Hello Everyone,
TodayI Am Sharing My Review Of The Winemaker’s Wife
#thewinemakerswife #Reviewathon
THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE
The Winemaker’s Wife
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books (August 13, 2019)
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, half-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 champagne house that ties them together.
New York, 2019: Liv Kent has just lost everything when her 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.
Instant #1 bestseller from The Globe and Mail (Toronto) and The Toronto Star
“Love and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption combine in a heady tale of the ever-present past…fantastic!” —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
The author of the “engrossing” (People) international bestseller The Room on Rue Amélie returns with a moving story set amid the champagne vineyards of northern France during the darkest days of World War II, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale.
Review
This book was received from the Author, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own
“Mark Twain, the great American writer was spot on when he claimed: “too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right”.
The Winemaker’s Wife
Champagne, 1940, at the cusp of the Second World War, Inès is the young wife of Michel, owner of the Maison Chauveau, a picturesque champagne house nestled among rolling vineyards near Reims, France. It should be an idyllic life, but Inès–who’s often treated like a child by her husband, his chef de cave, Theo, and Theo’s wife, Céline– is increasingly unhappy.
She’s determined to make a change, but then the German’s arrive.
Kristin Harmel narration is told through dual timelines from Liv’s life in the present and then between Inès and Céline during the war in the late 1930s-1940s. The contemporary chapters propel the story along, but past is a turbulent secretive echo of historical fiction.
Devastated, and heartbroken Olivia, has just recently been divorced is relived to have an excuse to go to France with Edith, her wealthy 97 year old grandmother.
While there Olivia grandmother Edith, slowly tells her incredible story of her and her friends the life she led during the German occupation of the village where she lived with her husband.
This is a dramatic and intricate storyline infused with World War II elements of tragedy, betrayal, and brutality, tempered with love, devotion and heroism. The author masterly allows the reader to unravel the threads of this literary tapestry.
Brilliant progression as the storyline gives you an incredible look at the French resistance during the German occupation amid the champagne vineyards of northern France. The author has created a compelling character driven, emotional resonate novel.
What really stood out for me and what I really loved about this story was the compelling and emotional layered duel timelines and how they connected the story and the family. We see the historical side to the story and then a modern side to it. Each are strong, interesting stories with their conflicts and heartache that shaped the people.
A deeply thoughtful historical fiction novel, based on details of real-life Resistance activities that occurred in France during World War II.
RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 13, 2019
Thanks to @kristinharmel and @gallerybooks
#thewinemakerswife
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What should we eat
while drinking champagne!
One of our favorite indulgences is lying on the couch with a good book and a bag of our favorite potato chips. Can’t get better than that, right? WRONG! Kristin Harmel, the author of THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE, has just made that experience better by telling us that we shouldn’t be drinking water or soda with those chips—we should be drinking champagne!
THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE, a historical novel set in the Champagne region of WW2 France, so she’s done a lot of research on champagne and is here to tell us that you don’t have to save that bubbly for a special occasion—it’s a great wine to sip with many foods, plenty of them not fancy at all.
So pour yourself a cold glass of your favorite champagne, open that bag of chips, and discover the other surprising foods you could be eating alongside your bubbly! Watch Kristin share her suggestions in the video above, or keep reading for a transcript of her picks:
#1: Potato chips
The sharpness of champagne, its acidity, cuts perfectly through the salt.
Which means that it also goes pretty perfectly with…
#2: French fries
#3: Spicy foods
The bubbles can balance out heat, so if you’re diving into something spicy, like a great spicy pad thai, pop open a bottle.
#4: Raw fish
Raw fish, especially sushi, is also an excellent pairing.
As is…
#5: Salty, buttery popcorn
Not only do the bubbles work perfectly with the butter, but the yeasty notes in champagne from Champagne, France, complement the toastiness of the popcorn.
#5: Fried chicken
Remember that acidity we mentioned? It also cuts perfectly through the grease in fried foods. So the next time you bring home a bucket of fried chicken, believe it or not, pop a bottle of champagne.
If you enjoyed her recommendations, be sure to check
out Kristin Harmel’s novel set in Champagne, France: THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE.
Mark Twain, the great American writer was spot on when he claimed: “too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right”.
Ever since it was “discovered” in France in the 17th century, just about everyone has fallen under the spell of the effervescent wine. It can only be made in Champagne, north east France to have the status of Champagne the drink. There are more than 100 Champagne houses and 19000 grape growers, of these only around 2000 make and sell Champagne. There are an astonishing 50,000 different Champagne labels, so, if you thought Champagne was Champagne – think again. Tastes and prices vary widely. Part of the fun of being a Champagne drinker is working out which one you like best.
Raise a glass to Ruinart
Ruinart (pronounced Reenart) was founded in 1729, and it was the first established Champagne house and is therefore the oldest in France. In fact the company started on 1 September 1729. We know this because Nicolas Ruinart, the 32 year old founder, wrote in his ledger book that day that he was starting a business devoted to “wine with bubbles”. The ledger book takes pride of place in the entrance to the house.
History of Ruinart
Nicolas Ruinart’s uncle was a monk, Dom Thierry Ruinart, born in Champagne but sent to an Abbey in Paris. Whilst there he learned of a new “wine with bubbles” that the young nobles enjoyed. At that stage it wasn’t known as Champagne. It’s entirely possible that Dom Ruinart knew Dom Perignon the “inventor” of Champagne. They lived at the same time, shared the same interests and in fact both are buried in nearby Hautvilliers.
Dom Thierry told his brother about the new-fangled sparkling wine whose son, Nicolas, picked up the idea and ran with it, 20 years after his uncle died in 1709. The Ruinarts were textile merchants at that time and Nicolas owned some vineyards. He started out making Champagne for clients as gifts. But, the sparkling wine was a runaway success. Just 6 years after producing the first bottle, he gave up the textile business and concentrated on the Champagne.
Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of THE ROOM ON RUE AMELIE, THE SWEETNESS OF FORGETTING, THE LIFE INTENDED, WHEN WE MEET AGAIN, and several other novels. Her latest, THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE, is coming in August 2019 from Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster. A former reporter for PEOPLE magazine, Kristin has also freelanced for many other publications, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Glamour, Woman’s Day, Travel + Leisure, and more.
Kristin grew up in Peabody, Mass.; Worthington, Ohio; and St. Petersburg, Fla., and she graduated with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida. After spending time living in Paris, she now lives in Orlando, Fla., with her husband and young son.
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