These Tangled Vines by Julian Maclean

Summary

Fiona Bell is woken up early one morning with a call from Italy that her biological father, Anton Clark, whom she never met, has passed away and he has named her a beneficiary in his will.

To the immense surprise of her half-brother and half-sister, she finds herself in Tuscany among the sprawling wine estate owned by Anton Clark, leaving her quadriplegic father with whom she grew up, behind with a lie that she has a conference in London.

But in Tuscany contrary to what she knows about the relationship between her mother and Anton Clark, she is in for very many surprises and she is about to uncover the truth of her birth that has been kept a secret from everyone until now.

My Review

Quite a riveting family drama happening here. The romance element is more of a flashback in terms of what really happened between Fiona’s parents. The pivotal theme is the dynamics of a wealthy family.

Fiona has a strong character in a way that she is solely responsible for her disabled father, while she also takes the decision to travel to Tuscany to find the truth about her birth. She has kept her mother’s secret since her death at the same time she is also shown to be generous and understanding towards her newly found family. The incident when she breaks the news of the will to Freddie her father was also handled very delicately yet strongly by her.

Final Verdict

I read this book for Uncorked Reading’s Challenge a book set in a vineyard and honestly I didn’t think a book with such an unusual theme would turn out to be interesting. Also, it is freely available on KU India.

Who Should Read This

Overall I think it’s a good pick for readers of family stories or those that like to read about lush Italian landscapes.      

Top Quotes from These Tangled Vines

• “And though I tried to let go of certain things and live without regret, I was beginning to accept that regret would always be a part of my life. I was only human, after all, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t escape it. What I decided was that I would not let it consume or define me. For the most part, I was at peace with how my life had unfolded, and I would embrace my regret—and my ability to work at forgiveness—as evidence of my humanity. I would wake up each morning and count my blessings.”

• “Total forgiveness was not going to be easy. This much I knew. It was going to take some effort, but it was better than the alternative, which would leave me hating my father and resenting him. I couldn’t live like that. I didn’t want to feel anger in my thoughts for the rest of my life. I wanted to wake up in the morning and feel blissful at the sight of the sunrise."

• “But isn’t that what life is about? Trying new things? Finding out what you love doing? Then taking a deep dive into it?”

• “Why do we always wait for traditional special occasions to enjoy good things? Maybe we just need to create our own special occasions.”

• “I think all you can do is accept the past for what it was and be thankful for where you are today.”

• “This was my reality going forward. What good could come from grappling forever with “could have beens”? Every life was full of “could have beens.” The best we could do was make the most of what was and what had been.”