The secrets of sainte madeleine

Excellent. Loved it. Page turner!

How much do you love family sagas? If you grew up in the 80's, you will know it was the time for great music, crazy hair, and family sagas. Television Shows like Dallas and best sellers like Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, dominated the decade.I guess if you've grown up with the likes of those, family sagas will forever have a special place in your reading heart. The Secrets of Sainte Madeleine ticked all the right boxes:* Fictional drama focusing on one or more generations in one family and their fates, fortunes and passions* Interconnected families with age old grudges and crushes* The story spans several decades* Deep Historical roots* Throw in an old family legend, and the deal is sealed* Happily ever after isn't necessarily in everyone's timelineSainte Madeleine has been the home of the Salignac Family for generations. Born and bred with the believe that the butterflies of Sainte Madeleine will always show favor to the Salignacs, Elise believes that nothing and no-one will ever stand in the way of her birthright.Her Brother Alex, who is a better business man with visionary insights that the family hasn't seen in ages, can't stand to see the decline of the vineyard under their father's drunken stupors and he leaves for Napa, California after yet another family feud.The Salignac family are close with the Senard family, a couple of miles down the road. Enter Laurent Senard. The brooding, tall, dark and handsome son whose love for Elise took root when they were nothing more than children.Yes, it does appear as if family feuds might be the biggest drama these families will ever face, but throw in the Spanish Revolution and WWII and the plot thickens, unfortunately not with honey.I found myself reading late into the night (and that on a cellphone) to uncover more and more secrets, lies, sorrows and celebrations revolving around the magical chateau that is Sainte Madeleine. I got so mad at some of the characters and rooted for others. Exactly how I want my Family Saga served.This was my first time reading anything by Tilly Bagshawe, but I am definitely taking a look at a few of her other books as well. She captured the emotions, character trades and sometimes ruthless actions of these characters with compassion and empathy in such a way that you find yourself gasping in shock the one moment and feeling sorry for the very same character two chapters later.A big shout out to The Pigeonhole Book Club in your pocket for granting us a slot on the serialization of this book. Perfect choice! I loved waiting for the release of every new stave almost as much as we used to love for a new episode of Dallas....If you love Family Sagas encrusted in a strong historical background, do try The Secrets of Sainte Madeleine. I promise, it won't disappoint.

Starting in the 1920s and spanning over 50 years, THE SECRETS OF SAINTE MADELEINE sizzles with its tale of lost love and second chances. It introduces the Salignac clan who are proud owners of a rich vineyard in Burgundy, France. When the goings get tough early on into the story, the egotistic, irresponsible alcoholic patriarch has no choice but to sell off the many farms around the vineyard, a decision that does not bode well for the family, especially the middle son who ends up making a fast getaway to the States. Soon the younger daughter follows suit, landing up in Paris, eventually marrying a wealthy but domineering Greek playboy whom she comes to hate. That leaves the introverted and misunderstood older son who just happens to be gay and who finds himself having the hots for the local priest. All this is just a smidge of what awaits the reader. Add an impossible love affair between a French woman and a Nazi officer, the lost of a child from a fatal disease, the execution of a wannabe lover for high treason... and you got yourself one juicy family saga you won’t want to miss.Tilly Bagshawe has certainly made a thorough research, since the novel is filled with many insightful historical moments (mostly of war and politics) which naturally add a touch of realism to the already engaging plot and subplots. As expected, the narrative is top notch, as are the characters who may be abundant in supply but always remain authentic and transparent. Even the chateau of Sainte Madeleine is a character on its own, with its magnificent splendor; the many acres of vineyard surrounding it and its in-book alliance to The Legend of the Butterfly allegory (beautifully told, I might add). Suffice to say the reader is in good hands with this epic, well-paced, fascinating novel. Starting in the 1920s and spanning over 50 years, THE SECRETS OF SAINTE MADELEINE sizzles with its tale of lost love and second chances. It introduces the Salignac clan who are proud owners of a rich vineyard in Burgundy, France. When the goings get tough early on into the story, the egotistic, irresponsible alcoholic patriarch has no choice but to sell off the many farms around the vineyard, a decision that does not bode well for the family, especially the middle son who ends up making a fast getaway to the States. Soon the younger daughter follows suit, landing up in Paris, eventually marrying a wealthy but domineering Greek playboy whom she comes to hate. That leaves the introverted and misunderstood older son who just happens to be gay and who finds himself having the hots for the local priest. All this is just a smidge of what awaits the reader. Add an impossible love affair between a French woman and a Nazi officer, the lost of a child from a fatal disease, the execution of a wannabe lover for high treason... and you got yourself one juicy family saga you won’t want to miss.Tilly Bagshawe has certainly made a thorough research, since the novel is filled with many insightful historical moments (mostly of war and politics) which naturally add a touch of realism to the already engaging plot and subplots. As expected, the narrative is top notch, as are the characters who may be abundant in supply but always remain authentic and transparent. Even the chateau of Sainte Madeleine is a character on its own, with its magnificent splendor; the many acres of vineyard surrounding it and its in-book alliance to The Legend of the Butterfly allegory (beautifully told, I might add). Suffice to say the reader is in good hands with this epic, well-paced, fascinating novel. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I have been a reader of all of Tilly's books from her first one! Every book is so great, you never can put it down and the best part of her writing is you feel like you are there, in person being one of the characters. Also, the endings are never, never what you expect and that is the best part of reading a great book! Thank you Tilly for writing this wonderful book about the wine family dynasty! It is fabulous and I can not wait until your next book comes out! Keep them coming!!!!

I read this through my online book club and must admit it was a struggle to keep reading. Starting in the 1920s and spanning over 50 years this family saga filled with despicable characters and implausible incidents not to mention more deaths than a serial killer crime story, failed to engage me. I lost interest early on and felt the story was at least 20% too long. I found the storytelling waned between being overly simplistic and overly melodramatic but the good news is not everyone felt similarly and there were readers who loved it. 2 and a half stars.