When Vianne opens a chocolate shop across the street from the church, the battle is joined. Reynaud decides that Vianne is a baleful influence ‹ maybe even a witch ‹ and he is determined to drive her out of town; she is just as determined to stay and to counteract the forces of repression.
The novel opens on Shrove Tuesday and comes to climax on Easter Sunday, a not very subtle hint as to the author's intentions!
The village has its...
