The Champagne Letters

By: Kate MacIntosh

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Jackie Sanders

Perfect for fans of bubbly wine and Kristin Harmel, this historical fiction novel follows Mme. Clicquot as she builds her legacy, and the modern divorcée who looks to her letters for inspiration.

Reims, France, 1805: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot has just lost her beloved husband but is determined to pursue their dream of creating the premier champagne house in France, now named for her new identity as a widow: Veuve Clicquot. With the Russians poised to invade, competitors fighting for her customers, and the Napoleonic court politics complicating matters, she must set herself apart quickly and permanently if she, and her business, are to survive.

In present day Chicago, broken from her divorce, Natalie Taylor runs away to Paris. In a book stall by the Seine, Natalie finds a collection of the Widow Clicquot’s published letters and uses them as inspiration to step out of her comfort zone and create a new, empowered life for herself. But when her Parisian escape takes a shocking and unexpected turn, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she accept her losses and return home, or fight for the future she’s only dreamed about? What would the widow do?

©2024 Kate MacIntosh (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Historical Fiction

The story kept you moving between past & present. The writing & narration we're very good. A little mystery mixed in with a surprise. I recommend this enjoyable read.

Stunning

I knew nothing about this novel when I picked it up. Well, something about France and champagne. But I knew this author could pull of a masterpiece, even if she was writing in a new genre and under a new pen name.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Who can’t relate to Natalie? Or at least empathize with her? Discovering her husband of more than twenty years is having an affair? Leaving that marriage with half of the belongings and downsizing from a house to a condo? Knowing those around her, including her best friend Molly, all feel sorry for her?

She needs out.

If only for a break.

So she heads to France. A misunderstanding lands her in a lovely hotel room with a new friend who is dedicated to helping her start fresh. So what if all this is based on that misunderstanding? Natalie’s entitled to some happiness, right?

As she’s perusing a book store, she finds the letters of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. A widow whose story began more than 200 years ago. Yet whose experiences as a widow, making her way in the world, are so relevant and near to Natalie’s own journey of self-awareness. Barbe-Nicole defined herself as a wife for years. Natalie did everything to be the best wife to the husband she later discovered had cheated. Both women found themselves alone at times in their lives they didn’t predict. And while Natalie has modern conveniences and the women’s movement to thank for her relative independence, Barbe-Nicole was very much stuck in the patriarchal world where women were defined by the men in their lives.

She fought against that her entire life.

When Natalie’s fresh start turns into more, a reader might be forgiven for expecting the story to go a certain way.

Ah, but Kate’s got something up her sleeve.

I won’t say more except I couldn’t have been more pleased with the end of the story. How both women – Natalie and Barbe-Nicole – forged their own paths. The book left me breathless.

Cassandra Campbell and Jackie Saunders were truly two phenomenal narrators. From Natalie’s subtle American to Barbe-Nicole’s lyrical French accent, I was swept away by the talents of the women. From Napoleon’s France through to modern day Paris and the French countryside, I enjoyed a rich tapestry that made me want to visit this wonderful country.

This book is a must listen. I know I’m a better person for having done it.

Story kept my attention.

I often read historical fiction. Enjoyed that the history covered in this book was French history.