[.uk] Winter Rose, The

NOT MY NORMAL READ, BUT I DID ENJOY THIS ONE!:
The Winter Rose is a sequel to the delightful The Tea Rose. I am usually not all that enthusiastic over sequels, but in this case I feel the work held up well and was just entertaining and just as much fun as its predecessor. This is a well written and well crafted novel. This story takes place during the early 1900s toward the end of the Victorian Era. A young medical school graduate, a woman no less, has the dream and determination to start a medical clinic for women and children in one of the worse parts of London at that time. This is her story. Needless to say just about every barrier you can imagine, from an family who only wants to see her into a "good marriage" to the prejudices and poverty of that time. It is a complete uphill battle from the start for our heroine, India. She, India cuts family ties and starts a new life, and dealing with a fiancé who is less than understanding and actually quite an unlikeable sort of fellow. Crime, politics, privilege, class struggle, romance, danger, suspense, neat twists and good story telling all play a part in this rather well written novel. This is a romance of sorts indeed, not my normal cup of tea, but that is okay by me in this case as it fits perfectly with the author's plot. Not that I am antiromantic in any way, it is simply not the usual thing I would read. There is actually plenty of action in this rather large volume and I can truly classify it as a page turner. The story starts in London, during hard times, and the reader is carried as far as Africa and the United States. I suppose what I like most about this book though was the characters the author has liberally sprinkled throughout the book; most of them quite colorful, i.e. my kind of people. We have the eccentric, the loveable, the dangerous, the smart and the stupid along with a good cast of evil doers. There are lots of twists and turns in this one and just about the time you think you have it all figured out, zap, you find you don't. The book is very well written and I must say can be read as a complete stand-alone, despite the fact that it is a sequel. To be honest, I would have not touched this particular book with a stick had it not been for my wife pushing it one me. Bless her heart, I am glad she did. I would have missed out on a terrific read. I do highly recommend this one. I gave it four stars rather than five due to the fact that I personally do not have anything to compair it with. You on the other hand, may find this to be a five star read! It was certainly entertaining. Don Blankenship The Ozarks

interesting late Victorian romance:
Twelve years may have passed since the Whitechapel serial killings (see THE TEA ROSE), but time does not heal all wounds; as East London remains a slum. On a positive note, idealistic reformers want to make things better for the impoverish masses residing there. With the help of her fiancé, M.P. Freddie Lytton, recent medical school graduate Dr. India Selwyn Jones opens a practice in Whitechapel tending to the ailing poor especially addicts, but with her goal being the closing of the opium dens. Resident crime chieftain Sid Malone detests these outsiders who think they are better than the locals. He wants this Good Samaritan and all her reformist ilk to leave the neighborhood as their type of good in his mind causes more harm. Besides they interfere with his lucrative businesses. However, he changes his mind about India when she saves his life. They fall in love, but Freddie wants control of India's fortune and will do anything to insure he gets it. When a pregnant India thinks her beloved Sid is dead, Freddie "gallantly" marries her. This is an interesting late Victorian romance that besides the subplot above contains what has happened in the dozen years since the events of THE TEA ROSE to key players like Joe and Fiona, who is Sid's sister and India's friend. The well written story line is character driven by a strong cast, although there is too much happenstance occurring to them. Still fans will enjoy catching up with the Bristows and others while reading about the star-crossed love between Charlie (Sid's real name) and India. Harriet Klausner

Winter Rose - Amazing Follow Up:
Of all the novels that I read in the past year, this one stood out. The story is fascinating with a wonderfully developed heroine. The author does a fantastic job in creating a very likeable heroine/hero. It's the 2nd book in the "tea" series and I could not have asked for a better follow up to the Tea Rose. I love the return of all the wonderful characters from the Tea Rose. This is an amazing love story with so many twist and turns. In the middle of the book, the author introduces a secondary love story that I could not have expected. At first I was really irritated because I just wanted to read about the main characters but then I got really into these secondary characters and fell in love with their story. You can tell that JD is preparing you for another novel. It's wonderful. The best part of the book is the love story between a very unlikely pair but it works. This book has great heroes, evil villains, and wonderful supporting characters. It's a complete book and one of my favorite novels of the best year. It's a true love story with a very unexpected ending. I read it not knowing how the story would unfold and it's wonderful...just beautiful. A must read for anyone who is a true romantic.

Not as good as "The Tea Rose":
I didn't care for this book after reading "The Tea Rose." This one seemed to concentrate more on violence and it was a little hard to follow. Hopefully her third book in the trilogy will be better

Fantastic, if you like historical fiction!C:
I loved the Tea Rose. I was not disappointed with the sequel of the Winter Rose. I am looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work, Jennifer Donnelly!