A light reading for heavy nights

Searching for something light, enjoyable, and optimistic to read I followed a friend's advice and spent two splendid weeks with Lesley Lokko's Bitter Chocolate. This optimistic novel tells the story of three girls from different backgrounds in their quest for love, marriage, and happiness. Laure leaves for America, where she has to cope with being 17, alone, and without any money. Ameline, neither a servant nor a sister at Laure's family, has no knowledge of her roots or future but she finds happiness in an unexpected place. Melanie is the spoiled daughter of a rock star, who has everything money can buy, but happiness and love.

The book whirls around the destinies of the three girls as they pass through maturity and face lies, betrayals, and death to finally find a place to be themselves. The novel is very optimistic and positive, easy to read and understand, and with no claims to be a masterpiece. If you are looking for a book to raise up your spirit, to motivate you, or simply to make you smile and dream, then I definitely recommend Bitter Chocolate. Not a waste of time, surely.