The First Emma was an incredibly enjoyable read!

Camille Di Maio has managed to write a book that completely stands out in the historical fiction genre. Based on true events, Di Maio has introduced us to Emma Koehler and woven a semi-fictional story around her. Emma was a truly inspirational woman who not only survived the murder of her husband but went on to continue his legacy. She became the head of a brewery and kept it running through the years of prohibition and war. Emma was determined that no employee would lose their jobs during these unstable years and she succeeded with this goal.

Emma’s story is dictated to Mabel, a young girl who finds herself in unfortunate circumstances, as she is coming to the end of her life. Through their new-found friendship, Mabel begins to piece her life back together and realize there is always room for hope and love.

Personally, I like to learn something when I read historical fiction based on a true character/event. This book totally hit the mark. If you are looking for an untapped topic, this is definitely one you are going to want to pick up!

This book was full of intrigue, drama, history and strong women! One of my favorites from this author!

What an interesting topic! Sure, this is historical fiction set in and affected by the great wars. But it is not a boots on the ground in Europe book. This book is set in San Antonio, Texas, in the world of Otto and Emma Koehler and the life they've built around their brewery. All are affected by the war, but this tells a tale of those back in the US and the true grit required to survive during those times...with a little redemption and romance added.
I enjoyed reading this book. The descriptions of the places and food are spot on. I even made some of Frieda's pfeffernusse cookies because they sounded scrumptious. The characters are easy to like (and dislike) and are solidly written all the way through. It was interesting to do a little digging into this story while reading it.
This author tells a good story that keeps you turning the pages. I was hooked with her first novel and have kept up with her creations. I am glad to have received an ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review. I've got a hard copy on order to add to my physical bookshelf.

This book was richly told and the characters were so real. I loved how the story was told and the setting. The timeline was fabulously done and I will have to check out other stories by this author soon.

This book was addicting. You wanted to continue reading even long after it was over. The characters felt so real and relatable, and the story was so original.

Overall, this was an engaging read. I found the character of Emma Koehler to be utterly fascinating. She was a blunt but smart and capable woman. The sections of the book that focused on her were, by far, my favorite. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how this formidable woman survived not only Prohibition, but as a female CEO in the 1920s. As a beer enthusiast, it was also interesting to learn about the history of brewing and how some breweries managed to survive during Prohibition.

Unfortunately, this is not a book about Emma Koehler. This is a book about the romance between Emma Koehler's fictional biographer and Emma Koehler's fictional nephew. I wanted to know so much more about Emma Koehler, and I just didn't get it. For me, that was the biggest negative to this book. I love historical fiction, and I especially learning about historical figures that I've never heard of before. If this had truly been a book about Emma Koehler, it would have easily been a 5 star review.

Mabel's story fell somewhat flat for me. I found her somewhat interesting in the beginning of the book, but found myself skimming over her sections later on, after Emma was introduced. Quite simply, Mabel just paled in comparison. The romance between Mabel and Erik was cute, but I didn't really feel invested in it. They both felt like cookie cutter "good" characters. They even had similar back stories. As we got closer to the end of the book, I started to feel like these sections were just filler sections because there wasn't enough information about Emma Koehler to fill a whole book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.

A while ago I put myself on a requesting ban from Netgalley, because I had quite a few books and reviews to catch up on still. However, when I saw The First Emma coming by I just couldn’t keep myself from requesting. I had to have it!

The first chapter immediately dove right into the story. There were many names – a lot of them Emma – and it was quite difficult to get into. A little background might have made it a bit easier, but I have to admit that this playing with time added a healthy dose of suspense later on in the story.

When the premise started to become clearer I was afraid that I had already read a book that was very similar before, and that I would not like this one because of it. It reminded me so much of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the way that it was set up: a young girl writing about the interesting life story of an older and dying woman. Luckily the story itself was completely different and it didn’t bother me much after a while anymore.

Throughout the story the one thing that I love most was the dichotomy of being a powerful woman on the one hand and on the other hand still someone who wants to be loved and taken care of. Not because it’s necessary but just because it’s nice to feel like someone cares enough to do that for you. Both the young writer, Mabel, and the older lady, Emma, conveyed this feeling, and it’s something that I can relate to very well. You don’t always need someone, but you just want the love and company.

The plot focuses a lot on the history of a company that makes Pearl beer. For me it was interesting to read about the process of making the beer. In the area where I live there are quite a few local breweries and I’ve recently been on a tour through one of them with my colleagues. I recognised many of the things that also came back in the story.

The one thing I did think the story fell flat on was the murder plot of Otto Koehler. Throughout the entire book it feels like there will bes ome big revelation about ho wand why he was murdered, but that is never given. All the details are provided in the very first chapter and no other explanation is given later on. I feel like I got my hopes up for nothing there.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction as well as stories with strong and independent female characters. This book just oozed girl power from beginning to end!

Emotionally rich characters of an amazing era and the surrounding relationships of the family. Novel of a wife trying to support her husband and yet become her own person. Amazing read. Couldn't put it down!

This had all the things I love. Intrigue, mystery, drama, and strong women. I'll definitely be looking into more from this author from here on out!

The First Emma is absolutely amazing! I've recently discovered Camille Di Maio and her writing is fantastic. She is such a great storyteller, and you can tell she puts an immense amount of research into her books. Based on true events. this story is full of mystery and romance, and a must read for any historical fiction fan. Di Maio takes you through the Prohibition and the Great Depression and all of the obstacles Emma had to overcome. I don't want to give too much away, but you will finish this book with so much more knowledge than what you started with. Highly recommended!

A great story of Emma, a forerunner of the women's movement in her independence from her husband Otto, who is not a good husband and in fact has 2 mistresses, both names Emma. His wife, Emma, is strong enough to decline his request for a divorce and instead becomes a member of the board of his large brewing company. After his death she runs the company through the depression and through Prohibition. She hires a young women to write her memoir and in doing so she also effects the young women's life too. I love stories of strong women and how they struggled and worked to become strong!

I love stumbling upon a book that introduces me to a fascinating historical character that I have never heard of before. The story of Emma Koehler did precisely this for me and I now want to learn more about her and the fascinating times in which she lived. Were there other woman who played such an important (and daring role) in the business world during Prohibition? How did her male counterparts and competitors view/treat her. Where did her drive and strength come from? For sparking these questions, and for her portrait of this intriguing woman, Ms Di Maio deserves high praise. I wish that she had written an historical fiction that centered exclusively on Emma. Emma defied convention and offers a powerful role model across the decades. For me, the power of this message was weakened by the totally conventional and predictable character of Mabel. Her story, and indeed, the names of the other characters, read like a 1940 pulp fiction: Daughter whose mother is long dead and whose father is an alcoholic.Jilted by soldier fiancee (Archie), hopeful for the safe return home of brother (Buck) courted by handsome brewery heir (Bernard)., Mabel could hardly be more one dimensional. In the end, I am greatly appreciative for Netgalley for sharing this book with me. I am glad a learned about Emma (five stars) and regret the time spent reading about Mabel (1 star)

This was a very interesting book. I didn’t know any of the Emmas stories (theres 3 of them) but I want to know more. Love that the story takes place in prohibition and she successfully ran the business.

Historical fiction is not really my genre however there is the odd book that makes me rethink this stance and try something different. This is one of those books, I thoroughly loved it! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Camille Di Maio is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, so I was so excited to read her new novel in advance!
To be completely honest, I didn’t love it as much as The Beautiful Strangers, because I didn’t feel as deeply connected with the characters as I was with that one and I wasn’t as much engaged in the love story, but nonetheless The First Emma was a wonderful book.
It isn’t even a real criticism, it’s just that I loved The Beautiful Strangers a little bit more, and if there is anyone here who hasn’t read it yet, I strongly recommend to do it as soon as possible!
The First Emma started off really great: Otto Koehler, a rich businessman famous for his brewing company and numerous investments, with a disabled wife and two mistresses, all of them named Emma, killed by one of his mistresses.
What’s not to like about an incipit like that?
Then the story switch to many years later, in 1942’s Baltimore, where young Mabel is alone and hopeless, at first working as a secretary but soon in need of a new job, eager for a change of luck and with not much left to lose.
When she reads the advertisement of an old woman looking for an aspiring writer to record her story, Mabel believes she may have found her chance.
So she leaves for San Antonio, where this old woman lives, and soon meets the memorable Emma Koehler.
Immensely rich, proud and determined, Emma is surrounded by nieces and nephews whom she welcomes generously in her house, while knowing that not all of them are moved by sincere affection for her, but more by the hope of receiving a bigger part of her inheritance.
She is confined to a wheelchair after a car accident and the two nurses employed to help her, petite blonde Emma Dumpke and fierce redhead Emma Burgemeister, both became her husband’s mistresses.
She is pushing eighties, but still strong-minded and ready to tell her story, how she moved from Germany to San Antonio with her husband Otto, who only lived for making money and was extraordinarily good at it, and slowly learned to make his world her own, becoming an essential part of his business.
Otto was unstoppable, always moving to the next achievement, while Emma was focused on maintaining their brewing company, Pearl, and making it grow.
I strongly disliked Otto and actually hated him with a passion from a certain point on.
He didn’t seem capable to love, at least not people, and he only truly cared for his damned investments.
I was furious with him, for how he mistreated Emma’s feelings, ignoring and hurting her with his coldness before the mistresses came into the scene and openly cheating on her after the accident, claiming that “a man has his needs”, yeah sure. He almost never gave a damn about Emma’s needs, so I nearly threw my Kindle when I read that. I would have very gladly killed him myself, if dear Emma Burgemeister didn’t see to it.
I adored and devoured the first half of this book on a plane, already anxious and sad about it having to end at some point too soon.
At first I was more engaged in Mabel’s story than in Emma’s tale, but in the second half of the novel I couldn’t wait to return to the past, eager to discover more details about the two other Emmas and Otto’s murder.
I was slightly disappointed at the end, because there wasn’t as much about the mistresses and the murder as I expected: the story revolved much more around the first Emma, as the title suggest, and her transformation from loving wife to wise and acute businesswoman both with and without Otto Koehler, especially during the Great Depression.
After reading the author’s note, I understood: there isn’t much information about Emma Koehler, despite Camille Di Maio’s admirable research, and she didn’t want to fictionalize her too much, a decision which I totally respect.
The romance was lovely and Mabel and Erik were both great characters, well-constructed, believable and each with a history and an identity of their own.
Even though I wasn’t as invested in them as I was with Kate and Sean in The Beautiful Strangers, I still liked them a great deal.
With this book, which will be out in May 2020 (and I can’t express how honored I was to read it so early!), Camille Di Maio confirms herself as a great writer of historical fiction, one who has definitely earned a special place among my favorite authors.
I highly recommend The First Emma to any lover of historical fiction and to everyone looking for a good, inspiring novel about a strong and clever woman with very much to teach about female dignity, potential, love and commitment.
A sincerely heartfelt thank you to NetGalley, Camille Di Maio and Wyatt-MacKenzie for the opportunity to read this wonderful book in advance!
I am already waiting for Camille’s next novel, sure that it won’t disappoint!

What an interesting book! Based on a real woman, Emma Koehler who was the driving force behind a Texas beer empire, it could also be called " a tale of three Emmas." Emma Koehler was married to Otto Koehler...well, at least on paper. Otto was married to his business, and to both have a meaningful life and hopefully sustain her marriage, Emma became an integral part of the business, eventually running it all behind the scenes. Set just before and during Prohibition, Emma guided the company through an environment in which every other brewer in the country went bankrupt....but Emma's company did not, and she kept every employee working through that time.

There is little information about Emma Koehler but the basic story goes like this: Emma marries Otto, but he's more interested in the business than anything else. She does what she can to hold her marriage together, until a tragic auto accident happens, leaving her terribly injured and in need of constant care. A nurse also named Emma is hired to help her, and eventually becomes Otto's mistress. A third Emma is eventually hired to help nurse Emma K, and becomes Otto's mistress as well. Eventually Otto buys the mistress Emma's a cottage, and one day Otto is murdered by one of the mistress Emma's. This part of the tale is true, and illustrated throughout the book with newspaper clippings. The rest of the story is from Di Maio's imagination, based on what she could glean from rare historical sources, and it makes for a fascinating read. This is indeed what could have been Emma Koehler's life! Told from the perspective of a young woman, Mabel, who is hired to take dictation from Emma on her life, to document the truth for future generations of Koehler's, we see how the relationship develops between the dying Emma and the young Mabel.

Most of all, "The First Emma" is a story of family...what does it mean to be family, and how family transcends mere blood relationships. It's about the need to take risks in life and relationships, and to move forward past setbacks and pain. Di Maio has taken a few facts and her great imagination to craft a story of what I would like to believe is an amazing woman's impact on life, and an inspiration for women of future generations.

I found this book disappointing. Though Emma Koehler's life was fascinating it felt very much like a recap rather than an active plot (perhaps because much of the book is told as a memories of Mrs. Koehler). I found myself wanting to be invested but feeling far away from much of the events that Mrs. Koehler describes.

As readers, we're told a lot of things and expected to believe them, rather being shown them. For example, Erik is praised as an amazing man when we first meet him, but he seems quite ordinary. Or, we're told that Emma and Mabel become friends, but they still seem very distant.

It didn't feel like there were very many stakes because every conflict resolves itself immediately. Emma Koehler is being cheated on; Emma gets more shares of the Brewery. Erik appears to be a liar; Erik just goes by a nick-name. Mabel's brother doesn't like her beau; they immediately become friends. Mabel's beau possibly had another lover; she is an un-threatening background character the rest of the book.

But the story of Emma Koehler is really fascinating. I didn't know about her at all, and there is some interest information about Breweries during prohibition.

The First Emma, by Camille Di Maio is yet another gem written by this author. Camille writes wonderful historical fiction and this one stands up to usual quality of excellence.

This is the story of not one, not two, but three women named Emma. Okay, I must admit, this confused the heck out of me, but the characters were different enough that keeping them straight was not too hard. Our main Emma is Emma Koehler., a real person, in which the story revolves around. Emma's husband Otto, dedicated to hard work and his job, became the president of the San Antonio Brewing Association, now known as the Pearl Brewing Company. After Emma K suffered from a severe accident, Emma number one was hired to be her nurse. Before long, Emma K figured out that her husband and her nurse where having an affair. It wasn't long before Emma number one was discharged from her duties. The next Emma, also employed by the Koehler's, became not only the mistress of Mr. Koehler, but his murderer as well.

The rest of the story centers around the courage and know how of Emma K as she took over her husband's brewery in the midst of prohibition. Not many women held jobs of power at this time in history and not only did she do it, but she excelled in all aspects. The novel was told from the point of Emma K, and the biographer, Mabel, who was hired to write the story of Emma K's life.

This was such a well written story and I highly recommend to any fan of Ms. Di Maio's, historical fiction , or seeing the strength and perseverance of successful, professional woman.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. All views are of my own.
#Netgalley #Thefirstemma

Such a heartwarming story that brings together a fictional character and a real woman that seemed like a force to be reckoned with. Not a lot is known about Emma Koehler and the author acknowledges this. But she seamlessly weaves the little known facts about Emma into a fictional story with Mabel so that you would never know the information out there is sparse.

This is truly an amazing story. I love that it's written based on true story.. the first Emma was a very strong woman.. she believed in doing things standing up for herself.. the author did research got what she could for this story and it is an absolutely amazing story I love this book.. the first Emma is out to hire someone to do a biography you might say on her life, she sends out, gets many responses. But the one that gets her attention is Mabel. A young girl who has been hurt by love with war.. lost her mother possibly her brother. Definitely another. Mabel moves from Baltimore to Texas.. not only is she doing the story for the first Emma which is incredibly amazing.. she meets someone by the pool.. Eric.. Emmas nephew.
I absolutely fell in love with this book the story the first Emma. There's actually three Emma's in this book It's a Wonderful story that anyone would want to read it's incredible..
Thank you Netgally
For choosing me to read this book early.. I just can't say enough about this book I truly I think this is a wonderful story thank you her writing this amazing book....
Camille Di Maio.