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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars. The ending makes up for the book. Definitely need to enjoy a glass of champagne with this book.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this story buuut I figured out the end a little too early. It was an ok WWII fiction.
I could not put this book down. What a great story!
I love books where good people do bad things, human things. It makes a story so much more believable.
Reims is now firmly placed on my must see places whenever I get back to France.
I love books where good people do bad things, human things. It makes a story so much more believable.
Reims is now firmly placed on my must see places whenever I get back to France.
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, War
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Car accident
interesting read
I enjoyed learning about the role that the wine makers had during World War II. I felt the book be a little bit soap opera thou. I always find it amazing when someone gets divorced and then the first person they meet is the love of their life. It was very interesting to find out more about the resistance movement in France.
I enjoyed learning about the role that the wine makers had during World War II. I felt the book be a little bit soap opera thou. I always find it amazing when someone gets divorced and then the first person they meet is the love of their life. It was very interesting to find out more about the resistance movement in France.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although I have read a great deal of historical fiction about World War II, this book offered a unique insight into The Resistance movement of that time. I found the story interesting and engaging. I highly recommend this book.
Disclaimer: I got an advance reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating... I don't like giving or reading 3 star reviews. It's so hard to accurately convey how one feels about a book without the benefit of half stars!
At first I was fairly certain I was going to either DNF this or skim through it and give it a pretty low rating. Mostly this stems from the fact that none of the characters are terribly well fleshed out, maybe three protagonists was a wee bit much?! Or maybe it was because Ines and Céline were just too conveniently polar opposites of one and other; one a spoiled young woman with no awareness of what really happens in war and the other a perfect, selfless angel.
Also though the novel is set partially in 1943 in occupied France I feel like Harmel only superficially touched upon what living in this time and in this place would have been like. And though wine is central in the lives of the characters I feel like grape growing, and wine making didn't get the page time they deserved. Setting-wise I feel like caves and brasseries were over represented... I wanted descriptions of grapevines for as one can see, the smells; dry, green, ripe, whatever!
Liv our contemporary heroine was also poorly fleshed out. Other than her biography which we learn in her first chapter we don't know anything about her career, her likes, dislikes, aspirations.
The plot 'twists' were rather obvious when they were finally revealed, and yet I did find myself getting a little weepy in the end, so Harmel is clearly doing something write...
I like time shift novels, I do, maybe just with more thrills thrown in.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating... I don't like giving or reading 3 star reviews. It's so hard to accurately convey how one feels about a book without the benefit of half stars!
At first I was fairly certain I was going to either DNF this or skim through it and give it a pretty low rating. Mostly this stems from the fact that none of the characters are terribly well fleshed out, maybe three protagonists was a wee bit much?! Or maybe it was because Ines and Céline were just too conveniently polar opposites of one and other; one a spoiled young woman with no awareness of what really happens in war and the other a perfect, selfless angel.
Also though the novel is set partially in 1943 in occupied France I feel like Harmel only superficially touched upon what living in this time and in this place would have been like. And though wine is central in the lives of the characters I feel like grape growing, and wine making didn't get the page time they deserved. Setting-wise I feel like caves and brasseries were over represented... I wanted descriptions of grapevines for as one can see, the smells; dry, green, ripe, whatever!
Liv our contemporary heroine was also poorly fleshed out. Other than her biography which we learn in her first chapter we don't know anything about her career, her likes, dislikes, aspirations.
The plot 'twists' were rather obvious when they were finally revealed, and yet I did find myself getting a little weepy in the end, so Harmel is clearly doing something write...
I like time shift novels, I do, maybe just with more thrills thrown in.
THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE by Kristin Harmel
This is my second book by Kristin Harmel. I loved The Book of Lost Names so I had high expectations for this one.
A dual storyline set in the 1940s Champagne region of France and present day 2019 New York. The story follows four women; Inés Chauveau (a young and naïve girl newly married to vineyard owner Michel Chauveau), Celine Laurent (the half-Jewish wife of Theo who is the wine cellar master or chef du cave), Olivia “Liv” Thierry (a 44 year old recent divorcée trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life) and Edith Thierry (Liv’s 99 year old spunky grandmother who immediately whisks Liv off to Paris after her divorce was finalized).
The atmosphere and setting is what I really loved about this book. The beautiful detailed descriptions of how wine is made/processed by the people of the area really made the story come alive.
Unfortunately, some of the characters were so unlikable! I was most irritated with Inés because she wasn’t just young and stupid, she was self-centered and reckless. The love interest part felt rushed and contrived. I feel the story would have been fine without it.
Overall, this is about love, betrayal and how the small and big choices we make shape the future. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
#TheWinemakersWife #KristinHarmel
This is my second book by Kristin Harmel. I loved The Book of Lost Names so I had high expectations for this one.
A dual storyline set in the 1940s Champagne region of France and present day 2019 New York. The story follows four women; Inés Chauveau (a young and naïve girl newly married to vineyard owner Michel Chauveau), Celine Laurent (the half-Jewish wife of Theo who is the wine cellar master or chef du cave), Olivia “Liv” Thierry (a 44 year old recent divorcée trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life) and Edith Thierry (Liv’s 99 year old spunky grandmother who immediately whisks Liv off to Paris after her divorce was finalized).
The atmosphere and setting is what I really loved about this book. The beautiful detailed descriptions of how wine is made/processed by the people of the area really made the story come alive.
Unfortunately, some of the characters were so unlikable! I was most irritated with Inés because she wasn’t just young and stupid, she was self-centered and reckless. The love interest part felt rushed and contrived. I feel the story would have been fine without it.
Overall, this is about love, betrayal and how the small and big choices we make shape the future. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
#TheWinemakersWife #KristinHarmel