'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.
