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The Tea Rose: A Novel [Hardcover]

Jennifer Donnelly (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 2003
East London, 1888-a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths.

Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, a bright and defiant young woman dares to dream of a life beyond tumbledown wharves, gaslit alleys, and the grim and crumbling dwellings of the poor.

Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.

But Fiona's dreams are shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death at the dark man's hands, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit-and the ghosts of her past-propel her rise from a modest west side shopfront to the top of Manhattan's tea trade.

Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, however, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

The Tea Rose is a towering old-fashioned story, imbued with a modern sensibility, of a family's destruction, of murder and revenge, of love lost and won again, and of one determined woman's quest to survive and triumph.

Authentic and moving, The Tea Rose is an unforgettable novel-one certain to take its place beside such enduring epics as A Woman of Substance, The Thornbirds, and The Shell Seekers.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Donnelly indulges in delightfully straightforward storytelling in this comfortably overstuffed novel. In 1880s London, the squalid Thames-side neighborhood of Whitechapel is home to Fiona Finnegan, spunky daughter of Paddy Finnegan. Both are employed by unscrupulous tea merchant William Burton, but Fiona is saving to start a shop with her love, Joe Bristow. Just as her future seems assured, a string of tragedies toppledher hopes. Joe is tricked into marriage to another woman, Burton has Paddy killed for supporting a labor union, Fionas mother is murdered by Jack the Ripper and Fionas distraught brother is found dead in the Thames. Fiona had been attempting to get compensation from Burton for her fathers death, but when she overhears his boasts of killing Paddy, she must flee for her life with her sole remaining brother, five-year-old Seamie. She rushes to a seaport, but cannot get passage until the wealthy dandy Nicholas Soames offers it, pretending she is his wife. The scene switches to New York City of the Gay 90s, to the glitter of Delmonicos, the elegance of Gramercy Park and the crowded tenements of downtown. Fiona lodges with her alcoholic Uncle Michael and saves both him and his grocery on her way to making her fortune in the tea industry. But she never forgets her familys fate, and when she can, she returns to England to revenge herself on Burton. Though Donnellys indomitable heroine steps out of period character from time to time¢her easy acceptance of Soamess homosexuality is particularly unlikely¢the novels lively plotting, big cast of warmly drawn characters and long-deferred romantic denouement make this a ripping yarn. In the final dramatic settling of scores, Donnelly even ventures to unmask Jack the Ripper.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In 1888, Fiona Finnegan and Joe Bristow hoard shillings and pennies so that they can marry and open a shop. But Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of London's East End, and poverty threatens from the shadows. Setting the story in motion is the murder of Fiona's father, a dock worker whose union activities angered his tea-company boss. Fiona and her younger brother must flee to New York City to avoid their own murders. Through hard work and luck, Fiona and her beloved Joe prosper on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Misunderstandings and mistakes keep them apart as they build separate lives and incredible fortunes. Children's book writer Donnelly effortlessly takes her narrative through slums and high society while intertwining a number of subplots without tangling them. Both major and minor characters capture and hold interest and sympathy. Although the number of Fiona and Joe's near encounters stretches the imagination, readers will forgive the tease once the lovers' reunion and Fiona's revenge for her father's death converge in an action-packed ending. Public library readers will relish this rags-to-riches romance. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 560 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (March 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312288352
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312288358
  • Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (216 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #172,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My first childhood memories are of dad trying to get me to eat lima beans, and my mom telling me stories. I still won't eat lima beans, but the stories have stuck with me, and these days, I'm telling a few of my own.

I've written three novels so far: A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and Humble Pie, a picture book for children.

My first novel, The Tea Rose, an epic set in London and New York in the late 19th century, was called 'exquisite' by Booklist, 'so much fun' by the Washington Post, a 'guilty pleasure' by People and was named a Top Pick by the Romantic Times.

My second novel, A Northern Light, set in the Adirondack Mountains of 1906, against the backdrop of an infamous murder, won the Carnegie Medal, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Borders Original Voices Award, and was named a Printz Honor book. Described as 'rich and true' by The New York Times, the book was named to the Best Book lists of The Times (London), The Irish Times, The Financial Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and the School Library Journal.

The Winter Rose, my third novel and the second book in the The Tea Rose trilogy, is out now in the United Kingdom and will be published in the United States in January 2008.

Humble Pie, illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Stephen Gammell, tells the story of a selfish little boy named Theo who ultimately gets his just desserts.

I live in New York's Hudson Valley with my husband, our daughter, and Hannibal Lecter, our snapping turtle, whom we love dearly, but from a distance.

 

Customer Reviews

216 Reviews
5 star:
 (160)
4 star:
 (25)
3 star:
 (16)
2 star:
 (12)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (216 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

170 of 178 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely my cup of tea!, February 11, 2003
This review is from: The Tea Rose: A Novel (Hardcover)
Wow! Finishing this book was the one thing I dreaded. The Tea Rose was a captivating, heartfelt, and engaging read. I was lost in this fascinating, atmospheric world of 19th century London, and would love to go back sometime and revisit the wonderful characters that Jennifer Donnelly created.

The Tea Rose tells the story of 17-year-old Fiona Finnegan and her beau, Joe Bristow. Fiona, a worker in a tea factory, and Joe, a coster in his family's produce business, have big dreams of opening their own tea shop one day. Saving money from every paycheck into an old cocoa tin, Fiona and Joe slowly get closer to realizing their dream. But things don't always work out they way they're planned -- the unionization of labor workers, a serial murderer on the loose, and a scheming buxom blonde play their part in destroying everything Fiona and Joe has worked for.

There is so much more to this novel, however, but I don't want to ruin the fun for readers to discover for themselves. There are many supporting characters that add complexity and texture to this story, and Jennifer Donnelly has done an exceptional job of bringing them all to life. The writing is concise and the perfect balance of dialogue and description. I loved every page, especially since there was always something new and exciting happening. The best book I've read so far this year, and most likely one that will be hard to top.

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43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Put this 'Tea' on ice..., September 12, 2009
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This review is from: The Tea Rose: A Novel (Paperback)
After a promising beginning, author Jennifer Donnelly slowly moves this saga into the land of soap opera. The first portion, introducing characters and setting, are very well done. The hard-scrabble lives of the underprivileged in London in the 1880's come alive. I didn't even mind the Jack the Ripper plot, until the author stretches believability by bringing that subplot into the limelight. Part Two of the book begins a section that should be labeled "Part Too" because everything is too overdone. Fiona is too lucky, too ambitious, too beautiful. There are too many coincidences. Part Three is also too much. Fiona invents iced tea. Her sexless marriage is a "pure" love. Fiona invents tea bags. Really. Then the author descends into quintessential soap opera land, pitting Fiona against pure evil. The denouement of the love story between Joe and Fiona is overshadowed by the extreme melodrama. Donnelly has a pleasant writing style that cannot overcome the predictable. She allows action to overtake characterization. When all 544 pages were finished, I was left feeling like the time invested had paid no dividends.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A FAT JUICY READ........AND A TOUCHING STORY, May 2, 2003
This review is from: The Tea Rose: A Novel (Hardcover)
There is something for everyone reading The Tea Rose. There is romance, action, murder, destruction, greed, ambition and even revenge. There are great characters in this story that you will not forget easily, especially Fiona Finnegan who is the central figure with great strength and fierce ambition.

From Whitechapel in East London in 1988 to New York City in all it elegance and glory, and the a return back to East London ten years later, we see Fiona Finnegan grow from a young girl into womanhood and we root for her, for she touches our lives, and we hold her close to our hearts as she faces a mixture of disappointments, stumbling blocks and successes, meeting each the only way she knows how.......with an enduringly tough spirit.

This is the first of Jennifer Donnelly's work that I have read and may I say it was extremely pleasurable for me. I hope there will be more from Ms. Donnelly for us readers who also have enjoyed the Tea Rose to the hilt. This book deserves more than five stars. Highly recommended!!!

Heather P Marshall

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The scent of Indian tea leaves-back, crisp, and malty-was intoxicating. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
loophole doors, shop sooner, cocoa tin, tea factory, tea business, head buyer
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Burton Tea, William Burton, Will Junior, Covent Garden, Miss Finnegan, Uncle Michael, Uncle Roddy, Montague Street, Old Stairs, Sid Malone, Fiona Finnegan, Bowler Sheehan, Miss Nicholson, Joe Bristow, Nicholas Soames, Millie Peterson, Adams Court, The Slide, East London, Davey O'Neill, Denny Quinn, Eighth Avenue, Guy Fawkes, Tommy Peterson
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