Joanne Harris: Chocolat
Summary
Author Joanne Harris discusses her bestselling novel Chocolat, delving into the nuanced conflict between Vianne Rocher and Father Francis Reynaud and her accidental use of magic realism. She shares insights into character inspiration, the timeless setting of the village, and her personal writing process, including why she resisted immediate sequels. The episode also touches on the significant differences in the film adaptation.Episode description
Led by presenter James Naughtie, the writer Joanne Harris takes questions from a BBC Bookclub audience on her best-selling novel, Chocolat. Published in 1999, the book follows the character of Vianne Rocher, a chocolate-maker and sometime witch, who arrives in the village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter Anouk at the beginning of Lent and opens a chocolaterie opposite the church. Francis Reynaud, the local priest, disapproves of her instantly and Vianne's arrival polarizes the villagers.
The book sold over a million copies in the UK and won the Creative Freedom and Whitaker Gold awards. It was later turned into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.
Producer: Dom Howell Editor: Gillian Wheelan
This was a BBC Audio Scotland production.