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ello_mehry's review against another edition
4.0
I have a penchant for family sagas, especially those who have (or had) power and influence. I know a bit about wine, but less about how wine became big in the US, so this read was right up my alley. It took a while and dragged a bit, especially in the back half, but I found it interesting nonetheless. As with similar stories, you will both admire and abhor the characters - traits, I believe, that embody most who claw their way to the top. It's a great history of Napa and the influence Mondavi had on the area, and on the American wine industry as a whole.
radbear76's review against another edition
4.0
Well written but a sad example of how badly family can treat each other.
enelvee's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. I have no more understanding of WHY this family went off the rails than I did before. I did learn more about the wine business. I picked this book up because my tour of Mondavi was one of the most educational ones I took in Napa.
sewfrench's review against another edition
4.0
This book is an excellent read with its richness of detail and easy flowing style. After a recent trip to Napa Valley, I picked this up and it was fascinating from the get go. Though we did not visit the Mondavi winery, nor do I remember ever having drank Mondavi wines, it did fill in many blanks. From the origins of the Napa Valley wineries to the first tasting rooms, Mondavi was there. It follows several generations of families and their bickerings and oustings. Blood might be thicker than water, but it's apparently thinner than wine. A well written read though at times you may feel the need to sketch out the family tree along with the wines they produced.
bdy226's review against another edition
4.0
If you like wine or Napa Valley, you'll probably like this book. Lots of information about the Mondavis with cameos and little stories about some of the other major wine personalities. I think it should be a must-read for anyone considering a family business...
shinymensch's review against another edition
4.0
Who knew wine could be so interesting? An enjoyable tale of humble beginnings and the pitfalls of building up an empire.
thomasroche's review against another edition
3.0
Good book, great piece of journalism, but for the general reader WAY too much of a good thing. About 1/3 of the way through, I was ready for the story to start wrapping up. It transitions from family drama to corporate drama and includes way too much detail to stay vibrant over the length of this book. As a result, in its full length it is probably only of serious interest to people with HUGE amounts of buy-in to the Mondavi story. Fascinating story but... just too, too much of a good thing.
kelbel322's review against another edition
I just can't get into this book. I really want to! I feel like I should be able to... it is on a subject I find interesting, plus it is personal since I buy their wine quite often! But so far, the writing is trite and the storyline is meandering. Maybe I'll pick it up again one night to fight off a bout of insomnia....
erinerobertson's review against another edition
5.0
I figured that I should read this book to learn a little bit more about the legendary Mondavi family - I had no idea what an page-turner I was in for! All of the family drama wonderfully chronicled in this book... I flew through almost 500 pages in a little over a week in a half. It was great.