Title: Deepest Roots of the Heart
Author: Chautona Havig
Series: Legacy of the Vines, book 1
Major Themes: Family, Heritage, Romance
Synopsis: Recently returned from war in the South Pacific, Avelino hopes to return to his roots and earn his family’s vineyard back from the man who took it from him years ago.
Mom has a rather large collection of Chautona Havig’s books on the shelf, and one of my goals for the past few years is to slowly work my way through all of them. Deepest Roots of the Heart was the one I picked up most recently, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that it’s historical fiction—most of Havig’s stories are contemporary, so this was a nice change. It’s also set at an interesting time in history—1600s and World War II—and, combined with themes of family, friendship, and trying to regain a lost inheritance, this was a fun read.
Publisher’s description:
During WWII, Avelino Carrillo spent four harrowing years in the South Pacific with one thought driving his survival: to return to his beloved home in Napa Valley.
The Carrillos have a history in the valley that stretches deep, like grapevine roots in the soil. For a century, they worked the vineyard at their family home, la Casa de los Sueños, until they lost the property to a wealthy land baron. Now, Avelino is determined to reclaim the land and home he loves so much. When he meets Amelia, a young woman who lives at the vineyard with her grandfather, he finds that regaining his birthright isn’t his only struggle―he battles the longing of his heart as well.
Can Avelino overcome the local bigotry and personal demons that face him to create the life he desires?
My thoughts:
Although it’s tempting to call this book a split-time story, it isn’t quite that. It’s more historical fiction with quite a few flashbacks throughout the book, as a character tells the story of someone from his family’s history. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the flashbacks; sometimes, things like that can feel a little tacky or unnecessary, but I found the peek into the time of Santa Anna’s battles with the US fascinating.
The main story—about a young man returning from war and trying to regain his inheritance—was also fascinating. I loved all the peeks into his family’s Spanish culture that were revealed throughout the book; that was neat, although I did struggle with the semi-frequent lapses into Spanish as the book went on. To me, that felt a little overdone. The main character’s struggle with PTSD was heart-wrenching, and I feel like I understand a little better why people took so long to recover from the war after returning (and why some of them didn’t recover at all).
Overall, while I enjoyed a lot of Deepest Roots of the Heart—and the many nuances it offered—it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. I didn’t find it particularly gripping or compelling, and though I enjoyed reading it, it was an easy one to put down. I’d be interested in reading sequels to this story, though—I feel like Chautona Havig has grown a lot as an author since this book was published.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: Occasionally, unmarried couples hold hands or hug. Chapter 3: Someone in a battle; men and horses killed. Chapter 5: A badly cut foot. Chapter 6: Talk about a man who drank himself to death. Chapter 9: Dancing. Chapter 10: A fistfight where a couple of men get hurt, a kiss. Chapter 13: Lying. Chapter 21: A kiss; someone dies. Chapter 24: A flashback, a man attacked. Chapter 30: I’d swear. Chapter 34: A kiss. Chapter 38: A kiss.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | MP3 CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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