What a wonderful story with strong lead female characters. A tumultuous time in history comes alive in the telling of a story by Emma the lead character. Hard to put this one down. Grabs you from the beginning and keeps you hanging on until the end. Good read.

I thought this was an amazing story and quite the read. It wasn't quite a page turner but it kept my interest. Would certainly recommend and would certainly read this author again.

I enjoyed this fictionalized accounting of a remarkable woman's life. As I am fairly late to reviewing the ARC, I am basing my opinions on the audiobook. I appreciated the author's note providing insight into her research. I didn't find this to be a particularly fast paced or exciting novel, but it was an entertaining look at a successful woman entrepreneur through very impactful events and decades of recent history. It piqued my curiosity about "The First Emma" and brewing history plus makes me want to travel to San Antonio.

A beautifully crafted portrait of an intriguing woman, The First Emma is Camille Di Maio at her finest. Mystery and romance are set against the backdrop of fascinating pieces of twentieth century history, and a richly drawn setting leaves the reader feeling wholly immersed. Historical fiction fans will love this one!

Review coming soon. Fell behind due to illness, amd working on all of the old ones now.

This one will not be forgotten. Camille Di Mail always takes me away. I fell in love with this story, there hasn’t been a book by her that I haven’t fallen deeply for, She has a graceful hand!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.


Pub Date was May 5, 2020
#TheFirstEmma #CamilleDiMaio #NetGalley

Head back to the early 1900s in this dual timeline, 1914 and 1943 story about Otto Koehler and his wife Emma. The author is highlighting a true story of Emma Koehler and her impact on keeping her family brewery open & running during the Prohibition. This historical fiction novel highlights the strength and resiliency that Emma had as a women during a time in history when it was a primarily male=run industry.

DiMaio's writing is fascinating and well-paced. She sets up the storyline of Emma being interviewed for a memoir in the 1940s and reflecting back on her life and how she became an ingenuous CEO following her husband's death. Set in Texas and about the Pearl Brewery's history, this is a great read.

A beautiful love and life story. Emma is married to Otto Koehler, founder of San Antonio Brewing Association. After a car accident, Otto finds warmth in the beds of Emma's two nurses, also named Emma. As the drama unfolds, Emma learns to the meaning of success. Now close to death, Emma is ready to tell her story and finds a woman who will write it for her. But is there more to the story?

A touching, wonderful book. Highly recommended!

This story tells of a woman that I did not know much about. I was very intrigued by her story. However, I found the novel to be very confusing. I could not keep the two Emma’s straight. I also found the character of Mabel to be very irrelevant and much preferred her to be eliminated. Mabel’s story and romance was very distracting from the main plot. The story also dragged a bit in the beginning, and it was not until over the halfway mark that it began to pick up. Overall, this is a story of deceit, friendship, and acceptance. However, it was disjointed and not well-put together. The timelines made it difficult to follow. Still, I recommend this book to fans of strong characters.

After coming back and rereading the synopsis, I no longer believe I would enjoy this book to it’s full potential.

3.5/5 stars

First off I loved the blurb, in no way does it give the story away with too many details (sometimes spoilers).

As the title implies there is more than one Emma. It may sound daunting with the possibility of confusion but it's not at all. Told from the POV of the first Emma which begins in her 80's but then goes back in time, we get to hear her story.

For me The First Emma got off to a slow start, especially when Winnipeg was placed in Ontario not Manitoba (copy edit where are you?) Not a good first impression for this proud Canadian. Mabel joins the cast and these two women together made a great pair. The unveiling of secrets, desires and heartache come through and given this book is inspired from true events made it all the more interesting.

I find lately that timing is everything when it comes to books I read. I was graciously given a digital arc and planned on reviewing back before publication date, which was May 5th, 2021 but at the time it wasn't a proper fit. This time it was. An unknown piece of history with a strong formidable woman. The newspaper articles closing each chapter gave insight to what transpired in the courts.

This is my first time reading Camille Di Maio and I will be back for more. I love the unknown pieces of history along with strong women ahead of their time.

Again my thanks to the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this book.

I did not know this was based on a true story and the history is authentic in some ways. The beginning of the book started w/the murder of Otto by one of his mistresses which played a part in between chapter's of Emma's life with newspaper clippings of how both were arrested and on trial.

I liked the fact that I learned The First Emma's life and the way she was so independent in the early 1900s and basically ran her husband's Otto's beer company. He was a philanderer and lived in a house w/3 Emmas, the first one being the first Emma's nurse, the second one was her physical therapist after an accident that almost had her paralyzed.

I loved the story of Mabel and how she moved from Baltimore to San Antonio to write Emma's life down even having no experience. She became a big part of Emma's life and loved her like a mother after losing her mother at a young age. There was Emma's big family and her "nephew" Erik who was really a cousin but yet the only one from her mother's side. There was another side to this story and it came out after Erik and Mabel fell in love.

In 1914, newlyweds Emma and Otto Koehler move to San Antonio in Texas and Emma knows her husband is very ambitious. Otto’s frugal, he likes to save money, and Emma never questions his thriftiness and business plans. Despite knowing her husband wants to be successful, Emma didn’t release it would take over his life, they become extremely wealthy and the distance between the couple grows. Alone in the mansion her husband built, Emma’s childless, lonely and a tragic accident robs her of her independence. Otto has a series of affairs, with two of the nurses he hires to care for his wife and she’s hurt by her husband infidelity. Emma’s a strong woman, she gave Otto ideas to help create the thriving brewery business, she wants power in the company, and a cheating Otto's shot by one of his mistresses.

In 1943, Mabel Harley leaves freezing Baltimore, her alcoholic father has disappeared, and her brother Robert has been killed in training and her brother Buck is listed as missing in action. Mabel applied for a job listed in a newspaper, an older lady in San Antonio wants someone to write her memoirs and Emma is shocked when she’s hired. Emma Koehler is now eighty two, her physical disability and her husband’s death didn’t hold her back, and she adapted the brewery business along the way to make sure it survived prohibition and the great depression.

By moving to San Antonio Mabel takes a risk, she finds a new home and unfortunately time is quickly running out for Emma to tell Mabel her life story. Just when Mabel’s given up on love, she meets Erik Garrel, a member of Emma’s extended family and did a wise Emma play match maker?

The First Emma is a story that honors the real Emma Koehler, a woman running a business in a man-centered world and industry and her story should inspire younger generation of women to follow in her footsteps.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, another well written and thoroughly researched book by Camille Di Maio and five stars from me.

Camille Di Maio is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is very engaging, captures your attention and draws you into the story. I loved the use of a real characters intertwined with fictional characters. I'm so intrigued now about Emma Koehler and how she took on a "mans" job in an era that was not all acceptable. A beautiful story of a strong woman. Now I need to visit San Antonio.

As the publisher's blurb says, this is indeed a tale of love, war, beer, and the power of women. Camille Di Maio makes it clear from the beginning that her story is "inspired by true events", and in her Author's Note at the end tells how she fleshed out the little that's known about "the first Emma", Emma Koehler, and her marriage. More is known about the 1914 murder in question - of Emma Koehler's husband Otto by another of his (three!) Emmas, and that murder is where the book begins. News stories about the murder are sprinkled throughout the book. But as the title suggests the book is truly about Emma Koehler. It's the story of her life with Otto, the role she played in the early days of their company Pearl Brewery and how she kept the company going after Otto's death, including surviving Prohibition, and it's told within the framework of "interviews" in 1943 with a fictional young woman whom she hires to transcribe her life story. It's a fascinating read, and if I ever get back to San Antonio my sightseeing plans will include the sites in this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

A fascinating historical fiction featuring one of my favorite things: breweries! There really need to be more titles in the historical fiction and/or literary fiction genre that include the interesting world of brewing.

I will be reading more titles by this author, and would recommend this title to anyone who likes historical fiction, and needs a title not set during WWII.

I loved the little hint of history and fact with the newspapers and the basis of the story, but I also love how fictional characters and a story line were woven into the novel. Camille does a wonderful job of bringing unknown/little known historical people and places to life.

Interesting historical story - well written with great atmosphere. I did confuse the Emma's a few times, but I loved the premise and the broad sweeping historical aspect of it. I also absolutely loved the added news articles between chapters - really a great addition to the story!

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This title was a perfect blend of historical fiction, which I appreciated even more after the author’s note at the end of the novel regarding her inspiration and research. Di Maio weaves a great tale of murder, romance, and legacy against the colorful backdrop of unique historical events and places. I enjoyed learning more about brewing, the Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Although pronoun heavy in the dialogue, there were several jewel sound bites that demanded to be reread and savored. I especially found the female protagonists impressive, and celebrated the exploration of successful female business leadership and mentorship in a time where that was the exception to the rule.

Unfortunately I am not a fan of this book. The beginning dragged quite a bit and I quickly lost interest.