Suzanne Hoffman
“With her sensibility and passion, Suzanne has slowly come ever closer to our culture and has absorbed its intimate values.”
– Maurizio Rosso, author, historian, and proprietor of Cantina Gigi Rosso (Barolo)
Meet the author
Suzanne Hoffman—born in New Orleans and raised in Louisiana’s bayou country—is an attorney and passionate storyteller. Suzanne’s first book, Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte, is an award-winning and groundbreaking collection of the life stories of generations of twenty-two wine families. Angel of Alta Langa: A Novel of Love and War is Suzanne’s second book and debut historical novel. Although for most of her life she called the Louisiana and Switzerland home, Suzanne and her husband now reside in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
By Suzanne Hoffman
Angel of Alta Langa
A Novel of Love & War
Alba, Italy, 1918. The Great War ends and pandemic rages in Piemonte. Fascism takes root in the ruins. Cornelia Bottero has lost her husband on the battlefield and her only child to influenza. Despite the risks, the wealthy widow charts her course to meet the moment and defy a regime that values women only as mothers of future soldiers.
Within Cornelia’s circle are Sara, a spirited Barbaresco farm girl, and Doretta, the strong-willed daughter of a prominent Jewish banking family in Turin. Though from different worlds, they are both true Piemontese, united by courage, resolve, and a gift for friendship. As Fascist Italy descends into the hellish abyss of Hitler’s Reich and his war against the Jews, Sara and Doretta see what adults do not see—cannot bear to see.
Cornelia senses their potential in the Resistance: Sara as a battlefield nurse, Doretta as a partisan. After Italy’s surrender in 1943, the Nazis tighten their grip on Piemonte. The death count climbs as their liberation hangs in the balance.
Barbaresco, Piemonte, January 1946. The first post-war year dawns. Who has survived the madness to live on in a free, united Italy?
Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte
Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte is the recipient of two Book of the Year silver medal awards: Independent Book Publishers Association Best Regional Non-Fiction (Mountain West) and Foreword INDIES Reviews Women’s Studies. Labor of Love is a groundbreaking book about the women and their families behind the wine estates of one of the world’s greatest viticultural regions – Piemonte, Italy. Suzanne Hoffman is a wine family expert who has captured behind-the-label stories, some centuries old, and combined them with over 200 captivating photographs and genealogies to give the first-of-its-kind look into the world of Piemonte’s familial wine industry. Her sources include private family histories, never before circulated, vintage photos, and over 200 hours of interviews with multigenerational Piemonte wine families.
“As someone who travels regularly to this part of Italy, it was fascinating to see the layers of its current prosperity pulled back and to see its long, tortured history brought into view. [Angel of Alta Langa] is a rip-roaring story too! A must-read filled with true-to-life characters in a setting that brings to life one of Europe’s most dynamic periods. Read it!”
– John Rittmaster, Owner, Prima Vini
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UNDER DISCOVERED: PIEMONTE
by Emanuele Caruso, Obiettivo Cinema s.a.s.and Under Discovered Productions LLC Enjoy a REAL reality video about the under discovered lives, history, and culture of the Piemontese wine families. Click here for video link. Not famous for being famous!...
A Righteous Woman
"Whosoever saves a single life, saves an entire universe" Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5 Beatrice Rizzolio, Righteous Among the Nations and nonna of Giovanna Rizzolio of Cascina delle Rose. On January 23, 1975, the State of Israel honored Beatrice Rizzollio, Carlo and...
Summer Magic in the Cottian Alps
Summer is coming, and it’s time to start planning your summer escape in the Alps. I highly recommend a retreat from the world — digital and otherwise — with a trip to Des Martin’s Rifugio Valliera in Castelmagno. Located high in the Valle Grana of...