I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Rebecca Rosenberg about her novel "Champagne Widows" for the Storytime in Paris podcast. Here is what I said:

My guest this week is lavender farmer, self-professed Champagne geek, and award-winning author Rebecca Rosenberg. Rebecca is known for writing historical fiction about strong women, and her latest book “Champagne Widows” is the story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, better known as Veuve Clicquot, the remarkable woman behind the world-renowned Champagne house, who defied Napoleon and built a Champagne empire.

“Champagne Widows” infuses history with sarcasm, humor, loads of personality, a hint of the supernatural, and more than a touch of humanity. It was named Editor’s Choice by the Historical Novel Society, and won Breathless Book of the Year, among others. In our interview, Rebecca discusses what it’s like to research and write about true life personalities, how to infuse realism and the supernatural, and how one nose changed Champagne forever. Then, she treats us to a reading from “Champagne Widows.”

This book was a great opportunity for me to discover the life of Barbe-Nicole Cliquot-Ponsardin. She was gifted with the talent of being a "Nez" and creating innovative champagne both with the new developing knowledge and technology as well as by assembly of different wines. But much more than that, she was one of the first successful business women of her times. Being a widow gave her the right to do business by herself and she was excellent at it, producing good wine, employing travellers and developing the company through the Napoleonic troubled times. She developed a successful market in Russia and also marketed champagne as the drink of festivities and aristocracy. The book tells her story as a novel, alternating it with the historical backdrop of the times. As a French reader, I thought it was a pity that the author included all these French quotes and words which contained quite a few errors. The idea was very good because it would have contributed well to the atmosphere of the book, but a French revision is definitely needed. Thank you to the author for bringing to life the story of this amazing lady. I enjoyed the story and it made me read more about her.

Champagne Widows is such a lovely and entertaining story that takes the reader through a voyage to the past. Rebecca Rosenberg mixes history facts with fiction and delights readers with information on how wine and champagne are made and how an important brand became worldly renowned. For the lovers of champagne, this book is a must-read!

If you're looking for a book to toast the weekend - cheers! This one might be for you! Steeped in history from the Napoleonic period, author, Rebecca Rosenberg, shares the dramatized history behind everyone's favourite brand of champagne - Veuve Clicquot! We follow the real Veuve Clicquot as she takes on the wine world with her superior "nez" - nose for wine! Veuve Clicquot was a woman completely ahead of her time, so what better time to celebrate a real trailblazer than during Women's History Month.

I enjoyed this read, the history, the pacing, the only aspect of the story I didn't like was the element of the grotesque which felt a little out of place in this setting.

This beauty was published on March 1 and is available now for your reading pleasure.

Thank you to Net Galley, Lion Heart Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Whenever we look back into the olden days before the ideological revolutions that have shaped the modern thinking we subscribe to today, we often see history through the male lens, and the early 19th century is no exception. Particularly well known during that time is Napoleon Bonaparte's relentless expansion through the continents, continuously flexing his skills as a top-notch general and basking in its glory. It might come as a surprise that during that time, a woman by the name of Veuve (Widow) Clicquot, called Barbe-Nicole before her husband's tragic death, well known for her exceptional olfactory capabilities, which have earned her the nickname "Le Nez", which means "The Nose" in French, has made her own conquests in a totally different realm, the glorious realm of champagne.

This work of fiction delves into Veuve Clicquot's beginnings, as a star-eyed romantic girl relentlessly clinging to the love of her life and defying her parent's wishes to marry him, and takes the reader on a journey which sees this girl lose her husband, and be forced to navigate the harsh waters of commerce on her own as a woman during that time. She even goes head-to-head with Napoleon himself, defying him and his methods, particularly a law under his code that severely limits her capabilities of running her own business.

Despite the interesting premise, I unfortunately failed to enjoy this book. The writing felt too overdone, seemingly trying to immerse the reader into that time period, making the whole experience more realistic. However, it ended up feeling a bit too inaccessible when it comes to getting me to relate to the story in any way or grow to care for the characters. Reading this book felt like watching a play that feels too artificial, focusing more on dramatic effect as opposed to an in-depth exploration of characters that make them actually come alive. The plot progression felt uneven, and I was torn between feeling frustrated with boredom and feeling taken aback because a substantial period of time is covered without actually getting the reader to experience that in a visceral way. I found the scenes with Napoleon to be quite awkward and artificial, which turned a seemingly "great" historical figure into a mediocre character who was not that interesting to read about, for the sake of bolstering Veuve Clicquot's position in comparison, reducing Napoleon to a one-dimensional and almost comedic caricature of cliches, which somewhat felt like a disservice to the reader. His scenes with Veuve Clicquot were too unrealistic and even underwhelming. I would have preferred if Napoleon did not appear in this work at all, and was just referred to as a background force pushing certain aspects of the plot forward.

Despite these issues, if you are interested in the story of Veuve Clicquot, this might make for an entertaining read. The actual story of Clicquot is quite interesting, since she revolutionized the champagne business, and with her selling her champagne to Napoleon's soldiers, she indirectly triggered the creation of the very popular ceremonial custom of sabrage, because the soldiers had no way of opening champagne bottles other than using their military sabers. The risk she took in sending her champagne to Russia and inserting her product into the market despite war-imposed blockades is also a feat worthy of mentioning.

I also found the French quotes at the beginning of each chapter to be a bit pretentious, further adding to the artificiality of this reading experience.

This book was personally not for me and didn't leave me with any memorable impact, and I have forgotten most details since reading the book last month because it all felt like several pages of the same dramatized writing style and lack of character depth and plot that didn't make this a memorable reading experience.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Lion Heart Publishing for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"La vengeance est un plant que se mange froid."

Barbe Nicole was a young girl in the 1800s living in the Champagne area of France. Her mother was intent on her making a
brilliant marriage but Barbe's sights were elsewhere with the boy whom she had grown up with her whole life. It was a
turbulent time in France - Napoleon and all the new laws coming into effect and one had to be very careful whom one spoke to, associated with as a careless word in the wrong ears meant that all you've built up could be reduced to nothing.

Barbe was unusual in one sense. She had inherited her grandmother's infamous nose and could smell anything from not just substances but from people and events. It was both a blessing and a curse.

Barbe sadly becomes a young widow and despite the traditions of the time, takes on the vineyard with the idea of producing the best Champagne she could. She is supported by a group of like minded women in the same circumstances as her and with huge odds against her she pushes herself and her vineyard to do better and better. The wars which Napoleon entered into should have destroyed the luxury market, but strangely the demand for high quality champagne was still there and this is what she hedged her bets on.

This was an interesting read, once again highlighting women's position in society which was generally not working well for
the women. It worked very well for the men though. This was one women who turned tradition on its head, and worked for the betterment of her own life. It was a hard existence but it worked for her.

I was rooting for Barbe throughout the story. A good bit of history in the form of Napoleon and his wars are part of the story
as well.

3.5 stars

This story was about a very interesting woman in history, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, who ended up developing one of the finest champagnes to come out during the Napoleonic wars, against all odds. The story was told in first-person from Barbe-Nicole's point of view and it took me some time to get used to it. It's probably not my favorite way to read a story, so I definitely had to make adjustments. Still, I found the story to be pretty interesting, especially because I'm not that familiar with what was happening in France during the wars. Barbe-Nicole was a woman who was blessed (or cursed) by Le Nez, which was a powerful sense of smell that would, among other things, allow her to distinguish one batch of wine from another with regard to the grapes used, the growing and harvesting conditions of the grapes, the presence of mold, etc. While her grandmother viewed it as a gift, most people around her called it a curse and a foolish story. But this book tells us the story of how she eventually used Le Nez and her independent spirit to not only survive but thrive (eventually) as the sole owner of her winery, despite the war, despite the fact that she became a widow at an early age, and despite the laws that stated she would lose the winery if she remarried. This story also included the story of the Red Man, who was a (supernatural) advisor to Napoleon, and that's where I wasn't quite sure if this was supposed to be fiction or nonfiction. I have never heard of this Red Man, so I looked him up, and from what I can tell, there are (mythical?) stories written about him that suggest Napoleon was seeing actual visions or he was just crazy.

Overall, I found the story to be compelling, but I wasn't thrilled by the writing style. Still, I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about a very interesting woman, with extra bits about Napoleon that I didn't know before. If you enjoy historical fiction or nonfiction written like fiction, give this book a try. I definitely found it worth reading!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Champagne Widows is a book about a real life person, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, aka Grand Dame of Champagne. It’s a story about how she became Clicquot, how she became the owner of a wine business, how Napoleon's wars and codes influenced her life and business. It’s a book about an influential and strong woman, whose legacy is still strong today.

It reminds me of Rosalind Laker’s books. But this book does not have the soul and the passion that Laker’s books have. Things happen, people die, plans change, hopes shatter, but our heroine just acknowledges things and keeps on moving, no emotions. There is missing this special something the reader would need to respond to the happenings, to cry, to celebrate, to admire the comet in the night sky or to watch staggeringly how Napoleon is killing the “champagne snake”, along with the protagonist. True, it is a fantasy about Barbe-Nicole’s life, but for me it is just an account of her life and not a historical romantic fiction.

It’s interesting, but not enrapturing.

I have aways prided myself on my great sense of smell. Fast forward to September of 2021 and my husband tests positive for Covid - even though we are vaccinated! Damn you, Delta! Anyway, as we were traveling in Michigan I had to spend 20 hours in a car with him and I soon began showing symptoms. But it wasn't until a couple days into it when it dawned on me - CAN I STILL SMELL THINGS? I tested my nose on my minty shampoo in the shower and could barely get a whiff! I was horrified - what if I could never smell again? I also lost my taste but losing the sense of smell was debilitating. Who would know if there was an unflushed toilet 3 floors above me??

Anyway...

In Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg, I learned that I have Le Nez - an uncanny sense of smell which the main character Barbe-Nicole also has. She has a desire to create great champagne and with her great nose it should be easy! But this is 1800's France and under Napoleon's rule woman are not able to own a business. So being the resourceful woman she is - she marries her childhood friend, Francois Clicquot, so that they can open a winery. Luckily (?) he dies and she becomes a widow. A widow is France is called Veuve - so she becomes the widow Clicquot or Veuve Clicquot. Get where this is going???

So this is the historical story of Veuve Clicquot. Of a strong minded woman who knows what she wants and deserves. It also has world wide pandemics, nasty women, wine, family and interesting characters of all sorts,

And what about me you ask? (I know you didn't ask...) My sense of smell returned in about 2 weeks - just as powerful as ever! Now I just need to start making wine.

I found the Kindle Edition for free on Amazon via Freebooksy, then I was given a copy of the paperback from NetGalley; this is my honest review
-I bought the book because I thought it was a biography - it's not; it's more like a romanced fiction. I was attracted to the book because of Le Nez. I too can smell disease (my own pneumonias) or the coming rain; don't touch my nose or I'll start sneezing.
-If this author plans to write a book in English, she should stick to it, especially since she doesn't know French, doesn't understand the quotes she puts in, doesn't know how to use accents, and has the words wrongly written most of the time (ex. Monsuier/Monsieur, pressior/pressoir). Since I had a published and unpublished work, I went from one to the other and on the more offensive ones (like "Ne mets pas toustes oeufs dens le Mémé panier.", checked both. Alas, the published work was not edited at all (ex. in English "As I explained, your-Nicole and it’ dras in a drama land is yours in name only").
-The description of the book brings to some confusion: 1. Barbe-Nicole never had to choose between Napoleon and Louis Bohne; she chose too late and lost him to another. He didn't waste time getting her pregnant either - good for him. 2. She did not marry François despite his mental illness - she didn't know about it until he had passed away. 3. François didn't want to start a winery per se, he wanted to prove his worth to his father, Barbe-Nicole wanted her own winery; thus the wedding.
-I was trying not to cry when the author wrote "“Je donne ma langue au chat.” I give my tongue to the cat." when François is desperate and kneels on the grass. He's not saying "I give up, I don't know what you mean"; he's saying "I give up, I can't go on". Totally different perspectives. Not to cry because F is so desperate and not to cry because the author got it so wrong; I gave up, just like F.
-Instead of translating with Google, the author should have done a better job and say the real meaning. Ex. "“Occupe-toi de tes oignons,” ... Take care of your own onions." Anglophones say "mind your own business". Same with "cheval donné on ne regarde pas les dents. When given a horse, don’t look at their teeth.". In English the correct expression is "don't look a gift horse in the mouth".
-The Napoleon Code grants a widow her mourning dress. Very generous of him.
-What are these? "Maman’s pointed fingernail scratches a star on her cheek." "Maman presses a star on her chin.". Several times, the mother was touching parts of her skin that had stars.
-I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the mother Clementine took her mother's jewelry that were given to BN and kept them without BN knowing about them. OMG.
-I'm still puzzled as to why Philippe and Barbe-Nicole went in business with Fourneaux since whatever people claimed was his rules or ideas were all wrong for the business and/or the wine/champagne. He also got Barbe-Nicole to lose the contract with Les Tuileries.
-There's a missing part between when Fourneaux and Barbe-Nicole fight and she says she'll go solo after the contract is finished and then a few paragraphs later, she's missing $ to replace what F took with him - apparently he's gone and we're not sure how/when it happened.
-At some point, we read "Louis and the other travelers work ..." - Except for Louis, the travelers were given their pink slip a long time ago.
-No one should blame Barbe-Nicole for the death of her mother. She was obsessed with green and the dye used arsenic. Even if she knew that fact, she would not have stopped using the color because she was that vain. Only Jean-Baptiste/Bastist - author writes it both ways - believed their mother would not have listened to reason.
-We learn how to make a uniform at 90%, which was quite interesting.
-Still no idea who "the excellent Eugene" is.

Easily one of my favorite books in the last couple years or so of reading. Barbe-Nicole is a woman with vision and determination during the wars with Napoleon. She has the vision because she has Le Nez—an acute sense of smell so strong she can smell people’s feelings. She puts this talent to good use when she inherits her grandmother’s vineyards, though she must marry to keep them. Le Nez knows what the right man for her smells like as she waits for him to come home from the war.
Not only is this a story about a strong-willed woman, but an epic story about family and dynasty, suffering and starvation, sacrifice and loss. How does one woman dare to sell French champagne outside the borders of France, where everyone hates everything French because of Napoleon? Barbe-Nicole has the determination to see her through spectacular defeats and a dark brush with power. With the men conscripted or compromised by the war, she relies on the widows and women workers from the vineyard for friendship and knowledge.
This is a spectacular story, sparkling, based on the true story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. Well-written, well researched, and interpreted, I highly recommend this great historical read.

I love reading historical fiction and I love champagne so this book was a nice change to the historical fiction that I normally read. I enjoyed the writing and the character development.

A flute of Veuve Clicquot is a treat to be savored and Rebecca Rosenberg presents a story of the creation of that champagne that is still enjoyed today. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin possessed Le Nez (the nose), a sense of smell that is viewed as both a blessing and a curse. Her closest friend as she grew up was Francois Clicquot and she assumed that they would always be together. When he returns after serving in Napoleon’s army he is a changed man, with moods that are erratic. Barbe-Nicole’s mother insists that it is time for her to marry but she rejects each of her suitors until Francois finally agrees to marry her.

The Ponsardins and the Clicquots are involved in the wool business but there are vineyards that produce little income. Barbe-Nicole and Francois persuade his father to allow them to take over the vineyards and develop their own company. While Francois travels through Europe and Russia to promote their champagne, Barbe-Nicole throws herself into learning everything that she can about the production of wine. Francois dies suddenly, leaving his widow (veuve) forced to form a partnership with his father and Forneaux, their vintner, to keep the company alive and supporting the widows who work harvesting the grapes.

Rosenberg’s story begins shortly after the French Revolution and she ties the history of Veuve Clicquot to Napoleon’s rise to power and his eventual fall. During poor harvests and embargoes on foreign trade it is her father’s contract to produce uniforms for Napoleon’s army that keeps the family going. Damaging rain and heat, distribution problems, war, poverty and Europe’s refusal to trade with the French are all obstacles to Barbe-Nicole’s success. With the help of Le Nez she is determined to succeed. Rosenberg’s tale is beautifully told. Fans of historical fiction and those who love the taste of champagne will be fascinated by the birth of Veuve Clicquot. I would like to thank NetGalley and Lion Heart Publishing for providing this book for my review.

Barbe-Nicole Clicquot inherits the family tastivin from her grandfather which sets her desire to make the best champagne ever. With the help of her Le Nez , she can smell the essence of the bottles of wine which helps her know how best to mix them to make the perfect bottle of champagne. There is a cost and that is what this book is about. Barbe-Nicole is a woman ahead of her time because only the men can inherit the land unless you are the widow. Napoleon battles across Europe to become the Emperor but loses greatly in Moscow as history knows. This also creates widows across France since all the men have been conscripted to fight Napoleon’s wars. These widows work in the Clicquot vineyards for their sustenance and are who create the greatest wines in France.
Thank you NetGalley and Lion Heart Publishing for this amazing book. It’s a book about love-childhood love, love of the vineyard and the love of conquest.
#Netgalley #LionHeartPublishing

Champagne Widows is a very interesting story, of a feisty young woman, Barb-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, for whom Veuve Cliquot Champagne is named. (I also learned that “veuve” means “widow” in French!) I learned so much about the history of Champagne and how it is made, along with reminders of how much chaos Napoleon created during the years of his rule. The author provides short chapters about Napoleon and his wars to provide context for the story of Barb-Nicole and her family. The book brings to life the times they lived in, from the French revolution through the end of Napoleon’s reign, with all the horrors and shortages that came with them. So many men died, fighting in Napoleon’s wars that there were many, many widows in France (and surrounding countries). The laws did not allow married women to own property but if you were a widow, it was legal. Because of this, Barb-Nicole had to make some very difficult decisions. Her father also had to make a lot of difficult political decisions along the way, as well, to survive the tumultuous times they lived in.

Each chapter begins with a French saying, and its English translation. Some of them are unusual, but some are quite familiar to English speakers, such as “death by a thousand cuts” and “easier said than done.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Lion Heart Publishing (Independent Book Publishers Association) for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a fascinating story this was! It is beautifully written and rich in historical detail.
Many thanks to Lion Heart Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love historical fiction. This book drew me in because of the different time period than what I’m accustomed to. Ms. Rosenberg takes us to a time of Napoleon, the French Revolution and the effects this had on the French citizens and what they needed to do to survive and the effects on the champagne industry.

Real life Champagne Grande Dame, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin is born with a gift or a curse, Le Nez ‘The Nose’, she can smell everything down to its finest ingredient, whether it’s champagne, perfume, or the stench of death and despair. She has a been left an inheritance of a vineyard by her grandmother. As in these times, women are second class citizens, having no real say in who they marry and having to transfer all possessions to their husbands upon marriage. Ms. Rosenberg does an excellent job of bringing this strong woman to light, following her life choices. She is truly an inspiration. From dictating her own marriage to giving up love for her beloved champagne, to making sure all the widows in her employ were taken care off.

I so enjoyed reading about something I had little knowledge of. The horrors of the French Revolution, the strength of its people, the determination of the widows, the champagne making process. I’m not a huge champagne fan, but now feel compelled to buy a bottle of Cliquot to raise a glass to this extraordinary woman. There were many things I googled while reading this book, because I HAD to know more. Ms. Rosenberg’s writing and story telling just keeps getting better and more defined. I’m truly a fan of her characters, and her honest portraying of their difficult choices. My only criticism is I wish the cover was more in keeping with the beauty of the story, this cover lead me to believe it was of lighter storyline.

Thanks to Ms. Rosenberg for this compelling story, Lion Heart Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg is the compelling story of a woman ahead of her time who would use her unique abilities to build a company and a brand that still thrives today. Set in Napoleonic era France, it is the story of Barbe- Nicole Ponsardin who has inherited the family gift of La Nez, a uniquely sensitive sense of smell which often seems more like a curse than a blessing. Her grandmother's dying wish was that she use this gift to follow in her great grandfather's footsteps and make great Champagne, but her parents are more keen to see her married off to a wealthy man whose business interests will align with their own. Defying her parents, Barbe- Nicole instead marries Francois, her childhood sweetheart who has returned from the war a broken man, and together they start a winery. Wartime is not the most opportune time to start any business venture, particularly one that deals in such a luxury product as Champagne, and when Francois kills himself Barbe-Nicole, now the widow or Veuve Clicquot, must make a success of the winery on her own for the sake of their daughter and the employees, many of whom are widows of men who have died in one or another of Napoleon's battles. It means taking on the established producers and convincing many doubters that her new way of doing things is better, and it will take every ounce of intelligence, determination and strength that she possesses, and cost her more than she ever imagined.
This was an epic story beautifully told. The amount of research that the author must have done to pull this off so well is staggering. Each new chapter has a brief introductory note that gives the broader historical context and really helps to ground the reader in what is happening in the world that Barbe- Nicole is trying to navigate. The descriptive writing really sets the scene and conveys not just the sights but particularly the smells of the era to the reader, something that I particularly appreciated given the protagonist's unique abilities. The broad time frame really allowed the reader to see our protagonist grow up, shedding her spoilt and somewhat petulant teenage persona to become a strong and extremely independent woman.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This is a bit of historical fiction set in the time of war, but the war plays second fiddle to the real story. I won’t ruin the story either spoilers as that would ruin the effervescence of the story. However, I will say, that the story leaves the reader sampling different flavors throughout as it evolves much like a good wine. Our wounded heroine struggles from an early age to be accepted only to discover that she alone is the one that empowers her own success. It was quite brilliant. Thanks to NetGalley and Goodreads for the early read.

Enjoy a glass of champagne while you read about the "bubbly" Barbe-Nicole Cliquot and her gift of extra sensitive smell that allowed her to create extraordinary champagne.

"Champagne Widows" by Rebecca Rosenberg, transported me back to a fascinating place and time I would have never been able to visit otherwise. The story is about the establishment of the world known Veuve Clicquot champange (originally a wInery) still operating in France today. This journey formed the family for generations to come. Barbe's determination to hold on to a family business that suffered through inequality for women, financial hardship, disease, epidemics, death and so much more is incredible. The book takes place during Napoleon's barbaric reign which played a large part in the famlies fight to succeed.

I have never read a book quite like this. It is interesting, complex, heart touching, and thought provoking. There is even humor in it. Can you imagine being born with a extra sensitive sense of smell and every single smell around you was magnified? That could be a blessing or a curse depending on what scents you are around.

Thank you NetGalley and Lion Heart Publishing, for allowing me to review this e-book. "Champagne Widows" will be published March 1, 2022.