The New York Times, June 20, 2007
Eric Asimov, chief wine critic for The New York Times, finds The House of Mondavi “clear,” “detailed,” and “compelling.” He writes: “Call it Greek tragedy or Shakespearean drama, Biblical strife, Freudian acting out or even soap opera. You wouldn’t be exaggerating, and you wouldn’t be wrong….” Read Review
BusinessWeek, July 3, 2008
The House of Mondavi is recommended in BusinessWeek’s guide to summer paperbacks. The magazine called it “a fascinating chronicle of an immigrant family’s life and times.” Read article.
Scripps Newspapers’ Treasure Coast Palm, February 8, 2009
Columnist Geoff Oldfather calls The House of Mondavi “a lesson in business, family, greed and hubris that reads like a thriller novel. You will never look at a glass of wine the same way again.” Read review.
Vinography, April 14, 2008
“With stellar reporting and clear, enjoyable writing Julia Flynn Siler… describes the long rise and sharp descent of California’s most iconic vintner,” writes W. Blake Gray. “…her research is simply outstanding. She captures the scope of Mondavi’s story, which amounts to King Lear in wine country.” Read review
U.S. News and World Report, July 17, 2007
U.S. News and World Report says The House of Mondavi “provides an epic overview of every entrepreneur’s nightmare-and demonstrates just how vulnerable even the most “takeoverproof” company can be.”
International Herald Tribune, February 23, 2008
“…A compelling story about what works and does not at a family-run, publicly-traded business, whether the product is wine or widgets,” writes Holly Hubbard Preston in the IHT. Read Review
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 29, 2008
Gil Kulers, wine columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, writes that “Flynn-Siler’s book vividly portrays the events of the auction and takes reader on the roller-coaster ride that was Robert Mondavi’s life…Read more.
BusinessWeek, August 13, 2007
BusinessWeek calls it “a fascinating chronicle” and “a twisted tale filled with big egos, beautiful backdrops, and charismatic-yet-flawed characters who pull off towering feats and then throw them all away…” Read Review
San Diego Union-Tribune, December 19, 2007
The Union-Tribune recommends “The House of Mondavi” as one of the best 2007 wine books. “And you thought your family was dysfunctional,” the review begins.Read.
The Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2007
Bill Daley, the Chicago Tribune’s chief food and wine reporter, picks “The House of Mondavi” as one of 2007’s “books that shine,” explaining that “knowledgeable wine lovers will enjoy the insider info; neophytes will be drawn to an age-old story of family struggle.” Read review.
Barron’s, September 3, 2007
Barron’s reviewer Lewis Perdue, founder and former publisher of Wine Business Monthly, writes “…each page is packed with facts and footnotes which, by dint of superb writing, manage to engage the reader and avoid the data brain-lock that would have plagued a less-talented journalist.”
San Francisco Chronicle, November 23, 2007
“The House of Mondavi” is chosen as one of the Chronicle’s top reads for holiday gift-giving: The SF Chronicle’s wine editor calls it an “epic” that “manages not only to dizzy you with impeccable research, but to carry you along as the Mondavi family’s whole colorful history is laid out.” Read review.
The Mercury News, June 20, 2007
San Jose Mercury News wine columnist Laurie Daniel describes The House of Mondavi as “a meticulously reported account…that is an eye-opener, even for people like me who follow the wine industry….Flynn Siler’s reporting is impeccable and extensive…” Read Review
The Sacramento Bee, June 27, 2007
The Bee’s food editor, Mike Dunne, writes that “Siler’s reporting is as energetic as her writing is brisk.” Read Review
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 1, 2007
Richard Kinssies, director of the Seattle Wine School, writes that the author did “a first-rate job of creating a balanced view of this epic American drama…The book reads like a novel and her crisp style makes the book compelling…It’s a great summer read but it also belongs on the reference shelf of any wine library.” Read Review
The Seattle Post, July 6, 2007
“The Melodrama is Intoxicating in this Saga About the Mondavi Wine Dynasty.” Read Review
Bookopinion.com, Oct. 2, 2007
“…she does for winemakers what Laura Hillenbrand did for horseracing in her bestseller Seabiscuit. Her engaging, descriptive style envelops readers into the unfamilar world of Napa Valley vintners.” Read.
Wine Spectator, June 20, 2007
Wine Spectator’s senior editor James Laube writes that The House of Mondavi “explores the Mondavis’ bumpy journey in grand and fascinating detail….It’s fluid and well-written, with insight and rare details that weave together the family’s frayed relationships and poor business decisions.” Read Review
Wine Enthusiast, September, 2007
“A riveting read…” writes Ben Narasin in Wine Enthusiast. “There are many great stories in this book….ultimately, like any great story, this is one of people…” Read review.
San Francisco Chronicle, June 19, 2007
Jon Bonné, Chronicle Wine Editor, says Napa Valley is abuzz over the tell-all nature of The House of Mondavi. Read Review
Bloomberg News, August 28, 2007
Bloomberg News wine writer Elin McCoy calls the book “the summer’s juiciest wine read,” “meticulously researched,” “riveting,” and with “more layers than a complex cabernet” in her review titled “How Robert Mondavi Lost Wine Empire but Kept Masseuses.” Read