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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
We follow the life of 2 families, Ines and her husband as well as her best friend Edith and her husband. One owns a vineyard and one owns a bar all during the French war with Germany. It’s beautifully built story that bounces from 1938 to 2019 and you find yourself fully immersed in the drama, the war, the deceit, the wine making, the chaos, the love and just the struggle to be alive in a trying time.
I cried, I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I threw the book.
I cried, I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I threw the book.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
fast-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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: War
All the ingredients that hook me, a story that flips between time periods, stories of the french resistance a beautiful romantic setting. But, this was all just a bit too formulaic with a bit of sickly sweet romance chucked in for good measure. A bit of a twist but all pretty predictable. Ines and Edith, Michel the boring champagne maker having an affair with Celine a betrayal and another and another oh and a happy ending.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I got 20% into this book and gave up. The subject matter was not the problem; as a WWII historical fiction aficianado, I gravitate toward these books. It was one particular character, and the purple prose.
I immediately recognized the story as a fictionalized version of non-fiction books like Wine and War by Donald and Petie Kladstrup, which by the way EVERYONE should read. Wine and War chronicles the resistance efforts of French vintners, as they used their wine operations to hide people and munitions from the Nazis, track the German army's movements based on wine shipments, and keep the best wine from the Germans by falsely labeling bottles, among other things. It's a history of bravery and courage, and I am thankful it has been documented.
But back to this book. I did not really like the writing - too many adjectives, and flowery sentences. Not my type of novel. But I was willing to stick with it for the subject matter. Unfortunately, the character of Ines, the winemaker's wife, got me so made I wanted to slap her. She is way too needy, and 20% in refuses to accept the gravity of the situation after the Germans have invaded the Champagne area. She whines (no pun intended) about not getting enough time with her husband, not having the skills to do most of the jobs at the winery, and not realizing the danger Celine, the wife of her husband's partner, is in as a result of her being half Jewish. I could not stand her ridiculousness - not really wanting to learn, and so so needy. Even when her husband tries to explain the gravity of war to her, she rejects it.
There's a parallel story of a modern girl, Liv, who loses everything important in her life, is whisked away to Paris by her grandmother Edith, a characters who spans both stories. Edith is a survivor, and I liked her, and would have love to follow her story, if not for Ines.
I'm willing to bet that Ines eventually transforms as the war goes on, maybe even becomes a hero, but I wasn't willing to endure her attitude to come to that.
I immediately recognized the story as a fictionalized version of non-fiction books like Wine and War by Donald and Petie Kladstrup, which by the way EVERYONE should read. Wine and War chronicles the resistance efforts of French vintners, as they used their wine operations to hide people and munitions from the Nazis, track the German army's movements based on wine shipments, and keep the best wine from the Germans by falsely labeling bottles, among other things. It's a history of bravery and courage, and I am thankful it has been documented.
But back to this book. I did not really like the writing - too many adjectives, and flowery sentences. Not my type of novel. But I was willing to stick with it for the subject matter. Unfortunately, the character of Ines, the winemaker's wife, got me so made I wanted to slap her. She is way too needy, and 20% in refuses to accept the gravity of the situation after the Germans have invaded the Champagne area. She whines (no pun intended) about not getting enough time with her husband, not having the skills to do most of the jobs at the winery, and not realizing the danger Celine, the wife of her husband's partner, is in as a result of her being half Jewish. I could not stand her ridiculousness - not really wanting to learn, and so so needy. Even when her husband tries to explain the gravity of war to her, she rejects it.
There's a parallel story of a modern girl, Liv, who loses everything important in her life, is whisked away to Paris by her grandmother Edith, a characters who spans both stories. Edith is a survivor, and I liked her, and would have love to follow her story, if not for Ines.
I'm willing to bet that Ines eventually transforms as the war goes on, maybe even becomes a hero, but I wasn't willing to endure her attitude to come to that.