The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah ~ A Review

by Susan Roberts

The Lost Vintage is the first book that I've read by Ann Mah and it definitely won't be the last. This was a fantastic well-written novel that takes place in France with a dual time line of present day and the 1940s during WWII. It had mystery, romance and took place in France - what can be better than that?
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June 2018; Deckle Edge; 978-0062823311
audio, ebook, print (384 pages)
historical fiction

Usually, when books are written with dual timelines, I like one story better than the other. In The Lost Vintage, I found both storylines interesting and intriguing. Helene's time starts pre-WWII when she was a young girl trying to get a place at the university so she could continue her studies. When the Nazis invade, her plans for education are ended and she stays home to help the family made up of her step-mother and two half-brothers.  As time goes on, she becomes involved with the Resistance much to the dismay of her stepmother. The present-day timeline is about Kate, who is studying to become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world. When she goes to France to help her cousins with the wine harvest, she agrees to help clean out the basement. There she finds clues about her Aunt Helene who was never talked about within the family. As she digs deeper into Helene's story, more mysteries are uncovered and the big question becomes whether Helene was part of the Resistance or a collaborator with the Nazis.

This was a wonderfully well-written book and the author did a suburb job of combining historical information along with the storyline. I learned a lot about what life was like for people in France during the war, about how the women collaborators were treated at the end of the war and lots about wine. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a book that you don't want to miss.  I highly recommend this wonderful novel.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads,  or Twitter.

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