The French Winemaker’s Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of the French Winemaker’s Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth.

Do you like wine?  If so, what is your favorite type of wine?  I enjoy many, but one of my favorites is Riesling.  Another favorite is Pinot Noir which is featured heavily in this book.

The book starts off with a bang.  In France in 1942, seven-year-old Martine is handed a bottle of wine by her father and is told that it is her legacy, and she is hidden in a cupboard.  Her father is then taken away by the Nazis and they only barely miss taking Martine.  She has a note pinned on her to send her to her Aunt in Paris.  After a perilous journey to Paris, she arrives only to find that her Aunt is gone.  Saved by Sister Ada, Marine starts a new life hiding in a convent.

In 1990, Charlotte is a female airplane pilot in a man’s world.  Her boyfriend, Henri, invites her to attend a wine auction with him and gifts her a bottle of wine that is deemed to be not valuable.  Charlotte takes off the label and discovers beneath it another label.  It starts her on a journey of discovery to determine what happened to this Jewish family and their winery during WWII.  Will Charlotte find the answers she seeks?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was a quick read and a riveting story.

·       I enjoyed both the 1940s and 1990s storylines equally.  Often, I enjoy one storyline more than the other, so I am always happy to find one where I enjoy each of the storylines.

·       This book really made me think again of all that the Nazis confiscated from the Jewish people and others that they deemed enemies.  Your family winery and all its stock would be gone in an instant.  You yourself could be gone.  They made entire families disappear from the world.  It’s horrifying.

·       I liked that Charlotte’s quest was also a journey of self-discovery for herself.  What did she want out of life and love? 

·       I loved that Marine even as a young girl had a knack with the grapes and vineyard.  Her story made me realize the sacrifices that many made to help others during the war.

·       This novel had both great memorable characters as well as an interesting plot line.  I did guess the ending of this one, but it was a great journey to that ending.

·       I also liked the side theme of struggle between family obligations (i.e. keeping your family winery running) versus pursuing your own dreams.

·       There was a great author’s note at the end of the novel on the winemakers in France, how their wine was stolen, and the secret resistance they had with trying to hide their wines behind false walls and false labels.

·       This was my time reading a book by author Loretta Ellsworth, but I will be looking for more of her novels in the future.

Overall, The French Winemaker’s Daughter is a riveting WWII story with great characters.  I learned a lot about wineries in France during and after WWII.