Vintage 1954
Four acquaintances share a bottle of vintage 1954 Beaujolais wine. The next day when they step onto the streets of Paris, it’s obvious they’re no longer in 2017; this is 1954. In order to unravel the mystery of how they traveled back through time, the quartet must dig into their pasts if they hope to return to their future.
In this short, sweet love letter to a bygone era in a golden age of Paris, characters mingle with legends from the 1950s. Readers will enjoy discovering these icons from chapter to chapter. That being said, some references did go over this Minnesota-American reader’s head. The twist of fate that brought the characters to 1954 delighted me, particularly how it related to some of the characters. However, the solution for returning to 2017 is simplistic and comes too easily. There are charming moments, but not a lot of suspense that comes with unraveling the mystery of their extraordinary trip. At times, moral reflections are slightly overstated. However, while the plot is a bit thinly layered, overall this is an enjoyable voyage into an idealistic Paris of the past. With elements of romance and science fiction interlaced within the narrative, Vintage 1954 is a light and fun read.
