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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781400034109
ISBN number: 1400034108
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: January 11, 2005
Publishing house: Vintage
Release Date: January 11, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 337107
Studio: Vintage
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times national correspondent Timothy Egan turns to fiction with The Winemaker's Daughter, a lyrical and gripping novel about the harsh realities and ecological challenges of turning water into wine.
When Brunella Cartolano visits her father on the family vineyard in the basin of the Cascade Mountains, she's shocked by the devastation caused by a four-year drought. Passionate about the Pacific Northwest ecology, Brunella, a cultural impact analyst, is embroiled in a battle to save the Seattle waterfront from redevelopment and to preserve a fisherman's livelihood. But when a tragedy among fire-jumpers results from a failure of the water supply–her brother Niccolo is among those lost--Brunella finds herself with another mission: to find out who is sabotaging the area's water supply. Joining forces with a Native American Forest Ranger, she discovers deep rifts rooted in the region's complicated history, and tries to save her father's vineyard from drying up for good . . . even as violence and corruption erupt around her.
Amazon.com Review:
While The Winemaker's Daughter may be his very first foray into fiction, Seattle author Timothy Egan is certainly no stranger to critical acclaim. As his debut novel deftly illustrates, this Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist certainly shows great talent for capturing the essence of a scene. His descriptive prose is infused with a certain lushness--just like a misty Seattle day. Where Egan stumbles, though, is in trying to bring together several plot lines and characters. While they share a thinly knit connection, none of them ever rises up to truly engage the reader.
The novel follows the story of Brunella Cartolano, an Italian winemaker's daughter who embarks on a battle to save her aging father's Pacific Northwest vineyards after a treacherous fire takes the life of her brother, Niccolo. At the same time, Brunella is struggling to preserve a historic Seattle waterfront from being destroyed and redeveloped by a Bill Gates-like millionaire. Brunella is also pursuing a romantic relationship with her brother's friend Teddy Flax, and with the Nez Perce Forest Service man who is investigating the fire that took her brother's life. Confused? Herein lies the problem with what could have been a dreamy, well-conceived look at life in the post-dot-com era of the Pacific Northwest--Egan strives to accomplish too much in too few pages. Rather than positioning itself as an epic tale of betrayal, love, lust, and loyalty, The Winemaker's Daughter never truly develops the themes that are so central to its success. --Gisele Toueg
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
Our book club recently read "The Worst Hard Times" by Timothy Egan and we loved it! However, the authors very first foray into nonfiction falls terribly flat. Since it was another selection for our book club, I trudged through it, gagging on the stilted dialogue, underdeveloped characters, and lack of emotional depth. On the bright side, the authors sense of place aptly depicts the Northwest, but then almost too much so. He gets lost in overdone descriptions...of everything except for his characters. I give him credit for trying to write fiction, but for the time being I will stick to his nonfiction books, which really shine.
Rated by buyers 
-
Unfortunately, Timothy Egan seems to forget that in this novel. Among the issues I have with this novel, this is the biggest. His characters are perfect. The heroine is smart and sexy and physically fit and the top of her field. She speaks Italian with her father, has a taste for wine (not to be unexpected, given the subject matter), seems completely at home in the country or city and seems to be passionate about everything.
In other words, she's boring.
I picked up this book because I was looking for a Northwest author writing about the Northwest. What I found was warmed over prose written by an author who is too full of himself. He's in desperate need of a serious and skilled editor.
Rated by buyers -
There was a lot of hype in the NYTimes about this book along with a great review. Now that I've read it, it seems to me it's the good-old-boys network supporting one of their own. It realy is nothing more than a potboiler. So much of the story is disjointed - you are jarred going from one scene to another - where is the transition or even the rationale? No character is real - they merely behave how you would think they should. There is no real development and no poetry in the writing. It really seems like a non-fiction writer said "now I must write that novel." Too bad really good books by completely unknown writers don't get the big write-up from the Times. My book club prefers to read books they have "heard about" rather than try a new author who really has talent. So much for promoting new good writers rather than ensuring that the inner circle keeps earning their money so they can stick around and support their buddies. Corrupt that this book gets the big splash.
Rated by buyers -
The setting and the premise are interesting but the story never develops. People and events are never connected. This book reads more like a rough draft than a finished story.
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