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Sign up todayVintage Attraction
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Learn moreA young English teacher falls—glass first—into a love affair and the world of wine when he meets a famous and enchanting sommelier.
Before Peter Hapworth meets Izzy, he knows the difference between pinot noir and peanut butter, but that's about it. Lonely and frustrated with his academic career—as well as with dating—his life takes a sudden turn one night when he turns on the television. He's transfixed by the woman staring back at him, a glass of wine swirling delicately in her hand—Isabelle Conway, one of the preeminent sommeliers in the world. There's something about her. Somehow, he feels like he already knows her.
On a whim, he pitches himself as a guest on her popular television show, and the two embark on a whirlwind courtship. But relationships require a delicate balance of nurturing and belief, much like winemaking. Hapworth and Izzy must navigate the complex mysteries of wine—and the heart—from glamorous social events and domestic travails in Chicago to the vineyards and rocky bluffs of Santorini in Greece. Vintage Attraction is a rich and insightful novel by an exciting young literary talent.
Charles Blackstone is the managing editor of Bookslut. His short stories have appeared in Esquire and other publications. Newcity named him in their “Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago” annual feature. He lives in downtown Chicago with his wife.
George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.
Reviews
“Blackstone has created a likable protagonist in Peter, and a worthy love interest in Izzy, toying with the dynamic of pursuer and pursued. His wine world knowledge is impressive.”
“Blackstone’s rendering of a disgruntled hipster-slacker-intellectual in the character of Peter is authentic and humorous; the amusing scenes involving academia are written with brilliance and insight.”
“Blackstone, who is married to a sommelier, repeatedly makes an effort to equate forging a relationship with making fine wine, ensuring that for those with a taste for both light literary romance and a glass of crisp Assyrtiko, this is an excellent match.”
“Bottoms up! There’s no way to read Charles Blackstone’s debut novel, Vintage Attraction, with its scrumptiously crafted details about the ins and outs of wine tasting, without craving a glass of fine vino and a hunk of aged cheese…Blackstone brings out the flavor of something truly riveting as the tale pours through various wine tastings and winds through vineyards. Clearly, Vintage Attraction proves the maxim that ‘in wine there’s truth,’ because it’s spot-on with explanations of the many varietals in the fascinating world of wine.”
“Vintage Attraction’s magic is that it brilliantly compares discovering wine to something everyone can relate to: falling in love.”
“Fiction is often a few beats ahead of the accelerated grimace of reality, as Charles Blackstone demonstrates in this engaging novel about a celebrity sommelier and the hyperarticulate mensch who loves her. A quirky and original novel about love, wine, and marriage.”
“Vintage Attraction will take readers on a wild ride through the world of wine.”
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