License to Thrill: Lily Bollinger
In her recent series, Rosenberg’s goal is to shine light on significant women in history who have previously been overlooked. She achieves her goal in this fictionalized biography of Lily Bollinger. This novel is a delight to read, not only for its portrayal of this remarkable woman but also for its vivid history of the champagne world between 1941 and 1972.
Bollinger is a childless widow when she assumes the role as head of the Bollinger champagne empire. The Nazis have invaded both her home and her cellars, but she is not daunted. The novel describes in vivid terms her efforts to rescue her wine, her vineyards, and her family of workers: she hid bottles to give to American soldier liberators; she stole ration cards to feed her workers. She tests each of her three ambitious nephews who want to usurp her leadership. License to Thrill continues to explore Lily’s challenges and adventures after the war—the perfection of her vintage with special vines saved from disease, her trip across the United States to introduce the Bollinger brand to wine connoisseurs, meeting Roger Moore, who chooses Bollinger as his drink of choice as Agent 007, and her international court case to ensure that no other country can appropriate the appellation of “champagne” for their wines.
With her fine skills for vivid detail and absorbing dialogue, Rosenberg keeps her reader well entertained and well informed about the champagne world and its remarkable heroine.
