SHE READS :: Reviews, women's words + book goodness for SOURCE-ED women.
Women who are FULL OF IT. (+ by FULL OF IT I mean women who are satiated, nourished, well-fed + well-fucked, creative, with the juice of a fully-lived-life dripping down our chins…)

Joanne Harris has done it again.
And this time, there’s perfume.

As someone who, in the last few years, discovered that my own father’s lineage - we’re a family of gypsies, so tracing lineage + familial ‘stuff’ is WAY harder than hooking up with ancestry dot com - leads to Marseille, I’ve been dreaming in it’s colours - ochre, indigo, salted gold - I’ve imagined that the wind smells of fennel, figs + flirtation + I’ve evoked entire versions of myself there with smudged eyeliner, sea salted hair + stories I will NEVER tell unless I really like you.

Now, thanks to Joanne Harris’ new book Vianne (yes, that Vianne, our girl from Chocolat is back + even more spellbinding) I do believe Marseille is my most favourite place in the world that I haven't actually been to…yet.

NOTE: Before we get into it, I DID use the line ’I’m a writer who has followers on insta’ to blag myself a review copy ahead of it’s release date - something I am entirely shameless about because I have been waiting for this book A. LONG. TIME. (Thank you Team Orion!) + FYI: I WILL buy a copy too because I support the artists + creatives I dig with ACTUAL money + well…I have a book collection to complete, but nothing beats the thrill of getting to read a book you’ve been waiting for BEFORE it’s release date. Yep, that’s ABSOLUTELY where I get my kicks.

Okay, so let’s get into it. Joanne Harris does that rare (+ really bloody clever) thing as an author, she’s created such a distinct voice for one of my most loved + favourite women in fiction, Vianne Rocher, that from the very first line, we are reunited + it feels SO GOOD.

A prequel to Chocolat, Joanne’s latest offering is Vianne before the chocolaterie.
Young, pregnant + grieving the death of her mother, Vianne has followed the wind + finds herself in Marseille.

+ it’s not the sun-washed Marseille cliché that you see on postcards, instead we get to experience the of backstreet bistros + open-air markets.
Grumpy old men who’s hearts soften over soup.
Bistro kitchens where love is passed down through notebooks stained with wine + memories.
Strangers who hand you a chocolate to melt away your sorrows.

It’s here that she meets Louis, the broken-hearted bistro owner who, reluctantly at first, teaches her the recipes of his late wife, along with Guy + Mahmed, two chocolatiers with hearts as deep, rich + flavour-full as the ganache they make in their shop.

And then there’s the magic - intuition, synaesthesia, instinct.
Vianne sees people in colours, feels flavours as emotion + understands - without understanding - how to soothe with sweetness.
So far so fabulous, right?
Except Vianne is being watched.
The shadow of her mother’s fear, of the man in black, of movement as a way of life, is ever-present.
And now she’s carrying a daughter.

Does she stay + root, or does she run + protect?
+ can a woman born into motion ever really be rooted?

THIS?
This is Joanne Harris is at her lyrical, sensorial best.
There, I said it. I really bloody loved it.
Oh + did I mention there’s a perfume?
Yes. An actual perfume.

Crafted by Sarah McCartney of 4160Tuesdays with Joanne Harris, to accompany the book - it’s currently in production - it’s called Vianne’s Confession + Sarah describes it as:

‘a blend of Mediterranean sea salt and unsweetened cacao with incense, tomato leaf and rose, hot sun, cool, dark church interiors and cobblestone alleyways in the rain.’

I MEEEAN.
I haven’t smelt it yet, but THAT description alone was enough to get me on the website, securing a bottle for pre-order, + as a witch, a woman, a reader, a lover of ALL things luxe-y + sensorial I would like to loudly declare:
ALL BOOKS SHOULD BE PAIRED WITH A PERFUME!
Imagine it.
The Secret History I’m thinking tobacco + clove.
Jane Eyre definitely damp, dew-covered roses + fireplace smoke.
The Bell Jar cold steel + wild violets - I could do this ALL DAY - in fact, I HAVE done it for every book I’ve ever written.
While I’m NOT a ‘nose’ (pro-term for someone who 'knows/nose their perfume - see what I did there?!) I have made an essential oil blend to evoke the FEEL of each book as I write which means each book is infused with THAT scent + I like to think that as the reader reads my words + turn the page, they catch one or two of those notes on a passing breeze.

Back to Vianne.
It’s a reminder that magic isn’t all spells or potions, sometimes it’s knowing when to stay, when to go + when to become the woman you were always meant to be.

Pair Vianne with:
Rich delicious cacao, spiced. (Shot of rum, optional. Second + third cup also optional.) A brick red lip, the kind you blot by kissing someone you shouldn’t, a spritz of Vianne by 4160Tuesdays + THIS playlist.
Playlists are my love language. You’re welcome.

Vianne by Joanne Harris is out on the 22nd May 2025 published by Orion Books + if I hadn’t made it abundantly clear, it’s bloody glorious + sensual + magic + I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!

Vianne’s Confessions is limited edition + available from 4160Tuesdays + I am VERY impatiently waiting for mine to arrive!

I’d LOVE to know your thoughts + feels about this book - are you going to read it?
Did you read Chocolat?
Do you love the playlist? (I currently have it on repeat!)

…………………………….BOTTOM OF THE PAGE LINK LOVE……………………………

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