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.

“The Champagne Letters” by Kate MacIntosh is a wonderful immersive historical fiction that revolves around the founder of Verve Clicquot champagne Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. The story is set in dual timelines and the present day character is an American women who is going through a bad divorce. She escapes to Paris to try and reset her life when she finds a book of life lesson letters written by the widow Clicquot to her great granddaughter. The book becomes her inspiration to move forward.

The narrative happens centuries apart and reading about the strength, determination and courage of a woman in the 1800s to take control of a failing business and ultimately develop it to become one of the worlds greatest Champaign houses was stunning. The lessons learned by our American protagonist who is trying to recreate her life is a model for all of us. I actually jotted some of them down to keep them in front of me!

The author did a great job of weaving these two stories together. The historical content was fascinating, so if you like history, champagne and stories of strong women this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for an early copy of The Champagne Letters by Kate MacIntosh

The two protagonists in The Champagne Letters may be centuries apart in existence, but their sentiments, issues and philosophies grow to become completely parallel. Circumstances in their lives lead them to leave their pasts behind and make a pathway truly their own.

The Widow Clicquot lived in Reims, France and in the early 1800s worked her way to running the champagne production that her now-deceased husband inherited from his family. Women at this time were rarely in business of any kind, so she had to rely on her own intuition in order to produce fine champagne and keep the business alive. During Napoleon's conflict with Russia, she made arrangements to hid much of her champagne in order that returning troops not completely wipe out her reserve.

The Champagne Letters revolves around a series of letters that Widow Clicquot had written to her great-granddaughter. When these letters in the form of a book are found by Natalie Taylor in present-day France, the other side of this story emerges. Reeling from the unfaithfulness of her husband and separation, what begins as a trip for rejuvenation becomes a story of theft and intrigue which Natalie must navigate. Her reliance on the wisdom of Widow Clicquot which she has read about will force her to right the wrongs she has endured and move forward with her life.

The historical backdrop, information about grapes and wine production and dynamic female characters add up to a very impactful read.

4 stars

Dual timeline juxtaposing a 21st century woman, Natalie, who heads to Paris to try to regain her sense of self after her husband’s infidelity and a 19th century widow, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, working to build her champagne business after her husband’s untimely death. I really liked Clicquot's defiance of societal norms (even though the author fictionalized much of her story).

The ending seemed a bit rushed and there was a little too much left to the reader's imagination. I also questioned some of the choices Natalie made at the end.

All in all, a good read.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This story was a wonderfully refreshing read. Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the opportunity to read this arc! 🍾🍾

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the origins of the Veuve Clicquot brand and learning about the incredibly strong and formidable Barbe Cliquot.

Told through parallel storylines, the book follows Natalie, a woman enduring tough times, who discovers herself by reading Barbe Nicole Clicquot’s letters and applying the lessons learned to her own life.

For lovers of strong women, historical depth, and the celebratory clink of a champagne toast, this read is a must.

What was the last historical fiction you read? Leave a comment or a note!

Oh my goodness! What a delicious book. There were two stories in the book. One, the story of Natalie whose husband had cheated on her and they ended up divorcing. On a whim, she ran off to France. The second story was that of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot who I will refer to as the queen of champagne, which is what she produced. Her story is told through letters she wrote to her great granddaughter.

Nicole stayed in a boutique hotel where she met wine salesman Gabriel who was staying at the hotel as well. He invited himself into her life and offered to show her hidden parts of Paris. She found herself smitten by him. He had planned a dinner party where he was entertaining wealthy businessmen who wanted to purchase expensive bottles of wine from him. But he needed a guarantor. He told Natalie that an older woman was going to do that for him but at the last minute was not able to. Natalie agreed to tell these men that she had purchased wine from him and that the wine was excellent. All the while, Natalie was reading a book of letters from Barbe-Nicole to her great granddaughter. Anyway, Gabriel's party was a huge success and he sold hundreds of bottles of wine. Only it turns out he was a fraud. The wine he sold was bogus.

There was a woman who worked at the hotel whose name was Sophie and she had befriended. Natalie. When Gabriel's fraud was discovered, Natalie was told that Sophie had been fired because she had purchased several bottles of the bogus wine for the hotel from Gabriel. Natalie had Sophie's phone number and gave her a call so they could meet up at a cafe. Sophie told her her story of woe. She also told her that she was going to open her own wine store in Reims. Natalie told Sophie that she was going to find Gabriel because he had stolen thousands of dollars from her and she wanted it back. She asked Sophie to help her find him.

So Natalie decided to go to Reims for two reasons. One, she knew Sophie's shop was there, and two, because she remembered Gabriel told her he was from there. Natalie and Sophie set out in search of Gabriel to no avail, and then they went back to the shop. Sophie allowed Natalie to take her car and go and search on her own. Gabriel had told Natalie that he had once been in construction and she had learned of a place where construction workers hung out so that's where she went. While she was inside. The car was towed. She found her way back to the wine shop and Sophie had one of her friends take her to the tow lot where she picked up her car. Natalie was with her. Sophie was stone cold silent, apparently furious with Natalie for the fact that her car had been towed. She gave Natalie a reaming and told her to go back to Paris. Natalie had told her that she wanted to help her get the shop up and running but Sophie refused her assistance. All she wanted was for Natalie to be gone. But Natalie didn't leave. She went around town showing Gabriel's picture and asking if anyone had seen him. She was told about a bar where construction workers hung out and she went there in search of him. What she found blew her mind.

I loved the way the author was able to weave both of the stories together. When I first started reading, I thought Natalie was related to Barbe-Nicole but that wasn't the case. Barbe-Nicole was such a strong businesswoman who would stop at nothing to see her champagne become a huge success. Her goal was to see her wine sold around the world.

I was really taken with this book. And oh, the characters were so well developed. I just kept reading and reading, couldn't get enough of it. I will probably read it again. I gave it five stars.

The historical fiction girlies are gonna love this! Thank You to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
As a lover of strong women, historical fiction, and wine I really enjoyed this book! I will say the 50-75 pages or so were slow for me and it wasn’t until the first twist that I was hooked. Love learning more about the history of Veuve Clicquot and Madame Clicquot and will be recommending this to my friends for when it comes out!

The Champagne Letters by Kate Macintosh is a dual point of view and timeline novel featuring Barbe-Nicole Cliquot and a modern woman going through a divorce, Natalie. Cliquot’s story is quite amazing for a woman during her time to make her champagne house one of notoriety. Each chapter begins with letters to her great grand daughter with words of wisdom and shows the different obstacles she had to overcome to be successful. Natalie’s story centers on her divorce, trip to Paris, and becoming a victim in an elaborate fraudulent scam.

I would recommend this book for historical and contemporary fiction readers, it provides both in one book. I was more interested in Cliquot’s part of the story, I’ve read a nonfiction book about her and was captivated by her life. I appreciate how the author brings her to life in this story. Natalie’s story did not relate to Cliquot’s story and I am left wondering the purpose of it. Her story was entertaining but I would have preferred a historical fiction novel about Cliquot alone.

Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

In the 1800's when women were "second class citizens" and not allowed to become business owners, Barbe Nicole Clicquot became a business women in a man's world. Rather than having a partnership with another person, she took over the business and made a success of it. Fast forward to present day, Natalie Taylor still spinning from her husband's adulterous affair, goes to Paris looking for a new life. Finding a book of letters written by Mme Clicquot, she uses this book to rediscover herself. While centuries apart, Natalie finds strength in the letters written by Mme Clicquot. Enjoyable from the first page to the last, this book is highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of two women set apart by centuries but who desire the same thing when grief enters your life, and you need to make a fateful decision. To find success on their own merits. It’s the early 1800’s and Barbe Nicole Clicquot is newly widowed but refuses to be set aside and have someone else make her vineyard and fine champagne famous. She knows it is her strength only that will make her grapes the finest around.

It’s present day and Natalie Taylor has been tossed aside by her husband for a younger version, and out of the desire to find a new life and a new self, runs off to Paris. There she finds the story of the Widow in a bouquiniste along the Siene. Using Barbe Nicole’s book as a road map for her new life, Natalie finds herself in hands of two con- artists who think Natalie to broken to put up a fight. Little do they know that with her background in risk assessment and the bold words of the Widow Clicquot, Natalie not only turns the tables, but also holds a better hand in this game.

Kate MacIntosh does a great job writing 2 fine characters. I found Natalie’s exploits more appealing to read and its caper is what kept me going. The Widow is a great character and I think a whole book could be dedicated to her endeavors. This would be a great beach read for the summer of 2024.

4 stars! What a fabulous historical fiction novel this was. I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to ARC read this book. I always enjoy historical fiction and stories set in Paris.
The story was engaging and I enjoyed the plot. The dual timeline and how it was connected was done well. I did find the twist to be predictable but it didn’t take away from the experience.
The present day story line follows Natalie who is divorced and takes an impromptu trip to Paris to rediscover herself. There she reads about a famous wine maker who is also the secondary timeline set in the early 1800’s. The female characters in this story are strong, creative, and resilient. The messaging was also important for any female as a reminder that we can do anything we set our minds to!