"The Vineyard"--from author María Dueñas--a story of resilience in the face of adversity, of a lifeline forever altered by the force of passion

The Vineyard


The New York Times bestselling author of The Time in Between returns with a magnificent new novel set in 1860s Mexico City, Havana, and Spain about a self-made man who loses his fortune overnight but finds his destiny as he works to restore a legendary vineyard to its former glory, and to win the love of the combative widow who once owned the property.

Mauro Larrea sees the fortune that he had built after years of hardship and toil come crashing down on the heels of a calamitous event. Swamped by debts and uncertainty, he gambles the last of his last money in a daring move that offers him the opportunity to resuscitate his fortune. But when the unsettling Soledad Montalvo, wife of a London wine merchant, comes into his life, her passionate intensity lures him toward an unanticipated future.

The Vineyard spans diverse worlds, from the young Mexican republic to magnificent colonial Havana; from the West Indies to the Jerez of the second half of the nineteenth-century, when its wine trade with England turned the Andalusian city into a legendary cosmopolitan enclave. A novel replete with glories and defeats, with silver mines, family intrigues, vineyards, and splendid places whose grandeur has faded in time, The Vineyard is a story of resilience in the face of adversity, of a lifeline forever altered by the force of passion. 

Reviews

“It beams readers with pinpoint accuracy to the heart and soul of 1860s Mexico, Cuba, and Spain on a magic carpet ride that they will be sorry to have end.” (Leila Meacham, New York Times bestselling author of Roses)

“Dueñas is a gifted writer. The Vineyard is destined to become a classic.” (Armando Lucas Correa, international bestselling author of The German Girl)

“Breezy and entertaining, María Dueñas delivers a good old-fashioned yarn.” (The Washington Post)

"This sprawling tale will charm fans of historical romance." (Kirkus)

"Dueñas capably reveals the grace of second chances, as Larrea’s hard work overcomes a cruel twist of fate. There is despair; there is betrayal; there is romance and triumph. Dueñas’s many fans as well as readers who appreciate well-researched historical fiction will find The Vineyard appealing." (Booklist)

"This sprawling family saga is filled with romance, intrigue, adventure, and a bit of melodrama. It’s a leisurely yet always entertaining read that will appeal to lovers of Isabel Allende’s Zorro." (Library Journal)

“Here’s an all-encompassing saga of one man’s sacrifice, tragedy, courage, and passion. Dueñas builds her tale carefully and sets the stage with lush descriptions of Mexico, Cuba, and the glorious vineyards of Andalusia, Spain. It is the pictures that Dueñas paints that draw readers into the heart of her character’s journey through three stages. Heartwrenching yet uplifting, this beautifully rendered story will linger in readers’ minds.” (RT Book Reviews)

Praise for María Dueñas

"A wonderful novel, in the old and good tradition, with intrigue, love, mystery and tender, audacious and clean-cut characters." (Mario Vargas Llosa, recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature)

"Evocative, tender, and lush; a wonderful experience of times and lives in turmoil." (Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author)

"María Dueñas is a true storyteller. She weaves a spell, conjuring the heat and the glamour, the hardship and the thrill of Morocco and Spain in the late 1930s." (Kate Morton, New York Times bestselling author of The Lake House)


María Dueñas

María Dueñas Vinuesa was born on 1964 in Puertollano, Spain. She is a professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Murcia, and is also an academic author and has worked at different universities in North America. She came into the spotlight in 2009, achieving great success in Spain thanks to her first novel, El tiempo entre costuras, published in English language as The Time in Between and The Seamstress, a historical espionage novel, which sold more than a million copies. It has already been translated into more than 25 different languages. María Dueñas has seven siblings and lives in Cartagena.

http://www.mariaduenas.es/