Cognac: The Seductive Saga of the World's Most Coveted Spirit

by Kyle Jarrard

Rich in history and admirable scholarship. . . . It's a fine grande champagne of a book, to be savored over and over.
-Patricia Wells, author of The Provence Cookbook
Called the ""brandy of the gods"" by Victor Hugo, Cognac is a universal symbol of refinement and quality. In the first comprehensive history of this celebrated drink, Kyle Jarrard charts Cognac's birth in the 1500s and its transformation into the world's most coveted brandy. Along the way, he reveals how Cognac distillers weathered vineyard die-offs, the German occupation, and other challenges over the years-and offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Hennessy, Remy-Martin, Courvoisier, Martell, and other legendary brands.
For any Cognac lover, this fascinating book will make the perfect gift.
Kyle Jarrard (Paris, France) is a senior editor at the International Herald Tribune and author of the highly acclaimed novels Over There and Rolling the Bones.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Kyle Jarrard, a Texas-born writer who moved to Paris in 1981, is the author most recently of "The Old World Dies," a comic satire on the decline of France.

The novel received a starred review from Kirkus, which noted: "An intoxicatingly unique literary voice that demands further attention." Go here for the full review: https://goo.gl/D7Lbx9

IndieReader gave "The Old World Dies" 4 stars and called it "a lush and vividly poetic book, meant to be experienced as a piece of art, a moving portrait of intersecting lives and relationships." Full review here: https://goo.gl/C6jjCw

Jarrard has published two other novels: “Over There” and “Rolling the Bones.” A history book: “Cognac: The Saga of the World’s Most Coveted Spirit,” which also has been published in French. And a volume of poetry: "Garden of Demise."

He is a former senior editor at the International New York Times and lives near Paris with his cat Lily.

Reviews

[Dave Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because I love fragrances, I often smell perfumes that have a "cognac" note in them. And they're always really good. But I honestly didn't know anything about cognac, and when I saw this on Hoopla, I decided to check it out. Overall, it's a good book.

I think it's way too long for the subject matter. I laughed a little at the start, when the author started the story with the seeming formation of the earth and why the geography itself is important. He even talked a bit about neolithic humans. I just wanted to know more about cognac.

This theme of way too much information continues for over half the book, going into really dry info dumps about geography, history, and botany. This is fine if the information was pertinent to...cognac. But learning about the Magna Carta (literally in this book) was not really that important overall. But I think the author needed more information about cognac to warrant making a book, and when he realized he had 100 pages, decided to add more fluff--that's what it seemed like at least.

But once he got into the actual topic of cognac, how its made, and all the intricate details of what makes it unique, I really started to enjoy it.

Overall, a dry start with a nice finish. :)

[Mike Severson]

A very complete history of cognac that is nicely organized and written a comfortable conversational style. I received the book along with a unique bottle of cognac as a gift. What a treat.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book because of the four books on cognac(!) at the library this was the thinnest to carry on my commute. Informative and readable. Covers the history and development of the eau de vie that became cognac. Good survey of the current industry. Made me go out and try some cognac. I can say that I really don't like it, however after 3 glasses, who cares. If you try my new drink, Beijing Smog, you just might. Hypnotiq and passion fruit juice.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply one of the best and most pleasant books I have read. See my blog post on it here:

http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.co...