Book info

• Title Grape Expectations
• Author Caro Feely
• Year 2012
• Genre Memoir

When Caro and Sean find the perfect vineyard near Bordeaux their dreams of a new life in France are about to come true. They arrive, with a toddler and a newborn, to face a dilapidated farmhouse, and challenges including accidents with agricultural equipment, cultural misunderstandings, and money worries. Undeterred, they embark on the biggest adventure of their lives – learning to make wine from the roots up.

Thoughts

I love a good live-changing memoir and this one follows two adventurous souls who give up cushy city jobs for a run-down vineyard in France. The challenge sounds crazy and along the way it seems the problems will be insurmountable, from industrial accidents to mouse infestations to finding a buyer for the wine you have so you can make room to produce more.

It’s a fascinating story, an inspiring tale of perseverance against all the odds. I would have given up almost immediately, being the weak human being I am. But it sounds like it was worth it, and it’s a great read to follow the story from start to finish. My only complaint is that the writing is a bit haphazard, topics jump around and there’s a little bit of repetition. But it’s no big deal and by the end you’re so wrapped up in whether the business will survive, it doesn’t matter at all!

Rating: 3 / 5