“Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this page-turner about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy to study for her Master of Wine test, and uncovers a lost diary, a forgotten relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.”
Intriguing story that vascilates between the journal of a WWII occupied France secret relative and the modern grownup kids who unravel the family hidden mystery. Involves vintage French wines, a vineyard and distant family and friend renewed relationships. Well written and spell-binding; could not put it down until finished.
Deep story about what people went through during World War II.
Parallel stories from two generations. Well documented believable story lines from the Beaune Valley France about life in a grape growing region, then and now. The,preservation of grapes, harvesting and wine making and people stamina and loyalty in difficult times is woven into a beautifully written story.. I loved this book.
I enjoyed it as it relates to 2nd world war and the stamina of the residents in the occupied countries. Can’t imagine having to endure all they had to,put up with and the uncertaincy of tomorrow.
Presented a slightly different frame of reference that I enjoyed
I have attended many wine tastings on my cruises and found all the wine references to be quite interesting. I also read a lot of WW2 stories and loved the Nightengale and found this book to be similar in telling of how and what people did to survive.
Great read. Interesting plot especially for people interested in genealogy. Sometimes you don’t like what you find but you have to dig deeper.
Loved this book.
For wine drinkers and others as well. A great read. I highly recommend it!
The ending was a surprise.
Great!!! Different story line from anything I have read. Good characters, a little romance, a bit of intrigue (a family mystery unraveled!), a little history, very interesting glimpse into wine and lifestyle in France!!
Highly recommend it!!!
Interesting plot combining WWll story of French wine country, history of vineyards and family interaction during the war, Resistance movements – lots of interaction between family members in France and US, a great story, hard to put down! Lovers of wine and history will enjoy a good story well told. Learned a lot about growing wine and another view of French life in the 1940’s.
loved the historical element and the wine making history
Excellent historical, fictional but historical, book about WWII and France.
Excellent book
As a lover of France and food and family secrets, I very much enjoyed this novel from Ann Mah. Sommelier Kate travels from San Francisco to France to study Burgundy wines in advance of attempting to become a Master of Wine. In her extended family’s vineyard and home, she finds terrible secrets buried in the past and hope for happiness with the man and world she fled from years ago.
Set during WWII in Italy , the timeline shifts back and forth from present day to the occupation ion of Vichy during the war. Well done
While Kate, a wine sommelier, was in France studying for the Master of Wine test, she also discovered a secret in her family’s past that altered her life forever. Told in a dual timeline, the story alternated between diary entries written during WWII in occupied France and present day. Both stories were compelling and kept me intrigued throughout the entire book. What decades old secret did Kate uncover while staying with her cousin, Nico, and his wife, Heather (who is also Kate’s best friend from college)? How and why did it change the course of their lives? The ending made my heart swell with tenderness and joy, and I would highly recommend this book for fans of historical and epistolary fiction. Towards the end, my eyes welled up with tears, but I did not bawl.
“The wine sleeps in the bottle, but it is still changing–evolving… and when the cork is removed, it breathes again, and comes awake. Like a fairy tale.” – Jean-Luc
Location: France (Meursault, Burgundy) and California (San Francisco)
A completely captivating novel that I couldn’t put down, filled with family secrets, hidden wine, lush landscapes, and old loves. The story unfolds masterfully, moving effortlessly between time periods. I’ll be giving this as gifts to wine lovers, historical fiction lovers, lovers of France—basically everyone I know!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.l