Located in the Champagne region of France, Chateau Fouche-Leblanc has produced a highly coveted champagne for two hundred years. In 1939, France declares war on Germany and in anticipation of a Nazi occupation, Gabrielle has hidden bottles of their premium blend. She will do whatever it takes to protect her family and their legacy. Little did she know what that would entail.
Gabrielle's grandmother, Josephine, has lived through and survived one war. She is an extraordinary woman who feels her time is limited and that her mental capabilities are waning. She will not allow this to be a deterrent and she will put into play her own form of resistance. Helene, Josephine's daughter-in-law and Gabrielle's mother, is the most glamorous of the three women and she takes on perhaps the most dangerous role of all. At all costs, she must protect her secret.
Told in the voices of these three women, their stories are richly narrated. Their perceptions and observations are beautifully presented. When a German officer takes up residence in their home, an already precarious situation escalates. Their determination to take whatever risks needed to survive is made obvious over and over again. As the story races to its conclusion, there are moments of despair and horror. Secrets are revealed and there are surprises.
THE WIDOWS OF CHAMPAGNE by Renee Ryan is a memorable story. Beautifully and skillfully told, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
For readers of Lilac Girls and The Lost Girls of Paris comes a captivating novel of resilience, as three generations of women battle to save their family’s vineyard during WWII.
Champagne, 1939
Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family’s future into her hands. While she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouché-Leblanc’s most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn’t the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal…
A former Parisian socialite, Gabrielle’s mother, Hélène, lost her husband to another war. Now her home has been requisitioned by the Germans, who pillage vineyards to satisfy the Third Reich’s thirst for the finest champagne. There’s even more at stake than Hélène dares admit. She has kept her heritage a secret…and no one is safe in Nazi-occupied France.
Josephine, the family matriarch, watches as her beloved vineyard faces its most difficult harvest yet. As her daughter-in-law and granddaughters contend with the enemies and unexpected allies in their midst, Josephine’s deep faith leads to her own path of resistance.
Across years and continents, the Leblanc women will draw on their courage and wits, determined against all odds to preserve their lives, their freedom and their legacy…
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