Miranda's Vines - Hardcover

Kafka, Kimberly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525947639 ISBN 13: 9780525947639

Publisher: Dutton Adult, 2004

Synopsis

A successful San Francisco chef dreaming of launching her own restaurant and a single mother with a little boy, Ruben, Miranda Perry finds her life taking a sudden turn when she discovers that her late father has left the family vineyard to her and returns to Oregon with Bridie, a lifelong, disabled friend, to take on the unexpected challenge. By the author of True North. 20,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Kimberly Kafka is the author of the novel True North. She has taught writing and literature at the University of Michigan.

Reviews

Following her father's death at the start of this spirited novel by Kafka (True North), San Francisco chef Miranda Perry returns with her six-year-old son, Ruben, to Perry Hill, her family's vineyard in Oregon wine country, where she is almost immediately faced with a life-altering decision. Pressured by her father's loyal colleagues (who are like family to her), she must decide whether to give up the possibility of starting her own restaurant in San Francisco and move back to Oregon permanently. Meanwhile, she is horrified to learn that her best friend, Bridie, a sled-dog racer, has been helicoptered off the Iditarod course in Alaska with severe injuries. Bridie sinks deeper and deeper into depression after the accident, and Miranda insists on bringing her back to Perry Hill. Meanwhile, she takes in a recently orphaned 12-year-old girl named Estrella, hearing the echoes of her late husband's motto, "Thou shalt not stand idly by." With her San Francisco job in jeopardy and new obligations to consider, Miranda's decision to stay or go becomes more pressing. Enter BevCorp, the Goliath of beverage corporations, intent on picking off small independent vineyards in the area. As mysterious criticisms of Perry Hill and neighboring Ruby Throat appear in the press, Miranda teams up with the staff to save the reputation of the vineyard and her father, eventually realizing that she is just as dependent on her family and friends as they are on her. The characters' voices (particularly those of vineyard workers for whom English is a second language) are inconsistent, but Kafka describes the landscapes of Oregon and Alaska with great warmth and authority. Readers who like to cheer on the underdog will relish this tale of grit and determination in the face of daunting circumstances.
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What would you sacrifice in the name of friendship? What would you risk in the name of love? Since college, Miranda and Bridie's relationship has been that of sisters, surpassing any friendship by the depth of their commitment. It was Bridie Miranda relied upon when her husband died before their son could be born, and it was Bridie Miranda called again when her father died, bequeathing her the struggling Oregon vineyard to which he'd devoted his life. Now it's Miranda's turn. When Bridie, a champion Idatarod sledder, is critically injured, legs paralyzed and dangerously depressed, Miranda brings Bridie back to the vineyard she is reluctantly calling home again. In this lustrous tale of loyalty and devotion, Kafka limns the depths of intimacy and explores the nature of relationships, from mother to son, father to daughter, neighbor to stranger, and friend to friend. In Kafka's sensitive hands, Miranda's compassion is heralded with insightful grace and understanding in a sublime account of personal and emotional challenge and growth. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Dutton Adult
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0525947639
• ISBN 13: 9780525947639
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304