Jacaranda Vines

Jacaranda Vines was once the greatest vineyard in Australia, but the death of its owner, Jock Witney, leaves the business in shambles. As the Witney family fight over the future of the winery, Jock's young granddaughter Sophie makes a voyage of historical discovery through the Australian outback, hoping to learn more about her family's past. Set between the 1830s and the modern day, Jacaranda Vines is an exploration of ancestral ties, bitter rivalries and the importance of sharing family history. Jacaranda Vines had been one of the wealthiest corporations in Australia. Now Joseph Witney, the tyrannical head of the family is dead, and Jacaranda Vines is at crisis point. Joseph's widow, Cordelia, is determined not to sell. If she can persuade her granddaughter, Sophie, to change her mind then, together, they might have a hope of winning over the other family members. Sophie agrees at least to accompany her grandmother on a road trip to the Hunter Valley, site of the company's first vineyard. But, in order to get Sophie to understand exactly what she is fighting for, Cordelia must confide both family secrets and ancient history. She begins her story with Rose, a young girl running from her native England hoping to find a new life in the wild unknown of Australia... From the Sussex Downs in the 1830s to modern day Australia, Tamara McKinley's breathtaking new novel, Jacaranda Vines, traces the lives of several generations of one unforgettable family.