With the holidays just around the corner, we’ve been on the lookout for a good romance to hunker down with. Sometimes, the best books come to us through recommendations by friends. That’s the case with this month’s Retro Reads pick, Come Pour the Wine by Cynthia Freeman. It was suggested as a possible Retro Read by a colleague, who, despite not working with romance novels, “could not put it down!” We took her word for it—and we’re glad we did.
Come Pour the Wine follows teenager Janet Stevens in her journey from the Midwest to New York City to pursue a high-octane modeling career. When she falls in love with the intriguing Bill McNeil at a party, it seems her future is established. But as middle age sets in and the marriage dissolves, Janet finds herself learning brand-new lessons about life—and about love.
While the setting is an initial draw (1950s New York City—does it get better?), it is the story of self-discovery and soul-searching that we fell more and more in love with at each plot turn. The book teaches an important lesson about womanhood: that women, like wine, only improve with age.
Check back throughout the month for updates from our Retro Readers on this month’s picks and find us on Goodreads in the Retro Readers Group. Or, sign up for our romance newsletter and we’ll send you a monthly roundup of everything romance at Open Road, including Retro Reads updates and info on new releases, bonus content, giveaways, special offers, and more.