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.
The squabbling Norse gods and goddesses of Runemarks are back! And there's a feisty new heroine on the scene: Maggie, a girl the same age as Maddy but brought up a world apart - literally, in World's End, the focus of the Order in which Maddy was raised. Now the Order is destroyed, Chaos is filling the vacuum left behind... and is breaching the everyday world. A chilling prophecy from the Oracle. A conflict between two girls. And with just twelve days to stave off the Apocalypse, carnage is about to be unleashed...
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.
At St Oswald's, a long-established boys' grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. 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, the eccentric veteran Latin master, 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 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 two daughters 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,ruthless, devious and seductive. 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?
With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge. But while Loki is planning the downfall of Asgard and the humiliation of his tormentors, greater powers are conspiring against the gods and a battle is brewing that will change the fate of the Worlds. From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world's ultimate trickster
Seven o'clock, on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again... Maddy Smith was born with a rusty-coloured runemark on her hand - a symbol of the old gods and definitely cause for suspicion. For magic is dangerous. Or so everyone thinks. But Maddy enjoys working magic. Even if it is just to control some pesky goblins. And every time her friend, One-Eye - a good-for-nowt Outlander - comes by, he teaches her more and more about the gods and the runes. Now he wants Maddy to open Red Horse Hill and descend into World Below to retrieve a relic of the old gods. Otherwise it is likely to be the End of Everything. Again . . . An epic romp into the heart of the old Norse tales: wild, dangerous, richly inventive and superbly imaginative.
Take your partners, please.Suburban witches, defiant old ladies, ageing monsters, suicidal Lottery winners, wolf men, dolphin women and middle-aged manufacturers of erotic leatherwear. In these twenty-two short stories from the author of HOLY FOOLS and
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.
Set in a gothic atmosphere, the story weaves a dark and compelling narrative reminiscent of Joanne Harris's earlier work, Holy Fools. It explores themes of intrigue and the macabre, showcasing Harris's signature style that combines rich storytelling with a haunting sensibility. This novel precedes her more celebrated works like Chocolat and Blackberry Wine, offering readers a glimpse into her early literary prowess and ability to evoke deep emotions through vivid characters and settings.
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.
