The Tea Rose starts in 1890's London with Fiona, a young woman, longing to start her life. She's in love with her neighbor, Joe. Joe and Fiona have a plan. They are going to work hard and save money to open their own shop. Both are working hard, adding a little bit to their future shop fund when things fall apart for both Fiona and Joe.
I immediately liked Fiona. Stubborn and determined, she works hard to make her dreams come true. Her Pa told her once "If you don't have dreams, you may as well head to the undertaker cause you are as good as dead." I loved that line which gets repeated many times in different ways throughout the book. The Tea Rose follows Fiona and Joe from late teens to mid-30's. It was interesting to see how the characters grew and changed over time.
I did feel transported to late 1800's London and early 1900's New York. Donnelly does a great job of staying true to the time period and creating a believable atmosphere.
The Tea Rose has it all: adventure, romance, and friendship. If you like historical fiction set in London or New York in the late 1800's and early 1900's, I would recommend The Tea Rose. I'll be continuing this trilogy and read The Winter Rose soon. Others who shared their thoughts on The Tea Rose: From L.A. To LA, Rhapsody In Books, Devourer of Books, Tell Me A Story, and Fyrefly's Book Blog.
This is my ninth read for the Mammoth Reading Challenge.
This is my tenth read for The Historical Reading Challenge.
So many of my friends have read this and loved it!! I have one of the books but not this one. Need to fix that!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you liked it! And just wait till you get to the next two. I think one of my favorite parts is the historical figures she introduces in each, and all the places the characters travel to throughout. I haven't read Jennifer Donnelley's other books, but from what I've heard, they're supposed to be great as well.
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