These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a phenomenal story! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I did something slightly different since I do not currently belong to any book clubs. My cousin purchased a copy of the book and we did a mini book club together. When I remembered that this book takes place in Tuscany, I had to drop what I was reading and join my cousin in reading this since I had a copy. I adore Italy. I have not visited Montepulciano, but, I hear that it is amazing. The pictures of it are amazing as are the surrounding areas in Tuscany that I have visited. I could not pass up this armchair trip to Tuscany, especially during a time when Italy was still closed to non-Italians who did not have approved business reasons for visiting.

Fiona has a full life in the U.S. where she lives and cares for her father who is quadriplegic after a terrible accident prior to Fiona's birth. They are quite close and have assistance from some warm and friendly care workers that also are pretty devoted to her father. A sudden call from Italy unpacks Fiona's parents' past and sends Fiona to Italy searching for answers. What she finds is a biological father that she had never heard of, a mother who lived in shame after an affair, and siblings that may not want to know her. These Tangled Vines are told mostly through two perspectives, Fiona's and her mother, Anna's, past perspective. The landscape of Tuscany plays a very large part in the story, because, a very lucrative winery that was built by Fiona's biological father, Marco, is front-and-center in the will.

These Tangled Vines display the lengths people will go through to prevent loss and sometimes punish those that we love. I have to admit this book is fraught with emotional baggage. But, the story does a beautiful job of portraying relationships, especially when they are suffering from betrayal and deception. Wait, that happens in every family. Julianne MacLean demonstrated that she understands family dynamics, even broken families. Fiona was part of two broken families without even knowing it. She was a strong character, well-written and I loved the way she handled the situation in Tuscany that she walked into. She watched, learned, and was not quick to judge which was a great benefit to her and the entire situation. When family members die you would think we would all be at our best, but, it seems to bring out the worst in us, pain, finances, and all the holes in the familial relationships tend to be magnified at this time and These Tangled Vines did a wonderful job of capturing that. I look forward to reading more by Julianne MacLean.