Customer Reviews

Vintner's Luck

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Set in Burgundy and spanning the years 1808 to 1863, The Vintner's Luck tells the magical, spellbinding story of Sobran Jodeau, a vintner from the village of Aluze. On a midsummer's night, Sobran's life is forever changed when he is visited by an angel named Xas, a gorgeous creature with wings that smell of snow. The Vintner's Luck is definitely a character-driven novel and while each character certainly shines, it is the love and friendship shared by Sobran, the Baroness Aurora and the angel Xas that steals the show--and the reader's heart. All, however, is not sweetness and light. The scene in which Lucifer visits Xas and the consequences that follow are heartbreaking to the core. I could find absolutely no mistakes in this perfect novel. The characters were fully drawn and believable, the prose lyrical yet clear, and the pacing perfect throughout. The Vintner's Luck is a book that achieves enormous depth while retaining a simple, fairy-tale quality--all to the good. Anyone who reads The Vintner's Luck should be prepared to bask in its spell for years to come.

Well, it was funny, gentle, frustrating, beautiful, infuriating, confusing, simple, convoluted, completely believable, sad, happy, strange, familiar, erotic, stern, playful, poetic, choppy. In effect, everything under the sun!

The reason to read this highly engaging, luminous novel is the angel; Xas is one of the best characters I have come across. A beautiful, distant, earthy, gentle, erotic, subtle angel, touched by God and Lucifer both, he is well worth all the trying, annoying, bland, and confusing parts that pepper the story.

Right behind him is Aurora, a wonderfully written character, so much more strong, gentle, wise, and clever than Sobran (if you don't believe me, just ask Lucifer!). She's another fabulous new literary character, a perfect complement to Sobran and Xas.

Like all truly great novels, this one at times is trying, and other times slow, and other times almost self-indulgent, but all of these supposed "inadequacies" actually make the story more real, more strong, more original, more memorable. All the classic novels have their fair share of irritating or confusing parts; it's almost a calling card of sorts.

Altogether, the book is wonderful, with highly original ideas, plots, and characters, with twists on every cliche and philospophy of God and religion and angels. Read it!!!

About two-thirds of the way through the book, Xas declares that "Complete symmetry is an insult to God." It is at this point that the reader realizes that many of the key elements in the book have been marked by cases of symmetry. From the two murders committed by a key character in the book to the results of the relationship once Sobran takes a male lover as a complement to his wife, the evil that is manifested in the book is caused by "complete symmetry." On the other hand, "incomplete symmetry" brings much of the "good" portrayed in the book. For instance, Aurora loses one breast to cancer, and lives. Also, the characters regain their luck once Sobran takes a second lover to complement the relationships he has with his wife and his male lover.

So, what is the author trying to say? Is she saying that only God can be perfect, and therefore He tolerates no attempt by any lesser being to achieve perfection? If that's so, then is God purposely inciting chaos in order to keep humans from attaining symmetry? And finally, is she saying that for humans to strive to attain what is the province of the divine is pointless because God will never give up that feature that defines Him?

As always, there is a danger of reading too much into a book. But, the fact that this book can spark such introspection and debate makes it stand out among the countless other collections of words filling the bookstores. Even if these qualities are not appealing, The Vintner's Luck offers many other charms. The characters are solidly written and the dialogue is superb. It is our luck that The Vintner's Luck has come along. It makes us realize that literature of this caliber still has a place on all of our bookshelves.

If nobody gave you this book for Christmas, make it your first mission of the year to buy it. I knew within the first six lines that I was going to love it. There's a kind of poetry throughout this book, an inventive freshness about the imagery Elizabeth uses that creates a lush and romantic texture for the story. And, refreshingly, we meet the angel Xas almost immediately - no fiddling about setting the scene, just straight into the story.

Elizabeth treats her characters a little coolly to begin with, which may give the impression that the story is a bit slow to get into, and so it wasn't until I was well into the story that I realised quite how attached to them I had become. Xas and Sobran argue, and I found myself reading faster to find some word of reconciliation - it just seemed wrong that they weren't speaking to each other. And from that point on, I couldn't put the book down, no matter how hard I tried. And I did try, because this is a book worth savouring for as long as possible.

It charts the highs and lows of a life-long relationship in a touching (yes, I cried) but not overly sentimental way. And both Sobran and Xas retain a degree of mystery about themselves; like all people we try to know, their thoughts and motivations are not always clear, making them all the more delicious and intriguing.

Perhaps I'm a hopeless romantic, but I read this book in three short days a month ago and I still think about it often. It's a convincing and authentic story, beautifully written, and now one of my all-time favourite books.

I can't even begin to tell everyone how great this book is. I read it in one long sitting...this is not a light novel, so it took a while. The slow development of the relationship between Sobran (the man) and Xas (the angel) was perfect, the deliberate slowness kept the level of tension and anticipation high throughout the novel. Their relationship was handled beautifully, though at times the slow pace had me pulling my hair out, wondering when the two would finally take that next step. The image of Xas keeping a rose garden in hell fascinated me, and other images in the novel were equally as vivid and wonderful. I only had two minor complaints. First, there wasn't much of a focus on the love between the angel and the man (but that's understandable...who knows how people would react to a detailed affair between a male angel and a man? My strange liking for things of that sort may not be shared by many.). Second, the parts of the novel that dealt with the ordinary life, when Xas was absent, seemed dry in comparison to when Xas WAS there. (But that could also just be me.) All in all, a beautiful novel that would appeal to anyone who likes something that's just a little bit out of the ordinary.

I have a fondness for novels that explore the different tenets of religious faith. I like to believe that my own faith is strengthened when I am forced to think and examine my personal theology. Good novels are a place to explore these things because they put a human face on what we often treat abstractly, if we think about these things at all. This is a really good novel.

Angels have gone through a revival in the past decade or so but I've found most of this material to be uninspiring. Here, however, is an angel story to get the wheels turning. This story of a vitner who meets an angel one night and they agree to meet on the same night every year is wonderful. Knox's imaginings of God, Satan, and the angel Xas offer interesting insights into the nature of good and evil. The human, Sobran, whom Xas meets annually offers us insights into religion and faith and what it is to be human. The relationship between Xas and Sobran takes both of them (and us) beyond their traditional roles in the hierarchy of creation.

I think this book hit me at just the right time. It's fascinating but its exciting and easy to read. I read the entire novel in a sitting. Certainly outside the mainstream in terms of traditional belief about angels, it's not for everyone. But for those who like to explore outside the theological box, it's good reading.

I was not sure when a friend recommended this book to me that I would like it.

I fell in love with it!

No, it is not a happy go lucky angel swoops down to save the day type of story, it is actually quite tragic. The immages, emotions and love that is portrayed is beautiful. It is one of the few books that I kept after I read it (usually give my books away).

Knox's dense images and smooth, matter-of-fact narrative of a vintner of Burgundy and his angel is quick to read but slow and sweet in aftertaste. An immensely enjoyable book, perfect for a bleak winter day with some hot tea. Perhaps it is not world-shaking fiction, but it is comforting and gives warmth after all the havoc of more prestigious novels.

An email buddy of mine from New Zealand recommended this book. I purchased a copy mainly because I'd never read a single thing from anyone in NZ. Plus, he told me that there was a gay relationship that 'sort of' pervades the story. Boy was I surprised at how wonderful this story was! Like others who reviewed this story I, too, found that it took me over 50 pages to really get into it since it's completely character driven and written in a style that took a little while to get used to. Once I got into it tho, it was impossible to put down.

I found the love affair between Sobran and Xas to be one of the most moving love stories put into print. The fact that it spanned such a long time was extraordinary. The fact that the author is a woman explains how she was so capable in fleshing out Aurora. She was a wonderfully strong character and I enjoyed everything about her. How the author was able to flesh out Sobran, a male, so well, is the mark of how talented Ms. Knox is. Despite the fact that I'm completely non-religious, the angel/heaven/hell/Christianity stuff was NOT a put off at all. It was somewhat quaint (to me) yet completely interesting. I was utterly unprepared for how well it was worked into the story without being in the least bit preachy. Without it, the story would have totally flopped.

Ms. Knox is a master storyteller. There's no doubt about it. She even worked in some wonderful phrasing and some very interesting concepts. I got chills several times throughout the book as I read when a certain collision of words struck me as particularly innovative.

I can't say that I was sad at the end, altho I expected to be. I was more like upset that the story had ultimately come to an end. By that time the characters had leapt out from the pages and I was into all of their lives. Again, the sign of a master storyteller. Ms. Knox, a big American thanks for this work!

It takes about a 100 pages for this book to begin to attract the reader and really involve one in the characters. The structure is built around each chapter being one year in the life of Sabran Jodeau. Every year, he meets with Xas, an angel with a past we learn progressively with Sabran. These encounters alter Sabran's life more than once within the story and the lives of those surrounding him. One interesting reversal during an age of post Enlightenment is what would an atheist (not Sobran, but Aurora, an intelligent woman of his acquaintance) react to the knowledge that angels and therefore God actually exist. Although the theology isn't as detailed as I'd hoped, still, the ideas presented in this book are thoughtful. Recommended for fantasy enthusiasts looking for something a bit different. This book would also be of interest to those who pursue literature featuring homosexual themes.