The Winemaker's Daughter

Rating:
Summary: two stars for effort
Review: The setting and the premise are interesting but the story never develops. People and events are introduced but never connected. The book reads like a rough draft instead of a finished story.

Rating:
Summary: Beware the Reviews
Review: There was a lot of hype in the NYTimes about this book along with a great review. Now that I've read it, it seems to me it's the good-old-boys network supporting one of their own. It realy is nothing more than a potboiler. So much of the story is disjointed - you are jarred going from one scene to another - where is the transition or even the rationale? No character is real - they merely behave how you would think they should. There is no real development and no poetry in the writing. It really seems like a non-fiction writer said "now I must write that novel." Too bad really good books by completely unknown writers don't get the big write-up from the Times. My book club prefers to read books they have "heard about" rather than try a new author who really has talent. So much for promoting new good writers rather than ensuring that the inner circle keeps earning their money so they can stick around and support their buddies. Corrupt that this book gets the big splash.