I was so excited to read this book before our trip to the Champagne region of France. It provided an insight to the lives of the owners of the vineyards and all the history that took place there. The Winemaker's Wife is told from two places in history-- the 1940s, featuring Inés, who has just married Michel, the owner of Maison Chauveau and 2019, featuring Liv, who's grandmother has a tragic story to share that leads them to Maison Chauveau.

Both stories move along, keeping you engaged and not wanting to put the book down!

Such a well-researched story based on resistance efforts in the Champagne region of France during WWII. While that was always in the background, the personal lives of the characters was full of conflict, romance, and suspense. The points of view of Ines and Celine during the war, alternated with that of Liv in present day, combined to make a story that was hard to put down and heartbreaking.

A fairly typical historical novel set in WWII France. What was fascinating about the novel was the setting, in champagne country., The story centers around three women, two, Ines and Celine, during WWII, and one, Liv, in modern-day
I thought the story was enjoyable, although the characters are not presented as likable, especially Ines. But it does all come together in the end..
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this title..

Kristin Harmel has written an engaging novel about the French Resistance during World War II. She uses two timelines to tell her story with characters that held my interest throughout. Her writing made the characters seem real, however flawed they may be, that I truly felt both their highs and lows. Expert research and great storytelling makes this a terrific read and a go to author for me! #TheWinemaker’sWife #KristinHarmel #NetGalley

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you for sending me this title. I look forward to recommending this book to fans of historical fiction.

Two stories are told here...a present day woman who is finalizing a divorce and a small family run Champagne House in Reims, France as WWII occurs and the Germans invade France. The historical details and information about champagne production are key characters in the story. The two flow with marriages gone wrong, betrayals and secrets until at last when it’s brought to the final conclusion. The book was riveting and I did not want to put it down.

I don't need to tell fans of historical fiction that Kristin Harmel is at the top of her craft and has written some of the best ( and best-selling) World War II novels in recent memory. So this review is for readers like me who don't read a lot of historical fiction and need some specific titles to jump in! I'm delighted when I'm absorbed into a story in the opening pages and find something to love and learn in every chapter. This book did just that; I couldn't put it down. In The Winemaker's Wife, we are taken to the Champagne region of France during the German Occupation, in the early days of the Resistance. And, bonus! A modern-day storyline of a granddaughter learning about her very old and dignified grandmother's history as a Resistance Fighter which satisfied me completely. Wonderful and moving.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The Winemaker's' Wife, by Kristin Harmel brings us to the Champagne region of France. in 1940 Michel brings his new bride, Ines, home to his renowned champagne house, Maison Chauveau. He introduces her to his head winemaker, Theo and his half Jewish wife, Celine . The women do not hit it off. Soon WWII is at their doorstep. Celine fears for her safety and that of her family. The vineyard is spared much of the horrors of the war as long as the Nazis a can freely raid their cellars. Michel leaves to become part of the resistance, Celine disappears. Ines must rely on her wits Theo during this time to keep the vineyard , and herself, alive
New York, City 2019. Liv Kent is fresh off her divorce and without direction. Her grandmother, Edith convinces her to go to Paris with her. She wants Liv to see where she lived so long ago and to learn of the life Edith lived there. The book goes between the two timelines as the stories of these women are woven together.
I recognize that much work went into the research of these times and what happened in the famed vineyards of France in WWII, but much of the character development felt somewhat withered on the vine. What there was was good, but I would have liked to have seen more depth. I did like that this explored a different side of the war than what so many books have covered endlessly.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to read more from Kristin Harmel.

I was given a copy of the winemakers wife for an honest opinion.
this historical fiction novel is set in World War II in the Champagne region of France. It follows a winemaker and the events that transpired on his vineyard. The winemakers wife, Ines, is a very young woman that hasn’t quite figured out the world. The ones around her feel like she isn’t taking the war seriously. But she spends the rest of her life trying to make amends after something she does causes death and sorrow.

I have never read about the Champagne region of France and it honestly makes me want to go there. The author wrote so vividly that you were transported there in this book. I loved your story lines past and present and then the connection at the end and this book did not disappoint. I feel like I fell in love with the characters and wanted to know what happened to them.

What a beautifully written book that shows a different part of World War II. I don’t think I have ever read about what happened in the Champagne region of France, which was very hard hit throughout the war. The characters are endearing and the plot was so engaging and the three women who tell it were fascinating.

It's may 1940 and Ines is at the vineyards. Soon she will have been married to Michel for one year. The Germans are starting their Invasion. Then it's June 2019. Liv Kent is seperated from Eric after twelve years of marriage. Eric's getting with a younger woman. She had quit her job in process of trying for a baby. She now has nothing to turn to. Liv's grandmother Edith comes to take her away to Paris. It went between time periods which I was iffy about.

This author was new to me, and what a lovely surprise! I VERY much enjoyed this book. A beautiful look at the toll the Resistance took on so many during WWII.
Told with empathy and wisdom.
Highly recommend this book!

A gripping tale of realizing war changes the rules of society. I liked learning about life on a vineyard. Books that thread a distant past with a present story are some of my favorites and I thought this book flowed between the two well.

Champagne. Is it pathetic that I never knew that the drink was called that for the region which the wine is produced? That it cannot even be called "champagne" if the wine is not produced in the area?

This story is about so much more than wine. It's about perseverance, guilt, betrayal, strength, defiance, and love. It shows that all choices have consequences, whether they're positive or negative. And while we cannot change our past and the choices we've made, we can continue to look towards the future and be a better person in the future. It's a reminder that every day is precious and you never know when it could be your last. Furthermore, it is a reminder of the strength of the human spirit.. That when all seems down during a time of sheer hopelessness from tyranny, there were still people willing to risk their lives to do what was right. Whether that be big or small, there were still people in France who would not go down without a fight.

While this story was indeed tragic, it is a fresh reminder that while the choices we make may come with regret, we still have so much in our lives to be grateful for. So the next time I enjoy a glass of champagne, I know I will think of this story, of the characters that are fictional examples of some of the heroism that went on in France during the German occupation. It is a reminder that even in the fiercest circumstances, life, like the grapes, still lives on.

✨✨ Book Review ✨✨

“You can’t rewrite the past, but you can choose to live with your whole heart in the here and now.”

These words epitomize Kristin Harmel’s The Winemaker’s Wife. A story about choices, and how the choices we make ripple out through time, forever changing the lives of those around us.

This book had my heart in a vise from the first pages, and continued to press and hold it in its grasp up until the very last sentence. Harmel succeeded in creating a storyline so rich with history, and set in a time period so ladened with human emotion, that the reader is transformed from the inside out.

I came to love these characters wholly, and even though they each made their own terrible choices and mistakes, you could see past their actions to the person that was beneath.

As you read this book, you truly come to understand that we are not our choices, we don’t have to become our mistakes. We can do wrong and still be good. We do not have to spend the rest of our lives punishing ourselves for the things of the past. Forgiveness is not just for others, but also for ourselves. Because if we get stuck in a place of self-loathing, we are not available to those who love us, and that is the true tragedy.

This book was beyond a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read. It was a lesson in humanity. Reading it is a true gift..

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 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.

This book moves back and forth in time from 1940 Champagne France to present day starting in New York and moving quickly to France. Main character Ines is marries to vineyard owner Michel. They marry just as the Germans invade France and Michel quickly becomes part of the Resistance. Other characters living on the vineyard are the winemaker and his wife Ce’line who is half Jewish. Celine is in constant fear from the invading Germans and spends time deep in the caves of the vineyard finding quiet, hope, and love. Ines best friend Edith and her husband own a restaurant in Reimes, the town close to the vineyard. Edith becomes part of the Resistance by listening to the Germans talk and reporting their conversations.

The present day characters are Liv, who is recently divorced and her 99-year-old grandmother Edith. Edith is a spunky woman who wants to tell her granddaughter about her family history, but due to her painful past finds difficult.

I did find most of the characters to be shallow and of weak character. The connection between Edith, Liv and the past caused me to keep reading. The ending had one big surprise and was enjoyable. This is a love story enrolling secrets, mistakes, loss, love and forgiveness.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

WWII France, ah, one of the most popular things to write about! The Winemaker's Wife does not disappoint. Love and betrayal? Check. Fascinating plot twists? Check (not impossible to figure out, but still). French wine country? Check. Resistance/Jewish friends/secrets? Check. I enjoyed this book MUCH more than the author's previous Room on Rue Amelie.

The only thing I could not *love* (besides the infidelity, but without that... no story, right??), was the modern storyline. Olivia doesn't strike me as the most intelligent, lovable character. Grandma Edith, on the other hand... I wanted to adopt her. And, last thing - the use of French in the dialogue occasionally didn't seem to sit quite right. Incorporating a foreign language into an English novel is certainly difficult, and places just needed a bit more polishing.

Overall, a 4/5 read. Excellent snippet of fiction, light enough to enjoy by a wide variety of audiences.

This was enjoyable historical fiction - I gave it 3 stars instead of 4 for a couple of reasons: I didn't like any of the characters! At first, I liked and felt sorry for Ines, but that didn't last long. Also, the coincidences in the current day part of the story were too much to feel like they were realistic.