The Crush of Wine and War

“Here is a book of exquisite honesty and profound depth... Along the way grief becomes a dance in the dark and suffering turns to love.” –Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Book of Longings

Austria, 1938. Two Couples struggle with the terrifying prospect of opposing the Nazis.

Sebastien Brandl, proprietor of a renowned Austrian inn, plunges headlong into the resistance while his wife, Hannah, deeply in love, secretly unsympathetic to the plight of the Jews, fights his choices and grieves for the idyllic lives they once led.

Maxmillian Mayr, owner of a huge Viennese wine estate, reluctantly follows his sons into defying the Nazis while his wife, the survivor of a pogrom, is consumed with keeping her Jewish identity and that of their two sons an uncompromised secret. Surprisingly, they share a common nemesis, Faber Ratzener, the Brandls’ one time neighbor and now a ruthless Oberführer intent on bringing down both Sebastien and Max.

Both families are surrounded by a community of unforgettable characters: lifelong friends wrenched apart by Nazi false promises; a wicked, gossipy baker; a heroic, gay winemaking couple, a Rabbi desperate to get Jews out of Vienna; a lovable young man whose fate is tied to Hitler. In the end, they will intersect, coming together in victory and defeat, surprising romance, and astounding acts of resistance.