Helpful Score: 2
Like The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose is another enjoyable story by Jennifer Donnelly. Once again, the characters are likable and the plot is compelling. In both The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, if the reader can over-look the historical incongruities and vagaries of chance the story presents, they will be in for an epic-length treat.
The Winter Rose picks up the story of Joe and Fiona Bristow a couple of years after we last saw them (in The Tea Rose). They are now starting a family while still working at growing both Fiona's Tastea tea empire and Joe's Montague Grocery chain. Additionally, Fiona is obsessed with making contact with her brother Charlie who, as we found in at the end of The Tea Rose, is not dead but who instead has taken on the identity of a local bully, Sid Malone.
In this book we also get a chance to delve more into the story of Sid (Charlie) when he falls in love with a young woman doctor, India Selwyn Jones, and decides to leave the grifting life in order to make a new start with her in America. Sid and India soon find out how hard it can be to try to leave the crime world behind.
Seamus Finnegan is also back in this novel. He quit school in order to join Scott and Shackleton on their Discovery expedition to the South Pole. After that adventure, his romantic attention is captured by a young female mountain climber who he accompanies on a climb of Kilimanjaro.
I particularly enjoyed reading about a whole new set of characters while still getting a chance to check in with the cast of The Tea Rose to see where their lives have taken them since we last met. I also really enjoyed the villain, Freddie Lytton - pure evil with a gentile face. He really kept the story hopping.
The Winter Rose picks up the story of Joe and Fiona Bristow a couple of years after we last saw them (in The Tea Rose). They are now starting a family while still working at growing both Fiona's Tastea tea empire and Joe's Montague Grocery chain. Additionally, Fiona is obsessed with making contact with her brother Charlie who, as we found in at the end of The Tea Rose, is not dead but who instead has taken on the identity of a local bully, Sid Malone.
In this book we also get a chance to delve more into the story of Sid (Charlie) when he falls in love with a young woman doctor, India Selwyn Jones, and decides to leave the grifting life in order to make a new start with her in America. Sid and India soon find out how hard it can be to try to leave the crime world behind.
Seamus Finnegan is also back in this novel. He quit school in order to join Scott and Shackleton on their Discovery expedition to the South Pole. After that adventure, his romantic attention is captured by a young female mountain climber who he accompanies on a climb of Kilimanjaro.
I particularly enjoyed reading about a whole new set of characters while still getting a chance to check in with the cast of The Tea Rose to see where their lives have taken them since we last met. I also really enjoyed the villain, Freddie Lytton - pure evil with a gentile face. He really kept the story hopping.
Helpful Score: 2
Superb! I love her writing... Jennifer Donnelly wowed me with this. Her historical details (medical and political) made this a real page turner for me. The storyline, early 1900s young female doctor trying to do good in the poorest part of London, branched off in many directions but the writing is so good it was smooth, uncomplicated reading. She brings it all together so effortlessly. I will truly miss these real, multi-dimensional characters.
Reading the Tea Rose first makes it an enjoyable continuation on one level but is not necessary as it can stand alone.
Reading the Tea Rose first makes it an enjoyable continuation on one level but is not necessary as it can stand alone.
Helpful Score: 1
I have really enjoyed this series so far. The Tea Rose / The Winter Rose / The White Rose
Can't wait to start The White Rose! Historical fiction. This book begins in 1900 England. This book comes to life in my mind -- as though I am actually watching it play out live. Love that in a book! 5*'s
Can't wait to start The White Rose! Historical fiction. This book begins in 1900 England. This book comes to life in my mind -- as though I am actually watching it play out live. Love that in a book! 5*'s
Helpful Score: 1
Great characters, a story that keeps you interested for the whole 700 pages!
She is a talented writer who has done it again with this 2nd book, romance, murder, family problems, women's suffrage, organized crime, and more!
She is a talented writer who has done it again with this 2nd book, romance, murder, family problems, women's suffrage, organized crime, and more!
Helpful Score: 1
It was one of the best books Ive read this year! This was the second book in an epic tale of turn of the last century England. This book focused on India and Sid; Sid was Fionas brother (Fiona was the main character and heroin of the first book, The Tea Rose). At 700+ pages, it was a bit involved and long winded at times, but the story was amazing. Excellent characters, good plot, lots of intricacy and twining of fates, so to speak all leading to an amazing, emotional, gripping story. This is so good that I purchased the third book, The Wild Rose, before I'd even finished it.
This was January's pick in my online book club THE READING COVE. The story began mildly for me but hooked me by Ch. 9, and for the next several hundred pages, it became unputdownable! But then, Part 3 came. Whoosh! All the air was let out of the balloon. What a disappointment!
The main character, India Jones, does something that is so out of character, it's too contrived to be believed. From there on, the entire story had zero credibility and descended into a meandering of coincidence after coincidence until it overstayed it's welcome by about 250 pages and puttered to an agonized stop. Can you tell I was disappointed? Geesh.
I read THE TEA ROSE and enjoyed it a lot. It was nice to see the characters, Fiona and Joe, along in THE WINTER ROSE, but I can say without hesitation that I have zero interest in reading the last book in the series, THE WILD ROSE. Seamie and Willa were introduced too late in the story for me to care about them, and just seemed like distractions from India, Sid and the rest. I mostly skimmed their portions. Yawn.
I'm open to other books by Jennifer Donnelly, but this is it for me with the Rose series. Too bad. Sigh.
The main character, India Jones, does something that is so out of character, it's too contrived to be believed. From there on, the entire story had zero credibility and descended into a meandering of coincidence after coincidence until it overstayed it's welcome by about 250 pages and puttered to an agonized stop. Can you tell I was disappointed? Geesh.
I read THE TEA ROSE and enjoyed it a lot. It was nice to see the characters, Fiona and Joe, along in THE WINTER ROSE, but I can say without hesitation that I have zero interest in reading the last book in the series, THE WILD ROSE. Seamie and Willa were introduced too late in the story for me to care about them, and just seemed like distractions from India, Sid and the rest. I mostly skimmed their portions. Yawn.
I'm open to other books by Jennifer Donnelly, but this is it for me with the Rose series. Too bad. Sigh.
Couldn't put it down - can't wait for the next and final installment!
2nd in a trilogy. I haven't finished it yet but it's just as engaging as the 1st book. I just haven't fallen in love with the characters yet. Love catching up on some from the first book though.
