A Great Act of Love

by Heather Rose

From the award-winning author of The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny comes an enthralling tale of legacy, love and the making of champagne.

Caroline will tell the story of how she came to Tasmania, when it was still called Van Diemen's Land, many times. She will cast her inventions into the future. Those who carry them on will call it history, but she will call it her life.

Van Diemen's Land, 1839. A young woman of means arrives in Hobart, with a young boy in her care. Leasing an old cottage next to an abandoned vineyard, Caroline Douglas must navigate an insular colony of exiles and opportunists to create a new life on this island of extreme seasons and wild beauty. But Caroline is carrying a secret of such magnitude it has led her to cross the world, and it will take all she is made of to bring it into the light.

Soaring from the champagne vineyards of revolutionary France to London and early colonial Australia, A Great Act of Love is a spellbinding novel of legacy, passion and reinvention. At its heart is a family with champagne in their blood and a fearless daughter determined to rewrite fate.

Inspired by true events, A Great Act of Love is an immensely beautiful and heartrending saga of a father and daughter, and the enduring power of familial love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Australia, Tasmania, Book Club, France

433 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2025

About the author

Heather Rose is the bestselling Australian author of eight novels. Heather writes for both adults and children. Her adult novels include Bruny, The Museum of Modern Love, The River Wife & The Butterfly Man.

The Museum of Modern Love won the 2017 Stella Prize, the Christina Stead Prize and the Margaret Scott Prize. It was shortlisted for the Australian Literary Society Medal and longlisted for the IMPAC Awards. It has been published internationally and translated into numerous languages. Both stage and screen rights have been acquired.

Bruny, published 2019, is a political thriller, family saga and a novel about the new world order. described as 'more a hand grenade than a book' What would you do to protect the place you love? And how far will the Australian government go to placate foreign interests?

Heather’s first novel White Heart was published in 1999. It was followed by The Butterfly Man in 2005 – a story based on the disappearance of British peer Lord Lucan in 1974. The Butterfly Man was longlisted for the IMPAC Awards, shortlisted for the Nita B Kibble Award and won the 2006 Davitt Award for the Crime Fiction Novel of the Year written by an Australian woman.

Heather writes the acclaimed Tuesday McGillycuddy series for children under the pen name Angelica Banks with award-winning author Danielle Wood. The series begins with Finding Serendipity with sequels A Week Without Tuesday and Blueberry Pancakes Forever. The novels have been shortlisted for the Aurealis Awards for best fantasy children's fiction and are published internationally.

Heather lives on the island of Tasmania.

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Van Diemen's Land, 1839. Widow Caroline Douglas arrives in Hobart, with her ward a young boy called Quinn. Caroline leases an old cottage from Mr. Swanston and it has an abandoned vineyard, but how did she end up in the colony full of convicts and including one’s who have earned their ticket of leave.

Caroline has secrets, and the narrative takes you back to divulge all the things that happened to her prior to arriving in Van Diemen’s Land or as we know it Tasmania.

The daughter of Hannah and Jacques Louis Colbert, he fled revolutionary France with his sister Henriette, you’re taken on a literary journey from Scotland, to London and colonial Australia. Jacques was an apothecary and chemist, his family originated from Champagne, a tale of lost legacies, tragedy, survival and how to reinvent yourself and start over again.

I received a copy of A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose from NetGalley and Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. Based on true events, Charles Swanston was a prominent figure in Hobart, he was a merchant, politician, investor in the Derwent Bank and owned an old cottage and vineyard that once belonged to an English man called Bartholomew Broughton.

Ms Rose narrative combines fact with fiction, a story about a father and daughter and how Caroline ended up in Van Diemen’s Land and the obstacles and challenges she overcame and faced.

I really liked the following characters, Caroline and Quill, blacksmith and escaped slave Cornelius, Bessie an ex-convict and Georgina Swanston and Doctor John Mercer.

I can see why Heather Rose is a leader and award winning Australian writer of gutsy historical fiction, this is the first novel I have read by her and it won’t be my last and four and a half stars from me. Shared throughout the book is prose from classics and I enjoyed this and it added to the gothic feel.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Act of Love is truly about family love and secrets. This book will transport you from the vineyards of France to Scotland and England to Van Diemen’s Land now called Tasmania.
Jacques Louis Colbert is an apothecary in London who commits an unspeakable crime. He is sent to Van Diemen’s Land never to return to London.
Caroline, Jacques daughter embarks on a journey to escape her past. She disguises herself as a wealthy widow. She travels on a ship destined for Australia she meets a young cabin boy on the ship and adopts him as her nephew.
When they arrive in Hobart she finds an old cottage with an abandoned vineyard.She has a vision to grow grapes just as her father’s family did in France before the Revolution.
Caroline must reinvent her life filled with secrets knowing that her father is somewhere not too far away
This is a captivating story with unforgettable characters each with their own backstory. The prose was just beautiful.
I have never read a book from Heather Rose but plan to read more of her books.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This historical novel begins with an event that on the surface is easy to judge, but once the story goes deeper with characters, revealing their past, it brings a deeper theme of taking time to get to know someone without rushing to judge.

The story begins in 1836 London where Caroline’s father makes their name infamous by committing a crime. She blames herself for not seeing that he had become dangerous to himself and other people. She feels that the stain will never leave her. Thus, she embarks on a journey with her new identity. At twenty-three, as a lady of means, she travels to Van Diemen’s Land before it becomes Tasmania.

Jacques-Louis’s story, Caroline’s father, begins when he is a boy and his father introduces him to a new movement called enlightenment – claiming that man’s thought should turn inward. The father sees his son loving the industry of agriculture but he wants him to balance it with the cultivation of the mind. Thus, the father teaches the son how to make a good wine and influences his mind. They come from noble family, but the French Revolution stripes them of their title and money. Jacques-Louis and his sister make their way to England where they begin a new life, and where the story of Caroline begins.

Cornelius’s story links the story of the past owner of the vineyard with the new owner. He is a black slave who makes his way to Van Diemen’s Land before it becomes an island designated for British convicts. He observes the changes shaping the island and the treatment of enslaved white men which doesn’t bring him any consolation. His path crosses with Bartholomew Broughton who makes his name on the island when he makes champagne which becomes superior to anything that arrives by the sea.

Broughton’s life is cut short and the next owner disregards the vines already gone wild as he sees this business as fool’s errand. But things change when a woman appears with a boy at her side, asking about the cottage and the vineyard.

The story beautifully comes to a full circle with the story of father and daughter. It has some unexpected turns. The very end is not the ending I was expecting.

The backstories of different characters are woven in separate chapters, with alternating characters and timelines making it a fascinating read.

The novel is uniquely narrated, with short chapters and short descriptions yet profound, giving the story a fast-pace. A lot of characters display resilience which is an excellent trait in life. It is a fascinating story with mesmerizing writing.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[John Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly an entertaining read. Based on a true story, we meet our main narrator Caroline in England where she lives with her father Jaques-Louis who runs an apothocary, her sister and mother. When tragedy ensues and her father is imprisoned and sent to Norfolk Island. Caroline decides to travel to Van Demienland, then a penal colony and part of New South Wales, where she re-establishes a vineyard of fine champagne.

The story with Caroline narrating works far better than the diversions of other narrators throughout. Her adventures in crime and amassing money and keeping it all close to herself during her voyage and arrival, were interesting and entertaining. Anyway, 3 stars all up. Library ebook.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5★

Demonstrating her great versatility, Heather Rose's latest novel is straight historical fiction (one of my top 2 favourite genres), and I lapped it up. A fantastic story, told with Rose's beautiful writing, and set in my absolute catnip location - what's not to love?!

This is primarily the tale of Caroline Colbert/Douglas, told mainly but not solely from her own point of view. Born to a French father (a noble escapee of the French Revolution) and Scottish mother, she spent most of her childhood in London where she was unofficially apprenticed to her apothecary father. Under his tutelage she learned to heal, but when her beloved mother fell ill, there was little that either of them could do to help her. When a violent act separated Caroline from her father, she was lucky to have his sister, Tante Henriette, to look out for her. Transitioning from healer to something altogether different under her aunt's instruction, Caroline was able to establish a solid foundation of financial security, which she used to reimagine herself on the other side of the world.

As Caroline Douglas she arrived in Van Diemen's Land with a dream of becoming a wholly decent winemaker in honour of her father's French ancestors and upbringing. Enlisting the aid of a local politician and bank governor she was able to discreetly set herself up as a socially private young widow and take steps towards achieving her ambition. Her horticultural knowledge gained from her father would serve her to some degree, but she'd never actually made wine before, so a key piece of Caroline's plan was to find a winemaker of sufficient skill to take her wine to the world stage. But that would be nothing more than a pipedream in convict-era Tasmania, wouldn't it?

A little over halfway through this wonderful tale I had an idea where it was heading, and I was desperate to get to the end to read the Author's Note. To know there is a kernel of truth behind this imaginative story just makes me want to do some research then dive back in and read it again. It's likely I will do just that.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Allen & Unwin for an eARC to read and review.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GREAT ACT OF LOVE
by Heather Rose

4.5 stars rounded down
A Great Act of Love is a historical novel inspired by a true story. Set in Van Diemen’s Land in 1839, the novel follows Caroline Douglas, who arrives in Hobart with a young boy in her care, determined to begin again. She settles into an old cottage beside an abandoned vineyard, attempting to build a new life in a colony shaped by former convicts and people seeking opportunity. Caroline’s fresh start, however, is complicated by her search for her father—a man marked by a terrible crime—and by a deeply held secret that drove her to travel across the world. As the story unfolds, the lives of Caroline, her father, and the people of Hobart become intertwined.

The research behind this novel is thorough, and the infusion of historical detail enriches the narrative. I was particularly fascinated by the social conditions of colonial Australia and the harsh realities of convict life.

I enjoy novels with strong female characters, and Caroline is complex, resilient, observant, courageous, and deeply thoughtful as she navigates love, family duty, and displacement. This is very much a character-driven story, and the cast of characters is memorable and well developed. The pacing remains steady and medium throughout, allowing the emotional depth and historical context to unfold naturally. Heather Rose’s prose is descriptive, layered, and reflective.

The novel explores themes of love in its many forms, family, history, belonging and identity, resilience, survival, and courage.

Recommended for readers who enjoy richly researched, character-driven historical fiction with strong female protagonists, lyrical prose, and thoughtful explorations of love, family, identity, and belonging.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Act of Love is Heather Rose’s latest release and her first historical fiction. It’s a sweeping family saga spanning generations and continents and is as rich in historical detail as it is in beauty.

‘Do your dreams live on? she wonders. If you lay them down, if you discard them, can they jump into the pocket of someone else? Do they drift from you at death to find some other mind or heart?’

I first fell in love with Heather Rose’s writing with The Museum of Modern Love and I was highly anticipating this one. It honestly feels like she’s writing at her best and most lyrical in A Great Act of Love. Tasmania, as Van Diemen’s Land, comes to life with such a potent sense of place and connection to the wilderness of it, along with the atmosphere of life in a colony made up primarily of convicts.

‘Wherever ships travel, money travels. But the British pounds have a purity about them. They represent class, and Caroline has determined in the short time she has been in the colony that class matters here perhaps even more than in England, for so few people have it.’

~~~

‘She breathes in forest and salt air. She thinks of her father holding the bark of cinnamon verum to her nose and telling her it was the scent of Ceylon. But this is the scent of here. The mint tang of eucalyptus and the freshness of mountain air.’

The novel is told from multiple points of view, but it is Caroline who is essentially the main character. She has emigrated willingly to Van Dieman’s land under a new identity to escape several things: her family history as French aristocrats overthrown in the French Revolution, her father’s crime, and her own crimes. Along the way on the long ship journey, she informally adopts a boy that was sold to the ship’s captain by his father to settle a debt. They arrive at Van Dieman’s land as mother and son and begin a new life in a place that made it possible to do so with little scrutiny.

‘Yet Caroline continues to choose a little madness, for she worries that otherwise she might be overcome with responsibilities and forget that when there is mud between her toes in the covert waters of the reed-fringed pond, she sees anew her life as a passing moment of opportunity, and is fortified.’

The structure of this novel was brilliantly done, it sifts back and forth, alternating between times and characters, so the story doesn’t unfold in a traditionally linear fashion, and I found this appealing. We found out new pockets of information as we needed to, which in turn, made certain moments more impacting and others more deeply affecting. We also hear from all of the major players, some more than others, but each section offered a new perspective, a new angle, and a deepening of the story.

‘This is what he will know in the years beyond. Memory and dream, the two as alike as if he had lived it all, and the dreams he will have for the rest of his life will be far worse than any of his days.’

Heather Rose writes beautifully, she has such a vivid imagination and ability to bring a scene to life, anything from a swim in a lake or a walk in a meadow to a dance with a lover. I adore her writing and would have happily remained in this novel for another 500 pages. The ending was bittersweet, and both broke my heart and lifted it in turn.

‘As they dance, Caroline finds she wants to move closer so that there is no distance between them. She wants to breathe in the scent of grass after rain that she catches on his skin. She blushes when he smiles as her.’

~~~

‘You wrote your life, my love, she thinks, when he walked into the fields of her memory. You wrote it upon my heart.’

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a compelling piece of historical fiction. I absolutely loved it and I found it very hard to put down.

It’s a sweeping story set in the early 19th century. It encompasses the French Revolution, the Industrial revolution, slavery in the US, the experiences of convicts in both Tasmania and Norfolk Island AND the early history of sparkling wine production in Australia. Sounds like a lot? But it’s also tightly focused on a gutsy and enterprising woman called Caroline and I was completely invested in her fate.

Caroline arrives in Tasmania (then called Van Diemen’s Land) in 1839. She is on the run, a lady of mysterious means bearing a new surname and an invented back story. When she moves into a cottage next to a decrepit vineyard, she develops a passion for wine making.

Initially I wasn’t sure how the parts fitted together but trust the author because she knows what she’s doing and as the story moves backwards and forwards in time it all becomes clear.

The back story of how it came to be written is fascinating as well. Two of the main characters (Jacques-Louis and Caroline) are based on the author’s ancestors and the vineyard actually existed.

The story was completely gripping and it’s full of fabulous character. Cornelius and Quill in particular have taken up residence in my heart.

[Kenzie | kenzienoelle.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

IG review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUDjRLYDS...

3/3.5 stars. Caroline Douglass has lost most of her family and her father is now in prison. She’s a young woman alone in the world and in 1839 decides to leave her home and set out for a new life in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania.) And she’s also got a story and a purpose to her madness. Her story, her father’s story and a sprinkle of others is woven together in this tapestry of a novel.

I don’t know about you, but I grew up hearing about how some of the history of Australia and surrounding islands was that certain European countries would send their prisoners there and that’s how they became populated with Europeans. It’s a history I’ve always been curious to learn more about and that’s exactly why this book piqued my interest!

I did find the overall story interesting and loved going back-and-forth from Tasmania to France and to England. I think I may have connected even more with some of the side character’s stories than Caroline’s!

I really struggled with the structure of this novel the way the chapters were broken up and you never quite knew what timeline you were in. It really took me out of the story and I had to reread sentences and paragraphs so often just to figure out what was going on. By the halfway point, though I did have a better handle on what was happening.

I still do recommend this one overall especially to historical fiction lovers. I just never got fully pulled into the narrative.

Thank you Summit Book for the gifted copy!!

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful writer Heather Rose is turning out to be, she just gets better and better!!
Each book, so far, has been markedly different from her previous books and that is the stamp of a quality writer.
This, however, is another step on from her previous books. Historical fiction, set again in Tasmania, but with links to France, the champagne industry, but thrown in with some apothecary, a bit of mystery and intrigue with various other twists and turns and before you know it you’re completely enthralled as to where the story may go!
I loved it. It was beautifully paced, and structured and I think it’s the author’s best book so far!! Don’t miss it as I’m sure it will garner plenty of of attention and awards.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for the advance reading copy.

[Robyn Mundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Heather Rose novel so far. While it is epic in scale and breadth, at its heart it remains the intimate story of Caroline, an intelligent, courageous woman who navigates tragedy and danger to carve out a life in 1840s Van Diemen’s Land. It took me a couple of chapters to feel immersed, after which I was captivated by the story and characters.

[Claire Grove · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, where I did like the main story of Caroline and her life in London, followed by her travels to start a new life on the other side of the world. However, I just felt there was too much ‘extra’ - whole sections of politics, poems and ‘ramblings’, which I just didn’t really get. Sorry, others might not feel that way but for me, I just wanted to get on with the story of Caroline and what happened to her. Conversely, I also felt that some bits weren’t really covered very well, felt rushed, missed out or the story jumped on.

In all, I did enjoy it but for me, this was longer than in needed to be and didn’t always focus on the main story.

[Nancy Yager · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose is historical fiction with a big, swoony sense of adventure—and a steady undercurrent of heartbreak. It follows Caroline, a young woman leaving London for Australia (Van Diemen’s Land), driven by one aching goal: to reunite with her father, who has been sentenced to prison there. What starts as a journey across the world becomes a journey through reinvention, survival, and the kind of love that keeps showing up even when life does its best to take everything away.

What really made this book land for me was the characters. Caroline is the kind of heroine you want to keep turning pages for—resourceful, stubborn in the best way, and emotionally layered. And the supporting cast? Outstanding. Jacques-Louis and Henrietta especially had that “please don’t let this end” energy for me. These are the kinds of characters who feel like they have whole lives happening off-page, and I genuinely wanted more time with them.

There’s also this theme running through the story that hit me hard: everything can feel wonderful… until the money runs out. That sounds simple, but it’s not used in a throwaway way here. It’s more like a quiet reality check that keeps showing up—how fragile security is, how fast circumstances can shift, and how people behave when comfort becomes uncertainty. Rose threads that tension through the emotional beats so well that even the hopeful moments carry a shadow, like you’re bracing for the other shoe to drop.

Caroline’s story, at its heart, is one of loss—not just the obvious kind, but the long, lingering losses: home, identity, safety, certainty, the version of your life you thought you’d have. And yet, the book never becomes misery-lit. There’s warmth in it. There are connections that matter. And there’s a sense that even when you’re stripped down to almost nothing, you can still choose who you’re going to be.

Caroline is the anchor, but I loved what Jacques-Louis brings to the story—he adds depth and contrast, and I kept leaning in whenever he was on the page. Henrietta also stood out for me, because she feels like more than a “side character.” She has presence. She has edges. She made scenes feel alive.

By the end, I was left with that very specific feeling: satisfied by the experience of reading it, but also a little selfish—because I wanted the book to keep going so I could stay with these people longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review.
Tasmania’s harsh and dark history is a stark contrast to its natural beauty and ability to produce world class products.
A story that is rich in historical detail, reveals the brutality and demonstrates the emergence of state built by the stains of convict blood.
Caroline makes the journey to Van Diemen’s land to reunite with her father who was transported out as a convict.
The penal colonies and the transportation system both renowned for extreme cruelty and punishment.
Forging a new and successful life was only possible if she kept the truth about her father hidden.
Adapting to a new hemisphere and life she embarks on a business adventure with an assortment of people that had escaped slavery and convictions.
Accepted into the gentry she holds hope for a reunion.
A family saga set among world class producing champagne vines is both evocative and emotional.
Exploring the foundations of a state that created success and prosperity by people who emerged from the system that punished them for their crimes.
The past is unshackled in this powerful read.

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Year treat to myself, to enjoy this wonderful novel and grow to love Caroline, Quill, Cornelius, Jacques-Louis & the host of other characters in this eminently readable historical novel. It begins in London with an appalling crime committed by her father, his wits damaged through a fall and a serious brain injury. I enjoyed the descriptions of London life, the perilous sea voyage from New York to Van Diemen’s Land, the early beginnings of life in colonial Tasmania, the bravery of Caroline in establishing herself and her precious Quill on a small Hobart farmlet. I had to stop myself from checking the history behind names I recognised like Swanston & the various government officials. Hard to explain just how engrossed I was in this novel. I celebrated with an Arras Tasmanian sparking wine as I finished it. Not permitted to call it “ champagne “ but it was definitely as good as a French brand. Congratulations to Heather Rose on this fine novel.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rose's books are all so different, but one thing in common is that they have absolutely exquisite writing. The descriptive prose in this novel is just gorgeous.
This story follows Caroline in the early 19th century. She has many reasons to get away from England and she chooses to get as far away as it is possible to go - Van Diemen's Land. She meets some wonderful characters and forms great bonds and relationships.
Overall, this is a story of a woman finding her place in the world and of building her independence and autonomy. I really enjoyed that she was a "strong female lead" but in a way that was realistic to the time and place.
4.5 stars

[Mana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather Rose’s A Great Act of Love draws you in quietly, focusing on Caroline, a young widow who ignores her family’s warnings and chases after her disgraced father’s trail, all the way across the globe. Most of the story takes place in the wild, unpredictable landscape of Van Diemen’s Land in 1839 (present-day Tasmania). Caroline isn’t just trying to fix her father’s reputation. She’s trying to put her own life back together. She’s caught between facing old wounds and building a future in a place thick with secrets, where newcomers are expected to forget whoever they used to be.

Caroline’s journey isn’t flashy, but it’s full of stubbornness and grit. The people around her, doubtful family, strange new faces in the colony, reflect all kinds of survival, shame, and hope. Caroline’s growth is believable. She moves from grief and uncertainty to a kind of quiet toughness and cleverness. Through her, the novel explores how hard it is to hang onto your past when you also need a fresh start, especially in a world where everyone hides some kind of pain.

Redemption, identity, resilience; these themes run straight through the novel and feel just as urgent now, in a world where so many people wrestle with their own beginnings and the urge to reinvent themselves. The colonial setting isn’t just background. It sharpens questions about whose stories get told, whose histories get erased, and what’s left after exile and loss. Rose pays close attention to both the land’s brutal beauty and the tangled social world of the colony, pushing readers to think about how history gets written, and what it really means to leave a legacy.

Rose writes with an easy, inviting style. The prose flows, never showy. The tone balances hope with hardship, so when Caroline wins even a small victory, it actually matters. The shifts from Paris to Tasmania add texture, grounding each emotional turn in a strong sense of place. Sometimes the descriptions wander a little, but they draw out the secrets of the colony and Caroline’s own slow transformation, giving the book a thoughtful, steady pulse.

In the end, this novel isn’t loud about its power. It’s a patient, moving exploration of how people rebuild; driven by family love, love for a place, and the stubborn love for yourself that keeps you going. It doesn’t need big plot twists. What stands out is how real the characters feel and how honestly the story examines resilience.

If you’re drawn to historical fiction that cares more about people than spectacle, and you want to feel connected to real struggles from the past, A Great Act of Love delivers.

[Aryani Siti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Act of Love is a story set in 1839, when Tasmania was still called Van Diemen’s Land. It tells the story of Caroline Douglas, a young woman who travels from France and England to Hobart with a young boy. She rents a small cottage next to an old vineyard and tries to start a new life in a place full of ex-prisoners, hard-working settlers, and wild weather.

Caroline is brave, kind, and never gives up. But she is also hiding a big secret that changed her whole life. As the story goes on, we slowly learn about her past, her family’s champagne vineyard in France, and why she had to leave her old life behind.

This book is about family, love, and the courage to begin again. It shows how our past can shape us, but also how we can choose a different future. Inspired by real history, it is filled with details of early life in Australia.

[Jan Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Rose is such a fabulous writer of historical fiction . She has drawn several characters into this story of early Van Diemens Land - convicts, early settlers, slaves, released convicts all make up the thread of society in the period, a very raw existence for all and they are people who draw such interest. In the rawness there is also friendship and generosity. At the centre of the story, we meet Caroline and Quill, the cabin boy she rescued once they arrived in Australia. A beautiful relationship there and a fascinating history of Caroline’s family life is developed throughout the book. Wine making is not something I associate with Tasmania, so reading about the early development of wine production was also very interesting. Loved this book!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Great Act of Love” by Heather Rose is an interesting Historical Fiction that spans the dark history of the brutal deportation of prisoners to Tasmania (Van Diemen’s Land) from England and France during the 1800s. It is detailed account of the savagery that took place during the voyages to both male and female prisoners and the penal colonies where they were kept upon arrival. Death and blood truly forged the beginnings of this new country.
The story revolves around a young woman and her charge, explained away as a nephew when she arrives in Hobart. Concealing her past and the many secrets she must keep hidden, she creates a new life in this undeveloped country. She is strong and resilient and forced to make extraordinary choices in a community far different than anything she has ever known.
There is considerable drama in this devastating family saga. It will keep your attention as the generations march forward.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Toni Umar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully written story covering so much historical information set around 1836 and onwards. The main character is Caroline, an attractive, intelligent and very feisty young woman who has suffered much tragedy. Initially set in England, Caroline travels to New York, South America and then the long journey to what was then named as Van Diemen’s Land, in colonial Australia. The book is fascinating and quite complex. As the reader gets to know Caroline more of her mysterious past is revealed, especially her relationship with her beloved Aunt Henrietta. There are many topics woven into the story; slavery, poverty, conviction life, colonisation, the frontier war, women’s rights (or lack of), the making of champagne, friendship and post traumatic brain disorder.
I found the story line compelling and easy to read, I love the authors writing style. The chapters are short and all of it is very interesting, though there were maybe a couple of interwoven tales too many. I was lucky enough to be reading an ARC, so the final version I hope, will have a mention of the true stories that inspired the author. The second book by Heather Rose I have read, I have all her other novels on my ‘to be read’ list. Thanks to Better Reading for my free copy of the book in exchange for a review.

[nina.reads.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely blown away by Heather Rose’s latest book A Great Act of Love. This was honestly the best historical fiction I have ever read! Historical fiction can be a bit hit and miss for me. Often it feels like the storyline is hitting you in the face with a history lesson but this was so original and unique and kept me turning the pages the whole way through.

At the start we meet a young woman named Caroline whose family have met with several tragic events in London. She has made a decision to board a ship and make her way to Van Diemens Land (aka Tasmania) to start a new life with a new identity. Here she finds a cottage to quietly purchase. The grounds hold the remnants of an old champagne vineyard and Caroline imagines how she could bring it back to life. I won’t say much more but the book covers London, the champagne vineyards of France, long travel at sea and the early colonial settlements in Australia. At its heart is the relationship between a father and his daughter and other bonds of friendship that become like family.

I liked that Caroline was a strong female navigating a patriarchal colony in a way that didn’t feel disingenuous. The threads that bring the story to its conclusion were novel and compelling. I loved how Rose wrote about the beauty of the early Australian landscape and that the characters already had an awareness of what had been lost through the impact of the Britisher settlers.

The ending was particularly moving and I finished this book with a sigh. Heather Rose is such an amazing and diverse writer. This was nothing like the previous books of hers I had read and its now definitely my favourite.

Thank you @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy.

[Maria Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book, l thought it was an interesting story and the history also of interest. I was appalled at the treatment of the prisoners and how cold and callous the guards were. I cannot comprehend how appalling people have treated one another over the years. Countries are still doing the same thing to their people, will we ever learn. This is a story of strong women and what they will do to survive. There are strong men in this story as well, but what stands out more than ever is the love and trust that is shown to those who don’t think they deserve it, seems to be what endures.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic family saga about love, loyalty and courage. Set in London, France and Tasmania, Heather Rose has ventured into the historical fiction genre. In this new book, the reader learns about life as a woman in the 1830s as we follow Caroline on her journey to Hobart. Here, she pursues a dream to revive an old vineyard to make good wine in a male dominated world. A compelling and highly enjoyable read.

[Kate Plaschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow immersion into the world of Caroline as she transitions into a new life battling grief and loss in van diemens land. The writing is profoundly detailed and the layers upon which the story unfold are always ever intricate.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather Rose's blend of history and fiction is commendable. I enjoyed reading of Tasmania's history from a fresh perspective. I felt invested in the characters - often flawed, but fascinating. Overall, an excellent read.

[Laurena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This story is quite the saga for fans of historical fiction.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 5 star read all the way then the last 50 pages seemed gratuitously tragic and unnecessary.

[samah]

i have literally nothing to say which I think says everything about this absolute nothing burger of a book

[Grandma Susan]

DNF’d at 54%. Just not for me.