A Great Act of Love

Heather Rose

'A captivating story of love and adventure, thrumming with secrets' Lucy Steeds, author of The Artist

'Moves elegantly back and forwards in time, and across the world from Paris and London to
the Antipodes . . . beautifully written' Sunday Times

'A compelling tale . . . blends historical fiction with high adventure and romance' Guardian

'Like a fine vintage of champagne, this novel is complex, layered, and delicious' Kate MacIntosh, author of The Champagne Letters

Caroline examines a stolen map. And there she finds it, at the edge of the Western Hemisphere, a black mark at the 30th latitude smaller than a flea: Norfolk Island. Her Aunt thinks she's a fool for wanting to follow her father to the other side of the world. He is no longer the man who taught Caroline about philosophy, apothecary and dreamt of returning to the France of his childhood. He is a convicted murderer, mad, deported, condemned. But, when she understands that Caroline is determined, her Aunt has one piece of advice: she must leave her past behind and invent a new story.

In 1839, Caroline lands in Van Dieman's Land, a young widow of means with a boy in her care. In this insular colony of exiles and opportunists, no-one talks too much about their past. Caroline leases a run-down cottage and abandoned vineyard and, on this island of extreme seasons and wild beauty, she embarks on a fearless enterprise to reclaim her father, create champagne, and rewrite her family's legacy.

Travelling from Paris to Edinburgh, London, New York and to Tasmania, The Great Act of Love is an epic story of hope and self-invention.