Review: Historical novel but not really a romance,  more like Women's Fiction
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 21, 2013
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 nave 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.