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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This review is also available on my blog, Wine Cellar Library.
First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a free Kindle ARC edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Please make a movie! Please please please!
I absolutely loved this book. Honestly, what's not to love? World War II history, winemaking, a love triangle, and a sharp grandmother who keeps you on your toes in between sips of her martini!
There are two alternating timelines with three different narrators. The stories of Inès and Céline begin in 1940, whereas Liv's story begins in 2019.
Inès is the wife of Michel Chauveau, who owns the winery Maison Chauveau. She struggles with feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, which drive her to make rash decisions that endanger her life and others'. Despite Michel and Céline's judgments of Inès, the author writes her character in a way that allows you to sympathize with her...to a point.
Céline is married to the chef de cave of the Maison Chauveau, Theo. The couple lives in a cottage on the winery grounds, so their lives are closely intertwined with Michel and Inès. Half Jewish, she is in constant fear for her father and her paternal grandparents as Jews are increasingly arrested under frivolous charges. Her husband is keen to ignore everything outside of the work at hand, imagining that everything will blow over in due time. Working in close proximity, Céline finds solace with Michel, and despite her good intentions, things will become complicated.
Liv, recently divorced, is whisked away to France by her elderly grandmother without explanation. The more she figures out her grandmother's reasoning for doing so, the harder her grandmother pushes her away. Has she brought Liv across an entire ocean to play matchmaker? Or is there a deeper reason...a painful history that is too difficult to share?
Although there are many true historical facts about the contributions of the people of Reims to le Résistance, the main characters and the Maison Chauveau are fictional. There are also phrases spoken in French and German throughout the book. I believe the phrases in both languages are written with enough context to allow someone who speaks neither language to understand the phrases without the help of a translator.
This book was captivating: heartbreaking yet heartwarming, tragic yet uplifting. It is now at the top of my recommendations list for anyone who loves historical fiction!
#netgalley #thewinemakerswife
First, I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a free Kindle ARC edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Please make a movie! Please please please!
I absolutely loved this book. Honestly, what's not to love? World War II history, winemaking, a love triangle, and a sharp grandmother who keeps you on your toes in between sips of her martini!
There are two alternating timelines with three different narrators. The stories of Inès and Céline begin in 1940, whereas Liv's story begins in 2019.
Inès is the wife of Michel Chauveau, who owns the winery Maison Chauveau. She struggles with feelings of loneliness and inadequacy, which drive her to make rash decisions that endanger her life and others'. Despite Michel and Céline's judgments of Inès, the author writes her character in a way that allows you to sympathize with her...to a point.
Céline is married to the chef de cave of the Maison Chauveau, Theo. The couple lives in a cottage on the winery grounds, so their lives are closely intertwined with Michel and Inès. Half Jewish, she is in constant fear for her father and her paternal grandparents as Jews are increasingly arrested under frivolous charges. Her husband is keen to ignore everything outside of the work at hand, imagining that everything will blow over in due time. Working in close proximity, Céline finds solace with Michel, and despite her good intentions, things will become complicated.
Liv, recently divorced, is whisked away to France by her elderly grandmother without explanation. The more she figures out her grandmother's reasoning for doing so, the harder her grandmother pushes her away. Has she brought Liv across an entire ocean to play matchmaker? Or is there a deeper reason...a painful history that is too difficult to share?
Although there are many true historical facts about the contributions of the people of Reims to le Résistance, the main characters and the Maison Chauveau are fictional. There are also phrases spoken in French and German throughout the book. I believe the phrases in both languages are written with enough context to allow someone who speaks neither language to understand the phrases without the help of a translator.
This book was captivating: heartbreaking yet heartwarming, tragic yet uplifting. It is now at the top of my recommendations list for anyone who loves historical fiction!
#netgalley #thewinemakerswife
emotional
reflective
Loveable characters:
No
challenging
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed the setting, and the decades long secrets aspect of this book. I really could have done without all of the infidelity, though.
3.5 Stars
3.5 Stars
I just couldn’t put it down! It’s a love story, betrayal, mystery, suspense. History and heartache all in one story. I was sorry for it to end.
Well written story with dual timelines, but so many of the characters were just not very likeable (for me anyway). The author obviously wrote some characters that way, but there were others I felt like I was supposed to feel sympathy for and instead found myself irritated by their erratic behavior. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, this is a quick read and was good. Although it started off a little slowly, the pace picked up, and I did find myself wondering what would happen next when I put it down to get other things done.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
This was my first Kristin Harmel and I’m so glad I finally jumped in. The Winemaker’s Wife was a very good, dual timeline story set during WW II and in the present day.
Champagne, 1940: Inès has just married Michel, the owner of storied champagne house Maison Chauveau, when the Germans invade. As the danger mounts, Michel turns his back on his marriage to begin hiding munitions for the Résistance. Inès fears they’ll be exposed, but for Céline, the French-Jewish wife of Chauveau’s chef de cave, the risk is even greater—rumors abound of Jews being shipped east to an unspeakable fate.
When Céline recklessly follows her heart in one desperate bid for happiness, and Inès makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator, they risk the lives of those they love—and the vineyard that ties them together.
New York, 2019: Recently divorced, Liv Kent is at rock bottom when her feisty, eccentric French grandmother shows up unannounced, insisting on a trip to France. But the older woman has an ulterior motive—and a tragic, decades-old story to share. When past and present finally collide, Liv finds herself on a road to salvation that leads right to the caves of the Maison Chauveau
I loved Ines and Edith and how their friendship withstood the German invasion, misunderstanding and differing opinions. I wasn’t as crazy about the Michel/Celine relationship and would have liked to have seen more about the French Resistance. And some of the decisions Ines made were annoying. I did enjoy Liv’s growth over the course of the story.
I did kind of guess where the ending was headed but felt it was handled well and I still enjoyed it.
Champagne, 1940: Inès has just married Michel, the owner of storied champagne house Maison Chauveau, when the Germans invade. As the danger mounts, Michel turns his back on his marriage to begin hiding munitions for the Résistance. Inès fears they’ll be exposed, but for Céline, the French-Jewish wife of Chauveau’s chef de cave, the risk is even greater—rumors abound of Jews being shipped east to an unspeakable fate.
When Céline recklessly follows her heart in one desperate bid for happiness, and Inès makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator, they risk the lives of those they love—and the vineyard that ties them together.
New York, 2019: Recently divorced, Liv Kent is at rock bottom when her feisty, eccentric French grandmother shows up unannounced, insisting on a trip to France. But the older woman has an ulterior motive—and a tragic, decades-old story to share. When past and present finally collide, Liv finds herself on a road to salvation that leads right to the caves of the Maison Chauveau
I loved Ines and Edith and how their friendship withstood the German invasion, misunderstanding and differing opinions. I wasn’t as crazy about the Michel/Celine relationship and would have liked to have seen more about the French Resistance. And some of the decisions Ines made were annoying. I did enjoy Liv’s growth over the course of the story.
I did kind of guess where the ending was headed but felt it was handled well and I still enjoyed it.