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The Book Case

Joanne Harris and the Literary Beauty of Chocolat

The Book Case

ABC News

Fiction, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.7913 Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Joanne Harris is the writer of the “Chocolat" series, which began with the famous Chocolat (also made into a movie with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) which spawned three sequels all continuing the story of the mysterious, talented and independent Vianne and her daughters as they struggle to find their place in the world.  But in her newest contribution to the series, Vianne, she writes beautifully of Vianne’s prequel story.  What brought Vianne to her love of chocolate and what spawns her to keep traveling the world, untethered and without roots?  This is the story of her beginnings and her beginnings as the literary chocolatier that we have come to know and love.  We also talk to an amazing bookstore that is over a century old, Andover Bookstore in Andover, Massachusetts. Tune in and find out how a bookstore can still be great…even after 100 years. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: The Chocolat Series: Vianne by Joanne Harris Chocolat by Joanne Harris The Lollipop Shoes by Joanne Harris Peaches for Monsieur le Cure by Joanne Harris The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris  Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris Coastliners by Joanne Harris Holy Fools by Joanne Harris Honeycomb by Joanne Harris Jigs and Reels by Joanne Harris Maiden, Mother, Crone by Joanne Harris The Moonlight Market by Joanne Harris Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris Different Class by Joanne Harris Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Goethe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Aldi's Super 6 Fruit and Veg from 69p each, salad potatoes, royal garla apples, shallots and butternut squash, all British, plus mixed peppers and sugar snap peas.

0:09.7

They'll be snapped up in no time. In store now.

0:12.5

Aldi, multiple fruit and veg retailer 2025 at the FPC Fresh Awards.

0:17.3

Products and prices may vary subject to availability.

0:32.4

Well, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. A beautiful day in the neighborhood. Would you be my neighbor?

0:34.4

Oh, my God. My apologies to Mr. Rogers. Welcome to the bouquets.

0:37.9

I'm Charlie Gibson.

0:39.6

I'm Kate Gibson, and you just found out why my mother and I don't sit next to my father when there's any singing involved for anything.

0:47.7

Because any kid who just heard that beloved kids classic has gone running from the room, and they don't want to be your neighbor.

0:55.8

Hello.

0:56.5

I've never understood why no member of the family would sit in the same pew with me at church.

1:03.7

It's because it was like sitting in the pew with an old car that was starting up and revving up during the hymns is sort of what it sounded like.

1:14.2

We have a great book for you today. It's Vienne by Joanne Harris, a prequel to the Great Chocolot and its many sequels, the Strawberry Thief being one and there are a few others.

1:26.0

And what's great is before I let my father talk, which I rarely ever do, I get to throw him under the bus a little bit again. I always love these opportunities. I read much faster than he does. So more often than not, it's me calling him saying, you've got to read this book. And this one was my dad calling me and saying, you've got to read this book. I think

1:45.0

that's one out of 20 or one out of 30 you average yourself. Well, you mentioned that Joanne Harris

1:49.9

was the author of Chocolat, which was such a great novel 25 years ago now, that introduced us

1:56.0

to Vienne and to her daughter, Anouk, although in this prequel, Vienne is pregnant with Anuk.

2:03.3

But Harris did write two further novels after Chocolat about Vian and Anuk, and they're chocolate chops.

2:08.5

But this prequel, this prequel is how Vian came to be and how she learned to make irresistible chocolate concoctions.

2:16.5

A critical thing to say, I think, that people

2:19.2

need to know. People who have read Chocolat will love this book because it tells you how

2:24.4

Chocolat came to be. If you have not read Chocolat, this book will stand on its own. It's a charming

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