Eight Hundred Grapes: A Novel

I absolutely love this author! Every one of her books that I have ready or listened to have been captivating and seem to suck me right in! I highly recommend this book!

Outside my normal crime mysteries, but worth the venture outward. The story is captivating but not too detail driven so I can listen while I work. I loved the characters and story line.

It feels unfair to leave a review for a book I can’t even finish but here we go. Have you ever wanted an Alanon meeting to come out with a life time movie? If so this is the book for you

I feel torn about the rating for this book, which probably truly clocks in at 3.5 stars. For a decent part of this novel, I felt slightly annoyed with its protagonist, Georgia. Georgia returns to her parents' home in disgrace a few days before her wedding, after finding out her fiance has been keeping a crazy secret from her.

Her parents' home is a vineyard in California, where Georgia grew up with her older twin brothers, Finn and Bobby. She expects to find the comfort she always experienced as a kid (but also ran away from - she's very clear that she left the vineyard for a life as a more glamorous lawyer). But upon arriving home, she finds that no one is really happy -- not her parents, not Bobby and his wife, and not Finn.Yet, she finds herself longing for life at the vineyard more and more, even as everything is falling apart around her. Hmm.

There are several plotlines in this novel that, when combined, all seem a little ludicrous. Georgia's fiance Ben's secret involves a movie star. The crazy issues between the brothers. The problems and arrangement between her parents. What happens with the vineyard. Even the ending. One or two of the storylines, perhaps, I would have found more believable. All together, it is a bit much. Add in Georgia's constant vacillating (I'm getting married! I'm not! I am!), and it gets to be a bit old.

However, I have to cut Georgia some slack, as I realize, despite the lawyerly job and upcoming wedding, she's young, and she has had quite a shock. She eventually grew on me a bit as the storyline progressed and she herself grew up a bit. And, as silly and as "neat" (as in, neatly tied up) the ending was, it warmed my heart a bit and made me end the book on a good note.

Still, I think I may pick up a Michael Jordan biography next. I'm a little tired of flighty thirty-somethings! Time for a clever, genius, and sometimes angry athlete for a change of pace.

A little slow , but picks up. Didn’t stop me from listening….

Boring, kept waiting for it to get better. But didnt

This movie is character driven, not a plot-driven book. I enjoyed it, but found myself really frustrated with all the characters. Everyone is hurting and no one is talking to each other! Direct questions are met with vague non-answers, then accepted by the questioner. Maybe I’m naive, but this continual device felt more like a frustrating script from LOST to prolong the story than a realistic way that a “close” family would address crises. Despite this, I did mostly enjoy the book and liked the ending.

Enjoying all of Laura Dave’s audiobooks. Sad I am almost done with them all. Entertaining stories

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
260 pages

★★★

Georgia Ford shows up at her parent’s vineyard unexpectedly, just a week before she is supposed to get married. She has a lot of thinking to do and assumes the vineyard is the perfect place to be, until his brothers, parents, and EVERYONE comes in with their own drama.

Oh boy. I really wanted to like this book. I will say it kept my interest, if anything to see what train wreck would occur next and there was a lot of wreckage to happen for such a small book (coming in at 260 pages). The drama was just a bit over the top for me, the characters were flat - I didn’t like most of them to be honest, and the ending was just far too cliché and I literally rolled my eyes in the last several pages. On the plus side, it was short so it didn’t take that much time or brain power to plow through this one. And I did read through it fast enough to see what Georgia would pick out of curiosity (although, it was as I expected). This would make a fabulous Lifetime movie I must admit. I can see how people could find this book appealing but it just wasn’t the one for me.

I thought this book was perfect for easy listening. The plot wasn’t complex but still captivating and the narrator’s voice is good with the exception the male voices which makes me giggle a bit. Listen and you will know what I’m talking about!

Is it my favorite? No. This book doesn’t compare to the author’s other books BUT again, it was perfect to listen while walking the dogs or cooking dinner. It’s pretty much a family/love/life direction story line so if you enjoy stories along those lines, then give it a whirl!

Kind of poor writing, finished it just to finish it

It was just alright. The story wasn’t super compelling sadly.

One of my new favorite authors. Such a great book and not as predictable as most romance books.

Much too predictable . Some loose ends. Easy to listen to and do a crossword at the same time

This story starts out interesting but left me feeling like I was always waiting for something to happen. Overall, I found it rather boring.

I could not figure out which direction the main character was going, and not in a good way. I did not become attached to any character whatsoever. It was a pretty dull listen.

I truly enjoyed learning about each of the characters and the story kept me engaged throughout the entire book.

Laura Dave is becoming one of my favorite authors. I will continue listening to the other available audiobooks. I preferred the narrator in my previous audiobook to this narrator but I eventually got used to her.

Well written— easy read. Characters were a little flat But I enjoyed it

A family in which every family member (all adults) is going through change or needs to. The protagonist was immature and unlikeable as were most of the characters.

A fun read. Family drama. Multiple love stories. The wine makes it a fun book.

I enjoyed this novel more than I expected. Though much of the fancy wine talk went whooshing over my head, I found myself a passenger on quite the emotional roller coaster with a main character who can't seem to decide what she wants - ever. I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean that in a way that we can all relate to. Do we do what we feel we must do, or do we do what is the biggest risk? Do we make waves or do we coast?

Much of the fancier wine talk went over my bottom-shelf purchasing head, but the bigger picture of the family dynamics and Georgia's roller coaster journey to figuring out what she wants was something I could definitely relate to. I found myself taking those plunges with her - with Ben, without Ben, the subtle flirtations with Jacob, and the anger she feels towards her mother and Michelle and even her father. Simultaneously, Dave's writing was able to give me incredible insight to the other sides of these emotional hardships, which lead to a much fuller understanding of the novel and the entire cast of characters. Many times a novel that bounces around in time or point of view can fall short of giving you a rich and full story - but Dave was able to seamlessly weave all of these aspects together in order to give the reader a satisfying conclusion.

I found the novel to be about so much more than just Georgia - it is about the sacrifices we make for the ones we love, and the sacrifices they have (perhaps without us knowing) made for us and how to make those sacrifices count for our own journey to peace and happiness. As Georgia's father so aptly puts it "No one else has a clue what you're doing, but at the end of the day, you get where you want to go."

I received this novel free of charge from Simon & Schuster.

Digital audiobook narrated by Joy Osmanski.


From the book jacket: Growing up on her family’s Sonoma County vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever.

My reactions:
I had read Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me with my F2F book club last year and thought it was a decent thriller. This one piqued my interest because of the setting in the Sonoma Valley, and the book jacket blurb led me to believe it would be a lighter, romantic read.

There IS some romance involved … but …

Georgia turns out to be a bit more complex that I originally gave her credit for. The book DOES start out with her running out of her wedding-dress fitting … still wearing the dress. Shocked by the discovery of her fiancé’s secret she immediately heads home to her family’s winery, only to discover disarray. She puts her skills as a lawyer to use in an effort to help the family, but what she really wants for her life will take some serious thinking. Should she go ahead with the wedding, now that Ben has explained? How can she help her parents, and her brothers with the winery and with their lives?

The resolution of the difficulties has to wait for a few more twists and turns and complications, but the ending is still satisfying in a chick-lit romance sort of way. Not exactly tied up in a pretty bow … but the ribbon is there.

Joy Osmanski does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has clear diction and sets a good pace.

When Georgia looks out the window of the bridal salon and sees her fiancé Ben walking with his ex-girlfriend and a small child, she decides to flee Los Angeles and return to her family vineyard in Northern CA. There, she finds some shocking things about her family-her parents are taking a break, her twin brothers are having issues over the same woman, and the vineyard is being sold to a family that Georgia believes will destroy what her family built. As her life is falling apart, Georgia needs to make some decisions and in doing so learns about love and being there for each other.
Quick read, enjoyable.

Overall, this novel made for light and fun reading. Georgia Ford returns home to her family's vineyard after she discovers a secret her finance has been keeping and finds her family in crisis. She quickly takes up the fight to save the family vineyard, all while uncovering more family secrets, some of which play out with a degree of hilarity. Fun, but often this novel felt as though it was falling into a typical plot and common cliche of the genre.

I have been in a reading slump lately. This was the book I needed to get me out of it. Families can be complicated, difficult, strange, but they are ours. A lot of family dilemmas in this book, but thru it all, you could read the love. A thoroughly enjoyable read...weather at the beach, or home.

4.5 stars.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave is a delightfully charming contemporary novel. Set against the backdrop of a Sonoma vineyard, it is a lovely story about family and love, but most importantly, it is a journey of self-discovery for the main protagonist.

Georgia Ford's wedding is less than a week away when, at the final fitting for her gown, she discovers her fiancé Ben has been keeping a HUGE secret from her. She instinctively runs home to her family's vineyard where she is further stunned to learn that her parents and brothers have been keeping some very important news from her as well. With her entire world turned upside down, Georgia has a lot of decisions to make about her future while at the same trying to come to terms with the upcoming changes for her family.

Georgia loves the family vineyard but after a few rocky years while she was growing up, she chose a different path for herself. She is a successful lawyer on the verge of marrying and moving to Britain when everything falls apart around her. She hopes that returning home will give her the distance she needs from Ben to figure out what comes next for them, but instead of being able to fully concentrate on her own problems, she is swept up in her family's drama as well.

Initially, Georgia's solution to her problems with Ben is avoidance, but after he grows weary of being ignored, he unexpectedly shows up at the vineyard in an effort to fix their relationship. Ben's explanation for keeping his secret is reasonable, but Georgia still harbors a few misgivings that he is being completely honest with her. A delicate dance ensues between them as they tentatively agree to move forward with their nuptials, but as their wedding date approaches, Georgia is still uncertain about whether she is making the right decision.

Eight Hundred Grapes is a very heartwarming novel that is quite captivating. The characters are multi-faceted with believable issues to overcome. The various relationships are realistically depicted and although the family bonds are a little strained, their love and support for one another is unwavering. The setting is absolutely perfect and Laura Dave brings the vineyard and surrounding countryside vibrantly to life. All in all, it is light-hearted read with serious undertones that fans of contemporary fiction are going to love.

This book was chosen in one of my book clubs; otherwise, I would never have picked it.

The most boring read of 2020 without a doubt (not the most hated, as that honor goes to the duology by Silvia by Elisabet Benavent).

A terribly tedious read. I don't know what the author's obsession with the word "synchronization" is. Characters without development or depth. A story with no rhyme or reason and more forced than a size 9 foot in a size 7 shoe.

Forgettable. (Translated from Spanish)

Georgia discovers that her fiance has been hiding parts of his life from her so she escapes home where she knows where she stands ... except that even her family are hiding things from her. I could relate to Georgia's difficulty in coping with being kept in the dark. How she comes to resolve her relationships with her fiance and her parents in particular makes the story most compelling. She is wishy washy at times, but she eventually gets there.

The book was okay. I felt connected enough to finish the book, but I found myself not caring much what happened to the characters. I loved the setting and found the bits about winemaking interesting. Maybe I'd like a trip to Sebastopol.

Georgia is at her final wedding gown fitting when she spots her fiancé walking down the street with a woman and child. Learning that her fiancé has been less than open with her, she runs back to her childhood home only to learn that her parents are splitting and selling their family vineyard to a competitor. Georgia has a lot to sort out.

I enjoyed this book. There are a lot of family secrets that come out when Georgia returns home. Accusations are made and Georgia has to face up to some of them as others in the family have to face up to theirs. It makes for interesting reading as Georgia keeps putting her problems on the back burner to deal with others' problems only to have them force her to face her own problems. She needed their insights.

I liked most of the characters but not all. I wasn't crazy about her fiancé, her brother Bobby, or her mother. They were not warm, fussy people. The ending is what was right for Georgia.