Loretta Ellsworth's second novel for adults, The French Winemaker's Daughter, weaves a thoughtful dual narrative about a young French girl whose life is upended during World War II and the American pilot who goes searching for her story decades later.
Martine Viner loves tending her family's grapevines alongside her beloved papa. When he is taken away by the Nazis, he leaves Martine with a bottle of wine he says is her inheritance. But Martine loses the bottle in her flight to safety, and even after she is rescued by a kind nun, Sister Ada, she mourns its loss. In 1990, pilot Charlotte Montgomery is given a rare bottle of wine and finds a hidden label on it bearing a handwritten note. Curious, she begins digging for information about the Viner vineyards and Martine, crisscrossing the Burgundy region in her search.
Ellsworth (Stars over Clear Lake) evokes the quiet beauty of rural France and the desperation of those who fought against the Nazis and their collaborators. Sister Ada emerges as a true heroine, and Martine, too, grows in courage and perseverance. As for Charlotte, her search is not only motivated by curiosity; she is mourning the impending sale of her grandfather's California vineyard, and navigating messy professional and personal relationships. Alongside information about Martine and her vineyard, Charlotte eventually gains insights about vocation, family obligations, and the possibility of romance. Ellsworth's narrative will appeal to those who enjoy a complex wine and a full-bodied story of luck, grit, and love. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams