Come Pour the Wine, by Cynthia Freeman, was published in 1980, when it was a bestseller. I was intrigued by the summary, but now I’m not quite sure why. A girl from the Midwest becomes a high-fashion model becomes a suburban housewife. Not exactly titillating, that third step.Janet Stevens should be thrilled that she’s got a successful career as a high-fashion model in 1950s New York City. Who wouldn’t be? The glamour, the money, the lifestyle a million times removed from that of the Wichita country-club set. But it’s not for Janet. She craves love and companionship and a sense of history. First she finds that with Fayge, a shopkeeper she meets who helps her learn about her diluted Jewish heritage. And then she meets Bill.Bill’s his mama’s baby, and he’s only recently escaped her home. Only to meet Janet, who threatens his newfound freedom. He’s in love with her, but he’s also in love with bachelorhood. Unfortunately, he realizes that if he wants to keep Janet, he has to marry her.And so it goes when it comes to children and a move to the suburbs too. But Janet’s the perfect mother and wife, and their children are a dream. They have, by all appearances, the perfect upper-middle-class American life.This isn’t exactly a gripping, action-packed epic drama. The first half of the book is the story of the growth of a family, from courtship to high school graduation, told through vignettes of family life and spanning two decades. Not much really happens at all. These aren’t exciting characters.They do have their dramatic moments, though. And those are what bugged me. Early on, Janet makes a ridiculous assumption about Bill, then has a breakdown when it turns out she was wrong. Bill is made to look like the bad guy, and is manipulated into marriage. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to be siding with him on this, but I am. Wholeheartedly. Bill is manipulated time and again by the completely uncharismatic, selfish conclusion-jumper Janet, and so I can’t fault him at all for later events. Which is a problem, if you’re going to appreciate this book, I think. But I also think I may be alone in siding with Bill, so you may not have that problem.I don’t think we’re meant to take Janet’s side, exactly, but I think we’re supposed to understand her, and I couldn’t. I mean, I could, in that I know there are people like her and I likely know many of them, people who think the end justifies the means and the end they see for themselves is the “right” end that everyone should hope to attain, regardless of personal preferences. But I don’t empathize with that view, and I couldn’t empathize with Janet. Bill was not a sympathetic character at all, but at least I understood him. I recognized his motivations as much as I did hers. Through Bill, this book brought up dangerous questions: Whether children, no matter how wonderful they turn out to be, are really worth sacrificing ourselves. Whether everyone is the marrying kind. Whether you can love as well or better a second time.In the end, I wasn’t crazy about the characters, I was distracted by rapidly shifting viewpoints and the liberal use of ellipses, and I was bored by huge swaths that may have added colour and depth to the story but really nothing terribly concrete.It was fascinating from a historical viewpoint, however. I thought it was pretty hilarious that within a month or two of Bill and Janet dating they were expected to consider marriage, that at twenty-two Janet had to start having babies before it was too late (even though at twenty-six Bill was “too young” for the responsibility of a family), and that in their early-to-mid-forties they were grandparents, staring into the abyss of old age. Wow, have things changed. I am a really old mum by those standards. I could almost be a grandma to my toddler.Since this was published in 1980, it does feel like it’s on a bit of a cusp. The 1950s parts are naturally dated — although Janet is trying to be a modern woman when she’s dating Bill, she asks him to order for her (can you imagine?!) — but the racier bits are rather racier than you might expect. My favourite quote is a line that Janet’s fed by one of the icky men she dates before meeting Bill: “Love to see it without the draperies.” I’m totally going to use that one.And here’s another gem: “And a woman knew that when a man slept next to her consumed with desire but restrained his feeling for her…well, that man was in love…” I dread to think of the alternative.LilaReviewed from ARC. Re-released by Open Road Media August 27, 2013.Full review at nomdeplumepress.wordpress.com.
Come Pour the wine is 2013 re-issue published by Open Road Integrated Media. Originally published in the 1980's, I believe, this is historical/ contemporary romance is a portrait of a woman that begins her adult life as a naïve girl from Kansas arriving in New York to embark on an exciting new life, to her marriage, children, suburban life, to finding herself stunned in midlife by changes she didn't want and having to come to terms with those changes and learn to live, really live and be happy and content with who she is and to be comfortable in her own skin, and to once more have faith in love.I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in conjunction with Open Road Integrated Media's Retro Romance group on Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review.While the book begins in the 1950's, it takes up on a twenty year journey in the life of Janet McNeil nee' Stevens as she arrives in New York from Kansas in hopes of beginning a modeling career. She is awed by the city and also homesick. She meets a jaded young woman named Kit and the two become life long friends. When Janet meets Bill at one of Kit's parties she falls head over heels for him. But, Bill is a "mamma's boy" and has been under his mother's thumb his whole life. He is still very much tied to her and the type of girl Janet is has him warring with himself about marriage and freedom. We think Janet has won the war when she a Bill build what appears to be a stable life together. Bill begins to feel restless in the marriage by his mid-forties and once more that feeling of being smothered takes hold. His choices at this point in his life will upend all of Janet's security, her entire personality will go through a transformation. Janet will become someone we don't recognize as she rises up to take charge of her life.Sometimes books published in this time frame can translate well no matter what. This one didn't translate all that well as a historical romance or a contemporary romance. I had to ask myself at the end of book what did I really gain from reading this book? This situation with Janet and Bill is one that had happened so many times in books and in real life. It has happened in my own family. Bill was a character that I didn't like from the beginning, but hoped he has finally grown up. Turns out he didn't. I thought Janet deserved better and she didn't get it until way too deep into her life. I'm not sure why this one fell flat for me. I confess to feeling bored at times and also read through several short stories while sort of forcing myself to read a chapter or two in this book. I didn't dislike the book exactly, but I didn't love it either. I wanted to like it more and kept hoping it would get more interesting, it just never took off though. So, I will give this one a C.
What do You think about Come Pour The Wine (1986)?
Cynthia Freeman is such a refreshing storyteller to me. Her stories,at least the two I've read so far are of historical places and the characters are so well versed in their roles that the reader very much feels a part of the magic she weaves. The imagery is flawless and the cities and places so real I almost feel teleported back in time. A simpler time. Bill McNeil was a happy single guy living it up in the 50`s until he met her. The girl who stole his heart before he even realized it. Janet came to New York City to be a fashion model. Then she met Bill and nothing else mattered. It seemed to be working out. Then old wounds were drudged up and the real story truly begin. Such a great story I'd even pick it up and read it again.
—Debbie
I enjoyed this book, up to a point. The story, rather than simply being a straightforward romance seemed to develop into a story about second chances. I gave it three stars because of, amongst other things, what I felt was needless wordiness, making it difficult for me to fully engage with it. I wasn’t quite sure where this book was going, since it got to about the mid-point, and in my mind I was already expecting it to end.I found it difficult to identify with one of the main characters, Bill. I was driven wild by his stupidity, selfishness and innate stubbornness. He could not let go of his personal idea of freedom and ultimately lost, what he later realised, was the best thing he had ever had. I started with the feeling that Bill was going to be able to change, to grow into his position in life and his family responsibilities, but he never quite achieved that.I liked Janet as a character and enjoyed seeing how she dealt with the problems that she faced. It was also interesting to see how different generations viewed the same, perceived, moral issues. There was a degree of hypocrisy and double standards in how they viewed things that they had done when young, when faced with their children doing it, which was interesting to see.I enjoyed the ending. It was good to see how Janet rebuilt her life and had that second chance at happinessAll in all I experienced mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed that Janet and Bill both got what, in my opinion, they deserved, but I felt that the book was too long for what it achieved.This review is based on a digital review copy provided by Netgalley and the publisher Open Road Media as part of the Retro Reads program.
—Julian Froment
I was disappointed with Come Pour The Wine - I thought it was a bad storyline with a predictable ending and nothing like the other books I read by this author. Usually she has some kind of Jewish theme running through her books but this one only hinted at it, was totally forgotten throughout the middle, and thrown back into the end which didn't feel natural. All in all, I was discouraged from reading more of her books but I bought them all on Amazon.com for $.01 each, so I guess I'll just take a break for a little while!
—Allison
