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Broke the Grape's Joy
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English widow, Jean Valeix, is the owner of a vineyard in the French wine village of Saint-Emilion. But her cherished château is struggling to sell its produce. A handful of people - among them a charming middle-aged Scotsman, a jaw-droppingly beautiful girl and a talented autistic boy - will change her life completely. But not all her visitors are who they claim to be.
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I got this book as a Kindle freebie and more often than not the freebies are terrible. Not the case with this book!
Quite an enjoyable read- good story line and intriguing characters (as Jeanne says of Andrew "perfectly flawed"). I particularly enjoyed the relationships between the characters. The murder mystery part (Jeanne's role) was a bit far fetched and not really in line with the rest of the story, though from the glimpse at the next book, it seems we will see more of this.
Looking forward ...more
Quite an enjoyable read- good story line and intriguing characters (as Jeanne says of Andrew "perfectly flawed"). I particularly enjoyed the relationships between the characters. The murder mystery part (Jeanne's role) was a bit far fetched and not really in line with the rest of the story, though from the glimpse at the next book, it seems we will see more of this.
Looking forward ...more
Decided to come back to this one and review. I should have reviewed it at the time because it fully deserved one but I never got around to it. This book is still with me and that's why I am going to review it now!
Let's start off by saying that this was definitely one of my favourite books of last year and by an indie author no less! I found the quality of Patrick's writing and ability to story tell surpasses even some of the established writers out there who have been writing for years. Some of ...more
Let's start off by saying that this was definitely one of my favourite books of last year and by an indie author no less! I found the quality of Patrick's writing and ability to story tell surpasses even some of the established writers out there who have been writing for years. Some of ...more
Grapes Joy was an enjoyable read, a good first novel. The setting and background of a French vineyard, while not completely original, is not common, and sufficient detail is incorporated in the narrative to make it interesting and distinctive. The two major characters are mature and aware of their own shortcomings and flaws as they attempt to form a relationship after a bad marriage breakup and the tragic loss of a spouse. Aimee is a fascinating minor character, who creates much of the drama in
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Not my usual kind of read but had got it free on kindle so thought I would give it a go. So glad did it was really enjoyable, lovely range of characters and beautiful setting. Well done looking forward to reading more from Patrick Hilyer.
Wonderful book. Just wonderful. A mystery? Yes, but even more about a young widow and how she is dealing with life. With the disappointments, with the sorrow and yes, with the joy. I may just read it again tomorrow.
A slice of French life
Once you get into this book it is a joy to read you can almost feel the warmth of the French sun and good food and taste the beautiful wine. What a great series it would make on TV.
Once you get into this book it is a joy to read you can almost feel the warmth of the French sun and good food and taste the beautiful wine. What a great series it would make on TV.
3.5 star
Read it. Enjoy it. But don't expect it to feel like a mystery. The pacing is too slow for that and the book is more about everything else. So drop expectations to have best chance of enjoying what it does offer.
Read it. Enjoy it. But don't expect it to feel like a mystery. The pacing is too slow for that and the book is more about everything else. So drop expectations to have best chance of enjoying what it does offer.
An interesting novel with an element of mystery.
This was a really enjoyable read! It's a light novel with themes of wine, romance and even some murder/drugs/suspense thrown in for good measure. It perhaps isn't the most original piece of art, but what it does well is tell a good story with characters that, for the most part, are more three dimensional than in most such light reads. (Though perhaps it helps that I'm a wino commenting on a fellow wino's book? :D ) It's a short book, but if you need some 3-4h's diversion, this is a very pleasant
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The story takes place in the French village of Saint-Emilion the main protagonist, Jeanne Valeix, being a winemaker somewhat down on her luck. When Scotsman Andrew happens along, things seem to be coming together at last but then she employs a beautiful young girl and everything turns on its head.
There are so many facets to this story: love, intrigue, murder. As a backdrop to all of this, the author gives us a wonderful sense of place and a knowledgeable insight into viticulture and oenology. ...more
There are so many facets to this story: love, intrigue, murder. As a backdrop to all of this, the author gives us a wonderful sense of place and a knowledgeable insight into viticulture and oenology. ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Francophonie: Traduction en Francais | 7 | 109 | Jan 18, 2013 01:48PM |
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Patrick Hilyer, author of the award-winning wine travel guide French Vineyards, lives and works in Normandy, France.
"For the first ten years of life in rural France we ran a small restaurant called Le Délice. My wife was the chef de cuisine and I did all the non-skilled work...
In 2008 I got a publishing deal with the guidebook publishers Alastair Sawday's for a book on the French wine regions ...more
"For the first ten years of life in rural France we ran a small restaurant called Le Délice. My wife was the chef de cuisine and I did all the non-skilled work...
In 2008 I got a publishing deal with the guidebook publishers Alastair Sawday's for a book on the French wine regions ...more
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