Reviews

Vintage Attraction by Charles Blackstone

jetia13's review against another edition

3.0

a little over the top with the wine-life metaphors, but i found the characters weirdly semi-relate-able despite having nothing in common. bonus points for taking place in chicago and mentioning a bunch of places i know.

gilmoreguide's review against another edition

1.0

The premise is a fun one--a somewhat nerdy English professor in his late thirties meets a local celebrity and they fall in love. Cue the whirlwind romance, rash actions, regrets, and all that follows. The fact that this celebrity is an attractive sommelier who has her own television shows means that copious quantities of alcohol are involved on all parts. Vintage Attraction has the grounds for good romantic comedy but doesn't bear fruit. The couple goes from living with roommates (although both are in their thirties) to buying a condo—with the obligatory neighbors from hell living directly upstairs. As said neighbors began exhibiting hellish tendencies during the initial showing of the loft it seems odd that Izzy and Peter would have bought it so readily. Unless they were drunk, which is possible because the concept of tasting wine (small amount of wine in mouth, then spit out) is an anomaly in the novel. I’m all for the joys of wine but these people drink anything and everything, often to the point of passing out. Feels more like self-medication than wine appreciation.

The rest of this review can be read at The Gilmore Guide to Books: http://wp.me/p2B7gG-Af

sonia_reppe's review against another edition

3.0

I liked Blackstone’s rendering of disgruntled hipster-intellectual Peter; the scenes involving academia are amusing and insightful. Peter’s ex-lover Talia brings a fun element and Isabella is well-drawn, but Peter’s 1st person point-of-view intellectualisms take precedence over passion. The wine descriptions felt slow for me but I enjoyed the Chicago setting. The cover doesn't look like Chicago, you say? You're right. Peter and his wife go to Greece at the very end of the book; I don't think the cover really fits.

Official review in LJ Sep 1 2013 issue.

chach12's review

challenging funny informative lighthearted 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

5.0