Lush
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- $24.99
Publisher Description
A Belletrist Book Club Pick
A TIME, Town & Country, NPR, Marie Claire, and Ms. Magazine Best of the Summer.
"A sumptuous treat of a novel." -Bolu Babalola, author of HONEY AND SPICE
Sweetbitter meets The Bear in this "intoxicating look at the world of wine."(TIME)
Four wine experts, each at a crucial point in their lives, arrive at a French vineyard estate for an unforgettable experience-but not the kind they expected. Avery gave up her hard-won but exploitative sommelier job to come, while wine prodigy Cosmo is trying to disguise that his life is in freefall. The chemistry between the pair is unmistakable, but so are the signs of danger. Millionaire Sonny owns a tacky wine brand and can't help aggravating Cosmo, while caustic magazine writer Maëlys hovers with her pen poised.
It seems at first that these four have little in common except for their love of wine and their belief in its transformative power. But, as the quartet awaits the penultimate night of the trip, when they will taste the only bottle of one of the rarest wines in the world, it becomes clear that each of them grapples with a private crisis. Each projects their ultimate hopes and fears onto the contents of this bottle, a bottle rendered divine by age and scarcity.
Unfolding over several days of indulgence in delicious food and drink, raucous debauchery, and transformative truths that will leave each character changed forever, Lush is a sensuous tour of the wine industry's extreme pleasures and pains, a captivating summer read that, like a fine vintage, will linger long after you've finished turning the pages.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A wine lover’s paradise becomes a hotbed of complex emotions in Rochelle Dowden-Lord’s intoxicating debut novel. Four people—young sommeliers Avery and Cosmo, rich but unrespected vintner Sonny, and journalist Maëlys—are all invited to the South of France to taste one of the oldest, rarest wines on the planet. Over the course of their visit, romance brews, arguments arise, secrets are shared, revelations occur, and a whole lot of high-end drinking happens. Dowden-Lord tells the tale with a poet’s touch and a wine connoisseur’s enthusiasm. We revelled in her descriptions of wine cellars, vineyards, and fine vintages, let alone the bubbling cauldron of feelings framed by the story’s constant POV shifts. In addition to the characters’ inner dramas, Lush touches on everything from status and sexism to the dangers of overindulgence. But amid all the emotional fireworks lies a succulent summer read, and you’ll come away eager to make a vineyard pilgrimage of your own.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A spontaneous invitation to the South of France proves life-changing for four wine-industry insiders in Dowden-Lord's polished debut. When vintner Tao hears his aging husband, Jon, pitch an idea to invite a group of "new and exciting" oenophiles and tastemakers to their French vineyard, he's surprised to see the shy Jon come out of his shell, and agrees. All four guests will participate in blind tastings and be offered the chance to taste the world's oldest bottle of wine. Avery, a Londoner in her late 20s, is grateful for a break from the predatory manager at her restaurant. The handsome yet awkward Cosmo suddenly feels like his life is less stagnant when he meets and falls for Avery. The others include Sonny, the American owner of a so-so wine brand, and Maelys, a food writer who is immediately critical of Avery's presence and purpose at the gathering. The author skillfully juggles the many characters as they engage in competitive banter and exchange intimacies while awaiting the opportunity to taste the coveted final bottle, and the narrative finishes on a bittersweet and satisfying note. Wine enthusiasts will savor this.
