Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne by Rebecca Rosenberg

 

Title: Madame Pommery:  Creator of Brut Champagne (Champagne Widows Novels)

Author:  Rebecca Rosenberg

Narrated by:  Katherine Anderson

Publisher: Lion Heart Publishing

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 45 minutes

Source: Review Copy from author Rebecca Rosenberg.  Thank you!

 

Do you like champagne?  I think champagne is nice for special occasions.  I love to try out different types of wines and this book made me realize I should be trying out different types of champagne as well.

In 1860, Madame Pommery lost her husband and became a widow at only forty.  Needing to support herself and her children, she sells off her husband’s wool business and decides to focus on his wine business.  She does not really like the red wine that has previously been made, so she focuses on making champagne that is not as sweet as the typical drink.  She wants to be able to drink it all through dinner.  Will she be able to make a success of her new champagne business?  Will she be able to find love again?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Madame Pommery was a fascinating woman.  I thought she was a woman that should be admired.  I like how she ran her husband’s business during a time when that was not common, and she was not afraid to try new things.

·       I thought the descriptions of the champagne making process were fascinating.  I thought it was very interesting that Madame Pommery’s idea for dry champagne was so radical for the times.  The descriptions of the dry crisp taste really make me want to search for a bottle of Brut Champagne.

·       I also was fascinated by the descriptions of her carving out old chalk caves that were being used as a garbage dump in order to store her champagne.  They became tourist attractions and I really want to travel to France to visit them.

·       I also enjoyed the romance in the novel as Madame Pommery must decide if she wants to reunite with an old flame or find love with someone else.  Her daughter, Louise, also has her own charming romance.

·       This is the first historical fiction novel I read that described the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and I found it fascinating.  Although my Great-Great Grandpa was on the Prussian side of that war, and this book did not paint the Prussians in a very good light.

·       I loved the description of her dining with French royalty, and with British high society.

·       This audiobook was a very enjoyable read.  I loved the narrator’s French accent, and she did great voices for all of the characters.

·       This is a standalone novel but is a part of the Champagne Widows series.  I need to read the previous book, The Champagne Widows now.

·       There is a great author’s note at the end of the book to describe the real history on which the story was based.

 Overall, Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne was an intriguing historical fiction novel that told the story of a fascinating real-life woman, Madame Pommery.  The audiobook is excellent with a great narrator.