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The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty | 
| Author: Julia Flynn Siler
Publisher: Gotham
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $7.99
You Save: $7.01 (47%)
New (24) Used (5) Collectible (1) from $7.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 1480
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2
ISBN: 1592403670
Dewey Decimal Number: 338
EAN: 9781592403677
ASIN: 1592403670
Publication Date: May 1, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The New York Times bestseller, now in paperback: a scandal-plagued story of the immigrant family that builtand then losta global wine empire Set in Californias lush Napa Valley and spanning four generations of a talented and visionary family, The House of Mondavi is a tale of genius, sibling rivalry, and betrayal. From 1906, when Italian immigrant Cesare Mondavi passed through Ellis Island, to the Robert Mondavi Corp.s twenty-first-century battle over a billion-dollar fortune, award-winning journalist Julia Flynn Siler brings to life both the place and the people in this riveting family drama. A meticulously reported narrative based on more than five hundred hours of interviews, The House of Mondavi is a modern classic.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
The Mondavi Story April 2, 2008
Intriguing story -- three generations of a famous, semi-dysfunctional winemaking family. The book is easy reading, though it is a little long; but the tale itself carries the day. Recommended.
 I loved this book! From a fan of nothing but literary fiction March 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I just LOVED this book. I wasn't sure I would, simply because I read almost nothing but literary fiction. But it was so readable, and had so many of the things I love about fiction - a great story, interesting characters, good writing, evocative settings - that I couldn't put it down.
There is something so epic about the story of the Mondavi family. As you read, you can't help but think of all the family dynasties that have self-imploded; there are echoes of King Lear, of Oedipus, of all the founders whose basic character flaws are the seeds of the family's undoing. To watch the Mondavi family rise so spectacularly from its' immigrant roots, and then fall from its' own weight, is so timeless, so sad, and so compelling.
One of the book's great strengths is its' perfect blend of journalism and storytelling. The Mondavi story is full of juicy facts - wild parties and love affairs and alcoholism - that a lesser author would milk for profit. Siler, however, treats them with the even-handedness of the journalist she is. At the same time, Siler elevates the book well above the dryness of much non-fiction with her skillful storytelling, and brings to vibrant life so many scenes in the lives of the Mondavi family and the Napa Valley.
Witness, for example, the masterful storytelling of the prologue, set in a wine auction in June 2005. This scene encapsulates a turning point for the Robert Mondavi Corp., the beginning of the end. The aging Robert Mondavi, in his wheelchair and bolero hat, has sold his lot of wine at a fire-sale price, while a boutique wine has just sold for a quarter-million per lot. "Robert and Timothy (Mondavi) stared up at the screen, silent in the midst of the raucous celebration of the bid. They seemed isolated, as the Hoopla Commitee and the television camera moved elsewhere. For that moment the Mondavis were no longer the center of attention. When the spotlight returned in the the months to come, it would blaze mercelessly on the dismemberment of their empire." Wow.
I highly recommend this book. It is readable, interesting, well-written, and a fascinating story. And it's fun to discuss over a glass of wine.
A heartbreaking story of ambition, lust and wine March 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"The House of Mondavi" is a quintessentially American tale. A penniless immigrant couple travels to the new world, where they become so successful they are able to send their two sons to Stanford University. The family buys a decrepit winery, turning it into a success. The patriarch dies: war erupts in the family -- leading to one of the most famous court cases in California history. Then, the cycle repeats itself, and successive generations of siblings battle again. This is a must-read for anyone interested in families, fortunes, or the wine business -- and the sensational aspects of the story that make this a true-life "Falcon Crest."
Great Reporting, Great Story February 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Julia Flynn Siler has accomplished something amazing with the House of Mondavi. It is clear the book was meticulously researched. Her experience as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal obviously guided her writing. Unlike some nonfiction books in which the author speculates where the facts end, Ms. Flynn Siler supports each element of the story with multiple sources. The book is not about Ms. Flynn Siler's opinions of what could have happened. It is about the complex, fascinating web that is the Mondavis. That said, the story reads almost like a novel, and at times is a page-turner. Some reviewers have complained about typos in the text, but any typos are due to a lapse at the copyediting stage and have little if anything to do with Ms. Flynn Siler or the quality of the story being told. The House of Mondavi is a engaging, compelling read which deserves accolades for its substance.
 Painfully detailed, how did it get published? February 21, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
My book club read this title and I never would have finished it otherwise. It recounts with painful detail the saga of the Mondavi family. The author obviously did very thorough research, and like some kind of minutiae pack rat, didn't want to throw any of it out. Reading it made me wonder if she had an editor, and if so, why the details weren't more distilled. To make matters worse, none of the characters inspired any kind of sympathy. I truly didn't care who died or who won legal battles. Perhaps, if you're a wine gossip connoisseur, of if you know these people, you will like the book.
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