Joanne Harris Libros

When the exotic stranger Vianne Rocher arrives in the old French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique called “La Celeste Praline” directly across the square from the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock. It is the beginning of Lent: the traditional season of self-denial. The priest says she’ll be out of business by Easter. To make matters worse, Vianne does not go to church and has a penchant for superstition. Like her mother, she can read Tarot cards. But she begins to win over customers with her smiles, her intuition for everyone’s favourites, and her delightful confections. Her shop provides a place, too, for secrets to be whispered, grievances aired. She begins to shake up the rigid morality of the community. Vianne’s plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community. Can the solemnity of the Church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate éclair? For the first time, here is a novel in which chocolate enjoys its true importance, emerging as an agent of transformation. Rich, clever, and mischievous, reminiscent of a folk tale or fable, this is a triumphant read with a memorable character at its heart. Says Harris: “You might see [Vianne] as an archetype or a mythical figure. I prefer to see her as the lone gunslinger who blows into the town, has a showdown with the man in the black hat, then moves on relentless. But on another level she is a perfectly real person with real insecurities and a very human desire for love and acceptance. Her qualities too - kindness, love, tolerance - are very human.” Vianne and her young daughter Anouk, come into town on Shrove Tuesday. “Carnivals make us uneasy,” says Harris, “because of what they represent: the residual memory of blood sacrifice (it is after all from the word "carne" that the term arises), of pagan celebration. And they represent a loss of inhibition; carnival time is a time at which almost anything is possible.” The book became an international best-seller, and was optioned to film quickly. The Oscar-nominated movie, with its star-studded cast including Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) and Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, whose previous film The Cider House Rules (based on a John Irving novel) also looks at issues of community and moral standards, though in a less lighthearted vein. The idea for the book came from a comment her husband made one day while he was immersed in a football game on TV. “It was a throwaway comment, designed to annoy and it did. It was along the lines of...Chocolate is to women what football is to men…” The idea stuck, and Harris began thinking that “people have these conflicting feelings about chocolate, and that a lot of people who have very little else in common relate to chocolate in more or less the same kind of way. It became a kind of challenge to see exactly how much of a story I could get which was uniquely centred around chocolate.” Rich with metaphor and gorgeous writing...sit back and gorge yourself on Chocolat.

Cuatro años después de "Chocolat", Yanne se ha instalado con sus hijas en una pequeña bombonería escondida en medio de Montmartre. Allí pretende vivir lejos de cualquier problema... y así es hasta que llega Zozie, que irrumpe en sus vidas como un huracán, con sus zapatos rojos y vestidos llamativos. Ayuda en la tienda, la pinta de arriba abajo, se convierte en la mejor amiga de todos... o por lo menos eso es lo que parece. Zozie, tan despiadada como seductora, tiene sus propios planes: quiere apoderarse de la vida entera de Yanne que, para defender lo suyo, tendrá que renunciar a la discreción y luchar con todas sus armas contra una enemiga cuyos poderes son tan fuertes como los de ella misma.

Catorce años ha pasado desde que Jay publicara su exitosa primera novela, reminiscenscia de sus vacaciones infantiles en una pequeña localidad minera del norte de Inglaterra. Allí conoció a Joe, un singular personaje con inagotables conocimientos de botánica y agricultura, que contaba fascinantes historias sobre sus viajes por todo el mundo. Jay, hechizado por la magia y la fantasía del viejo, entabló con él una amistad muy especial, que quedó truncada cuando Joe desapareció sin despedirse. Una elegante y locuaz botella de vino «Fleurie de 1962», cuenta lo que ha sido de Jay desde entonces: que no ha sabido escribir nada que merezca la pena. Un día su vida cambia completamente, al hacer realidad un viejo sueño de Joe: comprar una casa en el Sur de Francia, con su viñedo y todo. Allí se verá inmerso en las historias y rencillas de la comunidad. En este ambiente, Jay recordará las enseñanzas de Joe…

An indispensable guide to the craft of writing and business of publishing from one of our bestselling and most versatile authors.

A bold and ambitious thriller exploring how women can feel invisible as they grow older—and what happens when they decide to take back control.Bernie Moon's ambitions and dreams have been forgotten by everyone, even Bernie herself. At nineteen she was full of promise, but now, facing fifty and going through the menopause, she's a fading light. Until the murder of a woman in a local park unlocks a series of childhood memories, and with them, a talent that she has hidden all her adult life. What happens when the frustrations and power of an older woman are finally given their chance to be revealed? Filled with growth and redemption, revenge and visibility, friendship and self-discovery, Broken Light is an explosive new thriller that challenges our notions of womanhood and power.

A book of chocolate lore and recipes from around the world that can bring a touch of magic to your kitchen.

Vianne Rocher opens a chocolate boutique in the French village of Lansquenet, directly across from the church. Father Reynaud sees her as a threat to his congregation, raising questions about the conflict between the Church's solemnity and the allure of chocolate.

In My French Kitchen bestselling author Joanne Harris , along with acclaimed food writer Fran Warde, shares her treasured collection of family recipes that has been passed down from generation to generation. All the classics are Quiche Lorraine, Moules Marinière, Coq au Vin, and Crème Brûlée, plus anentire chapter devoted to French chocolate, including cakes, meringues, and spiced hot chocolate.

Following the success of My French Kitchen, bestselling author Joanne Harris and Fran Warde present a deliciously simple collection of recipes that draw inspiration from the rural markets of Gascony and emphasize rustic, fresh flavors and a relaxed, tossed-together style. From large, lumpy tomatoes bursting with taste, to sun-ripened melons, to goat cheese rolled in fresh herbs, and to locally produced organic honey, this is food as nature intended.

"The toymaker who wants to create the perfect wife; the princess whose heart is won by words, not actions; the tiny dog whose confidence far outweighs his size; and the sinister Lacewing King who rules over the Silken Folk. These are just a few of the weird and wonderful creatures who populate Joanne Harris's first collection of fairy tales"--