A noveau riche gentleman by the name of Mauro Larrea in
Mexico City has recently learned that his dreams, hopes,
and desires have come crashing down by a financial
calamity in United States in 1861. Bankrupt and seeking
to keep his family and reputation afloat, as well as
doing his best not to jeopardize his profligate son's
entrance into a distinguished family through marriage,
Mauro Larrea borrows money under less than ideal terms
and journeys to Havana, Cuba where he wins a plantation
in Andalusia, Spain.
While in Spain he meets the mysterious and capable
Soledad de Montalvo who has him beginning to question his
own desires and wishes as well as what he truly desires from
life.
The story is very rich in period details, be it the titled
and moneyed families that occupied the high aristocracy of
Mexico, to the gambling dens and houses as well as iconic
landmarks of Havana, and the peace and contentment of
Spain among the wine cultures. For me THE VINEYARD had
earmarks of another novel I loved, THE MYSTERIES OF
UDOLPHO by Ann Radcliffe which is also filled with
details about the journey and the places the main
character saw and experienced.
However, while THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO had psychological
examinations of various characters as well as complex
plots going on at the same time and tension, THE VINEYARD
lacks those characteristics; the characters lacked
chemistry when it came to love and romance, the
villain(s) of the story are one dimensional for me.
For a reader looking for an extremely detailed life of
Mexican, Cuban, and Spanish people as well as rich period
details THE VINEYARD is an ideal fit. But for a reader
seeking a more complex novel filled with multiple plots,
richly drawn characters and something that spans years, I
would advise you to seek another story.
New York Times bestselling author Maria Dueñas
returns with The Vineyard, a magnificent story of ambition,
heartbreak, and desire set in the 1860s Mexico, Cuba, and
Spain—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Kristin Hannah.
Mauro Larrea’s fortune, the result of years of hardship and
toil, comes crashing down on the heels of a calamitous
event. Swamped by debt and uncertainty, he gambles the last
of his money in a daring play that wins him an abandoned
house and a vineyard an ocean away. Mauro travels to
Andalusia de Jerez in Spain with every intention of selling
the property and returning to Mexico. That is, until he
meets the unsettling Soledad Montalvo, the wife of a London
wine merchant, who bursts into his life unannounced,
determined to protect her family’s legacy. Before long,
Larrea finds himself immersed in the rich culture of the
sherry trade. As his feelings for Soledad ripen into a
consuming passion, he seeks to restore the vineyard to its
former glory.
From the turbulent young Mexican republic to flourishing
Havana, and onward to the fertile vineyards of Jerez in the
second half of the nineteenth century, María Dueñas’s new
novel takes place on both sides of the Atlantic, the New
World and the Old. This story of family intrigue vividly
conjures the noise and grit of silver mines, and the
earthier lure of ancient vineyards and magnificent cities
whose splendor has faded. Here is a story of courage in the
face of adversity and of a destiny forever altered by the
force of passion.
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