The Vines We Planted

By: Joanell Serra

Narrated by: Rachel Fulginiti

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the heart of the California wine country, secrets seem to grow on the vines that Uriel Macon's family have tended for generations.

Uriel, 29, is the winery's young widower. He steers clear of complicated relationships. He prefers the lonely comfort of his vineyard and his horses, until he is reminded of his love affair with Amanda Scanlon; a relationship that ended when she abruptly left the country years ago under a cloud of mystery.

When Amanda returns to Sonoma because of a family crisis, she tries to mend the broken relationships she left behind. In addition, she seeks the truth about her parents' complicated history and her own parentage.

But Amanda's unveiling of the past has devastating consequences. In the midst of California's beautiful Sonoma Valley, both families struggle to overcome harsh realities with dignity and grace.

Amanda and Uriel stretch to take care of their families, which are facing immigration issues, marital crises, and loss. While navigating these challenges, the couple must decide if they trust themselves to love again, or to finally let each other go.

A Sonoma local, author Joanell Serra's novel has been recognized as a captivating and poignant debut, chosen as a Latino Book of the Month Club selection and given high praise by book reviewers.

©2018 Joanell Serra (P)2018 Joanell Serra

Relatable to do many real life situations!

I asked to receive this free review Audible book and wrote this unbiased review. The author has written a powerful story that could easily happen in real life. We watch how the characters react to situations such as hidden secrets, immigration problems, marital issues, adopted child finding her real parents, a man facing the fact that he is gay, heartbreak of a lost love, a second chance with this love, an attempted suicide, and various family issues. The author masterfully deals with these issues and sends the listener on an emotional rollercoaster ride. The two main characters, Amanda and Uriel, will deal with many of these problems. Amanda's life is torn apart many times as is Uriel's. They find solace with each other. The narrator does an outstanding job of portraying the emotions of these characters. She gives them distinctive voices and make this story a listening pleasure. I highly recommend this Audible book.

🎧AudiobookObsessionReviewer🎧

Heartfelt !!

This book was so very surprising. Oh wow. Listening to this book was like looking at a vibrant captivating tapestry. The author uses her phenomenal words to weave a beautiful story about the trials experienced by a family. The words transport your imagination to this fictional place that feels so very real, and characters that are relatable and and everything they should be. I just could not stop listening and was unable to put it down at all. The narrator did a good job. Am definitely looking for more from this author.

🎧AudiobookObsessionReviewer

The vines we planted

The audio performance by Rachel Fulginiti was very well done. The voices were easily distinguishable and different for each character. I loved the storyline and all the different parts that tie it all together.

#AudiobookObsession
🎧AudiobookObsession

What a great family story!

The story was great and I loved the narration!
I really got attached to these characters; Im kinda sad its over!!

Improper Description Leads to Lower Rating

I would not have selected this audio book, had it been properly described. I saw no reference to LGBT themes, which comprises a significant portion of this story, and about which I have no desire to read/ listen to.

As far as being a multi generational saga, past and future events are told from the current generation speaking from memory or from later in their lives. We are not given a whole new generation to interact with.

A more accurate description could help this book go farther.

Need a back porch read?

I loved all these story lines. So diverse and intricate yet easy to follow there is a walk of life represented for a lot of people. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There are some very steamy “scenes” which are not my thing but they are also not gratuitous in this case and fit the story. I’ll allow it 😉 The breadth of issues covered is also impressive. It includes a fatherly/parental situation I’d not read up to that point. ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s been so long since I listened to it. I think I might listen again this summer! It’s a perfect wine and porch read! ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀

🎧Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession 🎧

What a fantastic story, I can understand why it was up for an award. It is engrossing, beautifully written, and the narration by Rachel Fulginiti was wonderful.