mcarson24 's review for:

The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

2.0

---

As WWII HF goes, this one bombed. Sorry. Couldn’t stop myself. There were several characters given to you to consider. From among them, you would have expected to find at least one you could root for. Or sympathize with. Or something. Maybe the only one I sort of liked was the middle-aged, would-be suitor lawyer, Julien, who seemed like a good guy. Beyond that, all of the entangled relationships and story threads were too contrived and unsatisfying. The surprise twist didn’t propel the story, but sort of bogged it down. I would have loved to know more about the champagne industry, grapes, French underground. But these were really only sidelights to the main theme. No one in the book seems to have an identity that sticks. Are you flighty and selfish? Or secretly courageous and determined? Loyal and committed? Or dishonest and untrustworthy? I am completely ok with a character possessing both good and bad traits, but somehow that needs to move people along, refine them or help them grow. Here, the conflicts just kept things muddy and prevented you from connecting with any of them. Maybe I am too harsh, but there were weaknesses in the writing that just kept surfacing and making it hard for me to like the book. Also, it may have been a little due to the narrator. Not a favorite reader for me, so it compounded the problem…

If you liked this one, great! I would love to hear your thoughts as a counter to my own. I have read two other titles by this author and I think this one may be my last. The Book Of Lost Names was pretty good, but I found myself less happy with The Forest Of Vanishing Stars and this one, The Winemaker’s Wife. Does anyone have suggestions of other Kristen Harmel books that you really liked?