The French Winemaker’s Daughter

A Novel

De: Loretta Ellsworth

Narrado por: Caroline Hewitt

Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis.

1942. Seven-year-old Martine hides in an armoire when the Nazis come to take her father away. Pinned to her dress is a note with her aunt’s address in Paris, and in her arms, a bottle of wine she has been instructed to look after if something happened to her papa. When they are finally gone, the terrified young girl drops the bottle and runs to a neighbor, who puts her on a train to Paris.

But when Martine arrives in the city, her aunt is nowhere to be found. Without a place to go, the girl wanders the streets and eventually falls asleep on the doorstep of Hotel Drouot, where Sister Ada finds her and takes her to the abbey, and watches over her.

1990. Charlotte, a commercial airline pilot, attends an auction with her boyfriend Henri at Hotel Drouot, now the oldest auction house in Paris. Successfully bidding on a box of wine saved from the German occupation during the Second World War, Henri gives Charlotte a seemingly inferior bottle he finds inside the box. Cleaning the label, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery that sends her on a quest to find the origins of this unusual—and very valuable—bottle of wine, a quest that will take her back fifty years into the past. . . .

A powerful tale of love, war, and family, The French Winemaker’s Daughter is an emotionally resonant tale of two women whose fates are intertwined across time. Loretta Ellsworth’s evocative and poignant pause-resister will linger in the heart, and make you think about luck, connection, and the meaning of loyalty.

©2024 Loretta Ellsworth (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Good story and plot. Keeps you interested

I could figure out the plot pretty easily but this was a good happy read

Loved the Martine story the parallel story of Charlotte not so much

This is not my favorite story by this author.It was very hard to like Charlotte and with her abrasive personality,and loose morals.
The unnecessary descriptions of “Paris nightlife “ were not attractive.
Martines story was very interesting Historically.
The characters and plot were believable . The narration was very good .

I love this story

A wonderful story, told so well., with a really good narrator. So evocative, beautiful prose.

A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

Historical fiction is a favorite of mine as history takes on humanity. What started out as an extra book that was on sale, ended up an incredible delight. World War II took on humanity and I learned and I loved and I cried and I smiled. I highly recommend this book.

A great book

I loved this book. It grabbed my attention right away and didn’t want to put it down.

Intriguing!

I got hooked quickly. I loved the way the author developed the characters as they matured and intertwined throughout the story.

Captivating.

Well written.
Brought tears to my eyes several times.
Gave me goosebumps.
Always strive to do the right things in your journey through life.

Fun and engaging!

This story is fun and entertaining. It’s a little simple but definitely worth listening to.

Incredible book

Includes information about how the Nazis took over French Vineyards and stole high value wines, orphans, saving of a little girl.

Worth the listen

I listened to this at work over the course of a few days and it actually had me looking forward to work. Every time I realized I wasn’t paying attention, I’d rewind to make sure I got the whole story line. Almost made me cry at least once. It’s a good story, like the others say the ending is predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The mental movie I imagined while listening was pleasant. Charlotte had me rolling my eyes a lot because she can be annoying but I did look forward to hearing her parts of the story.