Customer Reviews

The Winter Rose

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Winter Rose, a sequel to The Tea Rose, is a simply stunning tale of family drama, politics, and medicine at the turn of the last century. Ms. Donnelly brings back familiar characters such as Fiona and Joe, and adds newer ones that equally enthrall. Long and densely written, this is a book you will not want to put down and one that will stay with you for a very long time.

The scene opens on India Selwyn Jones's graduation from medical school in 1900. Full of idealistic notions, India chooses to forestall marriage to Freddie Lytton while she pursues clinical help in the lower classes of Whitechapel. India isn't marrying Freddie for love, though she is fond of him, but his reasons are much more nefarious. Naive and determined, India is shocked when she has to treat the notorious gangster Sid Malone. As Sid's life hangs in the balance, the two share their stories and eventually become lovers. At the same time as their story is unfolding, Joe Bristow decides it is time for him to go into politics, and his life takes a nasty turn at the hands of Sid. Or was it Sid? The story moves at a fast clip and keeps the characters entangled with lots of coincidences and near-misses. How the path to happiness develops for India, Joe, Fiona, and Sid will keep you turning the pages. The introduction of Seamie, Fiona's younger brother, and his adventurous spirit, help set the stage for a third entry in the series sometime in the future.

This is a fabulous book with larger than life characters. It is satisfying in its ability to bring the reader into the story and it will make you care deeply for every person and situation. It is indeed a tour de force, and one I can wholeheartedly recommend to those who love family sagas, historical fiction, and plain good storytelling. Highly, highly recommended.

I loved the first novel in this series so much that when I heard the second book had been published in England years ahead of when it was coming out here I ordered it from the U.K. and waited eagerly for it to arrive in the mail. When it finally came I was so happy I did a little dance.

I admit to having very high expectations of this novel, but they were met in spades. "The Winter Rose" did not disappoint. Just like its predecessor, "The Winter Rose" is exciting, romantic, atmospheric and packed full of little historical details that make the words spring to life off the page.

You may not want to read past this point if you haven't read "The Tea Rose."

In "The Winter Rose" we meet up again with Charlie Finnegan, who at the end of "The Tea Rose" was discovered not to be dead, but living under the name of Sid Malone as a crime boss in London. Though his sister Fiona tries to get Charlie to come back to his family, he has lived too long as Sid to feel he can rejoin society.

Enter India Jones a recent graduate of medical school. Though she is from a highly privileged family, India wants to practice medicine in one of London's worst neighborhoods-White Chapel. Here she meets Sid and saves his life. Though she's disgusted by his life of crime, India soon finds herself going to Sid to procure birth control for her poorest patients-something that "modern" doctors will not prescribe or allow patients to have. A bond soon forms between the two that evolves into something more than friendship-despite India's privileged, long time fiancé.

And as is a must in any great sequel, the characters we came to know and love in "The Tea Rose" have returned, and though they are not the center focus, we get to see what their lives have become since we left them.

Like "The Tea Rose", "The Winter Rose" takes place in two parts, years apart from one another. It takes us from the poorest sections of London to the high reaches of Kilimanjaro, from Coffee plantations to California hillsides. We met murderous men, compassionate women and scheming politicians. "The Winter Rose" is an epic love story, an adventure and a feast for any reader. It is a book to savor, to read slowly and take in all the details, though you may need to speed through it to find out what happens! I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Five stars. I eagerly await the third novel in this series. This author does write slowly, but the finished product is more than worth the wait

I loved this book! It's not very often you come across an epic-length novel (707 pages!) that completely transports you to another time and place, where the characters live and breathe, history comes alive, and you are so engaged in the story the pages fly by -- the end comes too quickly.

Many of my Southern literary friends might gasp at this, but not since Gone with the Wind have I enjoyed such an epic historic romance. Admittedly, it's a bit of a bodice-ripper, and, yes, the central romance, between an aristocratic female doctor, working among London's impoverished in 1900, and a notorious underworld criminal is highly improbable...but come on, people, this is escapist fiction, with a fascinating side of history and politics, circa 1900 East London and then on to Africa and San Francisco.

Jennifer Donnelly does an excellent job interweaving history and fiction, with glimpses of Jack the Ripper; Winston Churchill; class society and division in London in the 1900s; poverty and politics; the emergence of Women's Rights; British colonial expansion and policy in Ireland and Africa.

The Winter Rose is many stories intertwined. I loved most the broad spectrum and flow of characters and setting, the historic detail. All the pieces fit together. At its best, literature takes us out of our normal everyday experience and carries us away completely. It can make for a hard landing at the end, when the book is over and the connection to characters is abruptly broken, but a great story stays with you, as will The Winter Rose.

Sherri Caldwell, co-author: "The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!"
(Conari Press, 2004)

So I was sitting here, two weeks ago, trying to decide which book to read next. I had just pulled five off my shelves and figured I would read the Amazon reviews on each of these books and then decide which one to read. I searched The Winter Rose first and didn't get any further because many of the reviewers were saying words I've been waiting all year to hear...."has kept me up until the wee hours", "just made my collection of books to re-read", "I was hooked on the prologue" and "a sequel that lives up to its predecessor." Okay, I'm in, I thought to myself.

I had already read The Tea Rose about six years ago and knew I had enjoyed it. I checked my reading journal and had given it 4 stars. So that made it a good book...not a great book...but definitely a good book. The only problem was that I had forgotten a lot of it so, before I started reading The Winter Rose, I went back and read the last chapter of The Tea Rose and it brought it all back to me.

Let me preface this by saying that I love books set in the early 1900's and I especially love when the setting is England because the surrounding areas usually add a lot to the story. In this case, The Winter Rose did not disappoint. The author was very adept at making me feel the cobblestones in the street and the dampness in the air and everywhere else. I was able to catch up with characters from the prequel like Fiona, Joe and Charlie, whose name is now Sid Malone. Donnelly also introduces us to some new characters like India Selwyn Jones and some of her wealthier group of friends. India is much like Fiona was in The Tea Rose....very strong, capable of striking out on her own but, unfortunately, also failing in the "love" department.

The story takes many turns and many of the characters end up in Africa. This is where it just became a little too contrived for me. Remember, this is 1900. Even today, how many people do you know go to Africa? Yet many of these characters coincidentally arrive on the same soil to finish out the story.

Much has already been written here in other reviews concerning the storyline. It's a good book, the characters are all very endearing (save for one), the writing is excellent, but the story is nothing out of the ordinary. It's just a nice "700" page read. I actually give it 3 1/2 stars but I'm being generous and am rounding up to 4. On the other hand, The Tea Rose, was a solid 4 stars and I definitely enjoyed it more than The Winter Rose. The outcome of the book, however, leaves the author open to the third book in this trilogy and I'll definitely come back for another one if, for no other reason, than to spend some more time with Sid Malone. I just wish I had loved it as much as some of the other reviewers here. I'm still on the hunt for that great book of 2008.

Fans of Jennifer Donnelly's THE TEA ROSE will be as completely mesmerized by this sequel as they were by the initial offering. Fiona Finnegan and Joe Bristow, the star-crossed lovers of the first novel, return; but it is Fiona's brother Charlie and the indomitable Dr. India Selwyn Jones who are the focus of this story.

Readers learned at the end of THE TEA ROSE that Charlie was not dead but had evolved into the notorious Sid Malone. Now a violent criminal, Sid's path crosses with that of the dedicated India. Her brilliant medical mind and caring spirit are focused on saving the poor women and children of London's impoverished Whitechapel area. Inexplicably, she finds herself saving the life of Sid Malone and a life-long bond is formed between this unlikely twosome.

Donnelly has studiously researched the times and the area to give the reader an achingly accurate portrait of the seamy streets and the women and children who are dying from hunger and poor health practices. India's vision of providing a free clinic for these indigent people is about to become a reality when fate intervenes.

From London to the undeveloped territory of British East Africa and the exquisite Pacific coast of California, the reader is led on a memorable journey of the heart and spirit as lives are put in jeopardy, bonds are formed, and hearts are broken. A multi-layered story of searing romance and unforgettable adventure unfolds with all the tragedy and triumph a reader can hope for.

The secondary characters are equally well-defined and add depth to the intertwining plots. From Charlie's brother Seamie and his beloved Willa to young Charlotte and the diabolical Freddie Lytton, the reader will be totally captivated by the unexpected paths that the characters follow and the high tension which will keep readers turning the pages and refusing to turn away from this riveting tale.

Once again Jennifer Donnelly has made me love historical romances. After reading THE TEA ROSE (which I absolutely loved) I eagerly began reading THE WINTER ROSE and was immediately drawn into the story.

Donnelly has created two wonderful characters in India Selwyn Jones and Sid Malone. It was easy for me to believe in the love story between the two of them because of the wonderful writing. And again, just as with William Burton in THE TEA ROSE, we are given a wonderfully despicable bad guy in the form of Freddie Lytton.

We are also brought up to date on Fiona and Joe from THE TEA ROSE, who both pay an integral part in this story as well as Fiona's younger brother Seamie and his love Willa, both of whom I'm guessing are going to be the featured characters in Donnelly's next book in the series.

If I have one complaint with the book, it's that it might be just a tad too long. Around page 600 I was getting anxious for the story to conclude. But that doesn't really matter. THE WINTER ROSE is still a wonderful follow-up to THE TEA ROSE.

I read The Tea Rose last year and when I heard that there was a continuation in the series, I couldn't wait to read it.

I was glad to see Fiona and Joe Bristow make a reappearance in this book. After all the angst and drama they suffered through in The Tea Rose, they deserve to be happy. However, their lives are not perfect and they still face challenges.

I liked India Selwyn Jones as the heroine as much as I liked Fiona Finnegan in the first book. Jennifer Donnelly has the ability to make noble heroines without making them annoyingly perfect. They have flaws and often must suffer the consequences of their impulsiveness.

Sid Malone is a great hero. After years of being a victim of circumstance, he takes control of his life and rises to the top. Unfortunately, he rises to the top of a crime ring. Still, his compassion and caring for the people of Whitechapel, who are crippled by abject poverty, is admirable and I liked him a lot.

My only problem came when the setting of the story switches from London to the plains of Africa. It felt a little bit strange to me but that may be because I so enjoyed seeing Sid & India help the people of Whitechapel.

I still enjoyed the story quite a bit. This series is great for lovers of historical fiction.

I read The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly a couple years ago and loved it. I was excited to read The Winter Rose and was not disappointed. I enjoyed her first book better, but this one is definetely worth reading. I really enjoy the authors writing style and her stories are fascinating.

This is the most enjoyable novel I have read in a long, long time and I am a voracious reader. Fabulous characters, a detailed and layered plot that keeps moving (even when you think it can't), emotional intensity that had me weeping, and outstanding historical information on early Victorian life in East London. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I finished this book early today after having started it 3 days ago. Thank heavens as I don't know how many more sleepless nights I could withstand. :) It has been many a year since a book has kept me up and reading till the very wee hours of the morning but this one surely did. I had thoroughly enjoyed The Tea Rose and looked forward with anticipation to this release. In my opinion Jennifer Donally has grown immensly as an author with this effort and it results in a novel that captivates and is nearly impossible to put down till one has read the last page. It was wonderful to find Sid, Joe and Fiona once again within these pages, even more deeply drawn than in the Tea Rose, but the introduction of India stole my heart even more. But even the 'very secondary' characters such as Willa and Maggie are fully fleshed out, real people with depth and immense interest to the reader. I was mesmerized, the attention to detail, the in depth views, the emotion of it all. Rarely does a sequel come near to matching an original. In this case.....it beats it. A truly wonderful read! I loved every page and hope her next book is not so long in coming.