Misleading Sales Summary
Not representative of a typical English Family.! Who has a multi-million pound stationery business to sell and lavish on a Chateau and wine estate in France - dream on Mr Josephs!!

There are some many others which are so much better....
A Vineyard in the Dordogne is written in the style of a rather sterile documentary, with the author as commentator droning through a fairly uneventful story of rich people making a regular hash of being married, having children and throwing money around to make a business work.

I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, got to the last page and realised it was all over. Disappointing.

Dear oh dear.
If you want to read about a thoroughly disfunctional family messing up their lives and relationships, you'll enjoy this trash.
It improves somewhat after chapter 2, but that's like saying thumbscrews are better than red-hot needles in the eyes.
Really disappointing. Buy The Ripening Sun instead.

i cannot control my emotions
this work of art is undiscribable. Jeremy Josephs, in my opinion, is the best reader in the world, if nt the universe. The style in which he writes his books is mind gobbling. How does he do it so well? One can only wonder. Go out and buy this book now, or you are missing out on a classic, by the greatest author of modern times.

A Vineyard in the Dordogne
A Vineyard in the Dordogne has the makings of a great Joanne Harris Novel (Chocolat, Blackberry Wine) in its subject matter yet tells the story with none of that charm. What is an interesting family story is told in a somewhat sterile way (even for a biography).
The book focuses on the Ryman family and their courageous decision to buy a vineyard in the Dordogne in order to "Produce the best wine possible", giving up their formerly privileged life in England. At times it is a joyful story, conjuring images of the perfect pastoral life in France, so idealised in many of our dreams. As the book says what englishman hasn't dreamt of giving it all up" and moving to a vineyard in France to grow his own wine? However, as life goes on for the family, we do see the cracks appearing, resulting in some bitter family fights and ex-communications.
Having dwelt on the negative side, I found the story riveting and was unable to put the book down.