The Lost Vintage: A Novel

If you are a book lover and you love France, or wine, or WWII, or women making their way, or historical fiction, or sommeliers, or mystery (and some romance for good measure). . . you will LOVE this book. Ann Mah makes her story come alive and everything is so spot on (my husband is a sommelier, and I've lived in France for more than 12 years. . . so I'm picky about these things!).I read it in two nights . . the plot twists and turns kept me going, and the language describing the beauty of Burgundy is so beguiling. This would be a wonderful smart vacation read -- except I was unable to put it aside until my vacation (!).The American protagonist, who is half-French, asks herself early on where her "chez moi" is:"I had spent enough time in France to know that the words 'chez moi' meant something a thousand times more profound than one's current home. 'Chez moi' was the place your parents came from, or maybe even the region of your parents' parents. The food you ate at Christmas, your favorite kind of cheese, your best childhood memories of summer vacation -- all of these derived from 'chez moi.' And even if you had never lived there, 'chez moi' was knitted into your very identity; it colored the way you viewed the world and the way the world viewed you."That's only one of several passages I highlighted on my Kindle. The book is full of beautiful language -- Ann's love of the French landscape, the seasons in the vineyard, and the pleasures of the French table, both food and wine, come alive in the book through her characters and their perceptions.An absolute pleasure, I highly recommend

A lost diary, a lost vintage, a lost love. And unknown relative and an unknown hidden seller; both discovered. Beautifully descriptive and seamlessly woven between present characters and time, and the past with Helene's diary. Past and present, mystery, family drama, love, and history. All come together for a rich and delicious story.

I know this is a work of fiction, but I could have easily believed it as non-fiction. It kept my attention. Invited to a book club where this book was to be discussed, I had my reservations. I have focused on memoirs for so long, I didn't think this would interest me. I was wrong. There was historical fiction, romance, mystery, and more. Highly recommend.

Summary: two time period historical romance centered on the French resistance and burgundy wine 🍷 7.5/10The good: two likable heroines from two periods of time. Both storylines are quick paced, interesting, and well written. This story has mystery, romance, adventure, lots of 🍷, and written well; hard not to love it.The bad: the ending felt like it was very abrupt to me and a bit cliche. It also annoyed me how many times the present day heroine “chewed on her inner lip.” That phrase was used excessively and got annoying by the end.

I loved the story and the "story within a story". The setting, French culture , characters, are all well developed.

The author is a good writer who developed the characters and plot competently. But the underlying message distracted me from deeply enjoying the book. This idea of taking personal responsibility for our ancestors is such utter hogwash that it destroyed the story. How can anyone embrace the actions of others to the point that it adversely affects their present? An individual is lucky if they can manage their own life and actions. To take responsibility for those who died before we were born is the height if arrogance.I can't help but wonder if the author is on some sort of personal crusade to make others feel guilty for the actions of others. Well, this reader isn't buying that type of warped thinking. I refuse to embrace blame or glory from my ancestors. After all, I had absolutely no part in their actions or decisions and refuse to be a victim of those actions and choices.

Disclosure: Ann Mah is an acquaintance of mine, I met her on a few occasions when I lived in Paris, and I consider her a friend. That all being said, I was truly and honestly captivated by the stories of Hélène and Kate, and how they intersect. Taking place in both WWII occupied France and the present day, Kate learns her family has secrets, and she endeavors to solve the mysteries revealed to her when she learns of a relation, Hélène, whom she has never heard about prior to discovering Hélène’s belongings in the cellar of the old family home located at their vineyard and winery. The mysteries are shadowed by the Shoah and both the collaboration and resistance occurring in occupied France. Those who say that they think novels taking place during the Shoah in France have been written too many times would do well to recall the admonition “Never Forget.” It’s an important theme to keep alive in fiction and non-fiction so that we will, indeed, not forget. This novel should proudly take a place on the shelf with similar novels as Sarah’s Key, The Paris Library, The Nightingale, and All The Light We Cannot See. I don’t think we can have enough good books about how a nation can easily be taken over by fascism, and the devastating effects it has on human behavior. If you are interested in reading about wine, France, mystery, romance, pain and triumph in adversity, and redemption, you’ll enjoy this novel a lot. I admit I have had the Kindle edition for a couple of years— I have had difficulty sitting and reading the past few years. I recently added the Audible narration to the ebook and found myself zipping through, hardly able to put the book down. It was a joy to listen to and also to read (I do both when I get the ebook/audio combo). I’m really glad I finally got around to reading. I was left very sated and pleased with this novel.

This is a story that can attract so many types of people. You may love the story because you love wine, you love history, you love France, you love true romance, or your curiosity is piqued. Mah does a wonderful job of entangling many threads of modern-day and WWII events then slowly untangling them. Kat struggles with her own ambitions as well as with her family’s secrets, and you will find yourself rooting for her to figure out her past and her future. Well done!

I found the book thoroughly engrossing on three counts: I learned a lot about wine making in France; I learned much more about the loyalties and betrayals in times of war; and I was enthralled by the characters’ trials and triumphs. A great summer read, any time of year!

Enjoyed learning more about the Nazi occupancy of Burgundy during WWII. We enjoy fine wines and have done a self guided bike trip there. This book added numerous distinctions to what we learned during our bicycle adventure. A magical place.

The Lost Vintage is a wonderful read. I truly felt connected to Katherine and her search for the truth. I appreciated that France was not a kind place in the war years, but Helene's journal opened up a view that, as 21st Century readers, would not be able to see for ourselves. Decisions wouldn't be easy during that time and watching the struggle of emotion felt real.

Very moving story wrapped in a mystery. Very well told and will leave you a little shook in that the very way wrongly accused women were treated after the war is happening today. Everyone deserves their day in court and when mob mentality rules the day, we are all lost.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were pleasant or at least most of them. The description of wine tasting was interesting - didn't feel like I was being lectured. Most enjoyable read!