The French House- Book Review

The French House by Helen Fripp (Previously titled The Champagne Widow)

Publication Date: 4th Mar 2021
Genre: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Literary Fiction, Inspired by True Story  

4.3 Stars

The book is based on the true story of none other than Nicole Clicquot, the woman who ran the world’s greatest champagne house, Veuve Clicquot, when the world thought the business was no place for a lady. Of course, I wasn’t aware of this when I requested the book. The blurb and cover were enough to attract my attention.

The book deals with the life of Nicole Clicquot since she was 11 years old (1790) until the time things start to look hopeful after Russia defeats Napolean and decides to open the trade borders with France in 1815.

We see Nicole as a girl, a young lady with a spark in her eyes, a wife, a mother, a widow, and most importantly, an unrelenting businesswoman. She worked in the vineyards as a worker and took the business to new heights as a successful boss.

Of course, times were hard and even brutal. Things hit a new low, but Nicole continued. I’ve read about the great woman on Wikipedia and loved her grit.

Coming to the book, it’s a mix of facts and fiction. We have Louis, the real-life loyal salesman of the company, along with various fictional characters. The love shared by the husband and wife and their mutual love for the vineyards were taken from real life, the author said.

We see an array of characters, and a good number of them have been well developed. Theresa, Xavier, Natasha, Madame Oliver, Emile, Alexei, Moet (along with Nicole and Louis) have depth and appear quite real. They have flaws, they have positives, and their actions align with their personalities.

The descriptions of the vineyards, the growing vines, the champagne-making process are vivid and wonderful. I enjoyed them a lot. Some made me want to try champagne and see if it would really be as it was described in the book (I’m a teetotaller).

A lot happens in the book, and it can be overwhelming if you read it all at once. I mean, it felt like so much had happened, and I saw that I reached only 50% of the book. That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage.

This is one of those books you have to read in installments. You won’t mind putting it down to take a breather and pick it up the next day. But yes, you will pick it up.

Overall, The Champagne Widow is a lovely book with more grief and struggles than laughter, but it is worth reading if you like women-centric books, especially with a war backdrop.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture.

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