Catching up on my reviews here from my blog- I enjoyed this read from Jan Moran. The Winemakers was centered around a mother-daughter relationship, and family secrets. I loved that it kept me guessing throughout and gave me an excuse to drink some wine!

I enjoyed this book. I have had this book on my review list for years. I did start reading it several times over the years only to quickly realize that I was in the mood for a different kind of book. Eventually, the book was lost in my virtual stacks but I am happy that I finally was able to immerse myself in this story.

This book revolves around Caterina and her mother, Ava. Caterina's life is filled with secrets. Some she keeps from others and some have been kept from her but they are all making their way to the surface in this story. The book is set in the 50s and the fact that Caterina has had a child out of wedlock is a big deal. It is such a big deal that she has hidden this fact from everyone, including her own mother. When she learns that she has inherited a home in Italy from a grandmother she didn't know existed, she thinks that this might be the perfect escape for her and her daughter. Caterina soon learns that everything she thought she knows about her history may not be true. It seems like just as soon as one secret is revealed we learn about something else someone has been hiding.

I was hooked by the story pretty early on. I was eager to learn about Ava's life in Italy and loved the chapters told from her point of view. I liked the way that one lie seemed to grow into several more over time. I did like the way that wine played a role in the story which surprised me since I am not a wine drinker. I thought that the passion for the wine that the characters felt really showed. This wasn't a perfect story though. I didn't need all of the descriptions of clothing that seemed to pop up throughout the story. I also thought that Caterina's daughter, Marisa, must be the most well-behaved baby in the history of the world. It seems like someone besides Caterina was always watching the baby or she was sleeping which is not quite how I remember those early days of parenthood.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was an entertaining family drama spanning two generations and filled with great characters. I wouldn't hesitate to read more from this author in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley.

This is the first book by Jan Moran that I had the pleasure of reading and it certainly won't be my last. As a matter of fact, as soon as I finished this one, I promptly bought Scent of Triumph, a previous novel by Jan Moran that I've had my eye on. I had high expectations for The Winemakers and I was not disappointed. The pages flew by quickly and I did not want the story to end!

Atmospheric, well-written and emotional, this book transported me by its lush descriptions of the vineyards in Napa Valley, its 1950s setting, the art of winemaking, the tasteful romance and the mysterious past of a strong woman and her family. Partly set in Italy, the story is rich and full of secrets, secrets that are devastating, that kept me holding my breath until the last page.

Ava and Caterina, are both strong characters, both hiding secrets and in love with men they feel they cannot have. This mother and daughter's stories come together, culminating in a climax that puts everything at stake. Jan Moran is a great storyteller, taking the reader on a journey full of emotions and rich in details.

My own father has been making wine for as long as I can remember and this is such an ingrained part of my culture and own family life. I loved everything about this book and I applaud Jan Moran for skilfully portraying winemaking and its culture. This book has made it to my list of Best Reads for 2016.

Where do I begin? This is by far one of the best books of 2016 hands down. I have not been able to put it down since the day I received it in the mail. It has this way to draw you in as a reader, you feel a special connection to each and every one of the characters.
Caterina has gone away to school and is living her life the way she sees fit and then one day spends time with a friend she has known all her life and after their special night together everything changes. Caterina has become pregnant and is not married and the father is not in the picture. She wants so badly to go home, but she knows her mother will never accept her daughter. Just when she is about the adopt her away, Caterina can't go through with it. This is her own daughter, her flesh and blood and she will raise her and love her even if she is a single mother on her own shunned by society.
When Caterina returns home she learns that she has just inherited some property from her long lost family in Italy, she thinks that her luck is turning around, just when she needed a home for her and her daughter she is given one by her late grandmother that she never had the chance to meet.
But life is not as easy at it seems. She packs up and takes her daughter to Italy and is treated with a cold shoulder from almost every living family member that she has. They are infuriated that she was left the home, the outsider.
Not only does the home come with issues, then her mothers lies start to unravel little by little. How could her mother lie to her all her life? Will she ever be able to trust her again? Will her mother ever accept her daughter or will she be shunned forever?
Then her daughter's father re-appears, she is torn between telling him about his daughter or pretending that she doesn't exist to keep her away from him for good. She is still in love with him and can't get him out of her mind, but again a deep dark family secret comes to light, will their love survive or will they just be ships passing in the night, never to see each other again.
There are so many amazing story lines woven through out and I would love to talk about each and every one till the early hours of the morning. But I can not, you must experience this novel for your self and you will fall in love as I have.