The festival programme was a treasure of events based on this famous book including chocolate-making workshop, events related to French art and culture, chocolate testing for adults and kids, guided walks around York looking at the city's chocolaty history. Copies of Chocolat were available free from all libraries, in hard copy, audio format and even in other languages. It was a fantastically interesting summer and the best event of all was the closing one last Tuesday with Joanne Harris returning to York to spend the evening with her readers.
For the very few people who don't know Joanne yet, her third book Chocolat became so famous and celebrated around the world that was made in an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. Since then, she has written eight more novels, of which The Lollipop Shoes is a beautiful continuation of Vianne Rocher's story, as well as short stories and two cookbooks. Although I read the book 10 years ago when the film came out, I re-read Chocolat for this occasion as I didn't remember the book very well (old age is approaching!) and enjoyed reading it immensely. I also read The Lollipop Shoes and I liked it even more, as the setting moves to Montmartre in Paris and and the plot gets enriched with more fascinating characters.
(The lovely Joanne Harris)The Evening with Joanne Harris was wonderful. She is a very knowledgeable and witty lady, very French and English at the same time (her mother is French and her father from Barnsley, Yorkshire and she lives in Yorkshire) and she managed to sparkle up an audience of usually very quiet English people. We also had the opportunity to sample some delicious chocolates offered by Hotel Chocolat, a wonderful chocolate store that I can only recommend if you are a chocolate lover like myself.
