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Summary: Exquisite blend of fantasy and love in a different era
Review: I loved this book, I wanted to learn more and more about Xas and his existance in Hell, I loved the concepts and ideas that it brought forth and I loved the way Xas crept his way into the fabric of the whole village. I too was hungry for more detail of the vineyard and village, as well as the annual meetings. The relationship between the two men was fascinating. I will have to hunt out Ms. Knox's other works. Yet another great New Zealand writer!
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Summary: Fanciful Beautiful Moving
Review: I loved this story. As Elizabeth said in a recent interview - a dream she had to write. I laughed out loud many times - sometimes from the humour, sometimes from the beauty, once or twice from the horror of human existence, and once when Lucifer turned up! I just finished it this morning - and I am here at Amazon.com about to buy it and send it as birthday presents to friends overseas.
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Summary: A marriage of a "Prayer for Owen Meany" and "Jitterbug Perfu
Review: This is a must read for anyone in 1999. A masterful blend of reality, faith and fantasy. Pure Magic. So like the character Xas, I have read and was transported to a world created by the Author. I hated to leave that world or for the book to end. Bravo!
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Summary: The book I had hoped Anne Rice could one day write
Review: Readers who have been delighted by Anne Rice's books will be no less delighted by this one. But so will those who have been disappointed by the formulaic or coarse that sometimes mars Rice's work. THE VINTNER'S LUCK is the first fantasy novel I've enjoyed unreservedly in years. It is exquisitely written -- as an angel ascends a narrow stairhall listen to the rasp of his wingtips as they "scrub the plaster" -- and truly moving. The author managed to convince me that she had learned, and recorded, how an angel thinks; perhaps no surprise, as she certainly knows how to write like one.
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Summary: NOT your usual 'angel story'...
Review: I can't even begin to tell everyone how great this book is. I read it in one long sitting...this is not a light novel, so it took a while. The slow development of the relationship between Sobran (the man) and Xas (the angel) was perfect, the deliberate slowness kept the level of tension and anticipation high throughout the novel. Their relationship was handled beautifully, though at times the slow pace had me pulling my hair out, wondering when the two would finally take that next step. The image of Xas keeping a rose garden in hell fascinated me, and other images in the novel were equally as vivid and wonderful. I only had two minor complaints. First, there wasn't much of a focus on the love between the angel and the man (but that's understandable...who knows how people would react to a detailed affair between a male angel and a man? My strange liking for things of that sort may not be shared by many.). Second, the parts of the novel that dealt with the ordinary life, when Xas was absent, seemed dry in comparison to when Xas WAS there. (But that could also just be me.) All in all, a beautiful novel that would appeal to anyone who likes something that's just a little bit out of the ordinary.
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Summary: I first Met Elizibeth Knox in the bathtub !
Review: I first Met Elizibeth Knox in the bathtub, a few nights ago. My wife had just returned from B&N & had left "The Vinter's Luck" next to the tub in anticipation of a relaxing evening. When I opened the cover and started to read due to that great time & space of zoning in the tub( and I don't read much ) I found myself meeting Xas and leaving the suburban porceline filled with water, and on to the bank of the water with he and Sobran Jodeau, when he "tastes the feather and it tastes like snow" I cried like a child, when it spoke of the "rose garden in Hell", I cried again. This story was so moving that I found myself "prune like" from the water of the tub, and couldn't stop turning the pages ! Her wizardry on paper should be made for all the world to see. ELizibeth, I am sure HOLLYWOOD will be calling soon ! Thanks for the great book !
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Summary: Stunning and Original
Review: I must admit, I started this book with much trepidation. The recent deluge of "angelic" images (e.g., "Touched by an Angel," "City of Angels," and those USPS darlings) has been...well, annoying. But, wow!, this book just grabbed at me from the first chapter (or year, as is the case with this novel), and never let go. Xas, the Fallen Angel, is enigmatic yet so mortal at the same time. And his lasting love for Jodeau was inspiring if not heartbreaking. What these two characters go through evokes the ups and downs of many relationships, but at a level that only the most deft of writers can imagine and accomplish...Ms. Knox has definitely made a wondrous debut in America.
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Summary: A charming book with realistic characters & development.
Review: One summer evening in 19th century France, an angel visits a Burgundian farmer named Sobran. They share a bottle of wine and talk through the night. They promise to meet again each year on the same evening.
Each chapter of the book is named after a different French wine term and there is a chapter for each subsequent year. Some are very short and others relay the detailed events of the year leading up to the angelic liaison. I often couldn't see any relationship between the chapter title and the events depicted. Also this linear approach to a farmer's life moves slowly and I was often tempted to stop reading. However, the characters are warm and engaging and I kept with the book to see how they were doing. A charming book with realistic characters and good development.
I would have liked this book even more if it tied itself more deeply to the history of 19th century France. While the characters form a close-knit communal group, they seem only very peripherally connected to the events of the world around them.
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Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: An email buddy of mine from New Zealand recommended this book. I purchased a copy mainly because I'd never read a single thing from anyone in NZ. Plus, he told me that there was a gay relationship that 'sort of' pervades the story. Boy was I surprised at how wonderful this story was! Like others who reviewed this story I, too, found that it took me over 50 pages to really get into it since it's completely character driven and written in a style that took a little while to get used to. Once I got into it tho, it was impossible to put down. I found the love affair between Sobran and Xas to be one of the most moving love stories put into print. The fact that it spanned such a long time was extraordinary. The fact that the author is a woman explains how she was so capable in fleshing out Aurora. She was a wonderfully strong character and I enjoyed everything about her. How the author was able to flesh out Sobran, a male, so well, is the mark of how talented Ms. Knox is. Despite the fact that I'm completely non-religious, the angel/heaven/hell/Christianity stuff was NOT a put off at all. It was somewhat quaint (to me) yet completely interesting. I was utterly unprepared for how well it was worked into the story without being in the least bit preachy. Without it, the story would have totally flopped. Ms. Knox is a master storyteller. There's no doubt about it. She even worked in some wonderful phrasing and some very interesting concepts. I got chills several times throughout the book as I read when a certain collision of words struck me as particularly innovative. I can't say that I was sad at the end, altho I expected to be. I was more like upset that the story had ultimately come to an end. By that time the characters had leapt out from the pages and I was into all of their lives. Again, the sign of a master storyteller. Ms. Knox, a big American thanks for this work!
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Summary: Thoughtful Relationship Driven Fantasy
Review: It takes about a 100 pages for this book to begin to attract the reader and really involve one in the characters. The structure is built around each chapter being one year in the life of Sabran Jodeau. Every year, he meets with Xas, an angel with a past we learn progressively with Sabran. These encounters alter Sabran's life more than once within the story and the lives of those surrounding him. One interesting reversal during an age of post Enlightenment is what would an atheist (not Sobran, but Aurora, an intelligent woman of his acquaintance) react to the knowledge that angels and therefore God actually exist. Although the theology isn't as detailed as I'd hoped, still, the ideas presented in this book are thoughtful. Recommended for fantasy enthusiasts looking for something a bit different. This book would also be of interest to those who pursue literature featuring homosexual themes.
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