((Peaches for Father Francis in the US))
It isn't often you receive a letter from the dead.
When Vianne Rocher receives a letter from beyond the grave, she has no choice but to follow the wind that blows her back to Lansquenet, the village in south-west France where, eight years ago, she opened up a chocolate shop.
But Vianne is completely unprepared for what she finds there. Women veiled in black, the scent of spices and peppermint tea, and there, on the bank of the river Tannes, facing the square little tower of the church of Saint-Jerôme like a piece on a chessboard - slender, bone-white and crowned with a silver crescent moon - a minaret.
Nor is it only the incomers from North Africa that have brought big changes to the community. Father Reynaud, Vianne's erstwhile adversary, is now disgraced and under threat. Could it be that Vianne is the only one who can save him?
Peaches for Monsieur le Curé is the third in the Chocolat series by the fabulous Joanne Harris and it is possible that I have never been so excited by the thought of the release of a book (barring Harry Potter of course) and it did not disappoint!
Four years after The Lollipop Shoes Vianne Rocher is living on a river boat with partner Roux and her two daughters Anouk (now 15) and Rosette (now 8). She receives a letter from Luc Clairmont, Anouk's old friend from the small town of Lansquenet where they lived eight years previously.
Luc has enclosed a letter from his late grandmother, Armande, which he received on his twenty-first birthday. The letter tells her that the time is right to return to Lansquenet as it needs her. She also asked for the fruit to be picked from the old peach tree in her garden and to give the children some. Vianne thought this a strange request but remembering her old friend with a smile, she realised that this was nothing out of the ordinary.
Understandably to those who have read predecessors - Chocolate and The Lollipop Shoes, Vianne is very reluctant to return but she was also wary of ignoring the plea of her dear old friend - especially from beyond the grave.
Roux made it clear he was not going to return so with the children's eager agreement Vianne decided to make the journey alone.
Vianne arrived on the wind during the festival of Saint-Marie lending essences of Chocolat, and found the changes immediately to the town she once called home. She discovered her much loved (but also the scene of so much conflict) chocolaterie boarded up, charred and ravaged after a fire.
She also finds that Moroccan Muslims have taken over the old Tanneries of Les Marauds, on the banks of the river Tannes. Relations between the two communities are strained to say the least and the source of all the trouble seems to lead back to the stranger who cloaks herself in a full niqab.
It doesn't take Vianne long to work out who may need her help, as surprisingly her old arch enemy, Francis Reynaud is now shunned from the community he was once so admired are revered by due to him being the accused perpetrator of the fire that destroyed the chocolaterie which was being used as a school for the Muslim girls, run by the mysterious and aloof 'woman in black' as Vianne sees her, Inés Bencharki.
Vianne decides that to reach les Maghrébins in Les Marauds she will order supplies and once again bridge the gap between the communities using chocolate (and magic!)
Can the communities of Lansquenet pull together in time?
I enjoyed this book so much! Harris' descriptive writing is superb and you can truly imagine every sound, scent and colour; as much to inhale the dust blown in by the wind and catch the aroma of spices and peppermint tea - amazing.
The characters are beautifully constructed and it was wonderful to see the reappearance of old families from Lansquenet, although this is a very credible stand alone read with new characters equally as strong and possibly more intriguing as the old.
Most of all I loved to see the character development and different aspect of Francis Reynaud (Monsieur le Curé) as he turns from villain to almost hero, especially the scenes with little Maya when she thought that she had found her jinn (imaginary friend) to rival Rosette's 'Bam' and Anouk's 'Pantouffle'.
Overall, a great, well written story with a fantastic plot and tremendous depth, covering modern day issues sensitively.
HIGHLY recommended and it has made me get Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes from my shelf!
Read this article by Joanne Harris here to explain the book a little more - http://joanne-harris.co.uk/v3site/books/peaches/