I read many reviews of this book before I had the chance to read it, and I'm genuinely surprised at how all over the place they are. Some people really loved it, but others REALLY didn't. It almost seemed like those that decided they didn't like it were upset that the story didn't focus on one specific thing very much, like how it's not really about the winemaker...or making wine, or it's not really about the French resistance, despite what the synopsis claims. I don't feel like it's fair to judge the entirety of a book based on how loosely it matches the back's description, but that's just me. I'm just a reader. I'm not a literary genius. I judge books based on whether I connect with them and that's about it. One of the complaints I saw repeatedly was how unlikable the characters were. I agree that they were largely an unlikable group of people, but I felt that was a driving force to this book. They did some things that really made you dislike them, but they also had redeeming factors. At the end it makes you wonder who deserves to be loved? Who deserves to survive? Are only saints worthy of a happy ending, or do people who make human mistakes also get to live another day and perhaps even find reasons to smile?

I really enjoy WWII stories that take place in occupied countries where citizens help rescue and hide Jewish people. If I read a WWII book this is usually what I gravitate towards. I loved the premise of this novel and the writing was so good! I was hooked from the beginning and could not put it down. I disliked every character! 🙊This is the first time that has happened to me and I continued to read the book. I kept reading because the writing was so good and I wanted to know what happened to them even though I thought they were all either terrible or boring.

I quite enjoyed reading historical fiction set in the Champagne region.