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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
More WWII history around the French Resistance Movement but based in one of the wine regions of France. I found the format of two timelines (grandmother and granddaughter) to be repetitive for this author and the story was just OK.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
The Winemaker’s Wife is a dual-timeline tale, focusing in turns on a group of people living in occupied France during WWII, and a newly divorced woman named Liv and her grandmother on a life-changing trip to modern day France. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about how the two timelines connect.
I wanted to love this book. Given how much I enjoyed The Book of Lost Names and The Forest of Vanishing Stars, which were both fantastic, I guess I took for granted that I’d feel the same about The Winemaker’s Wife. However, it fell short of the mark, leaning heavily on romantic melodrama and unlikeable characters, rather than giving proper weight and focus to the effects of life in wartime and depicting likable if deeply flawed characters.
The Winemaker’s Wife is a dual-timeline tale, focusing in turns on a group of people living in occupied France during WWII, and a newly divorced woman named Liv and her grandmother on a life-changing trip to modern day France. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about how the two timelines connect.
I wanted to love this book. Given how much I enjoyed The Book of Lost Names and The Forest of Vanishing Stars, which were both fantastic, I guess I took for granted that I’d feel the same about The Winemaker’s Wife. However, it fell short of the mark, leaning heavily on romantic melodrama and unlikeable characters, rather than giving proper weight and focus to the effects of life in wartime and depicting likable if deeply flawed characters.
I’ve really enjoyed her other books, but this one didn’t do it for me. Predictable, lots of convenient coincidence, and very unlikeable characters.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I recently finished two books about cancer, and now I’m reading two books on WWII - it’s funny how those things work out. This one takes place in Champagne, France, in a vineyard owned by the Chauveau family. The “winemaker’s wife,” Inès is married to a third generation farmer Michel. They have a couple of winemakers working for them Céline (born in France but half Jewish) and her husband. They also have a series of underground tunnels (some secret), built to protect the vintages during WWI. As the Nazis arrive, they are allowed to continue their lifestyle in some ways, to produce champagne for the Germans, even though many of their belongings are stolen.
Inès feels very insignificant to her husband. He doesn’t see her as intelligent or helpful (I’m not sure why, though). She has a close friend that lives in Reims, working for the Resistance. She learns many things aren’t as they seem.
There is also a modern timeline (2019) for Liv, a recent divorcé. Her grandmother from Paris arrives to take her back to France. She wants to learn about her history and her secretive grandmother, but it’s difficult for her grandmother to talk about the past.
Harmel makes this book so easy to read. I kind of wish it didn’t have so much adultery. I wonder how common that was during this time in France. But I did enjoy the story and how it all came together. The history of the champagne owners in France is super interesting, as well as her research at the champagne houses. Wouldn’t that be amazing research to do!?
Loved this article with more information on the champagne houses and her research: https://nypost.com/2019/08/15/how-frances-champagne-makers-fooled-nazis-and-helped-turn-the-tide-of-wwii/?
“Of course, Inès wouldn’t dream of betraying her friend, but it was better this way, this bartering of hidden things, this trading of lies. It kept them all safe.” Ch 18
Inès feels very insignificant to her husband. He doesn’t see her as intelligent or helpful (I’m not sure why, though). She has a close friend that lives in Reims, working for the Resistance. She learns many things aren’t as they seem.
There is also a modern timeline (2019) for Liv, a recent divorcé. Her grandmother from Paris arrives to take her back to France. She wants to learn about her history and her secretive grandmother, but it’s difficult for her grandmother to talk about the past.
Harmel makes this book so easy to read. I kind of wish it didn’t have so much adultery. I wonder how common that was during this time in France. But I did enjoy the story and how it all came together. The history of the champagne owners in France is super interesting, as well as her research at the champagne houses. Wouldn’t that be amazing research to do!?
Loved this article with more information on the champagne houses and her research: https://nypost.com/2019/08/15/how-frances-champagne-makers-fooled-nazis-and-helped-turn-the-tide-of-wwii/?
“Of course, Inès wouldn’t dream of betraying her friend, but it was better this way, this bartering of hidden things, this trading of lies. It kept them all safe.” Ch 18
emotional
informative
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
This is a light (at least it felt very light for a WWII story) war time love triangle story. It was a fast read. With that being said I cannot say that I liked the book, nor can I really say that I disliked the book. It was merely ok. I was able to stay interested in the story enough to finish without an issue. However, I didn't like any of the characters. I especially didn't like Ines. She was very flighty her entire life. I wanted to shake sense into her throughout the entire book. In the beginning I kept justifying her actions in my mind by her being so young and naive. However, she doesn't ever snap out of it. She was just as flighty in her 90s as she was in the beginning of the story. There wasn't much depth to any of the characters either so the story lacked a real emotional punch. Overall, I gave it a 3*. It is a decent palate cleanser between heavier books.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Genocide, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, War, Deportation
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I really enjoyed this book and it was a quick read, but as many have commented, it is more of a romance and mystery that uses WWII and the wine region in France as its backdrop. While there are some historical elements, it is not really a book about the revolutionaries in that area during the war and the details about their activities are sparse. That being said, I did like the story lines and found it hard to put down; it just doesn't quite live up to the synopsis.