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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Though the story was light on historical detail, it didn't shy away from the ugle decisions people make and the toll regret can have on someone's life. Kristin Harmel never disappoints. And, while I would have liked to learn more about the French resistance, I still found the story to be incredibly engaging and interesting.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great story/narrative but the poor dialogue was distracting
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: Alternating between WWII era and modern era in France's wine country, four women grapple with the events of Nazi occupation and the continual fallout of their choices in life and love.
What I Liked:
What I Liked:
- Stuck the landing. The last 25% of the book is 5*, easy.
- Correct details about how sparkling wine is made
What I Didn't Like:
- Shallow (or shallowly-described) characters
- If not shallow, otherwise tough-to-love characters
- Oscillated harshly between "very chill" and "held at gunpoint by Nazis"; tone and tensity weren't well balanced
I fear I'm too harsh on romance novels. I have very specific requirements about what I like, so if romance is your genre, I think this is a well-loved example with a rich environment and a beautiful set of moments. No sex scenes, no heavy romance, but love is in the air. I really do think what makes this book shine is its attention to detail in winemaking, and the fact that the ending is so, so beautiful.
For better or worse, I have a history in winemaking, including sparkling wine, and I can attest to the factual nature of this novel's descriptions of how Champagne is made. This information is nuanced and hard to nail down, especially about how riddling worked at the time. It was a highly precise process, and volatile, given the pressurized nature of the bottles of wine. I'm exceedingly happy with the setting descriptions.
For spoilers reasons, I won't go into details about the endings, but I almost DNF'd this book, but the ending made it worth it. Stick to the end, you'll be happy you did.
I'd recommend this book to someone who doesn't need heavy sex or romance in their romance novels, but instead appreciates niche interests, tough-to-love characters, and WWII settings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Alcohol, War
Minor: Sexual assault
There seems to be an entire of genre of historical fiction dedicated to poor innocent women who get caught up in love triangles and the French Resistance. Bonus points for having a connection to a present-day heroine who is going through some messed up stuff on her own.
Within this genre - which is already so, so tired - this is one of the weaker entries. As others have said, every character is unlikeable, the parts that should be interesting (weapons smuggling, hiding people, participation in the resistance) were glossed over and the 'twist' was completely predictable.
Fortunately it was a quick read, so I could get to the end and move on to something better.
Within this genre - which is already so, so tired - this is one of the weaker entries. As others have said, every character is unlikeable, the parts that should be interesting (weapons smuggling, hiding people, participation in the resistance) were glossed over and the 'twist' was completely predictable.
Fortunately it was a quick read, so I could get to the end and move on to something better.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loved it.
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Round up to 3.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.
Takes a while, at least for me, to get into the storyline. Dialog is "off" somehow, not sure what it was that troubled me. Good premise, got enjoyable once I got into it.
Takes a while, at least for me, to get into the storyline. Dialog is "off" somehow, not sure what it was that troubled me. Good premise, got enjoyable once I got into it.