Name: Kristen Claiborn's review of The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel
Item: The Winemaker's Wife
Rating: 4
Author: Kristen Claiborn

Kristin Harmel

The author of the “engrossing” (People) international bestseller The Room on Rue Amélie returns with a moving story set amid the champagne vineyards of France during the darkest days of World War II, perfect for fans of Heather Morris’s The Tattooist of Auschwitz. 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, the French-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 vineyard that ties them together. New York, 2019: Recently divorced, Liv Kent is at rock bottom when her feisty, 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.

The Winemaker's Wife

Bee 

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. 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.

Kristen Claiborn

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?

Kayla 

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.

Bee &
The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

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Bee &The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel

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Join the club

Bee &
The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel