Book Review: The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

So I've been meaning to read this for a while. It's been sitting on my shelf for well over a year and I've finally gotten around to it and it was 100% worth it. I absolutely adore Joanne Harris' writing, and the four books in the Chocolat story so far - Chocolat, The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur le Cure and The Strawberry Thief - have all been firm favourites of mine. Each book is not exactly a sequel of the one before, but a continuation of the story of Vianne Rocher, her daughters, and those she encounters.

In this instalment of Vianne's adventures, she's back and seemingly settled in the sleepy French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes and working in her chocolaterie. Her eldest daughter has moved to Paris while Rosette, her younger daughter, finds herself the unlikely beneficiary in the will of Narcisse, the disgruntled florist from across the square. But why did Narcisse leave a huge area of beautiful woodland to a child he barely knew? Enlisting the village priest, Francis Reynaud, as the executor of his will, Francis must read Narcisse's final will and testament - a lengthy document that contains more than Francis could ever have anticipated. Lansquenet is thrown into disarray by the controversial will, and the arrival in the square of a mysterious stranger setting up shop in the old florists has a strange, almost magical appeal.

This was just such a gorgeous book. Each book in this series is a blend of so many different styles and genres - mystery, romance, magical realism - that the line between what is plausible and what is a dream becomes almost indistinguishable. Joanne Harris' writing is so rich and evocative; I can smell the warm vanillas and spices in her chocolates, visualise Lansquenet's town square, and hear the sound of the Tannes running towards Les Marauds. She is just a remarkable storyteller; as soon as I picked up this book I felt an instant familiarity with the characters and it felt like I'd never stopped reading about them even though it had been a few years since I read the last book. 

I wouldn't say it's 100% essential to have read the previous books in the series before reading this one as each is a standalone story, but I'd still wholly recommend reading the others. This is another stellar read from Joanne Harris. Five stars!