As part of my effort to read more this summer, and after reading some good reviews, I decided to read, The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, by Julia Flynn Siler. This book tells the Mondavi family story with a very strong focus on the Robert Mondavi line. Julia is an excellent story teller and is able to weave her words to paint pictures of the significant meeting places through out the book.

Now the main audeience this book is geared toward is the wine community to get the inside story as to what happened with the Mondavi family. I also feel this book should be of interest to family owned business, especially those who will soon be dealing with generation transfer of management. This is would be a best described as a “what not to do guide.”

The detail of the events covered in the book is extrodianary. The reader feels as if they were taken to that date and time. From the extensive interviews Julia did, a complete picture is created along with all the back stories leading up to major events. Her ability to cover so many complex backstories and personal issues without confusing the reader makes the book enjoyable to read.

I would recommend this book to anyone in a family business or someone wanting to learn more about the California wine icon Robert Mondavi.