The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel Summary

The Winemaker's Wife is a dual-timeline historical fiction novel that follows two women in 1940s Champagne, France during the German occupation, and a present-day American woman uncovering family secrets. Inès Chauveau, married to a champagne house owner, and Céline Laurent, the half-Jewish wife of the winemaker, navigate dangerous affairs, resistance work, and life-threatening secrets during WWII. In 2019, Liv Kent travels to France with her grandmother to discover how these wartime stories connect to her own family history.

Kristin Harmel is an international bestselling novelist whose books have been translated into numerous languages and sold worldwide. She is a former reporter for People magazine and has freelanced for publications including American Baby, Men's Health, Glamour, Woman's Day, and Travel + Leisure. Harmel specializes in historical fiction that explores lesser-known aspects of significant historical periods, with The Winemaker's Wife examining the champagne industry during the German occupation of France.

The Winemaker's Wife is ideal for historical fiction enthusiasts, particularly those interested in WWII narratives from unique perspectives. Readers who enjoy dual-timeline stories, family secrets, and women's fiction will find this book compelling. Book clubs seeking discussion-worthy material about resistance efforts, moral complexity, and the champagne-making process will appreciate its depth. However, readers who prefer straightforward historical narratives without romance subplots may find certain elements distracting.

The Winemaker's Wife receives mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric setting, well-researched champagne industry details, and gripping wartime narrative. Readers particularly appreciate Harmel's exploration of the Champagne region's resistance efforts, an often-overlooked aspect of WWII history. However, some critics found the characters shallow and the romance elements overdone, feeling they detracted from the serious wartime themes. Overall, it earns strong recommendations from historical fiction fans who value atmospheric storytelling and detailed period research.

The Winemaker's Wife takes place primarily in the Champagne region of France during WWII, beginning in 1940 when German forces invade and occupy the area. The story centers on Maison Chauveau, a prestigious champagne house with extensive underground caves and tunnels that become crucial to the resistance. The novel alternates with a 2019 timeline in New York and France, where present-day characters uncover secrets from the war years. Harmel extensively researched the region's winemaking culture and resistance history to create an authentic portrayal.

The Winemaker's Wife features three primary perspectives: Inès Chauveau, the young, naïve wife of champagne house owner Michel Chauveau; Céline Laurent, the half-Jewish wife of head winemaker Theo Laurent who faces increasing danger from German authorities; and Liv Kent, a recently divorced American in 2019 who discovers her family's hidden past. Supporting characters include Michel and Theo, who become involved in resistance work, and Captain Richter, a German officer who threatens Céline. Each character's choices create far-reaching consequences that connect past and present.

Champagne-making is central to The Winemaker's Wife, with Harmel providing detailed insights into the industry's technical processes and cultural significance. The novel explores how German forces requisitioned champagne, food, and resources from French vineyards during the occupation. The extensive underground cave systems used for champagne storage become hiding places for resistance weapons, Jewish refugees, and secret meetings. Reviewers note that readers will "feel different about champagne" after learning about the region's wartime sacrifices. However, some critics felt the winemaking details occasionally overshadowed the human drama.

The Winemaker's Wife explores life, love, loss, deception, determination, perseverance, and resistance during wartime. Key themes include the consequences of betrayal, both personal and political, as characters navigate affairs and collaboration with enemies. The novel examines courage and sacrifice, particularly how ordinary people risked everything to protect others during Nazi occupation. Forgiveness and redemption emerge as central themes as past secrets are revealed in the present timeline. The story also addresses moral complexity in impossible situations where survival often required difficult compromises.

The Winemaker's Wife features multiple romance storylines and affairs that significantly drive the plot. Inès begins an affair with Antoine, a French collaborator, while feeling neglected by her husband Michel. Simultaneously, Michel and Céline conduct their own affair, leading to Céline's pregnancy. These entangled relationships create tension and ultimately lead to dangerous consequences when secrets are revealed. Many readers found the romance elements either compelling or excessive, with some feeling the love triangles detracted from the serious wartime themes and strained credibility.

Critics of The Winemaker's Wife cite shallow character development and unsympathetic protagonists, particularly Inès, whose selfish decisions frustrated many readers. Some found the romance subplots unrealistic and felt they overshadowed more compelling aspects of the resistance story. The plot occasionally strained credibility, with convenient coincidences and predictable twists. Certain readers felt the book read like a debut despite Harmel's experience, with heavy-handed romance taking away from the wartime situation's gravity. However, fans of Harmel's existing work generally found it consistent with her style.

The Winemaker's Wife highlights lesser-known resistance activities in the Champagne region, showing how winemakers used their underground caves to hide weapons, shelter Jewish refugees, and conduct covert operations. Michel Chauveau becomes increasingly involved in storing and moving munitions through the complex tunnel systems beneath the winery. The novel portrays both the courage required for resistance work and the constant fear of exposure, as characters like Inès and Céline shelter refugees Samuel and Rachel Cohn despite mortal danger. This combination of the champagne business and resistance was an aspect of the war previously unknown to many readers.

The Winemaker's Wife stands out by focusing on the Champagne region's specific wartime experience, an often-overlooked setting in WWII fiction. The integration of detailed champagne-making processes with resistance activities provides a unique lens on occupation and survival. Harmel's dual-timeline structure connecting wartime secrets to present-day family mysteries adds contemporary relevance to historical events. The novel emphasizes how ordinary people in the wine industry became unlikely heroes, using their intimate knowledge of underground caves for resistance work. This specific cultural and geographical focus differentiates it from typical WWII narratives centered on cities or battlefields.