The New York Times bestselling author of Napa tells the captivating story of how the Napa Valley region transformed into an extraordinary engine of commerce, glamour, and an outsized version of the American dream--and how it could be lost--in a strong plea for responsible stewardship of the land ( Kirkus Reviews ).
This is a stunning and sad look at how an idyllic community became a victim of its own success...fascinating and well-researched ( Publishers Weekly , starred review)..
Bets are still out on what the future holds.
The area is still full of dreamers, but of opposing sorts: those longing for a harmonious society based upon the vine, and self-styled overlords yearning for wealth and the special acclaim only fine wine can bring.
Napa at Last Light showcases the greed, enviable profits, legacy, and tradition that still collide in this compelling story.
Hailed as the definitive Napa writer, Conaway has spent decades covering the region.
Napans who grew up trusting in the beneficence of the vintner class now confront the multinational corporations who have stealthily subsumed the old family landmarks and abandoned the once glorious conviction that agriculture is the best use of the land.
In the balance hang fortunes and personal relationships made through hard work and manipulation of laws, people, and institutions.
Napa at Last Light reveals the often shadowy side of the latter days of Napa Valley--marked by complex personal relationships, immense profits, passionate beliefs, and sometimes desperate struggles to prevail.
But James Conaway\'s candid book tells the other side of the romanticized story.
Now it is thoroughly American; emblematic of Napa Valley, an area idealized as the epicenter of great wines and foods and a cultural tourist destination.
Not so long ago, wine was an exclusively European product.
The New York Times bestselling author of Napa tells the captivating story of how the Napa Valley region transformed into an extraordinary engine of commerce, glamour, and an outsized version of the American dream--and how it could be lost--in a strong plea for responsible stewardship of the land ( Kirkus Reviews )
