The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh follows the life of Frances Irvine, a wealthy young woman in Victorian London. After her father dies, she is left with no money and forced to accept a marriage proposal to a distant cousin living in South Africa. Once there, she discovers as much about herself as the place.

In stunning prose, evoking vividly the wide open plains and the horrors of the diamond mines, McVeigh brings the town of Kimberly and the surrounding area alive. It is a very real journey of self discovery as well as a picture of a brutal time in South Africa’s history.

A great read.