Review & Giveaway:The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh

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Author: Jennifer McVeigh
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Date of publication: April 2013
With a perceptive and penetrating narrative, McVeigh unspools the story of Frances Irvine, a young Englishwoman forced by hopeless circumstance to immigrate to the Cape in pursuit of a reluctant marriage. There she discovers a strange new world where greed and colonial exploitation are bringing vast wealth to some and dire misery to countless others. As she struggles to find her place in this inhospitable land, Frances tethers her fate to two very different men: one serious and idealistic, the other charming and ambitious. When a smallpox epidemic threatens the financial dynasty of the most powerful Englishman in South Africa, Frances will be cast into a vortex of dangerous consequences—and find an unexpected, purposeful path.

A sweeping novel of romance and South African history that has been compared to Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds, and Out of Africa, THE FEVER TREE is an epic, heart wrenching tale not to be missed.

Let me start by saying that The Fever Tree is a beautifully written book.  The way the author describes the African landscape was wonderful.  I did feel like I was a part of the story.  She also does a wonderful job of giving us a glimpse into life at the time and the struggles the people went through trying to make it.  

Having said that, I didn't like the book as much as I was hoping I would. In a way, I was a little bored and I found myself putting the book down a lot.  I ended up skimming parts of the book that dragged.   I had a hard time connection with the characters.  I didn't like either of the men involved in the "love triangle".  In my opinion neither of them was honest with Frances and neither really deserved her. While she did make some incredibly dumb moves, I kind of felt bad for her and her situation.  I think it is unfair to ask a woman who is used to money and privilege to all of a sudden give that up with no prior warning.

I do think that the book is one that every reader should try for themselves.  I have seen some great reviews, so I encourage others to give it a try.  It just wasn't for me. 

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About the Author:

Jennifer McVeigh, who has herself traveled to remote areas of Southern and East Africa, also drew on firsthand accounts of life in colonial South Africa, as well as nineteenth century guidebooks and women’s magazines, in order to infuse Frances Irvine’s experiences with arresting verisimilitude.  You can find her on the web at www.jennifermcveigh.com.   

Now available in Trade Paperback, THE FEVER TREE by Jennifer McVeigh (Berkley Trade Paperback Reprint; 978-0-425-26491-1; February 4, 2014; $16)!  When it was first released in hardcover last year, Oprah.com raved, “Debut author Jennifer McVeigh has created a fully realized sensory tour of 19th-century South Africa: You feel the grit of each dust storm, taste the mealie Frances chokes down, hear the cicadas scraping through the heat-parched air along with Frances' plaintive piano playing.”  McVeigh’s charmed story of loss and love has also been featured in Good Housekeeping, Women’s World, USA Today,  Washington Post, The Guardian, Daily Mail, and more.