The Lost Vintage

A Novel

De: Ann Mah

Narrado por: Saskia Maarleveld

Sweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this pause-resisting novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.

To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance. Suddenly finding herself without a job and with the test a few months away, she travels to Burgundy to spend the fall at the vineyard estate that has belonged to her family for generations. There she can bolster her shaky knowledge of Burgundian vintages and reconnect with her cousin Nico and his wife, Heather, who now oversee day-to-day management of the grapes. The one person Kate hopes to avoid is Jean-Luc, a talented young winemaker and her first love.

At the vineyard house, Kate is eager to help her cousin clean out the enormous basement that is filled with generations of discarded and forgotten belongings. Deep inside the cellar, behind a large armoire, she discovers a hidden room containing a cot, some Resistance pamphlets, and an enormous cache of valuable wine. Piqued by the secret space, Kate begins to dig into her family’s history - a search that takes her back to the dark days of World War II and introduces her to a relative she never knew existed, a great-half-aunt who was a teenager during the Nazi occupation.

As she learns more about her family, the line between resistance and collaboration blurs, driving Kate to find the answers to two crucial questions: Who, exactly, did her family aid during the difficult years of the war? And what happened to six valuable bottles of wine that seem to be missing from the cellar’s collection?

©2018 Ann Mah (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

“If you enjoyed my Sarah’s Key and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, then this wonderful book by Ann Mah is for you.” (Tatiana de Rosnay, author)

Beautiful and compelling

The story was well written and did a lovely job of weaving together the past with today. I want to go to France now!

The Lost Vintage

I read this upon the recommendation mentioned in the afterword of “The Winemakers Wife” which is also excellent. Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorite narrators.

I loved this story, I finished in in 1 weekend. I loved both protagonists in the past and present day storylines. Both relatable and likable. For those wondering, I appreciated the lack of repeated swearing and the off-page love scenes.

Read it! 😉

Lovely Book

This was a lovely and interesting tale of love and mystery. The narration was beautifully done Even when switching characters. I Love a story with a happy ending.

love

I feel in love with this story from a book club, and now I can't stop listing to it. I fall in love all over again.💛❤💛❤💜💛

Story of a family separately, yet intertwined.

Suspense, emotion, life priorities. A wonderful tale incorporating the growing, tasting and savoring the burgundy wines.

Spell binding

Wow! I am so glad this book was recommended to me! The story is so compelling, in both time periods. I might have even learned something about viticulture! Saskia Maarleveld always brings me in close to the characters with her intimate narration.

Romance, charming yet reality history, great learning.

The historical aspects of this story are sobering, inspiring deep thought about our world today. The romance is rather predictable, but that’s fine, given the likeability of the characters. The use of the French language here and there was a little hard to get through unless one knows some French to begin with. Learning so much about the Science of Wine gives a deeper appreciation for that delicious subject. All around a great book!

Viv la France vino mucho gusto

The story had slight overtones of sunflower with a deep base of black cherry. Happy ending is always a plus.

A Nice Wine Read

This book is the type of book you curl up with and drink wine to. When you think you know how the plot will go, well you're wrong. The writing style isn't overly floral. I appreciate a story that allows the story plot speak for itself, instead of adding way too many useless adjectives to compensate for a badly written story line.

Vintage

Fantastic story about a family in France during WWII and how they overcame the many challenges that they faced using the vineyards in which they lived.