Vintage Attraction
- Author Charles Blackstone
- Narrator George Newbern
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 22 October 2013
- Run Time 9 hours and 2 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Fiction: general and literary, Religious and spiritual fiction.
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What to expect
A young English teacher falls—glass first—into a love affair and the world of wine when he meets a famous and enchanting sommelier.
Before Peter Hapworth meets Izzy, he knows the difference between pinot noir and peanut butter, but that's about it. Lonely and frustrated with his academic career—as well as with dating—his life takes a sudden turn one night when he turns on the television. He's transfixed by the woman staring back at him, a glass of wine swirling delicately in her hand—Isabelle Conway, one of the preeminent sommeliers in the world. There's something about her. Somehow, he feels like he already knows her.
On a whim, he pitches himself as a guest on her popular television show, and the two embark on a whirlwind courtship. But relationships require a delicate balance of nurturing and belief, much like winemaking. Hapworth and Izzy must navigate the complex mysteries of wine—and the heart—from glamorous social events and domestic travails in Chicago to the vineyards and rocky bluffs of Santorini in Greece. Vintage Attraction is a rich and insightful novel by an exciting young literary talent.
Critics Review
“If you like pugs, wine, and Greece, Vintage Attraction is for you. I loved every word.”
“Charles Blackstone’s writing is as much the work of a winemaker as it is of a novelist; the prose evidences the same craftsmanship, the same inimitable personality, takes the same risks, and offers the same rewards in the end as some of the greatest vintages.”
“Blackstone has created a likable protagonist in Peter, and a worthy love interest in Izzy, toying with the dynamic of pursuer and pursued. His wine world knowledge is impressive.”
“Blackstone’s rendering of a disgruntled hipster-slacker-intellectual in the character of Peter is authentic and humorous; the amusing scenes involving academia are written with brilliance and insight.”
“Blackstone, who is married to a sommelier, repeatedly makes an effort to equate forging a relationship with making fine wine, ensuring that for those with a taste for both light literary romance and a glass of crisp Assyrtiko, this is an excellent match.”
“Bottoms up! There’s
no way to read Charles Blackstone’s debut novel, Vintage Attraction,
with its scrumptiously crafted details about the ins and outs of wine tasting,
without craving a glass of fine vino and a hunk of aged cheese…Blackstone
brings out the flavor of something truly riveting as the tale pours through
various wine tastings and winds through vineyards. Clearly, Vintage
Attraction proves the maxim that ‘in wine there’s truth,’ because it’s
spot-on with explanations of the many varietals in the fascinating world of
wine.”
“Vintage Attraction’s magic is that it brilliantly compares discovering wine to something everyone can relate to: falling in love.”
“Fiction is often a few beats ahead of the accelerated
grimace of reality, as Charles Blackstone demonstrates in this engaging novel
about a celebrity sommelier and the hyperarticulate mensch who loves her. A
quirky and original novel about love, wine, and marriage.”
“Vintage Attraction will take readers on a wild ride through the world of wine.”
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