The Widows of Champagne

By: Renee Ryan

Narrated by: Karen Peakes

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

For fans of Lilac Girls and The Lost Girls of Paris comes a captivating novel of resilience, as three generations of women battle to save their family's vineyard during WWII.

Champagne, 1939

Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family's future into her hands. While she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouché-Leblanc's most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn't the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal…

A former Parisian socialite, Gabrielle's mother, Hélène, lost her husband to another war. Now her home has been requisitioned by the Germans, who pillage vineyards to satisfy the Third Reich's thirst for the finest champagne. There's even more at stake than Hélène dares admit. She has kept her heritage a secret…and no one is safe in Nazi-occupied France.

Josephine, the family matriarch, watches as her beloved vineyard faces its most difficult harvest yet. As her daughter-in-law and granddaughters contend with the enemies and unexpected allies in their midst, Josephine's deep faith leads to her own path of resistance.

Across years and continents, the Leblanc women will draw on their courage and wits, determined against all odds to preserve their lives, their freedom and their legacy…

©2021 Renee Ryan (P)2021 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Vineyard, Wine, Champagne in WWII

Interesting setting for a light WWII story where men were scarce and the women had to make sacrifices and concessions and put aside morale convictions to achieve a greater plan.

The strength of the three women.

I enjoyed this audio immensely. The three women were so strong and so loved their heritage. They were resilient.

Great historical novel

Liked the family story of women who did what they had to do during WW2

Great book that incorporates a wonderful element of faith

So refreshing to read a book that incorporates themes of faith in God and a reliance on him to persevere through even the most difficult of tragedies. And a wonderful story to boot!

Strong Women Survive

An interesting approach to WWII with insight into the champagne region and the making of champagne. There generations of women try to survive Nazi oppression. There is their feminine wiles, their intelligence and their strong characters to keep from falling into the Nazi traps.

Lack of factual detail — historic novels need a bit more to be compelling

I love WWII stories and an opportunity to to learn more about what people on both sides and in many different situations experienced. This one spent too much time with emotional helplessness, saying how terrible the enemy was without much factual detail about anything a little more research might have informed the author about, that could have filled out the story better— things such as details about what was going on in that specific region, a little more about the resistance, or more realistic details about dementia. For instance Josephine’s journal seemed a bit far fetched. Dementia patients have a much firmer grasp of the past than the present. To much whining and more meat to the story would’ve made it a better book

The war took so much but not their courage!

3 generations of strong women and a story of family and love. The war took so much from so many but a “little light in the darkness” changed their lives forever. I enjoyed this story and the talents of the narrator.

Evil persecution of Jewish people and bravery of those who tried to help.

Based on truths of life in France during WWII. How French police were complicit with Nazi goal of eliminating the Jewish people in their country.

Fantastic story

I so enjoyed this audible<from the very beginning. I learned a lot about the champagne business and how delicate the process to make it is.
The story had a lot of suspense and I had to walk away several times cause I was frightened of what the nazis would do. These brave brave women went thru so much Even if I had not loved the book I would have seen it thru just to make sure one particular person got what was coming to him Highly recommend this audible for fans of ww2 fiction

The reality of the story.

It is a true love story. The personalities of all the people were excellent described and performed.