Editing Chocolat (novel) (section)

==Plot==
Vianne Rocher and her six-year-old daughter Anouk, arrive in the French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes "on the wind of the [[Carnival|Carnival"]], and begin to renovate a disused bakery opposite the church. The village [[parish priest|priest]], Francis Reynaud, who already disapproves of Vianne's status as a single mother, is horrified to discover that she intends to open a chocolate shop to coincide with the [[Lent|Lenten]] season of [[fasting]].

The story unfolds via two [[First-person narrative|first-person narrators]], Vianne herself and the priest, Reynaud, who addresses his account to his [[Confessor|confessor.]] 

Vianne reveals that her mother was a [[witch]], and that she herself has inherited similar beliefs and abilities. Her mother and she were wanderers, moving from one city to another, driven by the changing wind. They were born with gifts, and used a kind of "domestic magic" to earn their living. Throughout her life, Vianne has been running from the "Man in Black", a recurring figure in her mother's folklore. When her mother dies of cancer, Vianne continues on her own, trying to evade the Man in Black and the mysterious force of the wind and settle down to a normal life.

The [[chocolaterie]] is a dream of hers. She has a talent for cooking and a naturally [[Empathy|empathic]] personality, which enables her to understand and to help her customers with their problems. She builds a group of regular customers, including Armande Voizin, an elderly lady who has secretly been diagnosed with diabetes, Guillaume Duplessis, an elderly man devoted to his dog, and Joséphine Muscat, the battered wife of the local café owner. As Vianne's shop becomes more popular, Reynaud's disapproval grows. Enlisting some of the more conservative villagers, he attempts to discourage his congregation from associating with her. Some people stay away, but not for long. His conflict with her becomes a personal crusade.

Tensions in the community increase when a group of travellers, led by the unflinching Roux, moor their boats on the nearby river. Vianne welcomes them, whereas Reynaud disapproves of their way of life. He manages to convince most businesses in the village to refuse to serve the travellers. Roux and his friends invite Vianne to their own celebrations by the river, but Muscat, the abusive husband of Joséphine, starts a petrol fire on Roux's boat, forcing the travellers to move on. This act convinces Joséphine to leave her husband, and she moves into the shop with Vianne and Anouk. Roux stays nearby, making a home in a derelict building while he works to restore his boat. He continues doing odd jobs for Vianne and Armande, while Vianne and Joséphine prepare for Easter and the Festival of Chocolate they have planned to celebrate on [[Easter|Easter Sunday]].

Meanwhile, Armande, who is estranged from her daughter and forbidden to see her grandson, has been meeting the boy in secret at the chocolaterie. As a thank-you gesture to Vianne, she organizes a birthday party, to which she invites her grandson and all her friends, including Roux and the travellers. Vianne is anxious about Armande's health, and warns her not to over-indulge, but Armande refuses to listen, implying that this is a farewell party. Armande dies in her sleep later that night, while Vianne and Roux have sex in the garden after everyone else has gone home.

The morning the festival is supposed to take place, Reynaud breaks into the shop, meaning to vandalize the stock, but is distracted by the chocolates in the window display and gorges himself into a stupor. He is discovered in the shop window by Vianne before he can do too much damage. The chocolate festival goes ahead, with great success. At the end of the story, Vianne discovers that she is pregnant by Roux, although it is not clear whether they will raise the child together, or whether Vianne will move on.