Eight Hundred Grapes

3.5⭐️

What lovely escapism! This book hasn't been on my radar, but when I scrolled past it and saw Laura Dave's name, I had to give it a go. I loved The Last Thing He Told Me, and though different genres, I ended up loving this, too. 

Georgia returns home for the vineyard's harvest upon discovering her fiancé hasn't been completely honest with her. Once with her family, she realizes how out of the loop she's been and arrives to change after change. She takes it upon herself to try and fix her parents' and brothers' problems, putting her own on the back-burner as much as she can. There are touching moments, funny moments, and lots of wine.

The most probable book? No. But as I said, it was good escapism and in a beautiful setting. I've been wanting a fluffier read and this turned out to be a pleasant surprise. 

On one hand, she's a good storyteller: I was engrossed in the first page and soon had read half the book. On the other hand, most of the characters were sort of emotional toddlers (never saw so many confused people outside of the pandemics emotional turmoil), including Georgia. Actually her and the fiancee were quite a spectacle. So, I might still explore other books by Laura Dave, but now with a bit of caution.

Laura Dave doesn't release books very often, but when she does you can always count on her for a realistic but ultimately hopeful stories featuring women at a crossroads. You don't get much more of a crossroads than finding out (while you're trying on your wedding dress!) that your fiance has a four year old daughter with his ex-girlfriend. Luckily, attorney Georgia Ford has the sanctuary of her family's Sonoma County vineyard to lay low and consider her options. Only when she gets there she discovers that her parents and twin brothers are all dealing with their own crises, and that the vineyard she loves (but never wanted to be shackled to) is in danger of falling into the hands of a mega-wine corporation.

I'll admit that it wasn't always easy to root for Georgia. She tries to fix everyone in her family, whether they like it or not, and her interactions with the wine corporation's well-intentioned CEO go way beyond quirky and assertive, to unhinged and worthy of a restraining order. But the author's elegant analogies between wine-making and life, and the fact that despite the chaos in the main characters' relationships there are no real villains, make Eight Hundred Grapes a satisfying read.

I received a copy of this book through the First Reads giveaway program.

One thing that stuck in my mind as I read this book was how hard it was to dislike. It was full of cliches, and I've read this story many times before. But above all else, it's enjoyable and unassuming and it never feels like it's trying to be more than that.

The setting, a small family vineyard in California, adds a bit of freshness. That's a good thing, as there's little fresh otherwise; it's the story of a family and all their complications in love and with each other.

I found the way some of the subplots were resolved to be pleasantly unexpected, what seemed dead-set on being trite ending somewhat differently. It would be a bit much to label anything as a “twist”, but the author managed to make the resolutions both authentic and crowd-pleasing.

All in all, don't go in expecting anything completely new. But if you're looking for a light, charming read, you'll find something better than expected here.

Eight hundred grapes. That's how many grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine. Georgia Ford should know this; she grew up in her family's vineyard. A week before her wedding, Georgia learns something about her fiance so upsetting that she returns to her family's vineyard to regroup, and discovers that the family she thought so untroubled and secure just might have some difficulties of its own.

This is a perfect read for summer. You know from page one that everyone is going to go through troubles, but that everything will be resolved by story's end.