As the inhabitants of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes clear away the remains of the carnival which heralds the beginning of Lent, Vianne moves with her daughter into a disused bakery facing the church, where Francis Reynaud, the young and opinionated curé of the parish, watches her arrival with disapproval and suspicion. I don’t want to spoil it so let’s just say that the main characters are not changed by there experiences.Chocolat begins with the arrival in a tiny French village of Vianne Rocher, a single mother with a young daughter, on Shrove Tuesday. I enjoyed this novel all the way until the end. He has the power to whip them into a religious frenzy. They vie for his attention and would do anything for him including murder. The nuns are all easily susceptible to LeMerle’s charms. Aldous Huxley wrote a non-fiction book about this supposed demonic possession of an Ursuline convent called “The Devils of Loudun.”This novel covers some of the same themes as Loudun superstition, seduction and religious fanaticism. Is the abbey infested with demons or is LeMerle manipulating the situation as a cruel act of revenge? This tale reminds me of a true story of a priest named Urbain Grandier who was burned at the stake at Loudun, France in 1634. They claim they are there to make reforms. When the mother superior dies LeMerle appears at the abbey as Pere Colombine, a father confessor, along with Mere Isabelle, the new twelve year old mother superior. Juliette starts a new life in the abbey of Sainte Marie-de-la-mer as Soeur Auguste with her daughter Fleur. He escapes, but one of the shows performers is murdered and the rest of the group is left to fend for themselves.
When they travel to Epinal, France for a religious festival, LeMerle is accused of witchcraft and causing an outbreak of the plague. Juliette is a high wire dancer in Guy LeMerle's traveling show.
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