I thought for certain that this book would fall into the category of "wannabe feminist magical realism ripoffs". You know, the fluffy ones that dress up sappy romance novels with cooking miracles, and relegate the magical to the feminine sex.

Chantal one of Anouk's schoolmates. A snobby, gossiping rich girl who enjoys the advantages of having a powerful father. Zozie is a much more satisfying villain than Chocolat's Reynaud ever was; and Anouk's sullen teenage resentment of (and at times, fierce love for) her mother and attraction to Zozie as a surrogate made for an enjoyable conflict. The story rolls along at a good pace, and switching between the three character voices of Anouk, Zozie and Vianne/Yanne from one chapter to the next works well for the most part. Anouk's voice is fairly unique, but there were places where Zozie and Vianne's became a bit interchangable. Keep an eye on the shifting image at the beginning of each chapter: it lets you know who's narrating, if you're ever uncertain. In 2000, her 1999 novel CHOCOLAT was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and in 2022 was awarded an OBE by the Queen.Just as in Chocolat, the power of chocolate, as a symbol for love and tolerance, is shown again in The Lollipop Shoes. Okay, I have A LOT to say about this book. Firstly I would like to praise Joanne Harris - Chocolat was such a spellbounding success, I had no idea where this book was going to take me. Secondly, I love how Joanne took elements of the first book and really expanded them into an ‘urban fairytale’…a mystery with just a hint of magic 🪄 and thirdly…

I had been told my approach to writing was all wrong. I wrote it anyway – because some books demand to be written, regardless of literary trends or likelihood of publication Eater of Hearts (The Tower 7, p.383) is a reference to Ammit, a female figure from Egyptian mythology who was the personification of divine retribution for all the wrongs a person had done in his or her life. Then into their lives blows Zozie de l'Alba, the lady with the lollipop shoes - ruthless, devious and seductive. It's about love, vengeance, family, longing, truths and half-truths, growing up and expanding. To me the story is a darker and sadder tale than it's predecessor and while it ends on a realistic enough note, it doesn't completely satisfy you. When you're finished with this story you realize that the journey is never ending and while life is never about an ending that is given to you in a neat little bow, it is about making your own magic and being happy with what you have. Necronomicon (One Jaguar 5, p.76) is a fictitious book that author H.P. Lovecraft referred to in his works.Suzanne once a friend of Anouk, she abandoned her to be part of the popular crowd, and is now one of Anouk's principal tormentors. In early 2018, I was called upon to narrate the new, unabridged audiobook of Chocolat. It was like revisiting a previous version of myself Anouk is an unhappy adolescent. She is bullied at school and made to feel an outcast. She dislikes living in Paris and her situation seems hopeless and set to get worse. While Chocolat's use of magic was understated, The Girl With No Shadow was more explicit. It was almost a character of its own. In a way, I preferred the understated magic in Chocolat. Odinists (One Jaguar 5, p.75) are the members of a New Age movement who do not only worship Odin. According to the Odinist Fellowship, “Odinists value and esteem everything that sustains, promotes, enhances and enriches life”. They celebrate Nature, and feast rather than fast.

Nothing unusual marks them out; no red sachets hang by the door. The wind has stopped - at least for a while. Hubble bubble, toil and…’ (Change 7, p.179) – the voice in Zozie’s head is referring to the three witches in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

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Peaches for Monsieur le Curé was published in 2012. Its alternative title in the US is Peaches for Father Francis. Finally, the food; so enticing; so delicious. Joanne Harris knows how to awaken the senses with her descriptions, and I could smell, see and almost touch every culinary creation within the book. With Juliet Stevenson delivering the lines with such sumptuousness, the kind that raises real cravings within me, without resorting to that overt food porn voice employed by those Marks and Spencer's commercials that are meant to entice the whole of the UK, I am ever so grateful that I didn't have a scrap of chocolate in the house when reading this book, or unhealthy food of any type, as temptation was invoked with every word. Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magic realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology and fantasy. She has also written a DR WHO novella for the BBC, has scripted guest episodes for the game ZOMBIES, RUN!, and is currently engaged in a number of musical theatre projects as well as developing an original drama for television. If Chocolat was Dark Chocolate with a creamy milk chocolate filling then The Girl with No Shadow is a Dark Chocolate truffle with a smooth creamy finish. Zozie de l'Alba comes into their lives, bringing her magic and enchantment. She seems to be exactly what Vianne herself used to be: a benevolent force and a free spirit, helping people wherever she goes. But Zozie is a thief of identities, maybe even a collector of souls. She has her eye on Vianne's life, and begins to insinuate herself into the family.

Tezcatlipoca or The Smoking Mirror” (One Jaguar 5, p.75) is another Aztec god, who had a nagual (i.e. familiar) that was a jaguar, which is probably why this part of the book is called “One Jaguar”. I loved this book. And I didn't expect to. Granted, Chocolat is one of my favorite "Go to a happy place" films. So when I found the book at a bargain price a few years ago, I thought I'd read it. I liked the book, but there were a few reasons I did not give it the five stars I gave Chocolat. Since I read that book right before this one, I remember very well how circumstances were in Vianne's life, and it seemed to me that in this book the author implies a great deal more happening than was suggested in the final chapters of Chocolat. Again, I can't give more details without spoilers, but trust me, there were a few times when I said to myself 'Wait, I thought THIS was the way things were in that village at the end, not THAT'. Magi (Advent 5, p. 230), that is to say the ‘Three Wise Men’ from the Bible are believed to have come from Persia (Iran). The word ‘ magic’ is derived from ‘magi’. The Magus is also a tarot card.

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Anouk is now 11 and entering adolescence. She is unhappy and confused, disliking the way her mother has changed. She is bullied at school and hates the fact that her mother is contemplating marriage. I adored Chocolat by the same author; it was a dose of magical realism, romance and embracing life. The Lollipop shoes is a great sequel and I really enjoyed reading it. I said it before: Joanne Harris has a way of pulling you in and not letting go until you've finished to book. (She must be using magic.) Though I hadn’t originally meant to make Chocolat a series, Vianne and I kept meeting in the most unexpected of places. Some of that was because we shared the common experience of motherhood; and I’d always thought that if she were ever to reappear in some other tale, then it would be because my own version of Anouk (my daughter Anouchka) had somehow shown me the way to the next level. Coatlicue (Yule 17, p.447), the Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon and stars, is the patron of women who die during childbirth. She is the Mother Earth that gives birth to and consumes everything.