The Loveliest Chocolate Shop In Paris - Jenny Colgan
Published: 14/03/13
Publisher: Sphere
Pages: 416
I am a HUGE fan of Jenny and her books so was so excited when I received a review copy of her latest title. I couldn’t wait to get drawn into the magical world of chocolate and Paris! This book is full of charm and chocolate and is perfect for a rainy day!
The cover is beautiful, as with all of Jenny’s books.
The story begins when Anna has an accident in the chocolate factory she works for in England. As she recuperates in hospital she meets her old French teacher called Claire. Claire persuades Anna to go away to Paris and get away from England and learn the real art of chocolate making from Thierry, a french chocolate master, who Claire used to be friends with. Anna reluctantly agrees and finds herself alone in the middle of Paris surrounded by angry french men and huge vats of chocolate. Anna learns the art of chocolate making and some very big life lessons along the way.
I did enjoy this book but not as much as I would have liked. I found that the beginning was a little slow to get started and the flashbacks to the past confused me a little at first as I couldn’t place them within the plot (that improved over the course of the book). The ending for me was also a little rushed. It felt like that was where the best part of the story started but then it quickly ended. I would have liked to have cut a chunk out of the middle and had a longer ending.
However, saying that, I did enjoy this book and the premise was a very unique one. It did take me a LONG time to read and I’m not sure why that was. It could have perhaps been to do with the fact I felt the story hadn’t really got started so I had little motivation to pick it up but the last third of the book had me gripped.
The character of Anna was an interesting one. I felt like I didn’t know her all that well by the end of the book as she spent most of the time describing the French town and how to make chocolate. I would have liked a bit more background about her life. Claire was a lovely character and I admired her drive and passion for life. Thierry likewise was a great addition to the book and he did make me smile in places.
I would recommend this book to fans of Jenny Colgan but if you’ve never read her books before then I would start with Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe first! I enjoyed that one more.
Publisher: Sphere
Pages: 416
I am a HUGE fan of Jenny and her books so was so excited when I received a review copy of her latest title. I couldn’t wait to get drawn into the magical world of chocolate and Paris! This book is full of charm and chocolate and is perfect for a rainy day!
The cover is beautiful, as with all of Jenny’s books.
The story begins when Anna has an accident in the chocolate factory she works for in England. As she recuperates in hospital she meets her old French teacher called Claire. Claire persuades Anna to go away to Paris and get away from England and learn the real art of chocolate making from Thierry, a french chocolate master, who Claire used to be friends with. Anna reluctantly agrees and finds herself alone in the middle of Paris surrounded by angry french men and huge vats of chocolate. Anna learns the art of chocolate making and some very big life lessons along the way.
I did enjoy this book but not as much as I would have liked. I found that the beginning was a little slow to get started and the flashbacks to the past confused me a little at first as I couldn’t place them within the plot (that improved over the course of the book). The ending for me was also a little rushed. It felt like that was where the best part of the story started but then it quickly ended. I would have liked to have cut a chunk out of the middle and had a longer ending.
However, saying that, I did enjoy this book and the premise was a very unique one. It did take me a LONG time to read and I’m not sure why that was. It could have perhaps been to do with the fact I felt the story hadn’t really got started so I had little motivation to pick it up but the last third of the book had me gripped.
The character of Anna was an interesting one. I felt like I didn’t know her all that well by the end of the book as she spent most of the time describing the French town and how to make chocolate. I would have liked a bit more background about her life. Claire was a lovely character and I admired her drive and passion for life. Thierry likewise was a great addition to the book and he did make me smile in places.
I would recommend this book to fans of Jenny Colgan but if you’ve never read her books before then I would start with Meet Me At The Cupcake Cafe first! I enjoyed that one more.
Laura