Thank you to @harpercollins and @netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy of this book. My opinions are solely my own.

The French Winemaker's Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth
Genre: WWII Historical Fiction, Women's fiction
POV: Dual, 2 time periods
Pub Date: December 10, 2024
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!

Synopsis:
1942 - Martine Viner, a 7 year-old French jewish girl hides in her dresser to avoid capture by the Nazis in WWII France. Her papa is captured and she is left all alone at their family home and vineyard. Her father told her to keep a bottle of their vineyard's wine that had a very special note attached with her if she were able to escape. Though she loses the bottle in the commotion, Martine is able to take a train to Paris with the help of a neighbor. Here, she is rescued from the streets by a nun and taken to a nearby abbey. Martine lives here, assuming a different identity, leaving her religion, father, home, and childhood behind her.

1990 - Charlotte Montgomery is a commercial airline pilot, who in her early 30s, is still single, yet desperately trying to be a career woman and hopefully find a happy ending. Her flights allow her to spend much of her life in Paris, where she is hoping that her currently French boyfriend might be 'the one'. Henri (said boyfriend) buying a mysterious crate of wine bottles at an auction in Paris and gifts one to Charlotte. This bottle happens to have a hidden message under the label, setting Charlotte on a search that will completely change her life.

Opinion:
This book brought real tears to my eyes. It was so beautifully written and I couldn't put it down. The author interweaves some of the terrible realities of Jewish people in France during WWII with the kindness and selflessness of people who refused to see their countrymen treated in such a way. It is a true story of how love and friendship know no bounds when people put others' needs before their own. I loved Martine's story and how almost 50 years later it was able to be told through Charlotte's own adventure.

I was completely immersed by The French Winemaker's Daughter. If you are a fan of historical fiction and want to be taken on a journey spanning time but pulled close through war, connection and how much luck can do for your life. You need to pick this book up, it will leave a mark on your life!

The French Wine Makers Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth Is an amazing Historical fiction that has a dual timeline that takes place in both nazi occupied France in WWII When Nazis raid the home of a Jewish French wine Maker and his daughter Martine and then in the 1990s following a commercial pilot named charlotte who comes into ownership of a bottle of wine that was given to and lost by Martine decades prior. Medium paced and with an enjoyable Story, I enjoyed it very much.

"The French Winemaker's Daughter" is a story about a young Jewish girl, Martine, who lives in a French winery owned and run by her father in 1942. When the Nazis raid their home and take her father away, Martine remains hidden in an armoire where her father has instructed her to hide until the Nazis are gone. He gives her a bottle of his wine and asks her to protect it with the hope that it will provide her with financial security later in life. While she does survive the Nazi raid, she unfortunately loses the bottle of wine in her escape.
It is now 1990, and an American female commercial pilot, Charlotte, gains possession of this bottle of wine and sets out to discover the story behind it. The story goes back and forth between past and present eras until the two stories merge and the two women's lives intertwine.
This is a story of perseverance, love and strength of the human spirit. I especially enjoyed Martine's journey. While there were many evil and hateful people along the way, the kindness, love and protection she received from others was heartwarming.

Very enjoyable dual time line book. One timeline is about a Jewish girl whose father owned a winery in 1940 France. They were separated when the Germans invaded France and the father gave her a bottle of wine which was to be her inheritance. The other timeline is 1990 Paris France of a woman who is one of very few female pilots who is given a bottle of wine with a false label. The story was intriguing and kept my interest. A good addition to the WWII historical fiction genre.

Thank you to Harper Perennial for the chance to review an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The French Winemaker’s Daughter was a fresh approach to historical fiction during WWII. Being able to imagine what legacies were stolen from the Jews in addition to the loss of human life was haunting.
The description of wine and the process of growing and pruning the vines was fascinating. I enjoyed the perspective of several different vineyards.
Sister Ada was my favorite character. Martine was the obvious main character. I liked her but felt she was portrayed a bit too mature at times.
I did not care for the intimate scenes and felt that the story didn’t need them. Relationships develop characters but these scenes added nothing to the story in my opinion.
I believe this story would appeal to anyone who loves historical fiction.

Since I work in the world of wine and like WWII stories, I was immediately drawn to this book. The story is told in two timelines, the present (1990’s) from Charlotte, a female pilot’s POV and from Martine, a 7 year old Jewish girl who is trying to safe during WWII from the Nazis. Charlotte is dating a man who doesn’t really seem to be giving her what she needs out of a relationship but brings her to a wine auction hoping to nab some good bottles of old wine. He is able to purchase a few bottles and gives one to Charlotte as a gift when he doesn’t think it’s worth anything, and tells her to enjoy drinking it. Martine, who had to hide from the Nazis ends up living in a convent for the duration of the war, had been given a bottle of wine from her Papa and told to keep it safe as it is her inheritance. Do we think the wine may come up as important in the Charlotte time line?!?!

I enjoyed this book but almost wish there was more about wine in it… it is mostly about Charlotte’s struggles with being a pilot in a male dominated profession and her relationship issues. In Martine’s timeline, it had the classic intrigue of hiding from the Nazi’s and the tension of living through such a tough time, especially when there is no one left to truly care about a young child. Overall, I liked the story but wish it had engaged me a little more, it was quite obvious where the story was going, which is fine, but I wanted a little more from Charlotte’s POV.

Thank you NetGalley , Loretta Ellsworth and Harper Collin’s Publishers, Inc. for this WWII era ARC for an honest review. This was a very good story about the Nazi occupation in France and how the Nazis raided, damaged and stole from the French wineries that were owned by Jews. The story is told in alternating chapters :the 194o’s and the 1990’s. In 1940, 7 year old Martine from the Burgundy region of France was helping her father in the winery when he made her hide in the armoire with her stuffed rabbit, Annabelle . The Nazis broke into his home and took him away. Martine was given a very rare bottle of wine and told to safeguard it and not let it go. In 1990, Charlotte, a US commercial airline captain , is given a bottle of French wine from her lover. She is determined to find out where the wine came from and about a mysterious note attached to it. I learned a lot about French wine and the Nazi occupation of France In the 1940’s I also liked that the story didn’t go into graphic details of the concentration camps and the torture of the Jews and others.

SPOILER ALERT As the wife of an airline pilot, I had several issues with this story mostly related to Charlotte's life as a commerical pilot. If she flew for AA out of Chicago then she would have to live in the vicinity or fly to Chicago from whereever she lived to start her trip. Her trips would end in Chicago and she'd have 3-4 days off. But the entire story makes it sound like she lives in Paris. When she was worried about Henri stealing her bottle of wine, why didn't she bring it home with her to the US? Problem solved! Her trip turn in Paris was probably around 30-36 hours and yet she's renting cars and toodling all over France. When did she sleep?
I did like Martine's story but it was rather predictable. I did think there was going to be a link with Charlotte's grandfather but I guess that was just coincidental.
Overall it was justs okay for me.

This was my first ARC read (thank you NetGalley!)
World War II is my favorite historical fiction to read. I love how this book didn’t focus so much on the war but rather one girl’s journey through the time (vague so no spoilers!). I enjoyed the dual timeline and found it easy to follow.

Being in a wine club it was a fun read of the history of French winemaking and the value of bottles from certain times. There was a mixed focus on romance, strong woman characters, loss, family, and WW2 history in France! Loved it - can’t wait for it to come out for others to enjoy.

This book is one of my favorite WWII Historical Fiction books. As someone of Jewish ancestry, these always hit close to the heart. I couldn't put the book down. I love it when the author shows different timelines of characters and makes you feel as if you are right there with them. The way Ellsworth writes is simple and impactful, and I could laugh and cry with the characters. Understanding the hurt people went through at that time and the hope they had is something that not everyone can capture. I believe this will be on the best sellers list! I can't wait to read more novels written by Ellsworth.

A historical fiction book that also involves wine? Sign me up! I love the beautiful cover of this book just as much as the title. This book goes back and forth between two different time periods, with the two main characters Martine and Charlotte. I was immediately drawn to Martine so I was hooked with her story from the beginning. It took me awhile to warm up to Charlotte, but I finally did about halfway through the book. This was a lovely quick read for me. If you love historical fiction books, I would definitely recommend you add it to your list. I also think this would be a great entry level book for someone new to historical fiction.

Very interesting book set in a dual timeline, following a 1990's airplane pilot traveling to France and the mystery of an old wine bottle she discovers there. Her search for the wine bottle's true owner leads her to learn more about what really happened in France during WWII. Loved this book!

The French Winemaker’s Daughter was a moving story about a young woman’s journey to discover the story behind a very unique bottle of wine. I love stories about strong, independent women and this book did not disappoint. The very beginning captures you into this story with the young Martine, hiding in a closet from the Nazi soldiers who have just taken her father away. Before being captured, her father gives her a very unassuming bottle of wine and strict instructions. This bottle of wine holds much more than the liquid inside it, and here is where Charlotte’s story comes alive. Nearly 50 years after Martine escapes the German’s, Charlotte discovers this old bottle of wine among other bottles of wine at an auction and the journey begins for her.
Both characters are well written, the story is engulfing and is hard to put down. This story goes between two completely different periods of time and takes the reader on an amazing journey between past and present. Covering everything from war, to family bonds and beyond. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Wow! This book is captivating! The story intrigued me from the beginning! I enjoyed the bit of mystery that the main character had to solve. The imagery brings the entire book to life!

A lot of the characters were easy to like and emphasize with. I think Ada is my favorite! She's compassionate, loving, and has a true calling to help others. She also always goes the extra mile. Her unselfish attitude saved many people in the war.

This is the first book that I've read by this author, but it certainly won't be the last!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Harper Collins Publishers via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Loretta Ellsworth, and the publishers for allowing access to the e-Arc.

4.5 stars

I loved the story that was told in this book. I found it to be so interesting. I thought it was cool that the young girl, Martine was raised on a vineyard. Charlotte is a pilot. The two female main characters are so strong and both going through so much. I haven’t read anything like this Historical Fiction with Romance.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I was quite excited to read it as I enjoy historical fiction, especially around World War II, but I was a bit disappointed. I felt like the story could’ve been more clear and robust. To me it often felt like the main character was a bit whiny and didn’t act her age which further turned me off of her. The storyline of her grandfather and his vineyard was lost on me and felt like a plot plug rather than something meaningful that contributed to the story. I would’ve enjoyed having an epilogue as well since the whole time the main character is looking for love but we don’t actually know if it TRULY pans out. I think it also would’ve been cool to have a final chapter written by the winemaker’s daughter to truly tie everything together. The book was quite engaging and I did appreciate the POV shifts. I figured out that the winemaker’s daughter was the mother of the Parisian vineyard about halfway into the book so it would’ve been great if that was revealed sooner rather than at the end as a “surprise.”

If you are a fan of Historical Fiction set in WWII, this one is for you. The book swaps between 1942, when a seven year old Maritine finds herself alone after the Nazi's come for her father and 1990, where Charlotte has aquired rare wine left from the German occupation. Charlotte's investigation into the wine leads us through an emotional story of these two women's lives.


Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book The French Winemakers Daughter- Martines dad knew the Germans were going to come after him so he his her in armoire with a note pinned on her clothing and gave her a wine bottle with a message to not lose it because it was her inheritance. Martine escaped the Germans & tried to follow her Dads instructions to get to her aunt’s house in Paris but alone and scared she dropped the bottle of wine .
48 years later Charlotte is at an auction with her friend Henri when he buys a crate of wine- he pulls out what he feels will have value they drink a couple bottles and the bottle that is left he leaves it for Charlotte to drink- Charlotte discovers that a label is over the actual wine label with a note….
The story that intertwines the two together is suspenseful and memorable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the ARC of this book.

This book was incredible! I love any historical fiction set during WWII. This book drew me in because of it being set in France which is not the typical location of this era (from what I read). It was a very fast read and the story sucked me in from the start. I loved how the story switched between the characters and timelines, drawing both together in the end. The characters were likable and it made me feel a full spectrum of emotions. Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for the eARC!