CHOCOLAT

It’s the carnival that first attracts Vianne Rocher and her daughter, Anouk, to the French village of Lansquenet. Anouk begs to stay, wanting a respite from their nomadic life across Europe. Vianne opens a chocolate shop with delicious varieties of tastes and shapes and immediately incurs the enmity of the priest in the church across the square. Diana Bishop’s voice is sensuous and caring with just a hint of foreboding. When it hardens, we hear the bitter thoughts and words of the priest. In contrast, Bishop portrays the fiercely tender relationship between Vianne and her young daughter with aching clarity. With her rich alto voice, Bishop entices listeners deeper into this story of good and evil, in which almost no one is what he first appears to be. P.G. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]