The Winemaker's Wife

Extramarital affairs are a recurring motif throughout the novel. Do you think any of these choices were justified, or were they objectively misguided? Explain your reasoning with evidence from the text.

Inès arrives at her new home as an outsider and frustrates the others with her inexperience. Was Michel and Céline’s frustration justified? Or were they too harsh and impatient?

In the present day, both Inès and Liv feel they are not worthy of true love. How does this change as the novel progresses?

How accurately does the novel portray the historical events of the Nazi occupation of France during World War II? What fictional liberties does the author take with historical events and why?

Inès wants to help with the resistance movement first to help save her dying marriage, and later as a road to personal absolution. Do you think her heroic acts were selfish or in service of others? Does one’s motivation to aid in a cause change the end result? Support your response with views from the text and other secondary sources.

What role does female friendship play in the novel? How do Inès’s friendships with Edith and Céline change as she learns and grows?

Compare and contrast The Winemaker’s Wife with another title in the genre of World War II historical fiction. What does Harmel’s novel add and why is it significant?

Discuss Harmel’s technique of using relationship triangles to structure plot and character development. How do these triangles create tension and emotional urgency in the novel?