Rating: 4.8/5

Pop the cork on The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh and enjoy a journey of self-discovery! The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh follows Natalie Taylor, a woman who travels to Paris to escape the upheaval of her failed marriage. She finds inspiration in a book of letters from the widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. She follows the Widow Clicquot’s journey as she defies gender restrictions in establishing one of the most successful champagne houses in the world.

I found myself rooting for both Natalie and Barbe-Nicole from the jump. I deeply enjoyed learning about France and the French wine industry during the reign of Napoleon. Additionally, reading about the established gender norms of the period gave me a vast appreciation for Mme. Clicquot‘s business acumen and ruthless pursuit of success. I found myself with an insatiable curiosity about the history of Mme. Clicquot. Natalie’s re-established independence was such an inspiration. Her developing love for fashion and self-confidence was so fun to witness. I bought myself a split Veuve Clicquot champagne and savored this book to the very last drop.

This captivating novel follows two strong women, navigating life’s challenges in early 1800s France and the present day. With its beautifully written dialogue and historical backdrop, The Champagne Letters is a must-read for historical fiction enthusiasts. It’s a delightful blend of wit and wisdom.

The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh was a five star book for me. I couldn’t put it down. There were two timelines and I was totally invested in each one. I loved the strong, independent and courageous women in The Champagne Letters. Kate Macintosh’s storytelling was brilliantly crafted, her research was impeccable and her writing was captivating. I loved learning about the champagne industry, the era during which Napoleon was at the helm of France and about the act of wine fraud. If you enjoy really well written historical fiction then reading The Champagne Letters is a must. I highly recommend The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh.

Thank you to Gallery Books for allowing me to read The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Publication was December 10, 2024.

3.5! I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction, but the premise of this book intrigued me.

We follow along as Natalie, a recent divorcee, travels to Paris. She is taking a risk, which she never does, and decides to travel alone. While there, she finds a book of letters from a woman in the 1800's. the woman, Barbe-Nicole, wrote to her great granddaughter about the various obstacles she endured in her life. Natalie uses this book as inspiration to live her life. While in Paris, some interesting events occur and Natalie is forced to move forward, or react how she always has in life. We are able to read along with some of the passages that Barbe-Nicole wrote to get a better understanding of what Nicole was reading and how that affected her.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

In present day Chicago, broken from her divorce, Natalie Taylor runs away to Paris. In a book stall by the Seine, Natalie finds a collection of the Widow Clicquot’s published letters and uses them as inspiration to step out of her comfort zone and create a new, empowered life for herself. But when her Parisian escape takes a shocking and unexpected turn, she’s forced to make a choice. Should she accept her losses and return home, or fight for the future she’s only dreamed about? What would the widow do?

Natalie has a broken heart. To mend her broken heart, she takes off to Paris!! Nothing is better than that. I love how her strength slowly evolves as she learns what she wants for the rest of her life.

Then there is a big twist!…I mean it’s life…there are always big twists. Natalie does not let this stop her. She goes on a hunt..and you will need to read this to find out! You will not be sorry.

I loved the way the past is folded into this novel through the letters. The author did a fabulous job weaving these two stories together to create wonderful dual timelines.

Need an all around good tale which has quite a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This book has it all. An amazing Dual timeline. The setting of Paris, which is just 10/10. And wine, specially, learning about Widow Clicquot and her desire to make her champagne successful. I love it.

I also didn't know much about French history, but there is a good amount of that in here, and I enjoyed it.

I loved following Natalie as she tries to find herself, post divorce. And in Paris of all places? Love it.

4.5 but rounded up!

If you love wine and the idea of running away to Paris to escape your problems, this book is for you. I loved being able to learn about the history of Veuve Clicquot and the woman behind it, while also following a woman's adventure in present day. I especially enjoyed the focus on learning from influential women of the past, even though they might not be names you always think of thanks to history.

Fine dual time line historical fiction that alternates between Barbe-Nicole Clicquot in 1800s France and Natalie in present day Paris. Both women find themselves at an inflection point-Clicquot is widowed and war is looming while Natalie (and yes this is less of a crisis) is divorcing and has trusted the wrong person. Natalie learns from a book of letters written by Clicquot to her great granddaughter Anne, as do we. This skims over complicated French history (it does help to have a little knowledge of Napoleon etc but you'll be fine if you don't) and focuses more on the Widow Clicquot's efforts to make and sell her champagne. It's a story of determination and. to be honest, it's more interesting than Natalie's. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I just returned from Paris so was excited to read this book and immerse myself in the dual timeline. Madame Clicquot is the historical fiction character in this book, and Natalie is the American who escapes to Paris/France to find her way.
I was much more interested in the historical narrative than the present day and Natalie's storyline was somewhat predictable. It's still worth a read to escape a bit!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

This book was a very unique dual timeline book and I enjoyed it a lot. The timeline from France in the early 1800s was historical fiction following the widow, Veuve Clicquot, as she is determined to continue running her family's wine business despite being a woman and threats of war. The present day timeline follows Natalie, a recently divorced middle aged woman, who takes off to Paris on an adventure. There are lots of twists and turns and fun in this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for letting me read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

The Champagne Letters is the story about Nicole-Barbe Cliquot, the woman behind Cliquot Champagne, and Natalie, a present day newly divorced woman who finds her letters on a trip to Paris. Natalie uses the words of Nicole-Barbe to gain strength and courage to stand up for herself. This is a nicely written and interesting book which shows the abilities and value of women.

5.0

Fantastique!

I imagine that if I had read other reviews before writing this, I could second-guess myself with things that others claim as hard to believe or some other mark against this book, but my immediate feeling upon finishing was that it was truly satisfying. Plus some of the unbelievable parts really happened! Okay, maybe I would have liked to follow Natalie and Barbe-Nicole for a bit. Just me as a fly on the wall. Unless I was in danger from the French disease or any of the rats the size of puppies from the ship.

I took some breaks in the middle out of fear for the the vulnerable women, especially Madame Clicquot, even if she wouldn’t let it show. Some of the characters’challenges came up earlier than expected, but the surprises unfolded until the end like a finely wrapped present.

I usually don’t like bouncing around in time, but the chapters evenly alternate between the past and the present and I feel glad to have learned about the remarkable of Veuve Clicquot. I always appreciate an authors note at the end indicating which parts of the book are true to history and which are invented. It’s even sweeter reading that Madam Clicquot has been inspiring this book for all these years. An excellent first book, hopefully among many more, for Kate MacIntosh.

I immediately felt compelled to preorder it for a Francophone-obsessed old friend. Fortunately I caught myself before I could see how others have reviewed it.

A great read I will gladly recommend!

Thank you to Kate MacIntosh, NetGalley, and Gallery Books for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book for my unbiased review.

I loved this retelling of the creation of Veuve Cliquot! As someone who loves France, the setting was stunning and made the book that much more enjoyable as I pictured every moment.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book and learned a little history while at it. It takes place in two timelines. 1805-ish and 2024.

In 2024, you have Natalie, recently divorced from a cheating husband. While preparing to move, she makes a pop decision to run away to Paris.

In 1805, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot's husband dies and she is left with her young daughter. Barbe-Nicole's ambition is to continue to run the family's champagne house during the time of Napoleon.

Natalie discovers a book of Barbe-Nicole's letters in an old bookshop and takes the strength from Barbe-Nicole to forge a new life for herself. Natalie encounters some challenges and decide that instead of running back to America with her head down, she will fight back.

I loved both timelines and learned a bit of France history during that time period. Both women were not afraid to step up to the challenges life threw at them and ultimately succeed.

Thank you to @netgalley and @GalleryBooks for this ARC. 1800's Barbe-Nicole Clicquot has just become a widow and now has to figure out how to make their winery survive. Present day - Nicole is recently divorced and escapes to Paris to find herself. She runs across a book in the Seine book shops of letters from Widow Clicquot to her great-grandaughter full of life advice and how she persevered in a world where women can't own anything. Nicole takes this advice to heart to also survive her loss of marriage. Though I know this book is only half of Widow Clicquot's story, I loved it! Clicquot created a new way to store champagne bottles for the sediment to rest on the cork. She also grew in acclaim after Napoleon abdicated and she secretly sold her stock to the Russians and the Czar. #TheChampagneLetters #KateMacintosh #GalleryBooks #Dec2024

Would a woman be able to take over a vineyard and make quality wine and champagne?

We meet Veuve Clicquot in the 1800s who turned her business into an empire and did it without her husband. No one thought a woman could do it.

Then we meet Natalie present day who ran to Paris just so she could avoid taking care of what was left of the things from her divorce.

She meets Mme. Clicquot through a book of her published letters. Those letters saved Natalie from her despair and helped her move forward without fear of taking risks and help her follow her dreams.

Natalie has a great time in Paris, and you will enjoy it with her as she changes her hairstyle and goes on a shopping trip where fashion counts more than anything.

Back to Mme. Cliqout - she has a more difficult time convincing everyone she can run her business, and we all know how they are proved wrong and how that turned out.

THE CHAMPAGNE LETTERS is a delightful read about women taking risks and enjoying success and happiness….even though success and happiness have some setbacks for both of them.

If you need a change of pace, care to learn about wine and champagne making and the life of the ​Champagne ​Queen​ of Reims as well as spending time with two delightful, strong women in this well-researched book, this one fits the bill with a great twist in one of the character’s lives. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

“The Champagne Letters” by KateMacintosh, is a dual timeline historical fiction book. In the first timeline, the reader follows newly widowed Barbe-Nicole Clicquot who is trying to keep the family wine/champagne business afloat. She has to deal with competitors, family input, and political issues that keep getting in the way of reaching her dream. Each of Ms. Clicquot’s chapters begin with a letter to her great-granddaughter so it was easy to keep the two women’s stories apart. In the second timeline, newly divorced Natalie, has escaped to Paris on a whim, partially to find herself (or heal herself) and partially to do something different to feel better about herself and her new life situation. Natalie is charmed by two people, who don’t turn out to really be her new French friends. Tying the stories together is a collection of letters by Ms. Clicquot in book form that Natalie found. I did think that Ms. Clicquot’s story could have been an entire book on its own (which I would’ve found interesting with more details and background). While the book Natalie had tied the two stories together, I didn’t really see the connection between the two stories - other than “woman on her own trying to make a go of life on her own.” I think if someone likes books about strong women (Clicquot is strong from the beginning, as is Natalie in her own way) along with French history (I’ll admit, my knowledge of Napoleon is bare bones and even less regarding French politics of the time), this may be the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Galley books for letting me read The champagne letters by Kate Macintosh.
This book serves as an inspiration for all women to follow their dreams and never give up. It starts with a French great grandmother s letters to her great granddaughter. It shifts to present day Paris where a divorcee,Natalie, flees to Paris to sooth her broken heart and recover from broken dreams. Enter the mysterious characters who change Natalie’s life. She reads the book of letters from Barbe Nicole-Cliquot, the famous champagne maker and learns her story of hardships and braveness. When confronted with her own choices Natalie thinks of what Barbe would do. She sees herself differently with more confidence and determination while learning some of lifes lessons.. it was a wonderful book that I just couldn’t put down

"There's no magic to create a new future. It simply means letting go of the things that tether us to the past."

What a truly wonderful book and now I want to learn more about the Widow Clicquot. I'm a fan of Kate MacIntosh and was very thankful to get to have an ARC of this book. It was engaging, and empowering (great quotes throughout) and I was sad when it ended. I was rooting for the Barbe-Nicole and Natalie all the way. Can't wait for other to enjoy this book. Thanks Netgalley and Gallery Books.

This book would be fun for someone that hasn't traveled widely. It's more a travelogue than a love story. The historical deviations were a bit distraction, but a good overall concept. Would be fun to pair with a film screening of Widow Clicquot.