VIANNE

Listeners will hear the prequel to CHOCOLAT from the voice of the author herself, Joanne Harris. After her nomadic mother's passing, pregnant 21-year-old Vianne follows the wind to Marseille. With her special magic and charm, Vianne learns to cook from both a grumpy bistro owner who has lost his son and wife, and an upstart chocolatier who fights for authenticity in his career and homelife. Harris' British accent sweeps the listener into this familiar world, which is heavy on French words and people. Her use of character voices is minimal, and she makes only slight attempts at differentiating between men and women. Any distress Harris' characters encounter is suppressed by her calm and dreamlike delivery. S.S. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2025]