16 January 2021
Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier
An affecting memoir from the country’s youngest sommelier, tracing her path through the glamorous but famously toxic restaurant world
At just twenty-one, the age when most people are starting to drink (well, legally at least), Victoria James became the country’s youngest sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Even as Victoria was selling bottles worth hundreds and thousands of dollars during the day, passing sommelier certification exams with flying colors, and receiving distinction from all kinds of press, there were still groping patrons, bosses who abused their role and status, and a trip to the hospital emergency room.
It would take hitting bottom at a new restaurant and restorative trips to the vineyards where she could feel closest to the wine she loved for Victoria to re-emerge, clear-eyed and passionate, and a proud “wine girl” of her own Michelin-starred restaurant.
Exhilarating and inspiring, Wine Girl is the memoir of a young woman breaking free from an abusive and traumatic childhood on her own terms; an ethnography of the glittering, high-octane, but notoriously corrosive restaurant industry; and above all, a love letter to the restorative and life-changing effects of good wine and good hospitality.
| Title | : | Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier |
| Edition Language | : | English |
| ISBN | : | 9780062961679 |
| Format Type | : |
Readers Also Enjoyed Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier
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2.5 StarsI was really rooting for this book. I wanted it to be Sweetbitter mixed with Kitchen Confidential mixed with I Hear She's a Real Bitch but with amazing wine descriptions that send me running ...
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As Victoria James' biological older sister, I am so disappointed in the fact that she decided to write a memoir that trashes our family with an incredible amount of lies and very skewed opinions. Hone...
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This is a tough book to review -- it sometimes reads more as a plea for acknowledgement than a memoir written from the vantage point of time and perspective. The author shares so much of her personal ...
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In 2012, at age 21, Victoria James became America’s youngest certified sommelier. Still in her twenties, she has since worked in multiple Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City and became the...
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I am an absolute fan of Wine Girl. I received this very early ARC from Edelweiss and tried to only sample it, but I couldn’t put it down. This is a #metoo story for the fine dining industry. (Trigge...
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QUICK TAKE: Part EDUCATED, part SWEETBITTER, WG is a great behind-the-scenes look at the restaurant industry (both the good and bad), though I wish James, as an industry leader, had discussed steps sh...
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DNF -- credit where credit is due: becoming a sommelier at such a young age is incredibly impressive. i certainly don't want to invalidate what the author has gone through, but i cannot get past the w...
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My review on my website www.bookread2day.wordpress.com [email protected] Girl is a memoir from America’s youngest sommelier, taking readers through the necessary accounts of the best and darkest...
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Don’t be fooled into thinking that ‘Master Sommelier’ is simply a pretty label for someone that knows wine; The title was well earned.What Victoria lives through to be able to share her love of ...
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**** 4-1/2I just finished the delightful and fun Wine Girl by Victoria James. This is a really good memoir to listen to on audio, especially since the author is reading it. James begins informing us o...