The Discovery of Chocolate

by Runcie, James

• ISBN13: 9780060184810
• ISBN10: 0060184817
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-04
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

A young Spaniard sets off for South America in 1518 with Cortes & the Conquistadors, propelled by his love's declaration that she will not marry until he returns with a special treasure - a symbol of their love that no man or woman has ever before received. But during his travels he falls in love with Ignacia, a native woman who introduces him to the secrets of the most delicious drink he has ever tasted: chocolate. Their passionate affair is cut short by the chaotic conquest of Mexico. So begins this charming & adventurous story about the magical substance we now know as chocolate & of the passions & obsessions it has inspired from its earliest days. Our hero later discovers that his lover had secretly added the elixir to life to his chocolate drink. This allows him to travel through history: to Paris during the time of the Revolution, to Vienna in the nineteenth century, to late Victorian England & to Hershey Pennsylvania accompanied all the while by his trusty greyhound, Pedro. unable to die, he searches to recapture the magic of Ignacia's chocolate & to learn to love life just as fully. Playful & intelligent, this is a romantic story about love & loss inspired by a very enchanting substance. "This enchanting novel takes up where strict histories of chocolate leave off, exploring the spiritual & emotional effects of chocolate & how these magical qualities have moved people throughout the ages. It gives a soul to the existing body of knowledge."