jillynette's review
3.0
I felt like the book didn't fit into any specific genre-it was a little bit historical, a little bit mystery, a little bit romance.
mj_mj's review
3.0
There was a lot of confusion especially towards the end on who did what when. It was difficult to keep all the threads of the story together. Other than that, the premise was good though there could have been some clarity on why the murder/murders were committed, what is so special about the wine bottle and who knew about them and so on. There was more focus on the relationship between Merle and Pascal rather than on the mystery thread of the story which took some of the fun away for me.
Read this for:-
1. France
2. Pastries and wine
3. Family skeletons
Read this for:-
1. France
2. Pastries and wine
3. Family skeletons
planreadrepeat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
v10's review
3.0
Perfectly acceptable insomnia book. A bit confusing with constant changes of point of view, bouncing with no warning between main characters and others who've barely been introduced, but not confusing enough to make me stop reading.
kristick's review against another edition
3.0
Okay mystery that bounces between the present day and post-WW2 France, with a protagonist trying to start over after the unexpected death of her husband by exploring his family's past by going to the French house she never knew he owned.
vesper1931's review against another edition
3.0
American Merle Bennett life becomes unravelled when her husband dies and his secrets are revealed. To recover she travels to France to access the house that he has left her. Only for her to discover a mystery. One that was connected to her husband's family.
It took a while to get into the rhythm of the book, but I found that it was worth it, and I liked the character of Merle, and quite a few of the other characters.
It took a while to get into the rhythm of the book, but I found that it was worth it, and I liked the character of Merle, and quite a few of the other characters.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
Merle is a middle aged lawyer doing good work when her husband abruptly dies of a heart attack. His death leads to many reveals: Harry gambled all their money on the stock market, leaving them broke; Merle realizes she'd fallen out of love with him years ago; he'd had a long affair and a secret illegitimate child. All of these earth-shaking revelations pale in comparison to the ones Merle uncovers when she goes to Harry's family home in France. There, she discovers , that , and even that . All this while she's just trying to rehab the old French home!
I totally bought Merle as a character. The details of her life, and the way she thinks, seemed totally believable and recognizable. The tangled web of Harry's family and the various people out for blood seemed increasingly unlikely, however. I'd say this worked well as a character piece, not so much as a mystery.
Spoiler
he was actually the illegitimate child of his father and a teenager he seduced and abandoned, who was adopted by his father's first wife, and then the father killed the first wife and took off with a second wife, who stole the first wife's identitySpoiler
there's a great basement filled with casks of valuable wine hidden awaySpoiler
numerous men who had brushes with Harry's dastardly father want to hurt Merle and/or steal the wineI totally bought Merle as a character. The details of her life, and the way she thinks, seemed totally believable and recognizable. The tangled web of Harry's family and the various people out for blood seemed increasingly unlikely, however. I'd say this worked well as a character piece, not so much as a mystery.