The Inheritance
A Novel
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4.4 • 179 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
“Moving… This engrossing and hopeful story will hold readers from start to finish.”—Publishers Weekly
“Family secrets, complex characters and a glorious setting make The Inheritance a rich, compelling read...JoAnn Ross at her best!” —Sherryl Woods, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sweet Magnolias series
With a dramatic wartime love story woven through, JoAnn Ross's brilliant new novel is a gorgeous generational saga about the rivalry, history and loyalty that bond sisters together
When conflict photographer Jackson Swann dies, he leaves behind a conflict of his own making when his three daughters, each born to a different mother, discover that they’re now responsible for the family’s Oregon vineyard—and for a family they didn’t ask for.
After a successful career as a child TV star, Tess is, for the first time, suffering from a serious identity crisis, and grieving for the absent father she’s resented all her life.
Charlotte, brought up to be a proper Southern wife, gave up her own career to support her husband's political ambitions. On the worst day of her life, she discovers her beloved father has died, she has two sisters she never knew about and her husband has fallen in love with another woman.
Natalie, daughter of Jack’s longtime mistress, has always known about her half sisters, and has dreaded the day when Tess and Charlotte find out she’s the daughter their father kept.
As the sisters reluctantly gather at the vineyard, they’re soon enchanted by the Swann family matriarch and namesake of Maison de Madeleine wines, whose stories of bravery in WWII France and love for a wounded American soldier will reveal the family legacy they've each inherited and change the course of all their lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Ross's moving latest (after Summer on Mirror Lake) brings together a trio of estranged half-sisters and their 90-something grandmother, a French war bride. After conflict photographer Jackson Swann dies of cancer, his daughters Tess Swann, Charlotte Swann Aldredge, and Natalie Seurat Swann are summoned to Aberdeen, Ore., for the reading of his will. Tess is a well-known writer and actress; Charlotte, an unhappily married home designer, and Natalie a photographer. To their surprise, the sisters have inherited Chateau de Madeleine, the Oregon winery their grandfather built for his French war bride, Madeleine. Handsome, widowed vintner Gideon Byrne, whom Jackson had hired to run the winery, shares in the surprise. Later, he becomes friendly with Tess, as they each open up about their respective struggles with single parenting and writing. The terms of the will are that the sisters must stay through the next harvest to inherit the business—and soon they develop the bonds of a family. Ross convincingly distinguishes each of the sisters, as well as their paternal grandmother, Madeleine, a Resistance fighter in WWII France whose story demonstrates who her granddaughters inherited strength from, and who still lives at the winery. This engrossing and hopeful story will hold readers from start to finish.
Customer Reviews
Gripping dual timeline historical novel
The Inheritance by JoAnn Ross is a fascinating dual timeline story that focuses on a French Resistance worker, and an American Forces Pilot in the World War II timeline, and three half-sisters, and their grandmother in the present-day timeline.
Tess, a novelist and former child actress, Charlotte, a southern designer, and Natalie, a French photographer are all summoned to the Maison de Madeleine winery in Aberdeen, Oregon, to listen to their Father’s reading of his will. Each of the sisters has different mothers, and they grew up separately, and not knowing each other. In fact, some did not even have knowledge of their sister’s existence until the summons.
At the winery, they meet their 96-year-old Grandmother who tells them her story of meeting their Grandfather during the war in France. They were each a hero in their own way during the French resistance and have a fascinating story of their own. The sisters also have to learn to forgive their father for his lack of parenting and learn to forgive and love each other as they learn more about their famous photographer’s father.
I found this book to be a fast read and I was engrossed in the story immediately. I love stories of sisters and forgiveness and love, and the author did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters who are all likable and flawed at the same time. I also enjoyed reading about the grandmother and her time in Nazi-occupied France, and her rescue of the American pilot who she eventually marries. The suffering of the French people during this terrible time in history is illustrated in the Grandmothers story.
I recommend this book to fans of WWII history and lovers of multi-generational family sagas.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Awesome
Loved this book. JoAnn Ross is a wonderful writer who brings her stories alive. Beautiful story of three sisters who have come to know each other only after the death of their father.
Boring
I enjoyed the stories told about the resistance during World War Two.
A bit too much information about wine making for the average reader, unless you owned a winery or worked for one.
The book lacked excitement, it just wasn’t a page turner for me. A good story is when you don’t want it to end and you feel connected to the characters during your read.