The Winemaker's Wife

What an incredibly sad and moving story. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time, one I know I’ll talk about often.

Here’s something I appreciate in books and movies: Sometimes, the endings aren’t always wrapped up nicely in a bow. Sometimes they don’t wrap the reader up in a cozy blanket. Sometimes, they feel more real. This is one of those stories.

My family’s history echoes some of the history in the book. Grandparents born in Poland, who lived in France. Taken to a labor camp in Germany with my mother, a baby at the time. Freed when the war ended. I don’t know much about that time because my mom was just a baby and my grandparents weren’t keen to talk about it. I understand why Grandma Edith found it hard show more to talk about too.

Sometimes the content was hard to read because it is a part of my family’s past and it’s scary, what happened during those times. Books have a way of making history bounce off the pages and become more real. “The Winemaker’s Wife” would make a great book to read alongside history curriculum in high school.

A well-researched book, the characters felt real and flawed and in-depth. I appreciate the author’s notes at the back of the book, which share titles of books for anyone interested in reading further on the history and topics threaded throughout “The Winemaker’s Wife.”

This is a very real, very engaging, very well-written and researched book. Be prepared to reflect on the past (yours and the world’s), but also to feel optimistic in a poignant, authentic way. show less

this novel really surprised me. At the start I felt it was a predictable, slightly higher than a Harloquin romance style of novel. Fluffy. It is not. The story deepens and intensifies and I was totally hooked. There are wonderful plot twists and fiendish, romantic and foolish characters that really come to life. There are secrets and betrayals and maybe second chances. Woven through it all is a richness in detail of the wine growing area of France called Reims and the champagne houses in that area. I will truly appreciate any glass of Champagne I drink in the future because what is true in this novel is that the winemakers of the Champagne area were resistance fighters where people risked their lives to free thier country.

Three years ago, I read Kristin Harmel’s The Book of Lost Names and I was not impressed. The Winemaker’s Wife is a bit better but has similar flaws.

There is a dual timeline, both focused on the Champagne region near Reims, France. One plot is set during World War II, and the perspectives of two women, Inès Chauveau and Céline Laurent, are given. The other timeline is 2019; the perspective of Liv Thierry Kent is provided.

Michel Chauveau owns a winery specializing in champagnes which he manages with the help of his winemaker, Theo Laurent. Theo’s wife Céline ably assists the men. Michel’s younger wife Inès tries to help but she is new to the business, unlike the other three, and she feels useless. When the Germans invade and show more occupy northern France, lives for the four change. Michel becomes involved in the Resistance. Theo’s sole focus is wine-making, despite his wife becoming increasingly worried because she is half Jewish. Like Theo, Inès tends to be dismissive of the seriousness of the actions of the German occupiers.

In the modern timeline, Liv, a woman in her forties who has recently divorced, is taken by Edith, her 99-year-old grandmother, to Paris and eventually to Reims where she says she has some business. There, Liv meets Julien, the grandson of her grandmother’s longtime lawyer. Liv eventually comes to realize that her grandmother wants her to know about events that happened during the German occupation, events involving her family members that changed the futures of many.

The novel requires some suspension of disbelief. Edith is 99 years old, but shows little evidence of her advanced age. Is it really necessary for her to fly from Paris to New York just to pick up Liv and fly back to Paris a few hours later? Edith’s reluctance to speak of her past is understandable to some extent, but given that she delayed too long to tell David, wouldn’t she be anxious to tell Liv before time runs out? And if Edith is 99, how old is the character who appears at the end?!

There are other problematic events. Liv and Julien’s relationship happens so quickly, and does there really have to be that mix-up about Julien’s marital status? There’s certainly a lot of coincidence, especially in the current timeline. I could certainly have done without that scene where a character is welcomed into heaven. And the number of characters who are thought dead but are actually not dead stretches credibility.

There are events which are supposed to be a surprise, but I anticipated many of them. For instance, the title would not be appropriate if the eponymous character were dead. Then there’s the vagueness about the fates of at least a couple of the characters. When Liv gives a newspaper interview, it would be impossible not to guess who will appear. And the ending tying up everything ever so conveniently is predictable.

Most of the characters are unlikeable. Though her youth is obviously a factor, Inès is so immature, selfish, shallow, and naive. She doesn’t like being dismissed or thought of as stupid, but then makes stupid, reckless choices that endanger everyone. We are to believe that growth does happen, but I wasn’t convinced. Edith, at 99, has learned some important lessons, but her comments to Liv sometimes seem almost cruel. And Liv believes that “her grandmother had never really stopped being the naive girl from Lille.” Liv herself just seems oblivious most of the time. And Céline’s choices do not cast her in a positive light.

And the men are no better. Michel chooses a younger wife but then is surprised and frustrated when she behaves like a young woman who does not have his worldly knowledge or experience. He’s so patronizing and impatient. Theo’s treatment of Céline is hard to excuse; he makes no effort to understand her situation.

This novel is less historical fiction and more historical romance, light on history and heavy on the romance. Historical details are glossed over. The focus is on love triangles and extra-marital affairs. The motivation for many events is who loves whom or who cheats on whom or who is jealous of whom.

This book is entertaining, provided the reader is willing to ignore the plot holes and coincidences and enjoys a predictable, sentimental narrative about not particularly sympathetic characters. Learning about the making of champagne was the highlight for me.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) or substack (https://doreenyakabuski.substack.com/) for over 1,100 of my book reviews. show less

Kristin Harmel is fast becoming one of my favorite Historical Fiction writers. This book was wonderful the characters were so well developed you could feel the emotions desperation, longing, love, and fear. Harmel really has a way of getting the reader invested in her characters. The historical details included were very interesting as well as a look into the making of Champagne. I could not put this book down it is one of the best books I have read this year! Loved it! Highly recommend.

"The Winemaker’s Wife" had a slow start, but ultimately it turned into another wonderful novel by Kristin Harmel.

Set in the Champagne region of France, the story moves between the 1940s and the present day. In the past, we follow Inès, the young wife of Michel, owner of the Maison Chauveau champagne estate. Michel’s head winemaker, Theo, lives on the property with his half-Jewish wife, Céline. As the threat of Nazi occupation grows, Céline becomes increasingly fearful for her family. Michel takes precautions by hiding his valuable wines in the caves beneath the château and later becomes involved in the Resistance.

In the modern timeline, the story centers on Liv and her glamorous 99-year-old grandmother, Edith. After Liv’s show more 12-year marriage ends abruptly, Edith whisks her away to France to reveal long-held secrets before it’s too late.

At first, I struggled to connect with Liv, Edith, and Inès, but as the story unfolded, I grew to admire them, flaws and all. The secrets, sacrifices, and emotional burdens they carried were compelling and heartbreaking. The ending, in particular, was quite sad and moving.

I loved the vivid descriptions of Champagne, the underground caves, and the winemaking process. The book was clearly well-researched, and I loved how the two stories converged, bringing them full circle.

Overall, "The Winemaker’s Wife" is a beautifully told story of betrayal, forgiveness, friendship, courage, and love. show less

Inès is a new young wife of Michael, and lady of the wine manor, Maison Chauveau. She often feels she is treated like a child, when she is only trying to learn about the wine and how the business is ran. Although, Michael often reminds her that it is not for her to worry, and she should just concern herself with the house matters. She also has tried to befriend Céline, the wife of Michael's head winemaker but the two don't seem to have too many similarities and often it becomes awkward between the two. She know sullenly wonders if her marriage was a mistake, as Michael seems different as a husband.

Inès does her best to try and involve herself with the wine and learning the process and business, but it seems she just continues to make show more mistake after mistake. She then decides to visit an old friend, and is aghast to find they are entertaining Nazi's in their restaurant. How could Edith and her husband do this? Do they know the truth about them, and what other's must think of them offering drink and food, and to act as they are all friends.

Although they have not felt the full effects of the war yet, on the manor- soon Nazi's show up. They need more wine, and they need to inspect the wine making process and tunnels. Just to make sure they are not hiding anything. This puts them all on edge, and the four of them are now all walking on egg shells wonder who to trust and who to keep secrets from. Michael seems to feel that Inès does not understand the war, and the full implications of what is and could happen.

Little does Michael know what really goes on when Inès visits her friend Edith in town every few weeks. She is entangled in the war more than he realizes and in the end it could cost lives if she is not careful. All it takes is for her to bring some refugees to be hidden in the caves for Céline and Michael to finally believe where she stands with the war and what is happening to the Jews.

Present time, Liv is recently divorced after finding her husband has left her for someone much younger. She doesn't know what to do with her life, as she gave up everything for her husband. Her grandmother Edith will not stand for this, as she didn't like that husband of her's anyways and decides that Liv needs a distraction and new start in Paris- unbeknownst to Liv. As always, she does what her grandmother asks and heads to Paris with her, and through her journey she finds herself in her grandmother's true past.

Such another great read by Kristin Harmel! I love the dual storylines, and how often the past can reconnect or teach a lesson in current times. This was another great novel about resistance and how refugees were hidden during the war. It seems that there is not anything that wasn't attempted or done to help others. It truly is amazing to read all of the stories of these heroes. show less

The Winemaker’s Wife, Kristin Harmel, author; Robin Eller, Lisa Flanagan, Madeleine Maby, narrators
The novel takes place in Champagne, France, in the wine country. It begins in 1940 as World War two throws family and friends onto opposite political sides. The war has placed all people with Jewish heritage into extreme jeopardy. Some live in denial believing they are good Germans and nothing will happen to them, and some live in fear without the wherewithal to escape. Some people who are able to, pack up and leave the country for safer places of refuge. Many of those that stay are doomed.
The Germans are committing acts of violence against innocent people. The world has never before experienced such diabolical evil. Quietly, although show more the French have acquiesced to the Germans, with hardly a fight, the people of Champagne are determined to thwart their efforts to take over their country. They risk everything, including their lives and the lives of their families to form a resistance movement to save France. Some even hide Jews and lead them to safety at great risk to themselves. Others turn in their own friends and family to uncertain torture, brutality and death in order to save themselves or curry favors and/or respect from the enemy. They will soon see the error of their ways, for no one is safe under Hitler’s rule. Although Celine and Michel are staunch patriots who wish to resist, Ines and Theo believe in acquiescing to survive. The war makes strange bedfellows with some French turning a blind eye to the brutality and collaborating with the Germans, and some actively fighting the enemy for a free France. Man’s inhumanity to man is front and center in this novel, and man’s capacity to hate is center stage. The story moves back and forth in time, from the time of the war, in 1940, to 2019, as it uncovers the lives of those affected by the actions of Michel Chauveau, his family and friends. Who is heroic and who is traitorous?
In 2019, Olivia Kent, newly divorced and unhappy, and her very elderly grandmother, 99 years old, return to Paris. Olivia believes that her Grandmother Edith intends to enlighten her about her past in war torn Europe. She learns many things she would never have suspected about Edith’s former life. It is through the voice of her memories that the wartime story of Michel, Ines and Celine is revealed with all its many misunderstandings and misinterpretations leading to unintended consequences.
This is a story about different kinds of love and betrayal. It revolves around secrets and lies. Some lies were for the benefit of others, some betrayals were unplanned and unexpected, some secrets led to horrifying ends and some lies were disastrous. Jealousy and foolish naïve behavior and what seemed like downright stupidity, at times, brought about the downfall of others. For the most part, the book felt authentic when it revealed the history of the war and the resistance, but when it came to the conclusion it seemed far less so, and I found it disappointing.
The narrators of the audio spoke in recognizable voices with the character’s personality traits revealed through their interpretation. I recommend the book, but caution the reader to suspend disbelief when the novel concludes. show less