Thought Train to Pusan

Upon reading the premise of this novel, I was immediately drawn in: it's like someone rooted around in my brain and picked out the exact kind of story I wanted to write. But the actual writing and way things played out, I can't say that I enjoyed. All the ingredients are there to make a compelling read, but ultimately didn't come together quite so easily. To be fair, the timeline of the book spans quite a number of decades, but perhaps addressing all that time in such a manner was per say necessary.  The Vintner's Luck follows the life of a man named Sobran Jodeau, a son of a wine maker in France during the 1800s. We begin the story when he is just a teenager, drunk and filled with sorrow about unrequited love. One night, Sobran meets and angel named Xas, who gives Sobran some advice on his love life, and says that he will return in a year to see how things go for Sobran. From here, the two make a promise to continue to meet on the same night every year, and bec...