I requested this one not realizing it wouldn’t suit my convictions. I saw some spice coming and didn’t give it enough time to find out how spicy it would be. I could tell by the language it probably wouldn’t be good. So if you are like me and don’t like spice, skip this one.

A lost little girl in WWII France, a lost bottle of wine that was her inheritance.
A female airline pilot in 1990s France, a found bottle of wine that could change a life.
Two timelines, two women, one bottle of wine connecting them.

This book had a wonderful premise, and being an unapologetic WWII historical fiction junkie, I was excited to read it. I enjoyed the story, but it fell a bit short for me in the writing style (could have been more “show me, don’t tell me”).

3 Things I 🥰
The intriguing premise.
The dual timeline in WWII and 1990s France.
The storyline of the little girl during the war.

2 Things I 🥺
The difficulties of being one of the first females in a male dominated profession. ✈️
How devastating it would feel to be forced to hide your small child before being snatched away, knowing you were heading to your death and she had no one. 💔

1 Niggling 🤔
The intensity of the FMC’s response to anyone and anything that she felt infringed on her right to pursue her dreams.
I had to continually put myself in her shoes as a woman breaking the glass ceiling as an airline pilot – the trials she faced, the sacrifices she made, the strength she needed to achieve her goals – in order to understand her brittleness to the slightest perceived “threats.” I get it, but she still irritated me. 😉

Rounding this one up to 3.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, NetGalley, and author Loretta Ellsworth for the complimentary copy! It was my pleasure to write this candid review.

The French Winemaker's Daughter is a great read! A mix of two stories - the story of young Martine, a seven-year old daughter of a vintner in the French countryside and Charlotte, a female airline pilot in 1990. Martine's story begins with her father hiding her in a cupboard to avoid her being taken by the German soldiers rounding up the Jews in France. He gives Martine a bottle of wine which he tells her not to lose. Of course, the terrified young girl does end up losing the bottle as she runs for safety from the Germans.

Charlotte regularly flies in and out of Paris. Henri, the Frenchman she has been dating, takes her to a wine auction in Paris. He purchases a mixed lot, and takes the bottles that he feels are valuable, and gifts her a bottle as he leaves her apartment. Charlotte discovers that there is a false label on the bottle, with a note, written entirely in French, indicating that the bottle is the child's birthright and should be sold to provide for her care, When Charlotte has the bottle of wine appraised, its value is estimated at nearly $125 thousand dollars! Charlotte is drawn to this story, and begins a search for the true owner of the bottle.

Jumping between 1943 and 1990, we follow Martine's progress to Paris and then to a convent outside of Paris where she is raised by nuns, and Charlotte's investigation into the history of the bottle, and her relationship with Henri, as well as Julien, a vintner outside of Paris. I highly recommend this title!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book - The French Winemaker's Daughter is available NOW!

I am so sorry this review is so late. It definitely does not reflect my opinions on this story because I really liked it.

The dual timeline in this story of Martine in 1942 and Charlotte in 1990 was so well done. I loved how Martine’s story was revealed as Charlotte learned more about the bottle of wine.

For me, the connections between all of the characters wasn’t immediately obvious which is part of what kept me reading! I was so intrigued. While at times absolutely heart breaking, there are also some really beautiful, full-circle moments in this book.

The way both story lines come together on the end is absolutely wonderful. I now need to read the author’s backlist!

Thank you to Harper Perennial for the copy of this book. All views are my own.

As the Germans began to invade France in 1942, seven-year-old Martine hides in an armoire with her aunt’s address pinned to her dress and a bottle of wine given to her by her father. The Nazis quickly took her father away and once she felt it was safe to leave the armoire, she accidentally dropped the wine as she tried to flee. Once in Paris, there was no aunt to be found. Martine fell asleep on the doorstep of the Hotel Drouot and is found the next day by Sister Ada who whisks her away to save her. Fast forward to 1990, a commercial airline pilot, Charlotte, attends a wine auction with her French boyfriend while in Paris. After winning a box of a few bottles, her boyfriend takes the one he wants and leaves her with one as a gift. Charolette soon discovers a false label on the bottle that takes her on a journey to discover the truth.

Based on the premise, I thought this one would be a hit for me. However, it feels a bit flat and mainly because it was so predictable. There are so many stories once can right about WWII, with mostly the same outcome, but many other books have kept you guessing and this one just didn’t. It was still enjoyable though and was a quick one to enjoy while on vacation.

“The French Winemaker’s Daughter” by Loretta Ellsworth is a duel timeline historical novel set in nazi-occupied France during WWII and in Paris in 1990. Martine is just a child when the nazis come to arrest her Jewish father. Before they arrived, he managed to hide Martine, telling her to not come out until it’s safe. And he gave her a bottle of wine, telling her not to lose it because it was her inheritance. Unfortunately Martine does lose the bottle of wine, but fortunately, she manages to survive due to the kindness of various people.

In 1990, Charlotte is given a bottle of wine by her boyfriend Henri—who had purchased a case at a wine auction. It was his way of saying goodbye to her forever—by leaving her with a dud bottle of wine. It turns out, it was anything but. Charlotte sets off on a quest to discover more about that bottle of wine even though Henri became aware of the value of that wine and is trying to sue her to have it returned.

I really enjoyed this story, which kept me enthralled the entire time. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. My opinions are my own.

This was such an incredible read! I was completely captivated from the start to the finish.

This book was heartbreaking, infuriating, heartwarming, beautiful, tragic and wonderfully written!

This book highlights a lot of atrocious acts towards Jews during WWII and really focuses on how wine was stolen from families by Nazis, how they arrested Jews and sent them to concentration camps and that children had to live in fear every day of the war especially if they were Jews because they had to be in hiding.

This book was a journey of two women connected by a bottle of wine and it was such an impactful read! I loved how they ended up meeting and this book ended so perfectly! It was also a love letter to wine, wineries and winemakers.

Other aspects highlighted are - misogyny that female pilots face and working women in general, the possessions of Jews that were stolen by Nazis being auctioned off in the modern day.

I will be forever changed after reading this book. Historical fiction holds a special place in my heart and this book has left an impact on me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Harper Paperbacks and Loretta Ellsworth for giving me an ARC of this incredible book!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The French Winemaker's Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth. I never get tired of reading WWII historical fiction novels. There are so many different avenues to pursue. I also love reading two time-lines to see the connections. This did not disappoint. Ellsworth’s writing is lush and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the French landscape, the beauty of the wine country, and the intricacies of French culture. The characters are well-drawn, particularly Charlotte, whose journey of self-discovery is both poignant and relatable. The historical aspect of the novel is rich with details that provide a window into the complex emotions and aftermath of war, including the scars it leaves on families and communities. While the novel occasionally dips into predictability, the strong character development and sense of place more than make up for it. This is a wonderful written novel for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

This was an enjoyable premise - a professional American woman ends up in possession of a bottle of vintage French wine with a secret label. Her research leads her to . . . the winemaker's daughter (sorry) who, in a separate timeline survives Nazi-occupied France. The writing was occasionally a bit clunky, especially in the present-day POV chapters. I wasn't surprised to discover that the author's previous books were largely young adult novels - the chapters with the little girl at the center seemed to flow better. I saw the ending coming a mile away, but enjoyed the ride.

3.5 stars rounded up. I've read a lot of WWII books so I am a bit picky of the genre. This one held my interest and was a quick read. I did find it predictable and it also reminded me of the book The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah. At times the Charlotte character was irritating and repetitive with her inner thoughts. I liked Martine's perspective the best. Overall, I enjoyed the premise the writing and storyline was just okay but I would still recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this dual timeline novel set in Paris in the 1940s and 1990s. One story line follows Martine as an 8 year old that escaped being captured by the Nazis. The other story line follows Charlotte, a female airline pilot. Their stories end up intertwined in the best way. I definitely recommend this one if you love historical fiction with a little mystery.

This was a good WWII book that was dual timeline and it was well crafted and heart breaking in measures
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

‘The French Winemaker’s Daughter’ by Loretta Ellsworth is a WWII historical fiction novel is based in the Burgundy region of France and Paris. With dual timelines we follow Martine, a young Jewish girl who’s dad is a winemaker when the Germans begin their occupation of France, and Charlotte, a female pilot in 1990 who has an apartment for the time she spends Paris with her French boyfriend.

I enjoyed the settings of Paris and Burgundy, and the role that wine played in the story. At the beginning of the book I was enthralled with Martine’s story. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Charlotte piecing together the story of the faux wine label.

What I didn’t love was the conflict between Charlotte and Julien. It felt contrived and an unnecessary part of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Publishing for the opportunity to read and review!

The French Winemaker’s Daughter is a beautiful story. I loved both points of view and really enjoyed the characters, as well as the dash of mystery woven throughout the narrative. While it was somewhat predictable, I found it quite enjoyable. I love discovering new authors and will definitely keep an eye out for more works by this author.

Such a good story about 2 women whose lives intersect over a bottle of wine. I love reading WWII historical fiction, and I enjoyed that in this one the war is not a central focus, but in the background of Martine’s childhood. It does not feel like a heavy war book. I liked the main characters of Charlotte, Martine, Sister Ada, and Julien. This is my first book by Loretta Ellsworth, but I would read more.

@lorettaellsworth_author ‘s dual timeline story tells the tale of Charlotte, a pilot, living in 1990, and Martine, a small Jewish girl trying to survive in 1942 WWII France. Charlotte and her Parisian beau Henri bid on a set of old wines at an auction. Charlotte finds a hidden note on one of the bottles and this begins her search for the daughter of this winemaker and Charlotte’s life is changed in so many ways.
Martine’s story is by far the star of this show. Her fight details the resilience of a group of people whose fight would not be dimmed as well as those that refused to let their fellow man be persecuted.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thanks to @netgalley and @harperbooks for this #advancedreaderscopy that I took way too long to read because… life 🤷🏻‍♀️. Pub date was 12/10/24.

#2025bookchallengebook4of100
#netgalley
#worldwar2
#thefrenchwinemakersdaughter

yhis gripping dual-timeline historical fiction had me in tears! One storyline follows a female airline pilot in the 90s, while the other traces the journey of a young girl during WWII. As the novel unfolds, their stories beautifully intertwine in unexpected and heart-wrenching ways. I highly recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction!

I liked the different angles of the story and the significance that a bottle of wine played.
I enjoyed the chapters with Martine the nest but I also appreciated the perspective of Charlotte from 1990 and her career as a pilot.
It’s refreshing to read about the era before technology. I smiled as I read the paragraph describing Charlotte consulting her French dictionary to translate the label on the wine bottle.
It’s a good story and oh yes there is a brave little stuffed rabbit who plays a special role in the story.

This was a relatively quick read, set in France during WWII and in contemporary times. A young girl, who is Jewish, hides in her father's winery from the Nazis. Her father has left her a wine bottle, but she drops it as she flees the Germans. Meanwhile, a female airline pilot is gifted an old wine bottle by a lover, who has no idea how much the bottle is worth. The pilot sets off to try to find the original owner of the wine bottle.

I enjoyed this book, mostly because it was concise and got to the point quickly. The action moves along well, and the story is interesting. Characters are well drawn. However, as with almost all books in this genre, the historical story is much, much more interesting than the contemporary story.

Loretta Ellsworth’s The French Winemaker’s Daughter reminds me of the horrors of World War II - Martine, a little Jewish girl, hiding in an armoire and forced to find her way in a war torn world without her dear Papa and only family who was taken away by the Germans. I am always stunned by what victims of war must endure. She adds to it the story of the winemakers of France - and how the Germans stole from them and harmed their legacy for generations. Ellsworth intertwines Martine’s story with that of Charlotte, an airline pilot, charting her own course for women, in the 90s. Her home base is in Paris, and through an auction and a rather horrible “boyfriend” she comes into possession of a bottle of wine from the WW2 era. A mysterious note and second label sets her on a journey to find its story and perhaps its owner.
The WW2 historical setting in the Paris area was a fascinating one. We learn about the making of wine; we learn about the French resistance; we learn about how people worked to save Jewish children (and are reminded of how some did not.) In the 90s as Charlotte works to solve her mystery - we learn a great deal of the intervening history. We also learn a bit about how recently women have been fighting for career equity as well through Charlotte’s struggle as a female pilot. We have so many lessons to learn. Ellsworth does a remarkable job of bringing these characters to life in both eras. Martine must grow up so quickly. She struggles through new names, learning a second faith. She struggles to trust and live as the only child in an abbey filled with nuns. Ellsworth foreshadows her future, and we long to find out what happens to her. I didn’t relate perfectly with Charlotte and her jet setting life in Paris, but her quest was one to admire. She is determined to do the right thing by this WW2 era winemaker and his daughter while learning some things about her own family, love, and strength on the way.
I recommend this book - history, romance, and the voices of women make it an important read. I think it’s very important to be reminded that we can work to try to not fix, not right, but maybe ease the pain of mistakes of the past. Many are quick to refuse accountability and insist that moving forward is the only way to move forward. We can do better. I’m beginning to also believe that we can never ever be reminded of the failures of history too many times. Too often the world just seems to be walking down painfully similar paths. Historians matter. Authors matter. The arts matter. I can’t do as much as I’d like to change the world at large. But maybe I can keep saying those words and return a bottle of wine.