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Fripp's prose instantly and completely immersed me in a beautiful romance, heartbreak and the passion of Madame Clicquot. The author’s ability to whisk me away to the vineyards of post-Revolutionary France and bring to life a feisty, determined heroine who blazed her own path in a man’s world is extraordinary. You’ll love how she brings Reims and the French countryside to life with her attention to detail and her descriptive writing. Furthermore, you’ll find yourself completely invested in the characters. Fripp has crafted each one uniquely; you’ll love the men who are besotted with Nicole, you’ll love to hate the best friend who uses Nicole as well as her biggest competition and the man she almost married, Monsieur Moët. Considering the insurmountable odds against this aristocratic young woman, it’s amazing that her vision and determination continued to fuel her passion for success. Beyond her skill as a wine maker, Madame Clicquot was an astute and ultimately successful business person in a time when women had few rights to property or business. It was also a time of great upheaval and uncertainty across France and Europe due to the Napoleonic Wars.
The vineyards, terroir and Champagne making process are all easily visualised in this book, along with the French customs of the era. There are many who want her to fail, so knowing who to trust and who would sell out to her rivals is never easy, but her stubborn refusal to give in was what drove her on, even in the darkest of days. From dependable Xavier, to all-seeing Natasha, loyal Louis, exotic Thérésa and mysterious Alexei, we get passion, respect and deception, as well as a colourful cast of characters who intrigued and entertained me as we travelled through the French Revolution, 19th century Parisian society and Napoleon’s war with Russia.Cue a very bumpy journey with mad, witch-like neighbours, building disasters, plots to scare CC away and freezing-cold water issues. This historical fiction centers around Nicole Clicquot, the Widow of Reims, the real-life owner of Veuve Clicquot, the world’s most popular Champagne house in the early 1800’s. The tale covers her struggles to keep her Champagne line afloat after the loss of her husband. Facing both challenges abroad (no export options during the war) and at home (enemies, weather and so much more) Nicole braves it all for her daughter and the memory of her beloved husband. Then he helps Isabelle's boarder a German soldier hide from the authorities and escape from the island when he is in trouble for being a gay man which in intolerable by the Germans. Then tragedy happens and he is arrested by the Germans. A story of fraught secrets and tested loyalties . . . I found this beautifully told tale hard to put down’
After falling in love and marrying François, the scion of the Clicquot champagne estate in 1798, 21-year-old Nicole Ponsardin schools herself in the science and poetry of winemaking. After François’s death, from typhoid or self-inflicted rat poison, Nicole is Veuve Cliquot, the widow who revolutionizes the production and sale of French champagne. They end up meeting at Hauteville house which was actually the real life home of Victor Hugo. So, queue the literary links from the start! He finds out that isabelle is now married and eventually he marries someone else. But neither of the childhood sweethearts are happy and there is a fair amount of longing regret and tension. Before anything can happen, the war erupts and the Germans invade changing life for ever. As a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, the headstrong Nicole Clicquot agrees to marry the man of her dreams. With the world at their feet and beautiful and bountiful vineyards as their future, there is nothing the Clicquot’s cannot accomplish. Unfortunately, Fate always has her hand in the lives of mere mortals and this time, she takes Nicole’s husband far too soon. With a small child and employees to care for, Nicole decides, against all the odds and conventions of her time and place, she will run the vineyards and make them the success she and her beloved once dreamed they could be. Lieutenant Peter Schreiber is billeted with the Larch’s, forced to serve in the German army, the former Oxford student, is a talented painter and artist. Peter has a forbidden longing, it wouldn’t be tolerated by his comrades and he has to keep it a secret. Loyalties are tested, old enmities surface and lives are at risk with the all seeing Nazi always tryingWhen I started to read this memoir, I was expecting something akin to A Year in Provence, which is ironic because we learn in the book, that’s exactly what Don’s mother expected. Mother Wallace was disappointed, I’m not! Historical Fiction readers who enjoy snippets of romance and "real" life (aka not fluff), do read this. Just know there are occasional adult situations. I adored this book, it reminds me of my great love of historical fiction and was an part of history which I knew little about and also even less about the great Champagne houses. How wonderful to discover that a woman was behind one of the greatest much to the chagrin of most. Historical fiction is of course just that but what it does and this book does it in abundance is open your eyes and the world up to reading much more about these fabulous women who have shaped history, who have made an impact and should be recognised much more. It reminded me why I love history. The book is based on the true story of none other than Nicole Clicquot, the woman who ran the world’s greatest champagne house, Veuve Clicquot, when the world thought the business was no place for a lady. Of course, I wasn’t aware of this when I requested the book. The blurb and cover were enough to attract my attention.
A raw and honest love story, filled with a wealth of historical detail. The French House is a powerful depiction of the brutal intricacies of island relationships and loyalties in a time of war’ Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more. We see Nicole as a girl, a young lady with a spark in her eyes, a wife, a mother, a widow, and most importantly, an unrelenting businesswoman. She worked in the vineyards as a worker and took the business to new heights as a successful boss.Emile struggles due to being deaf, he’s troubled and frustrated and spends the odd night sleeping in the potting shed. Soon the locals are gossiping about Isabelle and Emile and it’s only a matter of time before their spouses find out. Nazi occupied Guernsey was no fun. Emile returned from the war stone deaf - his hearing impaired by an accident. Isabelle is now the housekeeper of The French House and married to a bully who watches her every move, with the intention of hurting her either mentally or physically. Emile is married to Letty who is bitter and angry because she knows her husband has never loved her and despite him taking over and being a father to another man's daughter - she is not charitable enough to overlook that for his other failing of not caring for her. I thought Blouse did a good job of showing the daily struggles and hardships of the Island's occupants during this time, be it the restrictions and shortages, as well as the brutalities endured and the claustrophobic feeling of always being under such close scrutiny. The sense of tension and the stakes rise as the story goes on and loyalties are tested, with acts of courage and compassion shown. Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.
I don’t know the story behind the widow Clicquot name, although a glass or two of Veuve Clicquot Champagne has passed my lips over the years, but I’d like to think that this book does her, her hard work and extraordinary life justice. The French House is an unhurried and thought provoking historical fiction story set in Guernsey during the German occupation. Emile Quenneville is taking a load of tomatoes to the port, when German planes start dropping bombs and he knows life on the tranquil island will never be the same. But as the seasons change, bringing a spoiled harvest and bitter grapes, the vineyards are on the brink of collapse. Without her husband’s oldest friend, travelling merchant Louis, she’d truly be lost. No one else would stay up all night to help count endless rows of green bottles deep in the cellars, or spread word far and wide that Nicole makes the finest champagne he’s ever tasted. One magical night, as a shooting star illuminates their way under a velvet sky, Nicole gazes up at his warm smile and wonders if perhaps she doesn’t need to be quite so alone… Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation – or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.Isabelle Larch is married to Ronald and Emile was her first love. Years ago he returned to Guernsey, deafened by an accident and discovers she’s wed another. Emile marries Letty, they have two daughters Maud and Stella. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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