Mario's Vineyard - Couverture souple

Michael Legat began writing at a very early age, but most of his career was devoted to publishing. However, having worked as an editorial director for some years, in 1978 he decided to leave the trade and take up writing full time. In 1980 his first novel, Mario's Vineyard, was published and this was followed by a series of other very well received and successful works. He remained heavily involved in the publishing industry until his death in 2011, serving on various committees and was also president of two writers' circles. He was also active in passing on his writing skills to both individuals and by selective teaching and, of course, through his various publications and guides. Michael Legat has been referred to as 'one of the most popular, principled, and influential figures in London publishing'.

Frustrated with his father’s strict control and hankering after freedom, Mario Gilardone could see no way of ever leaving his home in northern Italy. But that was before the ‘phylloxera’ disease struck, devastating the family’s prosperous vineyards. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to leave his country, and the girl he loved, and set sail for America to set up his own vineyard in the sunny, fertile soils of California. Like so many others in the great nineteenth-century exodus from Europe, Mario arrived to a hostile New York hungry and penniless. He was soon to learn the harsh realities of a foreign land, but his pride and fierce ambition kept the dream of Mario’s Vineyard alive. He would succeed no matter what.