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ladygeeke's review
2.0
This ebook was provided to me free by Le French Book, a group whose aim seems to be to make French books in translation better known in the English-speaking world.
The book is the first in a series, "The Winemaker Detective". It tells of a few days in the life of an oenologist (wine expert - you learn a lot about winemaking while reading these books) advising an old friend whose wine vats have become contaminated, while at the same time hunting down the history of a painting he has acquired of his local chateau and vineyard.
This is quite a short book, but bursting with detail - in fact, there is just too much detail and it overwhelms the slender story. The writer includes long descriptions of rooms, buildings, towns, streets, cafes, meals, art works and antiques, attractive women and their hair, makeup and clothing, and of course the characteristics and provenance of every wine mentioned. In addition, the text is in a very flowery and literary French style, which the translator has made no attempt to adapt to an Anglo-Saxon reader. I imagine this is a deliberate choice, but to a reader used to sharp action sequences and terse description, this style can become exhausting very quickly.
I made it to the end of the book, mainly because it was short and I started skipping descriptive passages when I realised they had no relevance to the story. There was a mystery in there somewhere, but it was not very well constructed, no clues were included along the way, and solving the crime seemed to be well down the list of objectives for the book. And I was really sad that, although the writer described every rock, tree and wall in minute detail, there was absolutely no sense of atmosphere and the bright, enveloping warmth of the Bordeaux region was completely absent.
If you enjoy a meandering read in an old-fashioned and pedantic style, you may enjoy this series; but it wasn't for me.
The book is the first in a series, "The Winemaker Detective". It tells of a few days in the life of an oenologist (wine expert - you learn a lot about winemaking while reading these books) advising an old friend whose wine vats have become contaminated, while at the same time hunting down the history of a painting he has acquired of his local chateau and vineyard.
This is quite a short book, but bursting with detail - in fact, there is just too much detail and it overwhelms the slender story. The writer includes long descriptions of rooms, buildings, towns, streets, cafes, meals, art works and antiques, attractive women and their hair, makeup and clothing, and of course the characteristics and provenance of every wine mentioned. In addition, the text is in a very flowery and literary French style, which the translator has made no attempt to adapt to an Anglo-Saxon reader. I imagine this is a deliberate choice, but to a reader used to sharp action sequences and terse description, this style can become exhausting very quickly.
I made it to the end of the book, mainly because it was short and I started skipping descriptive passages when I realised they had no relevance to the story. There was a mystery in there somewhere, but it was not very well constructed, no clues were included along the way, and solving the crime seemed to be well down the list of objectives for the book. And I was really sad that, although the writer described every rock, tree and wall in minute detail, there was absolutely no sense of atmosphere and the bright, enveloping warmth of the Bordeaux region was completely absent.
If you enjoy a meandering read in an old-fashioned and pedantic style, you may enjoy this series; but it wasn't for me.
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
3.0
2 1/2 stars, but partly because I'm *very* picky about cozy mysteries and rarely like them.
I found the writing to be better quality than some cozy mysteries I've tried to read, and I liked the information about wine making that was threaded through the story. Be aware, despite being a cozy mystery, this isn't the 'dead bodies around every corner' kind of story, so don't be confused as I was when they don't appear. The mystery part wasn't that amazing, in fact, but if you're okay with a heavy emphasis on the 'cozy' in cozy mystery, and have any interest in France ans winemaking, you should probably give this one a try.
As far as content, there was almost none. I think some very minor language, and brief overly personal descriptions of a couple of females, but nothing most teens couldn't handle easily.
I found the writing to be better quality than some cozy mysteries I've tried to read, and I liked the information about wine making that was threaded through the story. Be aware, despite being a cozy mystery, this isn't the 'dead bodies around every corner' kind of story, so don't be confused as I was when they don't appear. The mystery part wasn't that amazing, in fact, but if you're okay with a heavy emphasis on the 'cozy' in cozy mystery, and have any interest in France ans winemaking, you should probably give this one a try.
As far as content, there was almost none. I think some very minor language, and brief overly personal descriptions of a couple of females, but nothing most teens couldn't handle easily.
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