Tuesday, March 2, 2010

CORKED: REVIEW and GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
CORKED

BY KATHERYN BOREL

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Meet Kathryn Borel, bon vivant and undutiful daughter. Now meet her father, Philippe, former chef, eccentric genius, and wine aficionado extraordinaire. Kathryn is like her father in every way but one: she's totally ignorant when it comes to wine. And although Philippe has devoted untold parenting hours to delivering impassioned oenological orations, she has managed to remain unenlightened. But after an accident and a death, Kathryn realizes that by shutting herself off to her father's greatest passion, she will never really know him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Kathryn Borel was born in 1979 in Toronto, the daughter of a hotelier.

After several years, she became the older sister to Nico, who was named after the family cat. She spent her early years living in hotels in Paris, Bermuda, Dallas, and New Jersey, finally settling in Quebec City.

In 2002 she moved to Toronto to follow a man. The relationship ended.

She continues to live in Toronto where she works at the Canadian Broadcasting Company. She has written food and wine reviews for radio and print. Her journalism includes a column which ran in the National Post under the title "Indignities." Corked is her first book.

MY REVIEW:

CORKED: A MEMOIR by Katheryn Borel is a love-it or hate-it book in my opinion. The book itself takes you on an emotional journey in which you are mostly siding with the daughter and hating the father, but that is how Borel wrote the book. She wrote it with honesty and deep commitment. I think it is a painfully candid story of Katheryn’s relationship with her father. Behind the often times harsh reality of the life Katheryn had being the daughter of a hotelier whose passion lies in wine, not in his daughter, is also an entertaining, often humorous tale. I laughed out loud at parts and cringed at others. Both characters had such contrasting personalities, that even if Katheryn did love wine and know it like her father, I still think their lives would be the same. Katheryn takes on the task of getting to know her father better come hell or high water and for that she is to be congratulated! He is cranky and rude and runs hot and cold in his emotions. But Katheryn squares her shoulders and sets out to take him on a road trip through France where he can be with his precious wine and perhaps they can bond in some new way.

Take heart in that the travelogue part of the story is delightful and you will come away knowing more about wine which is a bonus. One must remember that Katheryn is also somewhat of an odd self-described duck as she is depressed as the story begins. She had accidentally hit and killed a man and has never been able to deal with this properly and so is insecure about just about everything and especially death. That is one of the reasons she initiates this road trip with her father as she fears he will die and she will never have been able to form any kind of meaningful relationship with him. Borel writes the story as bravely as one can that is depressed and this neurotic. As much as the father was rude and I wanted to strangle him at times, there were times that Katheryn made me think of fingernails against a chalk board especially when she decides to fess up that she has been faking liking and knowing about wine. I wanted to scream at her to just keep her mouth shut and leave well enough alone! Curiously however, during the trip, Katheryn begins to understand the grapes and enjoy the wines much more. She relaxes somewhat and gives the reader hope that she may come out of this depression at some point even be close to normal.

As the story ends and we look for Katheryn to know all about and adore wine, well, not to spoil it but let’s just say she is getting there. As for her relationship with her father, I think you know the answer but read the book to see how that works out. I will say it was quite interesting to compare the two to the way wine is made. With the grapes in a small, tight space, they must break down, interact with each other and after they ferment, something new and beautiful arrives. Katheryn knows better than to write about this comparison at length but it did give me something to think about and make me look at the story as one with far more depth than I first gave it credit for.


GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO VALERIE AND THE HACHETTE
BOOK GROUP, I HAVE 5 COPIES OF THIS
INTERESTING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY!


***U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY THIS TIME!
***NO P. O. BOXES
***INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
***ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON IF YOU THINK YOU WOULD TACKLE THIS MEMOIR AND WANT TO READ IT AND WHY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG AND TELL HOW AND WHERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW

ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE
BY 6 PM, EST, MARCH 18!


GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

39 comments:

Colleen Turner said...

I think it would be extremely hard to write this sort of memoir, but poignant and therapeutic as well. That being said, I don't know if I would want to tackle that sort of open heart wound adventure...but good for her! It does make for an interesting concept and I think I would enjoy reading it.
Thanks!
Colleen (candc320@gmail.com)

Colleen Turner said...

I follow you by email and google friend. I also follow the blog on facebook!
Thanks for all the great reviews and giveaways!
Colleen
candc320@gmail.com

traveler said...

I am an e-mail subscriber.saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

traveler said...

This unique memoir is fascinating since it involves a father/daughter trip which exposes their faults, foibles and lives. It sounds incredible and compelling. Thanks for this giveaway. saubleb(st)gmail(dot)com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

blogged about contest
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/2010/03/bookin-with-bingo-corked-review-and.html

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I follow you by email and also on Goggle Connect- alterlisa


alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

I'd love to read this and even though it's probably one that would have you in tears, I'd still like it.

Alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com

justpeachy36 said...

justpeachy36@yahoo.com

Please enter me in the giveaway.

I love memoirs from time to time.

Linda Kish said...

GFC follower

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

I would like to read it. I also had a difficult relationship with my father.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

g.g. said...

I love memoirs and would like to read this that sounds unusual

anjamie4 AT gmail DOT com

g.g. said...

I subscribe by email to follow

anjamie4 AT gmail DOT com

g.g. said...

I follow with google friend

anjamie4 AT gmail dot com

Wickdogg said...

I subscribe by email

wickdogg AT gmaildot com

Wickdogg said...

I would like to win this book as I had a similar relationship with my dad but I was lucky as I was in stable emotional place at the time

wickdogg AT gmaildot com

enyl said...

GFC follower.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

enyl said...

I would like to read Corked, because I'm a huge fan of memiors, biographies,and autobiographies.
enyl(at)inbox(dot)com

Rebecca Orr said...

I can actually see myself having a hard time with the father....being that I am having a hard time (and have been) with my own, for some of the same (and others not the same)reasons. But, I can also see myself getting irritated with the author as well. Either way, I would still like to give this one a chance. I love memoirs and I don't want to judge this before reading it. Thanks for the chance. bekki1820cb at gmail

Rebecca Orr said...

I am a follower via google reader, email, and gfc. bekki1820cb at gmail

Angie (By Book or By Crook) said...

I would like to read this memoir. Stories about relationships between parents and children have always interested me. I have been blessed to have wonderful relationships with both my mom & my dad and feel su hurt for others who don't share that wonderful bond.

aksimmo at brainerd dot net

Angie (By Book or By Crook) said...

I am an email subscriber

aksimmo at brainerd dot net

Misusedinnocence said...

I follow on gfc. :)

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Misusedinnocence said...

I'm interested in learning more about wine, and think this'd be an interesting angle to learn from.

misusedinnocence@aol.com

Unknown said...

I'm an e-mail subscriber:

ashleymaymott(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

I think I would tackle the book and we could have a love/hate relationship.

ashleymaymott(at)aol(dot)com

Debbie F said...

I follow on google reader

dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Debbie F said...

I would like to read this for a couple of reasons - one I could learn something about wine, which I know nothing about and another is I have a horrid relationship with me father also and I always wanted a better one but don't know how. I love books that examine the daughter/father relationship

dcf_beth at verizon dot net

Annmarie Weeks said...

I definitely want to tackle this memoir! I love memoirs...even if I don't side with the author, it's always interesting to see how others address issues that come up in their lives!

Annmarie Weeks said...

I tweeted! http://twitter.com/amweeks/status/10230487654

Annmarie Weeks said...

I subscribe via email, follow on friend connect & on twitter & Networked Blogs!

Lacey said...

eek!! writing this piece would be hard for me I would probably have someone else write the story for me. However I can't wait to read this one!!

Lacey914 at sbcglobal dot net

Lacey said...

http://twitter.com/HtxAstrosFan/status/10446161271

tweet

Lacey914 at sbcglobal dot net

Lacey said...

I follow on networked blogs

Lacey914 at sbcglobal dot net

Bookie said...

I love memoirs! This one would be especially interesting because I have a difficult relationship with my dad. Iy would love to read it.

dawnpnr(at)aol(dot)

Bookie said...

I follow on google connect.

Bookie said...

I tweeted. http://twitter.com/dawnpnr/status/10536266492

Cindy said...

I would like to tackle reading this memoir. It sounds interesting to me. I think that many fathers, mine included, were (are) difficult to live with at times. However, even the toughest dads have their goodness inside them somewhere too.

I also would love to learn more about wine, as I know little except I like a glass of white wine and my husband likes a glass of red wine!

Cindy
Socmom213@aol.com

Cindy said...

I follow your blog on Google.

I also subscribe by email.

Cindy
Socmom213@aol.com

Ruthie said...

Love a good memoir & love a good wine! Together sounds great! Please enter me, Thanks
ruthiekb72@yahoo.com

CLICK HERE TO
SEE MY POLICY