Praise for Leopard at the Door
"This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and open up the world of Africa in vivid detail in a way that totally beguiled me. I couldn't put it down. It took me places I have never been before. A powerful, painful and brilliant book." Kate Furnivall, bestselling author of The Russian Concubine
“The beating heart of Africa springs into dazzling heat-drenched life. I could taste the sun soaked sweetness of bananas, see the shimmering plains and smell the rippling grasslands. I could feel the ever present sense of threat and menace. And within this landscape populated by elephants, baboons and antelope a powerful human story plays out. A simply stunning novel that will stay with me: a magnificent book."
Dinah Jefferies, no. 1 bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife
"Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose." Kathryn Hughes, bestselling author of The Letter
“Leopard at the Door expertly transports its reader to a richly-depicted world that is fraught both politically and personally. Danger constantly hums around Rachel Fullsmith as she navigates the complex, conflicting desires of men and women, native Kenyans and white colonists. It kept me turning pages well into the night!”
Suzanne Rindell, author of The Other Typist
"McVeigh (The Fever Tree, 2013) creates real emotional tension and the danger of [a] forbidden relationship. Readers who want a story that keeps them on edge will enjoy this historical novel rich with emotional and sociopolitical drama."
Kirkus (US)
"Captivating and thought-provoking. McVeigh’s beautiful prose and harrowing plot will quickly absorb readers by sensitively approaching themes of race, cultural evolution, and the humanness that unites us all."
Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Fever Tree (UK)
“The Fever Tree is a skilled unfolding of a woman’s struggle with desire, class divide and disease in 19th Century South Africa… the journey, like the landscape, is thrillingly huge: one of love, self-knowledge, human and political self-respect. Frances treads out every step – a naive and intriguing character who brings alive a momentous – and appalling – part of history.”
Financial Times
“Epic, enchanting, emotional and engrossing, this is a glorious spring read.”
Easy Living, must-read of the month
"The subterfuges and instability of the diamond industry are engrossing, but it is McVeigh’s attention to the material culture of South Africa that really fascinates: no object is too small to attract her notice, and through accumulation such objects become evocative and strangely moving… The Fever Tree is well worth reading."
TLS
“The vulnerable yet headstrong Frances falls for the handsome diamond trafficker William Westbrook and her path to maturity amid the raw terrain of the Karoo is painstakingly charted. McVeigh has a delicate touch – the book is an absorbing read.”
Guardian
‘McVeigh has taken this little-known aspect of British colonial history as the background for a saga set around the diamond mines of Kimberley… The historical detail is fascinating, and the appalling treatment of the African miners an indictment of their colonial masters.’ Daily Mail
“A magical, bewitching tale of loss, betrayal and love.”
Vogue (UK)
“A passionate love story set against a splendid historical backdrop. The history is savage and fascinating, but the human story is even better.”
Saga Magazine
“There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it."
Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey
“A gripping story, vividly written – I found myself thinking of its scenes long after I had turned the last page.”
Kim Edwards, bestselling author of The Memory Keeper’s Daughter
“A beautifully written novel of great feeling. I loved it.”
Rachel Hore, bestselling author of A Place of Secrets
“A compelling read with a Gone with the Wind feel to it. I was hooked.”
Katharine McMahon, bestselling author of The Rose of Sebastopol
“Jennifer McVeigh writes with perception and grace. This is an epic story of love, deception, and courage, and a young woman’s journey of self-discovery in a country of spectacular beauty.”
Patricia Wastvedt, author of The German Boy
“An orphaned young gentlewoman, a shipboard romance en route to a strange and perilous land, a forced marriage to an enigmatic stranger . . . The Fever Tree serves up all the delicious elements of a romantic classic, seasoned by evocative prose and keen moral commentary. Gobble it up and then shelve it next to the Brontë sisters.”
Hillary Jordan, bestselling author of Mudbound
“An unforgettable journey into a heart of darkness: romantic and tragic, a tale of honor and redemption, it leaves wide vistas of a harsh yet beguiling landscape shimmering in the imagination long after the last page is turned.”
Deborah Lawrenson, author of The Lantern
Praise for The Fever Tree (US)
“Fabulous – this debut novel displays real power. McVeigh brings alive the diamond mines, the boom-or-bust frenzy created by instant wealth [and] conveys the arid beauty of the sun-drenched terrain with its spiders, snakes and meerkats. History has rarely been more vividly presented.”
USA Today
“McVeigh’s first novel, The Fever Tree, is a lovely one – lovely in the way of a beach sunset or a spring day or a rest under a shady tree with a glass of lemonade… Accessible and tremendously appealing… A page turner.”
Associated Press
“Debut author McVeigh has created a fully realized sensory tour of 19th-century South Africa: You feel the grit of each dust storm, taste the mealie Frances chokes down, hear the cicadas scraping through the heat-parched air along with Frances’ plaintive piano playing. Against this desperate backdrop is an exploration of the vicissitudes of passion, the brutality of imperialism and the diamond trade’s deeply racist beginnings … A page-turner.”
Oprah.com
“A page-turner to tempt you.”
Good Housekeeping
“McVeigh’s distinctive first novel is a lush, sweeping tale…the sensory detail and sweep of the novel are exquisite, particularly for a debut.”
Publishers Weekly
“Forceful and direct, yet surprisingly lyrical, McVeigh’s narrative weaves top-notch research and true passion for the material with a well-conceived plot… this story’s a gem.”
Kirkus Reviews
The Fever Tree is reminiscent of the epic romances that were so popular on my mother’s bookshelf and for some reason have largely disappeared from fiction. Fans of romantic classics such as “The Thorn Birds” or “A Woman of Substance” will be thrilled to discover McVeigh.”
San Antonio Express-News
“With its cinematic descriptions and compulsively readable plotline, this debut novel may well become a book-club favorite. . . . With its social-justice angle; exotic, ruggedly beautiful location; and universal theme of emotional growth, this will have wide appeal.”
Booklist
News
November 27, 2017
Target (USA) Picks Leopard at the Door for its Book Club
May 01, 2017
Kathryn Hughes Praises Leopard at the Door: “Right from the deliciously descriptive prologue, I knew I was in for a treat with this book. Jennifer McVeigh manages to transport the reader right to the heart of Africa with her vivid atmospheric prose.”
June 09, 2017
Kate Furnivall Praises Leopard at the Door: "This is a book that will steal your heart. It is a wonderful, stunning, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and self-discovery. Jennifer McVeigh's descriptions of life in Kenya are electric in intensity and open up the world of Africa in vivid detail in a way that totally beguiled me. I couldn't put it down. It took me places I have never been before. A powerful, painful and brilliant book."
February 15, 2017
Publishers Weekly praises Leopard at the Door: "Captivating and thought-provoking. McVeigh’s beautiful prose and harrowing plot will quickly absorb readers by sensitively approaching themes of race, cultural evolution, and the humanness that unites us all."