Customer Reviews

The Tea House on Mulberry Street

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a refreshing, sweet book that is miles above the usual "chick-lit" fare--it is indeed similar to the writing of Maeve Binchy, and that's a good thing! The characters are charming and multifaceted, and the setting of Northern Ireland is interesting. Not sure why the reviewer above referred to this book as "flat-footed"; in my opinion it fairly skips along! The prose, characters and story lines are engrossing, and I found myself racing home from work each day to devour a little more of The Teahouse on Mulberry Street. There's a segment involving an under-employed artist who gets a gig in a supermarket that had me laughing out loud (anyone who has ever worked at a grueling "menial" job will empathize.) I highly recommend this sweet novel!

I very much enjoyed this one. Character developement was wonderful and the story or stories held my interest throughout the book. I read the review by Publisher's Weekly on this one, as as per usual, I am not real sure the reviewers even bothered reading the book. Where on earth to they find these people to do their reviews? Anyway, this is certainly one of those books that should not be judged by it's cover. My one and only complaint is that the cover and the quote on the front of the book are quite misleading. This is not a typical cozy chick book, full of crumpets, tea and the like. It is a rather good collection of character sketches and situations that go far beyond. Had not my wife first read the book and recommened it, I probably would not have given it a second glance. Thank goodness for an alert wife! The writing is quite uncomplicated and quite readable. The stories are interesting and intertwine in a wonderful way. There is some bitter sweet sadness to some of the stories which is off set by some hilarious situations. If you are looking for a good, simple read about outwardly simple people, then this is for you. If you are looking for a cookbook and pages and pages of descriptions of various food groups and tea settings, then you will probably be a bit disappointed. All in all I recommend this one highly and certainly, like a couple of the other reviewers, would like to see more of the same from this author. Thank you Ms. Owens.

This book is so full of everyday people, with everyday problems. All deal differently, and what they do. This book will have you laughing, thinking and sad all at the same time.

So many different characters, and some good, some naughty. I enjoyed every one of them. Sometimes it doesn't work out and everyone is happy at the end, and they all get back together.

I enjoy books where people find comfort in tea and food. I enjoy books where there isn't a lot of filthy language and meaningless talk. If you enjoy the same, you will love this book! This is an author to keep an eye on!

Daniel and Penny Stanley run Muldoon's, a popular place where people escape from their troubles to enjoy delicious pastries. However, in these modern times, the quaint tea rooms seem antiquated even if the cherry cheesecake is the best in town. The Stanleys also feel their relationship has become stale after seventeen years together. Ironically the tea house comes from her family yet Penny wants more out of life than the shop to include children but Muldoon's has always been Daniel's significant other; that's why he married Penny in the first place.

Patrons come here as much to escape as for the desserts. Wannabe artist Brenda Brown comes here to drown her sorrows that her art has never sold. Henry Blackstock enjoys breakfast here before opening his bookstore, but recently comes here to mourn in private the death of his beloved gardens killed by his wife to "house" her book club. Overweight and filled with self pity Sadie Smith cheats on her diet here while she believes her husband cheats on her. After two decades overseas, Clare Fitzgerald hopes to find her lost love that she met at Muldoon's twenty years ago. Soon a fire will cause these lost souls connected through Muldoon's to complete their introspective reassessment of life.

Well written in a soap opera way, the various subplots run throughout the novel linked by Muldoon's; enabling each of the prime players to seem real and unique. Surprisingly with all this bemoaning, the tale has a sugary (not just because of the desserts) aftertaste; still fans of contemporary character study starring an ensemble cast will want to read Sharon Owens' fine story (on a full stomach).

Harriet Klausner

The Tea Room on Mulberry Street sat in my "to be read" pile for several months. It didn't help that the person who gave it to me mentioned "she writes like that Maeve Binchy you like so much". Usually when such comparisons are made, the newcommer is lacking.....
Sharon Owens shares the same Ireland that Maeve writes about....but writes in her own unique style. Her Ireland is contained within the streets of Belfast, and the inhabitants are usually hard working, ordinary people. Ms. Owens infuses each with humanity and humor and is never condenscending. Muldoon's Tea Room has seen better days, but is the refuge for several people. Sadie, nipping in to sneak a treat or two without the disapproving comments from her husband and his parents. Brenda writing letter after letter to Nicholas Cage, as she nurses a cup of tea...all she can afford. Henry, escaping from his upwardly mobile wife and her Bronte loving group. While seeking refuge in Muldoon's he notices Rose in the flower shop across the street. Overseeing all this and more are Penny and Daniel Stanley...a married couple who run the tea room. Tea room is almost too grand a title for the bedraggled shop where Daniel perfects his cherry cheesecske and seems intent on hoarding every penny thay comes his way. Penny, at first greatful for Daniel's proposal of marriage has become weary fo his penny pinching ways and worries he married her for the tea shop she inheirited when her parents were killed. She wonders if there is a different life for her, and worries about what Daniel might be hiding. These and others provide the everyday traffic through Muldoon's. Each character is well thought out and the story lines are ubique and believeable. Shelia's storyline is especially enjoyable and the resolution of her marriage had me laughing until tears came to my eyes. I had a hard time putting the book down once I started and became really attaschd to these characters. I was sad to see this book come to an end and look forward to Ms. Owen's next offering.

The Tea House on Mulberry Street was one of the best books I had read in a long time! I couldn't put it down, and when I was away from the book, I longed to get back to it. I found the characters engaging and human and full of life...the kind of people that I might really know and want to know, especially in the characters of Rose and Henry.

The only flaw that I found with this novel was the fact that the tea room/food part of the story wasn't more developed. Being a woman who loves tea and all things tea related, that was what attracted me to the book and unfortunately, there wasn't much about that inside. But as another reviewer said, this book isn't meant to be read by a rocket-scientist. It is meant to divert and take away our cares. In that sense, this book is a huge success!

I hope there is a sequel to find out what happens to the sisters, Rose and Henry, Penny and Daniel, and Sadie! I can't wait to read more of Sharon Owens.

I just finished reading The Tea House on Mulberry Street and believe that the review by Helenka Fuglewicz at Edwards Fuglewicz was written with an arrogant attitude. What makes them feel that their opinion should decide whether a book is a worthwhile read or not.

This book was not meant to be read by a "rocket scientist" or by a reader that enjoys the classics. It is a delightful, light and heartwarming read. The characters draw you in so that you feel as if you know them personally, that you can understand their problems and delimmas. Some times, when our own lives are filled with difficult circumstances, we need to read something that will transport us - to take us away from our own problems and read something that will help us to "lighten-up"

Book reviewers, in my opinion, are much like movie critics. What they have to say is only one person's opinion. I have seen many movies that the critics panned. I have enjoyed many of them and just wonder what side of the bed that critic fell out of on that particular day.

Read this delightful book and judge for yourself!

If you enjoy Maeve Binchy, (especially her earlier, better books like "The Lilac Bus") then you'll enjoy this simple tale. Unlike the typical chick-lit, or overblown "literature" this is very Irish in it's telling of ordinary people with more or less ordinary lives. Not everyone in town is a joy and pleasure, nor is everyone a cheery Paddy eejit.

I liked this book because it didn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: a story about some folks. If you've read much by Irish authors, you'll recognize this endearing quality. Though one reviewer here complained that "there were too many people involved in too many petty and uninteresting affairs" -- isn't this exactly what real life is? As with Binchy's storytelling, there's a comfort to be found in a book where "uninteresting affairs" are exposed and explored-- aren't most of our days full of petty and uninteresting affairs?

After all, not everyone works at a fashion magazine, dresses in Prada, and single-handedly saves the world (London) from fashion faux pas while gulping down G&T's, and romancing the cute boy.

I like Maeve Binchy but I found "Tara Road" and "Scarlet Feather" to be flat and predictable. Sharon Owens, a talented first-time author, offers a fresh take on the simple and cozy. Enjoy it.

It's an author's prerogative to choose a linking element in a novel, and Irish author Sharon Owens gives us an ensemble of Belfast characters whose common ground is the run-down Muldoon's Tea Rooms. Proprietors Daniel and Penny Stanley work from morning until night and are increasingly at odds over Daniel's urge to hoard money and Penny's longing for renovation and romance.

The customers are a cross-section with the usual problems and desires. Harry Blackstaff loves his garden while his wife wants to tear it out to build a conservatory as a venue for her literary club. Sadie Smith is constantly on a diet but can't compete with her husband's spiky-thin girlfriend. Brenda Brown longs for acclaim as an artist and writes obsessively to Nicolas Cage ("I'm a genuine fan!") New York editor Clare Fitzgerald returns to Belfast hoping to find the lost love of her youth. They all find some comfort in Muldoon's while longing for something better in their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story on CD, read capably if not brilliantly by Caroline Winterson. If there is one thing to quibble about in the book, it would be that some of the resolutions were imparted in a bit of a rush at the end. Even with that slight reservation, I recommend The Tea House on Mulberry Street whole-heartedly to anyone who enjoys this genre. Many reviewers have compared this work to Maeve Binchy's and it's an obvious comparison. Any fan of Binchy will be sure to enjoy the episodic style, the way the characters' stories entwine, and the gentle irony. Though there are no heroes or great adventure in the story, there is a conflagration of change in Mulberry Street. These people don't all get what they want but they do seem to get what they deserve. As author Sharon Owens writes, "Dreams are what keep you going when real life lets you down."

Linda Bulger, 2008

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was written in the style of Maeve Binchy (this comparison is meant as a huge complement to the author). Each chapter is dedicated to a different character. Although the characters are from different walks of life and their paths wouldn't normally be to likely to cross, they all share the common demonator of the Tea House, and their various lives end up intersecting in surprising ways.

I am left wanting to read more by Sharon Owens so much that I've added her subsequent books to my wish list!