The Fever Tree

The critically acclaimed debut novel The Fever Tree, by Jennifer McVeigh, a Richard and Judy bookclub pick. 
 
1880, South Africa - a land torn apart by greed... 
 
Frances Irvine, left penniless after her father's sudden death, is forced to emigrate to the Cape. In this barren country, she meets two very different men - one driven by ambition, the other by ideals. When a smallpox outbreak sends her to the diamond mines, she is drawn into a ruthless world of greed and exploitation, of human lives crushed in the scramble for power. But here - at last - she sees her path to happiness. Torn between passion and integrity, she makes a choice that has devastating consequences... 
 
'Place and people come alive in this book... a gripping story' Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter 
 
'I loved it. It's a beautifully written novel of great feeling' Rachel Hore, best-selling author of The Place of Secrets 
 
'Engrossing, emotionally poised and elegantly written - I absolutely loved it' Vanora Bennett, author of The People's Queen 
 
'A compelling read with a Gone with the Wind feel to it - I was hooked' Katharine McMahon, author of The Alchemist's Daughter 
 
'An epic story of love, deception and courage' Patricia Wastvedt, author of The German Boy

A beautifully written novel of great feeling

Rachel Hore, author of A Place of Secrets

Vividly written, and moves so fluidly from Victorian drawing rooms to the wild, spare plains and brutal diamond mines of South Africa - a gripping story

Kim Edwards, author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter

There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice.  I loved it

A compelling read with a Gone with the Wind feel to it - I was hooked

Katharine McMahon, author of The Alchemist's Daughter

Engrossing, emotionally poised and elegantly written - I absolutely loved it

Vanora Bennett author of The People's Queen

I admired The Fever Tree a lot. She weaves her knowledge skilfully into the fabric of the story and she is very good indeed both at creating atmosphere and a sense of place. It isn't just entertainment but instead both informative, historically accurate and deeply felt. It is the sort of satisfying read so many people are looking for

A bewitching tale of loss, betrayal and love

An epic story of love, deception and courage

Patricia Wastvedt, author of The German Boy

Epic, enchanting, emotional and engrossing

An unforgettable journey into a heart of darkness: romantic and tragic, a tale of honour and redemption, it leaves wide vistas of a harsh yet beguiling landscape shimmering in the imagination long after the last page is turned

Serves up all the delicious elements of a romantic classic, seasoned by evocative prose and keen moral commentary. Gobble it up and then shelve it next to the Brontë sisters

Hillary Jordan, bestselling author of Mudbound

The Fever Tree is a skilled unfolding of a woman's struggle with desire, class divide and disease in 19th Century South Africa... the journey, like the landscape, is thrillingly huge: one of love, self-knowledge, human and political self-respect. Frances treads out every step - a naive and intriguing character who brings alive a momentous - and appalling - part of history

McVeigh's attention to the material culture of South Africa really fascinates: no object is too small to attract her notice, and through accumulation such objects become evocative and strangely moving... The Fever Tree is well worth reading

Jennifer McVeigh graduated from Oxford University in 2002. She went on to work in film, radio and publishing before giving up her day job to study for an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. She has travelled in wilderness areas of East Africa and southern Africa, driving and camping along the way. Her first novel, The Fever Tree (Penguin, 2012), was a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick and received widespread critical acclaim.

1880, South Africa - a land torn apart by greed... 
 
Frances Irvine, left penniless after her father's sudden death, is forced to emigrate to the Cape. In this barren country, she meets two very different men - one driven by ambition, the other by ideals. When a smallpox outbreak sends her to the diamond mines, she is drawn into a ruthless world of greed and exploitation, of human lives crushed in the scramble for power. But here - at last - she sees her path to happiness. Torn between passion and integrity, she makes a choice that has devastating consequences...

Jennifer McVeigh

The beating heart of Africa springs into dazzling heat-drenched life. I could taste the sun soaked sweetness of bananas, see the shimmering plains and smell the rippling grasslands. I could feel the ever present sense of threat and menace. And within this landscape populated by elephants, baboons and antelope a powerful human story plays out. A simply stunning novel that will stay with me: a magnificent book.

This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and open up the world of Africa in vivid detail in a way that totally beguiled me. I couldn't put it down. Her prose is so exquisite, it took me places I have never been before. A powerful, painful and brilliant book.

Kate Furnivall, bestselling author of The Russian Concubine

Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose.

Leopard at the Door expertly transports its reader to a richly-depicted world that is fraught both politically and personally. Danger constantly hums around Rachel Fullsmith as she navigates the complex, conflicting desires of men and women, native Kenyans and white colonists. It kept me turning pages well into the night!

Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist

Heartbreaking... the characters are brilliantly drawn. Loving this book and can't wait to get back to it

Tracy Rees, bestselling author of Amy Snow

[A] captivating and thought-provoking story. . . McVeigh's beautiful prose and harrowing plot will quickly absorb readers, particularly those interested in 1950s Africa, by sensitively approaching themes of race, cultural evolution, and the humanness that unites us all.

McVeigh does a good job of charting Rachel's growth amidst political and personal turmoil, set against a backdrop of Kenya's wild beauty.

Readers who want a story that keeps them on edge will enjoy this historical novel rich with emotional and sociopolitical drama

There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it

Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey, on 'The Fever Tree'

A bewitching tale of loss, betrayal and love

Vividly written - a gripping story

Stepping off the boat in Mombasa, eighteen-year-old Rachel Fullsmith stands on Kenyan soil for the first time in six years. She has come home. 
 
But when she reaches the family farm at the end of the dusty Rift Valley Road, Rachel finds that much has changed. Her father has moved his new lover and her strange son into the family home. And Michael, the handsome Kikuyu boy from her childhood, has started to look at her differently. 
 
When rumours of violence between the Mau Mau freedom fighters and British soldiers start to grow, Rachel is faced with a terrible dilemma. Can she be her father's daughter, and be true to herself? And what if choosing one means losing the other?

Jennifer McVeigh

Praise for Leopard at the Door

The beating heart of Africa springs into dazzling heat-drenched life. I could taste the sun soaked sweetness of bananas, see the shimmering plains and smell the rippling grasslands. I could feel the ever present sen ...

This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and ...

Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose.

The beating heart of Africa springs into dazzling heat-drenched life. I could taste the sun soaked sweetness of bananas, see the shimmering plains and smell the rippling grasslands. I could feel the ever present sen ...

This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and ...

Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose.

The beating heart of Africa springs into dazzling heat-drenched life. I could taste the sun soaked sweetness of bananas, see the shimmering plains and smell the rippling grasslands. I could feel the ever present sen ...

This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and ...

Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose.

Books by Jennifer McVeigh

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