1858 France. Delicious. Heart wrenching during the war. Victorious afterward. Beautiful story about a strong, smart woman who followed her instincts in creating a new business when told she would fail, was betrayed and brow beaten, while caring for and nurturing an entire town with dignity and grace. And she changed champagne forever. Bravo! Hard to put down.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #MadamePommery #RebeccaRosenberg #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #LionHeartPublishing #HistoricalFiction #FiveStarHistorical ( )

Madame Pommery by Rebecca Rosenberg is the story of Madame Pommery, Jeanne Alexandrine Louise, who has founded an orphanage and also teaches etiquette, and some of her teachings are scattered throughout the book.

She loses her husband at a young age, and she is left with a young daughter and a teenage son. Her husband had operated a wool business and a small winery on the side. She is only 40 when her husband dies so she has to support her family. She decides to use the winery for making champagne and not wine. She is told by the villagers that it can't be done because she is a woman. In France at this time, women can only inherit if they are a widow.

She learns the trade from whomever she can just not from fellow champagne makers and once her business is off the ground, she now needs somewhere to store all the champagne that has been made. She starts excavating under the dump in the caves in Reims. She purchased 120 limestone and chalk pits, called crayeres which were carved underneath 12 miles of the city of Reims by Roman soldiers during their occupation of Gaul.

Soon France is involved in the Franco-Prussian war, after Napolean and his troops are captured, Prussian General Frederick Franz takes over her home and insists that she and the women in town serve his troops. She does, only to keep her champagne safe from them. Franz and his men are cruel but Madame soon is able to befriend him, although unwillingly. She will protect her winery at all costs.

Then her past lover proposes marriage but she turns him down as she has feelings for another. She struggles to make the champagne that she wants, dry champagne and not the surgery ones that England and France are used to.

This story is based on a true story of a woman who revolutionized the art of champagne making. Changing it to Brut champagne, she had opposition along the way, even from her own son. But she persevered and created a remarkable product for the world to enjoy!

I always love a good story about strong women and this is a good one. Great research, and great writing all make a great story!
I give it 5 stars. ( )

Madame Alexandrine Pommery faces a devastating loss in 1860 France. Her husband, Louis, passed suddenly and left Alexandrine in debt. With her son, Louis to support through school and young daughter Louise to care for, Alexandrine quickly turns her attention from grief to survival in order to support her family. Alexandrine decides to create what she enjoys, Champagne. However, she does not want to create just any Champagne, Alexandrine enjoys a drier Champagne, easier to drink anytime. With determination and drive, Madame Pommery sets on her quest. However, the Franco-Prussian War intervenes as her home is turned into headquarters for a Prussian General. With her son and employees fighting for France, Alexandrine puts her resources to use and hides the Resistance. When the war ends, Alexandrine has a new set of problems, but still focuses on her vision of a Champagne empire.

Madame Pommery is a riveting historical fiction novel based on the real life Champagne Widow, Jeanne Alexandrine Louise Pommery, creator of Brut Champagne. The writing effortlessly recreated the beauty of the Champagne region, the Pommery home and the chalky crayeres. From the beginning, I immediately loved Alexandrine's character. She is a woman of immense strength who went with her instincts and against common practices of her time. Alexandrine is also immensely caring while being fiercely independent. It was interesting to see how much Alexandrine helped her community, even while she was struggling, she maintained an orphanage, gave employment to women and created funds to help her employees. I didn't know a lot about the Franco-Prussian War and saw the effects on the French people through Madame Pommery's point of view. I was continuously impressed with her abilities to aid the Resistance and keep her business afloat during the War. Madame Pommery is a powerful story of an amazing woman who revolutionized Champagne.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )