The Fever Tree - Hardcover

McVeigh, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399158243 ISBN 13: 9780399158247

Publisher: Putnam Pub Group, 2013

Synopsis

Having drawn comparisons to Gone with the Wind and Out of Africa,The Fever Tree is a page-turner of the very first order.
In London she was caged by society.
In South Africa, she is dangerously free.

Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father’s sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different men—one driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of a smallpox epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does she see her path to happiness.

But this is a ruthless world of avarice and exploitation, where the spoils of the rich come at a terrible human cost and powerful men will go to any lengths to keep the mines in operation. Removed from civilization and disillusioned by her isolation, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, a decision that has devastating consequences.

The Fever Tree is a compelling portrait of colonial South Africa, its raw beauty and deprivation alive in equal measure. But above all it is a love story about how—just when we need it most—fear can blind us to the truth.

About this title

Review:

A beautifully written novel of great feeling (Rachel Hore, author of A Place of Secrets)

Vividly written, and moves so fluidly from Victorian drawing rooms to the wild, spare plains and brutal diamond mines of South Africa - a gripping story (Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter)

There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it (Julian Fellowes creator of Downton Abbey)

A compelling read with a Gone with the Wind feel to it - I was hooked (Katharine McMahon, author of The Alchemist's Daughter)

Engrossing, emotionally poised and elegantly written - I absolutely loved it (Vanora Bennett author of The People's Queen)

I admired The Fever Tree a lot. She weaves her knowledge skilfully into the fabric of the story and she is very good indeed both at creating atmosphere and a sense of place. It isn't just entertainment but instead both informative, historically accurate and deeply felt. It is the sort of satisfying read so many people are looking for (Margaret Forster)

A bewitching tale of loss, betrayal and love (Vogue)

An epic story of love, deception and courage (Patricia Wastvedt, author of The German Boy)

Epic, enchanting, emotional and engrossing (Easy Living 'Must-read of the Month')

An unforgettable journey into a heart of darkness: romantic and tragic, a tale of honour and redemption, it leaves wide vistas of a harsh yet beguiling landscape shimmering in the imagination long after the last page is turned (Deborah Lawrenson, author of The Lantern)

From the Back Cover:

'Epic, enchanting, engrossing. A glorious read' Easy Living

'I loved it'Julian Fellowes, Creator of Downton Abbey

1880, South Africa - a land torn apart by greed...

Frances Irvine, left penniless after her father's sudden death, is forced to emigrate to the Cape. In this barren country, she meets two very different men - one driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. When the rumour of a smallpox outbreak sends her to the diamond mines, she finds a ruthless world of greed and exploitation, of human lives crushed in the scramble for wealth and power. But here - at last - she sees her path to happiness. Torn between passion and integrity, she makes a choice that has devastating consequences...

'A skilled unfolding of a woman's struggle with desire, class divide and disease in 19th Century South Africa. The journey is thrillingly huge'Financial Times

'Engrossing, evocative and moving'The Times Literary Supplement

'A bewitching tale of loss, betrayal and love'Vogue

About this edition

• Publisher: Putnam Pub Group
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0399158243
• ISBN 13: 9780399158247
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 425