Eight Hundred Grapes

Thank you NetGallery.com for providing me an advanced digital copy of Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave. In exchange for the book, I've committed to writing an honest review.

Honestly - I LOVED IT! I know absolutely nothing about wine so I was a little concerned that the story may become too technical or dry but it didn't. Instead, this is a book about a quirky, dysfunctional family who happens to own a winery who are at a crossroads as a family and each member is trying to work through their own conflicts.

What I loved: The flashback scenes inserted every few chapters that primarily helped develop the parent's characters. I wish there were more of them as the parents, Dan & Jen, have an interesting history that could serve as their own prequel. I can also appreciate that it was set in the beautiful Sonoma County of California instead of obvious Napa County.

What I didn't love: I felt that the role of Georgia's best friend, Suzanne, was extremely limited and didn't really serve a purpose. An eight month pregnant woman flies from Los Angeles to Northern California for what amounts to a 10 minute interlude in the book? While I know its only a 45 minute flight from SFO to various airports in the LA/Orange County area, its just a bit unrealistic. Perhaps she had a larger role that ended up on the editing room floor.

Overall Grade: B+