This was a good reminder that whenever we are in need, to just ask for help and it will be given. Liz has had a bit of a tumultuous marriage, often she is reminded that she is just a lowly housewife and that is the expectation of her. Take care of the kids, take care of the house, have laundry done, dinner on the table and don’t ask any questions. She should just appreciate all her husband is doing for her and the kids. He even talked her into leaving her job to take care of the kids. Decisions are usually made by him, and him alone.

Liz is sick of being told how to live her life, and starts pushing back on Rick. Women are making headway these days. They are starting to get degrees, work outside of the house and gain more rights but that does not mean that everyone accepts this. Liz has finally had it, and confronts her husband after finding a photo of him with another woman, when he had supposedly been visiting his sick, dying mother. Her limit has been met and she finally kicks him out.

What is she going to do? Two kids to take care of, a household to run, and the whole farm and vineyard is a lot of work for just her. She has been doing most of it anyways, but they are on the brink of harvest and there is no way she can do that all on her own. After asking for volunteers and help, Liz soon learns she may not have to do this all on her own, and where there is a will there is a way. Can she prove Rick wrong, and make a run of the wine businesses, will she succeed and make a name for herself or will it all fail as Rick has told her over and over, she is a woman after all and belongs in the house.

Thank you to the author Linda Rosen for the free novel, and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite. This was a good heartfelt novel to remind us just how much women have come in the last few decades, and a good reminder that when women stick together, they can accomplish anything. ( )

Through wonderfully sensory writing, Linda Rosen’s second novel, Sisters of the Vine, explores a route to empowerment for the protagonist Liz Bergen. Sisters of the Vine is set in the 60s and 70s and documents Liz’s journey, from her days as a young wife and mother, through the ups and downs of married life, to a point where she resolves to build a successful business. With the support of other women, she establishes her own vineyard and winery in the Hudson River Valley. It is a story about overcoming adversity, nurturing self-belief and the power of sisterhood. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish. Well done, Linda Rosen! ( )