle et tourmentée. En temps de guerre, les jeux d'enfants et les histoires d'amour ne sont pas toujours innocents. Leurs conséquences peuvent même être tragiques.

The Place Is St Oswald S, An Old And Long-Established Boys Grammar School In The North Of England. A New Year Has Just Begun, And For The Staff And Boys Of The School, A Wind Of Unwelcome Change Is Blowing. Suits, Paperwork And Information Technology Rule The World And Roy Straitley, Latin Master, Eccentric, And Veteran Of St Oswald S, Is Finally Reluctantly Contemplating Retirement. But Beneath The Little Rivalries, Petty Disputes And Everyday Crises Of The School, A Darker Undercurrent Stirs. And A Bitter Grudge, Hidden And Carefully Nurtured For Thirteen Years, Is About To Erupt.Who Is Mole, The Mysterious Insider, Whose Cruel Practical Jokes Are Gradually Escalating Towards Violence And Perhaps, Murder? And How Can An Old And Half-Forgotten Scandal Become The Stone That Brings Down A Giant?

'Who died?' I said. 'Or is it a secret?''My mother, Vianne Rocher.'Seeking refuge and anonymity in the cobbled streets of Montmartre, Yanne and her daughters, Rosette and Annie, live peacefully, if not happily, above their little chocolate shop.Nothing unusual marks them out; no red sachets hang by the door.The wind has stopped - at least for a while.Then into their lives blows Zozie de l'Alba, the lady with the lollipop shoes, and everything begins to change....But this new friendship is not what it seems.Ruthless, devious and seductive, Zozie de l'Alba has plans of her own - plans that will shake their world to pieces.And with everything she loves at stake, Yanne must face a difficult choice; to flee, as she has done so many times before, or to confront her most dangerous enemy.....Herself.

Jay Mackintosh is trapped by memory in the old familiar landscape of his childhood, to which he longs to return. A bottle of home-brewed wine left to him by a long-vanished friend seems to provide the key to an old mystery. As the unusual properties of the strange brew take effect, Jay escapes to a derelict farmhouse in the French village of Lansquenet . There, a ghost from the past waits to confront him, and the reclusive Marise - haunted, lovely and dangerous - hides a terrible secret behind her closed shutters. Between them, a mysterious chemistry. Or could it be magic?

The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel.

Master storyteller Joanne Harris has created a magical and epic romp– a fresh, funny, and wonderfully irreverent new take on the old Norse tales, sure to be enjoyed by readers young and old.Seven o’clock on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again. . . . Not that anyone would admit it was goblins. In Maddy Smith’s world, order rules. Chaos, old gods, fairies, goblins, magic, glamours – all of these were supposedly vanquished centuries ago. But Maddy knows that a small bit of magic has survived. The “ruinmark” she was born with on her palm proves it – and makes the other villagers fearful that she is a witch (though helpful in dealing with the goblins-in-the-cellar problem). But the mysterious traveler One-Eye sees Maddy’s mark not as a defect, but as a destiny. And Maddy will need every scrap of forbidden magic One-Eye can teach her if she is to survive that destiny.

In these 22 short stories by Joanne Harris, the miraculous goes hand-in-hand with the mundane, the sour with the sweet, and the beautiful, the grotesque, the seductive and the disturbing are never more than a step away

A dark and intricately plotted tale of a poisonously dysfunctional family, a blind child prodigy, and a serial murderer who is not who he seems. Told through posts on a webjournal called badguysrock, this is a thriller that makes creative use of all the multiple personalities, disguise and mind games that are offered by playing out a life on the internet.

In this romantic suspense novel the reaappearance of a diary ensures that past and present intertwine, paving the way for unknown consequences. Joanne Harris is also the author of 'Chocolat'. Originally published: London: Warner, 1992.