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annamk1704's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It was rather predictable. But a good read.
amberj40's review
5.0
This was a really good story. The characters were engaging. Not to bogged down with details.
book_concierge's review
3.0
Digital audiobook narrated by Joy Osmanski.
From the book jacket: Growing up on her family’s Sonoma County vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.
My reactions:
I had read Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me with my F2F book club last year and thought it was a decent thriller. This one piqued my interest because of the setting in the Sonoma Valley, and the book jacket blurb led me to believe it would be a lighter, romantic read.
There IS some romance involved … but …
Georgia turns out to be a bit more complex that I originally gave her credit for. The book DOES start out with her running out of her wedding-dress fitting … still wearing the dress. Shocked by the discovery of her fiancé’s secret she immediately heads home to her family’s winery, only to discover disarray. She puts her skills as a lawyer to use in an effort to help the family, but what she really wants for her life will take some serious thinking. Should she go ahead with the wedding, now that Ben has explained? How can she help her parents, and her brothers with the winery and with their lives?
The resolution of the difficulties has to wait for a few more twists and turns and complications, but the ending is still satisfying in a chick-lit romance sort of way. Not exactly tied up in a pretty bow … but the ribbon is there.
Joy Osmanski does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has clear diction and sets a good pace.
From the book jacket: Growing up on her family’s Sonoma County vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.
My reactions:
I had read Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me with my F2F book club last year and thought it was a decent thriller. This one piqued my interest because of the setting in the Sonoma Valley, and the book jacket blurb led me to believe it would be a lighter, romantic read.
There IS some romance involved … but …
Georgia turns out to be a bit more complex that I originally gave her credit for. The book DOES start out with her running out of her wedding-dress fitting … still wearing the dress. Shocked by the discovery of her fiancé’s secret she immediately heads home to her family’s winery, only to discover disarray. She puts her skills as a lawyer to use in an effort to help the family, but what she really wants for her life will take some serious thinking. Should she go ahead with the wedding, now that Ben has explained? How can she help her parents, and her brothers with the winery and with their lives?
The resolution of the difficulties has to wait for a few more twists and turns and complications, but the ending is still satisfying in a chick-lit romance sort of way. Not exactly tied up in a pretty bow … but the ribbon is there.
Joy Osmanski does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has clear diction and sets a good pace.
birdiebug's review
2.0
Title: A Lackluster Harvest: 800 Grapes Review
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
800 Grapes by Laura Dave left me tremendously underwhelmed. I enjoyed her first novel and had hopes for a fun summer read, but found myself questioning why I was even bothering to read this and that I surely must have misjudged the authors first novel as being a worthy read. The fragmented sentences, improper grammar (one of the last direct quotes is, “me either.”, and overall lack of polish in the writing style disrupted any chance of finding enjoyment within its pages, and the switching between narrators (odd flashbacks to years before (with a different narrative perspective) seemed like it was meant to offer some kind of insight into the dynamic of the protagonist’s parent’s relationship but as the characters were so flat to begin with, felt unnecessary and frankly odd.
Let's start with the protagonist, whose pushiness, nosiness, and overall flat affect made it difficult for me to connect or sympathize with her in any way - truly written as an unlikeable character. Again, the writing is so flat - she seems emotionless, we get no insight to her *feelings* about a situation other than “confused”-and just generally bratty and entitled. Her incessant meddling in other people's lives came off as intrusive, irritating, and something meant to sound good in writing but was entirely unrealistic. There were rare sentences that actually sounded like dialogue someone would have in real life. Instead of adding depth to her character, these traits only served to make her more unlikable.
Unfortunately, the supporting characters in 800 Grapes were equally limp. They lacked depth and failed to make any lasting impression on me. Each character seemed to exist solely to serve as a backdrop for the main character's self-centered journey, rather than having their own unique motivations or arcs, although Dave’s intent seemed to try to make each supporting storyline salacious and meaningful. Their mother has a not-lover. Some boring strife with her older brothers (boring). This guy who wears a lot of vests and has a girlfriend who enjoys consuming chia seeds. Kids who like chocolate chip pancakes. Boring. It was disappointing to encounter such flat, shallow individuals throughout the book, who I truly could not care about less. Which makes it a struggle when the main character is so unlikeable and boring to start with.
Furthermore, the lack of character development was striking. I had hoped that as the story progressed, the characters would undergo personal growth or undergo significant transformations. However, they remained stagnant and uninteresting, rendering the plot stagnant as well. The absence of any notable character development left me uninvested in their fates and ultimately detached from the story as a whole. The only semi-interesting thing happened at the end, but that was maybe a chapter of which the majority of was spent trying to wrap up the first insufferable chapters in a cute bow. SPOILER: she dumps the guy she was going to marry and was totally in love with and is super fine the next day. Are you kidding?? Even if you have a very basic understanding of human emotion, you would be able to write something that reflects the very real emotional toll that breaking up with your fiancé days before the wedding would have on a person.
The narrative itself failed to captivate me. The plot meandered through setting to setting, lacking a clear direction or purpose while simultaneously seeming to try to build a narrative or strife within it. The disjointed storytelling style, combined with the shallow characters, made it difficult to find any meaningful connection or engagement with the events unfolding. It felt like a missed opportunity to explore deeper themes or provide any thought-provoking insights.
In conclusion, 800 Grapes by Laura Dave fell short of my expectations. The fragmented sentences and improper grammar disrupted the reading experience, and the unlikable main character's pushiness and nosiness made it hard to root for her. The supporting characters were equally shallow and underdeveloped, further detracting from the overall enjoyment. Unfortunately, the lack of depth and character development in the story left me feeling disconnected and unsatisfied, and ultimately questioning myself again and again, “Why am I still reading this?”
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
800 Grapes by Laura Dave left me tremendously underwhelmed. I enjoyed her first novel and had hopes for a fun summer read, but found myself questioning why I was even bothering to read this and that I surely must have misjudged the authors first novel as being a worthy read. The fragmented sentences, improper grammar (one of the last direct quotes is, “me either.”, and overall lack of polish in the writing style disrupted any chance of finding enjoyment within its pages, and the switching between narrators (odd flashbacks to years before (with a different narrative perspective) seemed like it was meant to offer some kind of insight into the dynamic of the protagonist’s parent’s relationship but as the characters were so flat to begin with, felt unnecessary and frankly odd.
Let's start with the protagonist, whose pushiness, nosiness, and overall flat affect made it difficult for me to connect or sympathize with her in any way - truly written as an unlikeable character. Again, the writing is so flat - she seems emotionless, we get no insight to her *feelings* about a situation other than “confused”-and just generally bratty and entitled. Her incessant meddling in other people's lives came off as intrusive, irritating, and something meant to sound good in writing but was entirely unrealistic. There were rare sentences that actually sounded like dialogue someone would have in real life. Instead of adding depth to her character, these traits only served to make her more unlikable.
Unfortunately, the supporting characters in 800 Grapes were equally limp. They lacked depth and failed to make any lasting impression on me. Each character seemed to exist solely to serve as a backdrop for the main character's self-centered journey, rather than having their own unique motivations or arcs, although Dave’s intent seemed to try to make each supporting storyline salacious and meaningful. Their mother has a not-lover. Some boring strife with her older brothers (boring). This guy who wears a lot of vests and has a girlfriend who enjoys consuming chia seeds. Kids who like chocolate chip pancakes. Boring. It was disappointing to encounter such flat, shallow individuals throughout the book, who I truly could not care about less. Which makes it a struggle when the main character is so unlikeable and boring to start with.
Furthermore, the lack of character development was striking. I had hoped that as the story progressed, the characters would undergo personal growth or undergo significant transformations. However, they remained stagnant and uninteresting, rendering the plot stagnant as well. The absence of any notable character development left me uninvested in their fates and ultimately detached from the story as a whole. The only semi-interesting thing happened at the end, but that was maybe a chapter of which the majority of was spent trying to wrap up the first insufferable chapters in a cute bow. SPOILER: she dumps the guy she was going to marry and was totally in love with and is super fine the next day. Are you kidding?? Even if you have a very basic understanding of human emotion, you would be able to write something that reflects the very real emotional toll that breaking up with your fiancé days before the wedding would have on a person.
The narrative itself failed to captivate me. The plot meandered through setting to setting, lacking a clear direction or purpose while simultaneously seeming to try to build a narrative or strife within it. The disjointed storytelling style, combined with the shallow characters, made it difficult to find any meaningful connection or engagement with the events unfolding. It felt like a missed opportunity to explore deeper themes or provide any thought-provoking insights.
In conclusion, 800 Grapes by Laura Dave fell short of my expectations. The fragmented sentences and improper grammar disrupted the reading experience, and the unlikable main character's pushiness and nosiness made it hard to root for her. The supporting characters were equally shallow and underdeveloped, further detracting from the overall enjoyment. Unfortunately, the lack of depth and character development in the story left me feeling disconnected and unsatisfied, and ultimately questioning myself again and again, “Why am I still reading this?”
slicciardi's review
4.0
I listened to this because it was available on Libby without a wait and I'm glad I did! It's a great family drama.
melisser77's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0