Come join the fun at our official FB group - The Historical Fiction Club - on Monday, December 19th as Suzanne Hoffman takes over the group for the day with great posts about herself and her books!
To join the takeover, click here and make sure you answer all the questions to get automatic approval. Join in the discussions, ask questions, and enter to win a giveaway!
About Suzanne
I am a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, an attorney, and a passionate storyteller about the lives of Italian wine families. Although I now call the Colorado Rockies home, I grew up in Thibodaux, in the heart of Louisiana bayou country where I spent my girlhood dreaming--usually on horseback--of distant shores.
Those dreams came true and, for over two decades, I lived and worked in Switzerland. From our home in the Pennine Alps of Valais, my husband, Dani, and I explored the wine-growing regions of Italy and France. In November 1999, I discovered Piemonte. Soon I became immersed in the enchanting region’s rich culture and history that changed my life forever.
In 2016, I published my first book, "Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte," an award-winning, groundbreaking collection of the life stories of Giulia Colbert Falletti, the last Marchesa of Barolo, and generations of twenty-two families of Piemonte’s Langhe, Roero, and Monferrato wine-producing areas. Against a rich historical backdrop, I studied the seismic cultural and business changes in the Piemontese wine industry that allowed women to step from the shadows and assume significant roles in their families’ wine estates. As the descendent of late 19th-century immigrants to America from Sicily and Ireland, the wine families' generations-old connection with one place--roots deep in the earth--enchanted me. I have to admit, I was a bit envious that they knew more about their fourth or fifth great-grandparents than I knew about my great-grandparents. How could I not want to write their stories, so many of which had not been told?
"Angel of Alta Langa: A Novel of Love and War" is my second book and debut novel released in November 2021. I dubbed it my "pandemic project."
When I am not at home in the Rockies, I can usually be found exploring the Alps, or the vineyards and wineries of Piemonte and Sicily where I discover inspiration for my writing. I am a lover of horses, nature, and beauty in all its forms. Dani and I enjoy alpine sports and summer outdoor activities in the Colorado Rocky Mountain High Country.
Suzanne's Books
Angel of Alta Langa
FINALIST IN 2022 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS OF THE INDEPENDENT AUTHOR NETWORK IN WOMEN'S FICTION AND HISTORICAL FICTION
Alba, Italy, 1918. The Great War ends and pandemic rages in Piemonte. Fascism takes root in the ruins. Cornelia Bottero has lost her husband on the battlefield and her only child to influenza. Despite the risks, the wealthy widow charts her course to meet the moment and defy a regime that values women only as mothers of future soldiers.
Within Cornelia’s circle are Sara, a spirited Barbaresco farm girl, and Doretta, the strong-willed daughter of a prominent Jewish banking family in Turin. Though from different worlds, they are both true Piemontese, united by courage, resolve, and a gift for friendship. As Fascist Italy descends into the hellish abyss of Hitler’s Reich and his war against the Jews, Sara and Doretta see what adults do not see—cannot bear to see.
Cornelia senses their potential in the Resistance: Sara as a battlefield nurse, Doretta as a partisan. After Italy’s surrender in 1943, the Nazis tighten their grip on Piemonte. The death count climbs as their liberation hangs in the balance.
Barbaresco, Piemonte, January 1946. The first post-war year dawns. Who has survived the madness to live on in a free, united Italy?
Angel of Alta Langa is a fast-paced, spellbinding saga of heartwarming emotion, unimaginable evil, gut-wrenching suspense, and abiding love inspired by real-life events. From the vineyards of Barbaresco and the forests of Alta Langa, to the putrid cells of a prison in Turin, experience the horror—and the humanity—of Piemonte’s darkest years of the twentieth century.
"So if you’ve been to wineries in Piemonte, or if you just want an engaging account of what life was like for the farmers of this area during this troubling time of the 20th century, do yourself a favor and purchase a copy of Angel of Alta Langa." Tom Hyland, author of "The Wines and Food of Piemonte."
"With her sensibility and passion, Suzanne has slowly come ever closer to our culture and absorbed its intimate values." Maurizio Rosso, author, historian, and proprietor of Cantina Gigi Rosso (Barolo)
"I'm devouring 'Angel of Alta Langa' and savouring the rich tapestry of the history and life of this fascinating region."Amazon Review
"An emotional roller-coaster of a book which I couldn't put down! I virtually 'lived' the WW2 partisan life in the Italian Langhe vineyards with these wonderful characters and experienced all their joys, horrors and heartbreaks." Amazon Review
Buy Here: https://geni.us/angelofaltalanga
Labor of Love
Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte is the recipient of two Book of the Year silver medal awards: Independent Book Publishers Association Best Regional Non-Fiction (Mountain West) and Foreword INDIES Reviews Women's Studies. Labor of Love is a groundbreaking book about the women and their families behind the wine estates of one of the world's greatest viticultural regions - Piemonte, Italy. Suzanne Hoffman is a wine family expert who has captured behind-the-label stories, some centuries old, and combined them with over 200 captivating photographs and genealogies to give the first-of-its-kind look into the world of Piemonte’s familial wine industry. Her sources include private family histories, never before circulated, vintage photos, and over 200 hours of interviews with multigenerational Piemonte wine families.
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