Review by Booklist Review
No mere collection of essays and anecdotes on winemaking, this gathering of travelogues, journals, fiction, and poetry displays the rich literary tradition of California's Napa and Sonoma Valleys. From Native Americans' slow rot under the subjugating hand of General Vallejo to the lurid shopping malls in Kate Braverman's haunting "Winter Blues," editor Russack goes well beyond wine-country idylls. As for humor, the good-spirited sarcasm of a Twainesque carpetbagger leads the way, with Jack London's ornery horses and careening carriage lending support. Lyricism is naturally present, as in consumptive Robert Louis Stevenson's reflections on escaping "poisonous fogs." Other literary heavyweights included are Ursula Le Guin, Ambrose Bierce, and M. F. K. Fisher. And yes, there is winemaking, best described in two fiction pieces, one from the perspective of a migrant worker and the other showing a vineyard manager's maddening struggle to pick and deliver grapes at their peak ripeness. Appeal will be strongest in, though not limited to, states with wine regions. --Dane Carr
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
