Customer Reviews:
 Painfully detailed, how did it get published? February 21, 2008
3 out of 8 found this review helpful
My book club read this title and I never would have finished it otherwise. It recounts with painful detail the saga of the Mondavi family. The author obviously did very thorough research, and like some kind of minutiae pack rat, didn't want to throw any of it out. Reading it made me wonder if she had an editor, and if so, why the details weren't more distilled. To make matters worse, none of the characters inspired any kind of sympathy. I truly didn't care who died or who won legal battles. Perhaps, if you're a wine gossip connoisseur, of if you know these people, you will like the book.
 Great story rather poorly written February 1, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I love nearly everything about the California wine country, especially beautiful Napa Valley. I also love wine, and having visited the Mondavi Winery several times during the years 1992 and 2002, I was intrigued with this story. I saw Robert briefly outside the winery during one of my earlier visits, and I was very interested in the story behind the scenes, especially since it was a family saga. The story is a long, detailed, interesting one, but the author did not present it in an enjoyable or impartial way. I struggled through most of this book, forcing myself to finish it, and although I sympathized with Robert, I felt the author's obvious bias toward him made the book less credible.
 Superbly Crafted Narrative January 31, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Julia Flynn Siler's work is a masterful narrative of the Mondavi family, its contribution to the wine industry in the United States and internationally, and the internal dynamics and dysfunctions of individuals and the businesses they ran. Siler clearly has a passion for language and narrative. The story--part family chronicle, part business history--is compelling as it moves the reader from one generation of the Mondavi family to the next, illustrating patterns of love, loyalty, lust, passion, and dysfunction, demonstrating the human fallibility of an exceptionally accomplished family.
When I bought the book, I read it cover to cover, and couldn't put it down. Siler conveys skillfully the tragic flaws of the Mondavis which undermined and burdened their accomplishments, apparently every step of the way. And yet, I was still left with a sense of admiration for all that was accomplished by the family, a sense of empathy for that which was lost, and--even more pronounced--sense of frustration and even judgment at the inability of various family members to step out of the self-defeating patterns of behavior, despite their self awareness.
By the end of the book, Siler too, let her judgment of the family seep into the ink on the page. The Robert Mondavi family, for example, was repeatedly characterized as having `sold out' their shares in the business, even though she had already explained in detail the complicated pressures and commitments which led them to sell (Timothy couldn't bear the thought of his father in financial trouble, Marcia recognized the dysfunction of the family and sought to step away from the generations-old pattern).
The only regrettable shortcoming of the narrative is its patrilinear structure. Siler writes in compelling clarity the ambitions, motivations, and psychological dynamics of the Mondavi men. But, while we know the actions of the Mondavi women, we're left without a full understanding of their motivations. Entire patterns of behavior are explained by succinct statements ("Rosa was protective of Peter"). But what motivated the Mondavi women? Surely they weren't simply complements to the Mondavi men. They, too, dedicated themselves to the success of the Mondavi brands, but we never did learn why.
Overall, an excellent contribution. I recommend it without reservation.
 the good and bad of it all January 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having spent some time in the Napa area and not knowing anything about the history, I thought this would be a first good start. The book is OK. It really is a very detailed review of the House of Mondavi, however it is just that. A long, detailed history text and nothing more.
I felt that the writing was awkward in places and I found some editing issues. I also hate when people use "gifted" as a verb that indicates giving someone a gift. Its a poor use of English. I am no writer or grammer jockey, however, when I read a book of this nature, I expect better. I read to improve my vocabulary and grammer, not hear "Seinfeldesque" words like that.
DB
Very interesting story January 7, 2008
Although this book got a little tedious at times, it was a fascinating story to me of the History of Napa. The narrator was excellent and made the story even more enjoyable.
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