Peaches for Father Francis: A Novel
Vianne Rocher, who worked culinary magic on a French village in the best-seller Chocolat (1999), now finds herself helping her onetime nemesis. In the third novel in Harris’ series (following Blackberry Wine, 2000), an influx of foreigners has wrought change in Lansquenet. Vianne and her daughters return to find that Father Francis is suspected of a recent crime. Both Vianne and Father Francis tell the tale, and fresh mysteries involving Muslim immigrants and Vianne’s old friend Josephine present themselves to be unraveled. Readers of the previous novels will relish the return to Lansquenet, as it is easy to fall under the community’s spell even as conflict is tearing at its seams. Newcomers who have a somewhat difficult time entering Vianne’s mystical world will be drawn in by Harris’ expertly drawn and instantly recognizable characters, along with their richly realized world. With charm and allure, the novel explores the difference one person can make. For all Vianne’s magic, the recipe for success is simply uncovering what keeps people apart and what binds them together. --Bridget Thoreson