The House of Mondavi

The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty

De: Julia Flynn Siler

Narrado por: Alan Sklar

Set in California's lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, The House of Mondavi is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corporation's 21st-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn Siler brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama.

The blood feuds are as spectacular as the business triumphs. Cesare's sons, Robert and Peter, literally came to blows in the 1960s during a dispute touched off by the purchase of a mink coat, resulting in Robert's exile from the family - and his subsequent founding of a winery that would set off a revolution in American winemaking. Robert's sons, Michael and Timothy, as passionate in their own ways as their visionary father, waged battles with each other for control of the company before Michael's expansive ambitions ultimately led to a board coup and the sale of the business to an international conglomerate.

A meticulously reported narrative based on thousands of hours of interviews, The House of Mondavi is bound to become a classic.

©2007 Julia Flynn Siler (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

" The House of Mondavi's cast rivals that of the 1980s wine-country melodrama Falcon Crest, with episodes of sex, violence, greed, envy, nepotism, and betrayal...[and] a King Lear-like storyline." ( Wine Spectator Online)

The House of Mandavi

This is a great book for anyone interested in the evolution of the Napa Wine Industry. Interwoven is the high and complex price paid by highly motivated family members driven by some times mutually exclusive goals. It is a fasinating story written in a very entertaining manner. It is also very well read. One of my best non-fiction selections.

Compelling strory of a family's self distruction

Would you consider the audio edition of The House of Mondavi to be better than the print version?

A very interesting story of the first family of wine in Napa Valley. A very interesting story about the Valley and all the wine makers. The family story is very sad on a multi generational level. Very compelling listening. The narrator is a little boring.

Is this worth a listen?

I am listening to this recount of the trials and tribulations of the famous California wine family and their dysfunction. This is a true story culled from interviews with the principals and other verified sources by the author. It reads like a novel. We experience dramatic highs and lows, legal wranglings, adultery and betrayals. Unfortunately, the narrator for this recording was not good. He narrates the story as though it is his first read through with emphases and pauses in all the wrong places. He has a pleasant enough voice, but his inflections and voice modulations are the same for most of the phrases and sentences and is very distracting and annoying. The content is however worth it. My choice were I to do this again would be to skip the audiobook and read the book on my Kindle.

Great

So reminiscent of the Gallo family story which is also a good read but tragic at the same time.

beyond the vines

This book provided a very deep dive into the history of the Mondavi family, and its rise and fall in the wine business. Full of details, you get a great taste of the family dynamics as well as a glimpse into how the wine industry works. Solid narration and well flowing story.