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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Characters were not interesting or compelling to read about.
This perspective of WW2 was new to me, and the storytelling was amazing.
My only critique was it was very hard to root for the main characters in the 1940s perspectives because they were all so selfish. It made me think about how happiness was so sparse during that period, and people had to be selfish to attain it.
My only critique was it was very hard to root for the main characters in the 1940s perspectives because they were all so selfish. It made me think about how happiness was so sparse during that period, and people had to be selfish to attain it.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The Winemaker’s Wife” by Kristin Harmel is a dual timeline novel that primarily follows the lives of three women: Ines and Celine live and work on a French winery during WWII, and Liv is a recently divorced 40-something that has been whisked away to France by her eccentric grandmother in the present day. While Liv knows nothing of Ines or Celine, she’s about to find out how deeply connected they all are.
I thought this novel did a good job of blending historical fiction with contemporary storytelling. And the author made good use of the dual timeline. The stories seemed to flow naturally together. And while the plot felt somewhat predictable, it left enough of a mystery that I wasn’t 100% sure how all the narratives would merge together in the end.
But there was just something missing. The plot was interesting and there were many emotionally gripping moments, but it was hard to really connect with any of the characters. To put it bluntly, they were just unlikable most of the time. Where there should have been interesting and well-developed personalities, we got ones that were one-dimensional and cliched.
While I didn’t love this book, and wish the characters had been developed differently, the story was interesting enough that I still found it enjoyable. But will I still be thinking about this book in a day or two? Probably not.
Also, a couple of content cautions:
There are a few scenes that mention and/or describe sexual intimacy, but it’s nothing overly graphic.
There is one scene with an attempted sexual assault.
I thought this novel did a good job of blending historical fiction with contemporary storytelling. And the author made good use of the dual timeline. The stories seemed to flow naturally together. And while the plot felt somewhat predictable, it left enough of a mystery that I wasn’t 100% sure how all the narratives would merge together in the end.
But there was just something missing. The plot was interesting and there were many emotionally gripping moments, but it was hard to really connect with any of the characters. To put it bluntly, they were just unlikable most of the time. Where there should have been interesting and well-developed personalities, we got ones that were one-dimensional and cliched.
While I didn’t love this book, and wish the characters had been developed differently, the story was interesting enough that I still found it enjoyable. But will I still be thinking about this book in a day or two? Probably not.
Also, a couple of content cautions:
There are a few scenes that mention and/or describe sexual intimacy, but it’s nothing overly graphic.
There is one scene with an attempted sexual assault.
informative
mysterious
sad
This might have been better in print than in audio - unfortunately the voice actress gave her a pitiful squeaky voice to Inez which assisted in making her not very likable.
I just read The Lost Vintage last year and it's very similar to this book - if you liked the region /setting then I suggest you check it out. It's much better then The Winemaker's Wife.
I just read The Lost Vintage last year and it's very similar to this book - if you liked the region /setting then I suggest you check it out. It's much better then The Winemaker's Wife.
This was a good vacation book: light despite the serious topics, gripping and based on historical events. It weaves two stories together, one set in the 1940s during WW2 at a champagne house near Reims, France and the other set in current times. With each chapter each character‘s own story and the relation to each other is becoming clearer. I certainly enjoyed the historic setting and finding out about the role of Champagne in the wars. My one critique with this novel are that some of the characters seem a little superficial, but then again it made for a quick, interesting read.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced