The Vintage and the Gleaning

Shortlisted for the Australian/Vogel Literary Award and the FALS Colin Roderick Award. Smithy is a retired shearer turned vineyard worker. He's sober now after a lifetime of drinking, and starting to see the world with new eyes. But he still has to deal with the past, and his feelings of guilt, regret, nostalgia and loss. It is in his attempts to help Charlotte, a young woman in a desperate situation, that Smithy ultimately seeks his redemption. Jeremy Chambers' remarkable debut novel is a mesmerising observation of men, women and country. The Vintage and the Gleaning has an authentic music, filled with beauty, brutality and sadness. 'One of the most irresistible novels I've read in a long time. The writing is powerful, challenging and utterly authentic. I feel as if I've been waiting for years to read this strangely beguiling book.' Alex Miller