Replies

The three top reviews of Timothy Egan’s novel, “The Winemaker’s Daughter,” at Amazon:

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
Beware the Reviews, June 20, 2004
By A Customer

This review is from: The Winemaker’s Daughter (Hardcover)
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. )

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
Two stars for effort. , March 24, 2004
By book worm “MEO” (Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
Even heros have flaws, July 15, 2005
By J. A Johnson “autumn sage” (Playa Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.