Smithy is a retired shearer turned vineyard worker in his autumn years. It is hard graft, but Smithy has always worked with his hands. Physically all but destroyed after a lifetime of hard liquor, but now sober, he begins to see the world with new eyes, a meditative, singular figure in the town's bar on rowdy Friday nights. But clarity can be a curse. Finally confronting his past, overwhelmed by long-buried feelings of regret, nostalgia and loss, Smithy steps in to help a young woman in a desperate situation. A cautious friendship develops, but Charlotte's husband is widely suspected of murder, and Smithy begins to fear that he will pay a high price for his gallantry. Written with an authentic music, and infused with beauty, brutality and sadness The Vintage and the Gleaning is a compelling observation of men, women and country. A remarkably accomplished debut novel.
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781780871639
Number of pages: 272
Weight: 178 g
Dimensions: 198 x 142 x 17 mm
'Chamber's understated account of a retired sheep shearer in a small Australian town deserves a wide readership' Catherine Taylor, Guardian. - Guardian
'What a stupendous book. A wonderful, gripping story, beautifully told. He's the real thing; M.J. Hyland. - MJ Hyland
'This terrific Australian first novel is set in a working world. Chambers writes very powerfully about the sadness of memory' Kate Saunders, Sunday Times. - Sunday Times
'A small gem of a book ... Tiptoe through pages of beautiful prose, nodding in admiration at lovingly rendered descriptions' Time Out. - Time Out
'I've been waiting for years to read this strangely beguiling book' Alex Miller. - Alex Miller
'Written with an authentic voice and infused with beauty, brutality and sadness, this is a compelling observation of men, women and country. A remarkably accomplished debut novel that is unputdownable' Irish Tatler. - Irish Tatler
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
