Welcome book clubbers to this month’s spectacular review! 

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Am I overselling it? I think not! Like many fans of the superb Heather Rose, I have been in excitable knots over the release of her latest novel and, unsurprisingly, my high expectations were met and then some. 

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Set in the late 1830s, A Great Act of Love is a sweeping historical epic full of family drama (my fave), love, tragedy, subterfuge, murder, and the rich history of champagne from revolutionary France to colonial Australia. 

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Caroline, an intelligent and resourceful young woman taught in the ways of botany, is still grieving the loss of her mother when she suffers another heavy emotional blow. Her father, who has been declared insane after committing a terrible crime, is to be imprisoned on Norfolk Island; a place of relentless cruelty in the mistreatment of convicts. 

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With very few prospects available (and grim ones at that), she abandons her old identity and forges a new path for herself across treacherous seas to the penal colony of Van Dieman’s Land. 

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Surrounded by the wild beauty of an unfamiliar land, Caroline is inspired by the memories of her family and lessons from her father to restore their legacy by bringing a once thriving vineyard back to life and produce a champagne worthy of her French lineage. 

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With the support of her newly adopted family around her, this arduous task becomes an intense labour of love that will carry echoes throughout history. 

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Written from the mixed points of view of Caroline, her father and Cornelius, a skilled blacksmith with secrets of his own, the narrative gradually unfolds in a non-linear format, shifting between time periods to immerse the reader in the global world of the 1700’s and 1800’s. The tension of political and social upheaval, horror of the mass atrocities committed, and the atmospheric beauty of lutruwita/Tasmania are written in the evocative detail Rose is known for. 

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As each of the character’s backgrounds and experiences slowly come to light, their stories entwine to create a rich tapestry throughout the book and the strong bond Caroline shares with the people who come into her life is a highlight. 

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In A Great Act of Love, Heather Rose has delivered a compelling and layered historical epic that will delight die-hard fans, newcomers, history buffs and wine connoisseurs alike. 

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5 out of 5 champagne corks. ​​​​​​​​

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SIMILAR TITLES

 

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose 

A mesmerising literary novel about a lost man in search of connection - a meditation on love, art and commitment, set against the backdrop of one of the greatest art events in modern history, Marina Abramovic’s The Artist is Present. 

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Bruny by Heather Rose 

The brilliant and explosive novel from the author of the award-winning The Museum of Modern Love. Bruny is a searing, subversive novel about family, love, loyalty and the new world order. 

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The Butterfly Man by Heather Rose 

Can a dying man maintain his deception when his mind begins to fail him? The award-winning novel from the bestselling author of Bruny. 

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White Heart by Heather Rose 

Heather Rose’s radiant debut novel tells the story of Farley Willow and her brother Ambrose as one searches for peace while the other searches the wilds for an ancient animal. 

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