About:
Corked by Kathryn Borel is a memoir of a trip Ms. Borel and her father took down the unfamiliar roads of France in 2005. This was not just a road trip, Mr. Borel, a Frenchman, is a wine connoisseur who posses limitless knowledge of wines and ways to annoy his daughter.
My rating for Corked – 3
Buy Corked from Amazon.com*
More books by Kathryn Borel*
Thoughts:
This was a strange book, the writing is vivid, the narrative witty yet somewhat dark and bizarre. I did enjoy the humor and honesty of the book, showing the messy reality of family relationships.
Corked by Kathryn Borel is not really about wine, but more about the author’s deep-down fear of losing her father. It is open and emotional, and I’m very impressed by the author’s ability to share her grief with the world.
The book needed to be more structured though. It doesn’t flow and goes from a fascinating story about relationships into contemplations about one’s purpose and existence. I also thought that Ms. Borel was trying to impress… someone… by overloading her narrative with obscure words causing her memoir to become formal instead of personal.
I enjoyed reading about the author’s father, Phillippe, a lover of wines, who is charming as much as he is infuriating. For him, wine is a way of living and requires discipline and he teaches his daughter the difference between types, as well as the language of wine connoisseurs.
More than anything, the trip served as the author’s way to deal with the fatal car accident she was involved in. The humor is used to deal with the trauma and depression she suffered from.
After finishing the book, however, I realized that the author might have meant to write a memoir about grief which was not sentimental, and in that she succeeded. I liked this book much better than the other selfish and needy memoir that made far more headlines previously.
Synopsis:
Kathryn Borel, having a killed a man in a traffic accident, decides to reconnect with Phillippe, her father who, according to her, will ultimately die. The father and daughter team up to visit French vineyards in an effort to connect.
Throughout the trip Mr. Borel’s knowledge of fine wines shines through while his daughter feels obligated to make him proud and bond over their mutual love of wine.
Buy Corked from Amazon.com*
More books by Kathryn Borel*
Zohar — Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I bought this book.
*Amazon links point to an affiliate account, the money is usually spent on books
