Review of Champagne Widows

Nzube Chizoba Okeke · Post by **Nzube Chizoba Okeke** » 21 Sep 2021, 03:50

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Champagne Widows" by Rebecca Rosenberg.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Barbe-Nicole has a sharp nose that catches scent from afar. Her grandmother understands this gift and tells her it is called 'Le Nez.' She also tells Barbe-Nicole that her great-grandfather has the gift. She further tells Barbe-Nicole that her gift is intended to make the best of wines. Her grandmother dies, and her parents tell her that her gift is a curse and shouldn't be heard of in public. In a society where men are known to take care of finances and women are subjected to manage homes and make babies, Barbe-Nicole kicks off her wine business despite the stereotype. With France at several wars with other countries in Europe, will her wine business succeed or fail?

Champagne Widows was set in medieval France when people rode on horses, women wore ball gowns, and men wore hats. Also, it was a time when young girls were married off to men without their consent because their primary role in society was to make babies and manage matrimonial homes. The novel was built on a woman's strive and hustle to live her dreams against all odds. I liked how the author took me back into those times to see how people lived their lives.

The storyline of Champagne Widows may be fictional, but the fact that a widow started a fast-selling wine business in all of France is no fiction. It is a fact! Rebecca Rosenberg did a great job in telling this story, combining fact and fiction. I researched and found out that Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was the first woman to run a champagne house in 19th-century France after her husband's demise. I appreciated the author's excellent storytelling. It's not easy to take an actual story and weave fiction around it. However, Rebecca Rosenberg pulled it off excellently.

Because this story was set in France, it wasn't surprising to see pockets of French words and sentences here and there. However, for every French written in the book, Rebecca Rosenberg gave the English interpretation. This would help non-French readers flow and understand the narrative without the language barrier. That Rebecca Rosenberg was not even a French woman was a fascinating discovery. She delivered the French feeling with such an ease that made me doubt she wasn't French.

I applaud the creativity put in descriptions, especially descriptions that has to do with smell. Barbe-Nicole's nose is sharp and catches scent quickly, and Rebecca Rosenberg describes that particular ability. Here's what Barbe-Nicole says about another character, Melvin Souillon: "he smells sweet like fresh-shucked corn, the scent of long summer days." Tons of descriptions like this appear throughout the book.

I did find a few minor errors in the book. Beyond that, there was nothing I didn't like about this book. Therefore, I'd rate it four out of four stars. This book would be perfect for all lovers of champagne and those who desire to read a little about the French Revolution.

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Champagne Widows
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