The California Wife
by Kristen Harnisch
In the sweeping, poignant sequel to The Vintner's Daughter, the Lemieux family's ambition to establish an American winemaking dynasty takes Sara and Philippe from pastoral Napa to the Paris World's Fair and into the colourful heart of early 20th-century San FranciscoIt is 1897, and Sara and Philippe Lemieux, newly married and full of hope for the future, are determined to make Eagle's Run, their Napa vineyard, into a world-renowned winemaking operation. But the swift arrival of the 20th century brings a host of obstacles they never dreamed of: price wars and the twin threats of phylloxera and prohibition endanger the success of their business, and the fiercely independent Sara is reluctant to leave the fields behind for the new and strange role of wife and mother.An invitation to the World's Fair in 1900 comes just in time to revive the vineyard's prospects, and amid the jewel-coloured wonders of Belle epoque Paris, Sara and Philippe's passion is...