Napa
The Story of an American Eden
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2.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times–bestselling history of the rise of California’s wine country and its most famous vintners—from the author of Napa at Last Light.
James Conaway’s remarkable bestseller delves into the heart of California’s lush and verdant Napa Valley, also known as America’s Eden. Long the source of succulent grapes and singular wines, this region is also the setting for the remarkable true saga of the personalities behind the winemaking empires. This is the story of Gallos and Mondavis, of fortunes made and lost, of dynasties and destinies.
In this delightful, full-bodied social history, Conaway charts the rise of a new aristocracy and, in so doing, chronicles the collective ripening of the American dream. Napa is a must-read for anyone interested in our country’s obsession with money, land, power, and prestige.
“An extraordinary American success story: a pageant of family dramas and blood feuds.” —People
“This is more than a ‘wine book’—it is a fascinating and closely reported social history.” —Tracy Kidder
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Conaway ( The Kingdom in the Country ), here tells the history of Napa Valley wines and the development of wine-drinking in America. He relates the stories of those colorful individuals who settled in the California valley for its beauty and quiet, but were drawn by the favorable conditions into the competition to make a better wine. His other tales are of ``development'' itself, which has spoiled and polluted the area's natural beauty, and has pitted neighbor against neighbor in a political struggle to stop ``progress'' and prevent corporate takeovers of the wine industry. A tale of violence this is not, but a little creeps into some of the stories, mortals being less perfectible than wine. This lively history should have wide appeal. Photos.
