About the book...
Vianne Rocher has settled down. Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the place that once rejected her, has finally become her home. With Rosette, her 'special' child, she runs her chocolate shop in the square, talks to her friends on the river, is part of the community. Even Reynaud, the priest, has become a friend.
But when old Narcisse, the florist, dies, leaving a parcel of land to Rosette and a written confession to Reynaud, the life of the sleepy village is once more thrown into disarray. The arrival of Narcisse's relatives, the departure of an old friend and the opening of a mysterious new shop in the place of the florist's across the square - one that mirrors the chocolaterie, and has a strange appeal of its own - all seem to herald some kind of change: a confrontation, a turbulence - even, perhaps, a murder...
My thoughts...
As The Strawberry Thief draws to a close my mind is racing with questions and wonder that this glorious book beheld. Laced with intrigue and dark rooted secrets the story wove it's spell to create a compelling narrative that captivated my mind and soul.
The writing is sublime, unfurling mysteries and secrets from beyond the grave, one fine layer at a time. This clever distribution ensured that you continue to turn the page to uncover answers and explainaitions to questions that haunt the story. This hypnotic narrative draws you in and keeps you hanging on in a state of suspense until it is ready to confess. It certainly is first class writing.
The characters gave an air of aloofness, but for me, I particularly enjoyed this little nuance as it felt in keeping with the French rustic backdrop that the story was set upon. I enjoyed Narcisse and Rosette's charming connection that opened up, on a wider level, to reveal a lifetime of deep rooted pain and guilt. Secrets, pain and guilt seemed to be the driving factor for this narrative but this drive created something extremely special and I feel very blessed to have travelled on this journey with these characters.
The Strawberry Thief is a web of wonder that will draw you in with it's secrets and riddles and not let you go until the concluding pages. It's definitely a story not to be missed and I predict great things for this book.
About the author...
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.
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 2013 was awarded an MBE by the Queen.
Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She also spends too much time on Twitter; plays flute and bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16; and works from a shed in her garden at her home in Yorkshire.
