This was a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I enjoyed this book. The length was a little short for my liking. The concept of a female pilot in the 1990’s as a protagonist excited me. However, in the very saturated market of WW2 novels, it takes a lot to stick out. I honestly think that this book could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more. I liked the writing and still found the book to be a quick read and entertaining.

This novel is split into two timelines – WW2 and 1980 in France with the connection being wine, particularly one special bottle.

Martine is a 7 year old Jewish girl being raised by her father on a vineyard in rural France. While the Germans start taking over the area they live in, her father makes her hide with 2 things, her precious stuffed rabbit and a special bottle of wine. If something happens to him, she is to take herself and the bottle to her aunt’s in Paris. While Martine is running away after everything has happened at their vineyard, the bottle unfortunately goes missing. After days of struggling she finally makes it to Paris where she discovers that her aunt is missing. Still in fear for her life, she keeps running but she is exhausted so collapses by a hotel. Luckily for her Sister Ada finds her and takes her to a convent she is living at. Now will both of them being able to survive the war? Or will the secrets be found out and they end up in concentration camps.

Charlotte in an airline pilot in 1990 for a major airline, she has the perfect route going to Europe frequently so has an apartment in Paris and a boyfriend named Henri. One night she goes to a special wine auction with Henri and he wins the bid on some wine bottles from WW2 that had been in a German soldier’s collection. One bottle in the collection means nothing to him so he gives it to Charlotte. That one bottle has a mystery behind the label and Charlotte starts her quest to find the answers.

In the past few years lots of books have come out about WW2, some of which have had a split timeline. This is one of those books. I was intrigued by it because it was one of the few that occurred in France but I will admit I was a bit disappointed. In a short period of time you can honestly tell where this is going for the ending. There was a surprise or two in there, but it was pretty easy to figure out. What Martine had to live through was amazing and it was thought through well, but Charlotte wasn’t the character she could truly be. A female airline pilot in the 1990 wasn’t actually that common so there could have been something about that in there. All in all though it was a good book and clean.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for an ARC of this book.

A split-narrative historical fiction taking place in WWII and the 1990s in Paris and the surrounding wine country. This is a really satisfying read and the split narratives end up tying together nicely. It’s a cozy historical fiction (some sad WWII elements, but mostly behind the scenes) with a happy ending, and I recommend this one!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is historical fiction which is the perfect genre for me. I loved the two POVs and timelines alternating between Martine and Charlotte. The story is such a beautiful tragedy centering around WW2 and the Nazi takeover.
Charlotte, however; comes off very unlikeable. The constant emphasis on her being a FEMALE PILOT was overdone. Her immediately kicking out her roommate seemed very irrational. And her flying off the handle at Julien when he thought (rightly so) the photo was of his mom. She did not treat Julien well and I have no idea what he saw in her.

This was such a good read! I love the characters and how quickly you fall in love with them. For a spoiler free review I will just say that it's beautiful how it all comes together!

I give the book 4.5 stars. I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for fair and an unbiased review. I am Jewish. I have read many books on the holocaust. I have not read any historical fiction on the holocaust. I have never read a book on the holocaust like this book.

The book is very easy to read. It is a hopeful and loving book. Most books I have read about the holocaust are very grim.

The book tells of two different stories. The stories are of different times. It took me a while to understand the connection of both stories. I don't think I have ever read a book about two different stories before. It was easy to keep both stories straight.

The book, even though it is fiction, has a lot of truth to it. I always forget about Frances actions in the Holocaust. It reteaches me what happened in France during that time.

The characters and the character development in the book is really good. I really felt I got to know the characters. The characters are flawed ( which I like, it makes them more believable).

I am so appreciative to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book. I look forward to reading more from the author in the near future.

If you are interested in stories about WW2, this is a good one. Martine is a young girl whose father hides her from the Germans. He is taken away as they are Jewish. She makes it to her aunt’s building in Paris only to discover her aunt was taken as well. Cold, scared, and hungry she falls asleep in a doorway where a young nun discovers her and brings her back to the monastery. Thus Martinez life begins among the nuns as a “Catholic “ orphan.
Charlotte is a pilot in 1990 who has a boyfriend in Paris. He is a wine collector and they go to an auction where he buys a case of wine. While they drink ti bottles, he gifts Charlotte with one. She later discovers the label is hiding another label with writing in the back, “for my daughter Martine. Charlotte begins a quest to discover more about Martine and the bottle of wine.
What Charlotte discovers is an interesting tale. A good read!

Dual timelines with a bottle of wine at the center. Charlotte is given a bottle of wine confiscated by the Nazis during WWII. She finds a label which identifies the vineyard and she starts on a quest to find the owner, a young girl. In alternating chapters, we discover Martine who survived WWII and how she lost the bottle of wine.

The French Winemaker's Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth is a WWII historical fiction novel based in France. Written from a dual perspective of modern day and WWII during the Nazi occupation of France. WWII historical fiction is one of my favorite genres as well as tropes that include multi-dimensional strong female character leads.
Beginning in 1942, in the Burgundy region of France, young Martine is living joyfully with her father on their small vineyard. Martine is very in tune with the vines and connected to the land. She and her father are Jewish. When German soldiers show up, Martine is forced to hide as her father is taken away. Her papa thrusts a wine bottle into her hands and tells her it is her legacy. Young Martine is forced to flee German officers on her own. The story follows her experiences and journey throughout the war which leads to hiding at a Catholic Convent. (I prefer not to give too much of the story away...)
In modern day, written in first person, Charlotte is a commercial airline pilot who owns an apartment in Paris. Through dating a French man, Henri, Charlotte is gifted a bottle of wine that contains a message under a fake label. Her hunt for the owner of the wine bottle leads Charlotte to discover Martine's journey and make life-altering connections in the process.
I enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel and Martine's viewpoint. Her experiences were my favorite part of the novel.
Personally, I disliked Charlotte as a character. I found her morally questionable and her personality abrasive. I dislike when storytellers add romance when none is really necessary for the storyline. As for Charlotte, I often think about whether or not I would like to meet this person (character) in contemporary novels, In the case of Charlotte, my answer would be no.
Having said all that, I enjoyed the book and will recommend to readers of WWII historical fiction.
Thank you to Goodreads, the publisher, and author for the arc. All opinions are my own.

This was an engaging dual timeline historical fiction. Both timelines were uniquely interesting and the characters fit in their time. At times situations and insights felt rushed, but overall, this was enjoyable, and fans of historical fiction set during WWII will appreciate Elisabeth’s journey in particular.
Thank you #Netgallley for the ARC

This story was beautifully written and really made you fall in love with its two main character, Martine and Charlotte. I really don't want to spoil anything so it's hard to summarize but if you enjoy history and love and family then this is the book for you. I would highly recommend and thank Netgalley for the chance to read an Advanced Copy of this magnificent book.

Thank you Netgallery for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy. I enjoyed reading this book, .and found it interesting. Some parts were predictable and unbelievable, though. I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy historical fiction, and stories about wine.

I enjoyed reading this book and felt swept up by Martine's storyline - I needed to know what happened and was emotional invested in all aspects of her story. The second timeline in this book, with Charlotte, wasn't as strong for me but I did still enjoy the mystery and - despite it feeling rushed - I enjoyed her growth and the budding romance. The concept of this book and the way it was brought together was great, I was able to guess where somethings were going but seeing as this isn't a mystery/thriller, that's okay! Also, I enjoyed how Henri's story ended... you'll have to read the book to find out what that means though!

Overall, I enjoyed The French Winemaker's Daughter by Loretta Ellsworth and want to thank Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the opportunity to read and advanced copy.

Written as a dual narrative the story jumps between Martine, a young French Jewess during the German occupation of France during WWII, and Charlotte, an American airline pilot from the early 1990s. Martine and Charlotte are connected by a bottle of wine made by Martine's father in the 1940s and that Charlotte came in possession of decades later.

Though I found Martine's character and story to be intriguing, Charlotte's fell a bit flat for me. While Martine experienced much tragedy throughout her young life, she was a survivor and endeavored to move forward. Charlotte, on the other hand, was much more entitled, yet came across as wishy-washy and unable to grow through her past experiences. As a result of wishing there was more depth to the Charlotte character, I give the book a 4.5 star rating.

From a historical aspect, I found it to be an enlightening read and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

2.5/5. I liked the idea of the story, but unfortunately the writing fell a little short for me. We have a beautifully weaved tale of two women connected by a bottle of wine, but the characters and their relationships fell flat for me—I didn’t feel like they had a ton of depth and I struggled to feel connected to them. I also felt like the characters were very stereotypical as opposed to fleshed out/complex individuals.

I enjoyed the historical fiction aspects of France during WWII, as well as the history of the vineyards that were tangentially intertwined. It was a unique window into a time period that is heavily assessed and written about.

I have read many historic fiction novels on WWII, even a few about the vineyards during this same period, but not one captured me like "The French Winemaker's Daughter." I fell in love with Martine and Charlotte immediately. Paris is my favorite place in the world, so it wasn't hard to capture my attention, but as a mother, Martine is someone I wanted to gather into my arms for her bravery right at the start of the novel.

I loved that Charlotte was a pilot, making her a brave soul as well, to enter such a paternalistic society and succeed. Add in Sister Ada and this story comes to life with women that have the courage and strength to fight back when most would falter. Many World War II stories do not have happy endings for the Jewish community. It was a pleasure to read Loretta Ellsworth's novel and read the last page with a smile on my face!

I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they have read all their is about Word War II historical novels.

This book features a captivating storyline that showcases other countries during WW2. Many WW2 focused books tend focus into the German experience which made this book more unique. There are alternating POV's from two different timelines. This unfortunately takes away from Martine's storyline. I found myself more invested in Martine and less for Charlotte. The structure of POV's made it a bit confusing. Though the richness of history and focusing on France really made it a great read. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5. I am leaving 4/5 stars due to rounding up*

I simply loved this book! It was a precious story about love, loss, resilience, faith and fate. I enjoyed how the stories were intertwined, and it was like real life. Sometimes there are happy endings and sometimes there are not. But sometimes there are! I thought the writing was very well done. Thanks to the publisher for an opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Great full circle story about a lost bottle of wine. Nice modern love story woven into the mix. As compared to other WWII novels, this one is on the lighter side telling the story of a woman re-uniting with a lost bottle of wine from her family's winery.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! I branched out of my comfort zone with this one, and I'm still not entirely sure how I feel. I wasn't a big fan of the main character, Charlotte. She seemed flawed, which I can accept, I love a good main character who's flawed. But Charlotte spent the entire story stubbornly holding onto those flaws and she seemed like a stagnant character. The only thing interesting about her was her bond with the second main character, Martine/Elisabeth. I also felt as if the author had a way of telling the story rather than showing the story. There wasn't much depth to the scenes. Martine's story I can understand because it's told from the pov of a child. And I felt like her chapters were very well done. But Charlotte's story also lacked depth in description. There were often times the author would write things like, "I need to sit down" instead of describing how shocking the news is for the character. Or describing how the character felt.

All that being said though, I still enjoyed the story and would read it again.