Greeted as "an amazement of riches ... few readers will be able to resist" by the New York Times, Chocolat is an enchanting novel about temptation, pleasure, and the ultimate folly of self-denial. The town of Lansquenet, solemnly preparing for Lent, is set astir when Vianne Rocher and her spirited daughter arrive on the heels of the carnival and open a chocolate shop across the square from the church. Vianne's uncanny ability to perceive her customers' private discontents and alleviate them with just the right chocolate treats quickly charms the villagers -- and enrages Pere Reynaud, the conservative local priest. Certain that only a witch could create such magical cures, Reynaud vows to block the chocolate festival Vianne plans for Easter Sunday and to run her out of town forever. Witch or not (she'll never tell), Vianne soon sparks a dramatic confrontation between those who prefer the cold comforts of the church and those who revel in their newly discovered taste for pleasure.

乔安娜•哈里斯（Joanne Harris），英国著名女作家，她从小在外祖父母的糖果店成长，其曾外祖母是远近闻名的巫师，所以哈里斯的文字总是弥漫着糖果的芬芳和些许神秘与魔幻。《浓情巧克力》本是她献给曾外祖母的作品，不料出版后获得了巨大的成功，立即登上英国《星期日泰晤士报》畅销书排行榜榜首。

素来与奥斯卡甚是“投缘”的米拉麦克斯公司购得了本书的电影改编权，请来两次获得奥斯卡提名的大导演莱塞•霍尔斯道姆执导此片，男、女主角则分别由好莱坞最具票房号召力的约翰尼•德普和奥斯卡最佳女配角朱丽叶•比诺什担任。这部影片为作者赢得了南加大编剧协会奖，而小说优美的文笔和极强的故事性也使影片获得了奥斯卡最佳电影剧本奖提名与英国电影和电视艺术奖最佳电影剧本奖。

这部《浓情巧克力》是作者的成名作和代表作，小说和电影也分别在各自领域内被奉为经典。