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marisberdan's review against another edition
5.0
Couldn't put this book down. The story goes back and forth between a sommelier in modern day Burgundy France on her family's vineyard and her Great Aunt in Nazi occupied France in the late 30s/early 40s on the same vineyard. This was a page turner, filled with rich historical value. From the secret cellar to the twists of the past, this book was great.
rodica_b's review against another edition
3.0
2 and a half đźŚ
I don’t remember exactly why I purchased this book, I think it may have been a kindle deal and the subject seemed interesting - wines, France, World War II secrets and a bit of romance. Boy, was I to be disappointed. Some mild spoilers ahead.
It started quite well, actually. I read I couple of reviews before I started (never do that!) to remind myself what was it about and I saw the negative reactions. I did not resonate at all, in the beginning. It took me about two hours to read the first third. It’s engaging and flows easily. Halfway through, I started to get it. The pain became real. I grew increasingly frustrated with the main character (I finished this book 2 weeks ago and I can’t remember her name already - that’s how invested I was!). And with the secondary characters. And the plot points the author is starting and not resolving. And the writing. Basically, the only things and kept me going was the WWII journal and the fact that it was a quick read and I wanted it done.
She is a renowned sommelier, that worked for a top notch restaurant for many years, very passionate about her craft. So, you want me to believe that she would not smell a phony sommelier from afar? She would not have a serious opinion about decanting (I am not a wine connoisseur, but I call BS on the wine part of that scene)? I would have googled that person before sleeping with them and having my very previous notes disappear. As it’s not the character’s fault that her actions don’t make sense. I blame the writing. Her actions are not explained by her own growth, but by the author’s intent of developing the plot twists.
Wine and heritage obsessed other woman? Yes, please, it makes so much sense. Of course she would plot with an American who doesn’t really get French culture, right?
Family secrets obsessed uncle? Of course he would get the saccharine-sweet ending, without any growth and development.
Ex-big love? Oh, but surely he forgives her just like that, because feelings and anger and wine. Oh, and he wants to move to the US, obviously, sacrifice himself and his work. And she doesn’t let him. The guy has zero depth, because nobody took the time to develop him properly. So their reunion is not believable. At all. It’s “I really want these two to be together, but I have no time to go back and rewrite some sense and buildup to their falling in love again process, so, we’ll have to make it work as is” kind of a situation.
The journal entries are worth the read, though. I loved the characters and resonated with them, felt their pain and desperation. They reminded me a lot of the stories my grandmother used to tell me, about being a child in the time of war. The author seemed to do the same - you could tell she loved writing those pages. My only pet peeve is the writing style is sometimes not very journal-like. Full dialogues, writing for an audience - the approach was not always believable, but the enjoyment persisted.
Would I recommend this book? Most likely not. Even if the journal entries are very fun. But I really want know a good historical fiction about French resistance, wine and secrets. A better one :) Any recommendations?
I don’t remember exactly why I purchased this book, I think it may have been a kindle deal and the subject seemed interesting - wines, France, World War II secrets and a bit of romance. Boy, was I to be disappointed. Some mild spoilers ahead.
It started quite well, actually. I read I couple of reviews before I started (never do that!) to remind myself what was it about and I saw the negative reactions. I did not resonate at all, in the beginning. It took me about two hours to read the first third. It’s engaging and flows easily. Halfway through, I started to get it. The pain became real. I grew increasingly frustrated with the main character (I finished this book 2 weeks ago and I can’t remember her name already - that’s how invested I was!). And with the secondary characters. And the plot points the author is starting and not resolving. And the writing. Basically, the only things and kept me going was the WWII journal and the fact that it was a quick read and I wanted it done.
She is a renowned sommelier, that worked for a top notch restaurant for many years, very passionate about her craft. So, you want me to believe that she would not smell a phony sommelier from afar? She would not have a serious opinion about decanting (I am not a wine connoisseur, but I call BS on the wine part of that scene)? I would have googled that person before sleeping with them and having my very previous notes disappear. As it’s not the character’s fault that her actions don’t make sense. I blame the writing. Her actions are not explained by her own growth, but by the author’s intent of developing the plot twists.
Wine and heritage obsessed other woman? Yes, please, it makes so much sense. Of course she would plot with an American who doesn’t really get French culture, right?
Family secrets obsessed uncle? Of course he would get the saccharine-sweet ending, without any growth and development.
Ex-big love? Oh, but surely he forgives her just like that, because feelings and anger and wine. Oh, and he wants to move to the US, obviously, sacrifice himself and his work. And she doesn’t let him. The guy has zero depth, because nobody took the time to develop him properly. So their reunion is not believable. At all. It’s “I really want these two to be together, but I have no time to go back and rewrite some sense and buildup to their falling in love again process, so, we’ll have to make it work as is” kind of a situation.
The journal entries are worth the read, though. I loved the characters and resonated with them, felt their pain and desperation. They reminded me a lot of the stories my grandmother used to tell me, about being a child in the time of war. The author seemed to do the same - you could tell she loved writing those pages. My only pet peeve is the writing style is sometimes not very journal-like. Full dialogues, writing for an audience - the approach was not always believable, but the enjoyment persisted.
Would I recommend this book? Most likely not. Even if the journal entries are very fun. But I really want know a good historical fiction about French resistance, wine and secrets. A better one :) Any recommendations?
marieklaire's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ajitgeorge's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
saundersmo's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book a lot but I think it’s because of all the great wine descriptions. There was good intrigue and I liked the characters. More of a beach read than strong contemporary fiction. Worth picking up if you enjoy the wine world but want some fiction.
lexicon1982's review against another edition
4.0
What’s not to like about wine, a family vineyard in France, World War II secrets, and a woman who discovers her true self...absolutely absorbing tale! A page turner...you can’t stop reading..gotta find out the secret...keep you up till wee hours...holy moly it’s time get up for work...but I wanna know... that kind of book! Loved the story within a story concept. Highly recommend especially as a travel read!
4 out of 5 stars!
4 out of 5 stars!
kristinjones28's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book. I was a bit surprised to find out it’s a WWII story, so that was a neat discovery. I thought the Mah did a good job navigating the two storylines between past and present. I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending; a major conflict is resolved with next to no effort. It felt a bit like the author got to the end and just wanted to wrap things up nicely and move on with her life.
bookedinthebakery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ellaspring's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was enjoyable to read, and the dual timelines were handled well, but I did prefer the beginning more than I did the end. Plot and character wise, I think things could have developed more. Specifically Kat’s and Jean Luc’s rekindled relationship + Uncle Philippe. Both have changed and spent time apart, and I feel things progressed too quick. If they had a conversation discussing how things, I would otherwise be alright with it. With Uncle Philippe, it was surprising when he suddenly changed his mind about the B&B being opened. It seems inconsistent with past characterization.