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My Favorite Reads is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books every Thursday. What a great way to read reviews of books that were mainstream (or not!) a while back but have faded off the radar of what is "hot" right in the land of literature. You should also check out Misfitandmoms blog at misfitandmom.livejournal.com as she is blogging about forgotten gems as well.


My Favorite Read today is The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.

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.

This is the perfect BFB for lovers of historical fiction with a great mystery thrown in. I read it a few summers ago, mostly at the pool and LOVED it!

The cover is stunning! I tend to gravitate to covers with women on them. The woman on the cover is Fiona and she is Victorian perfection. If you look very carefully, you can see jars of tea behind her. There is also an author blurb from Frank McCourt (the author of Angela's Ashes) who recently passed away.

The novel has a female main character who is strong yet not a cariacture. She propels the story, not allowing the events to carry her. She is not perfect and, because of that, her actions and thoughts don't always insure the outcome that some authors would write for their heroine.

The setting is, mainly, Victorian London. I have developed a true of love of novels set in this time period and London is a bonus as I have visited there and can really picture some scenes.

There is the Jack The Ripper subplot that is woven into the story so believably. It's not an afterthought... like the author decided to add it because the story took place during that time. This novel would have worked well without it. With it, however, the suspense is palpable. The story moves on at times without a mention and then, something happens to bring that subplot back to the forefront. It's really a great plot device.

The love story between Fiona and Joe is another wonderful subplot and as the course of true love never runs smooth. There are obstacles that they must overcome but, again, it's written so well, that it's not cheesy and overdone.

This book is the first book in a triology. The second novel is The Winter Rose in which Fiona's brother is one of the main characters. While it's a great novel and I would recommend it, I still enjoyed The Tea Rose more. The last book in the triology is The Wild Rose, which will be (hopefully) published in late 2010. I haven't been able to find any plot information about it. I do think, however, the plot and the main characters are alluded to in The Winter Rose.


I carried my "Am I too old to carry this?" peace sign bag today :o) I've decided that it's just too fun not to carry. So what if Im too old! I'm younger than I will be the next time I carry it... lol.

M is at my Mom's tonight and my husband was working late so it's just J and me. We hit our very favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. We had our usual :o) He had Nachos Supreme Carnitas and I had a chicken taco and a guacamole tostada. Our very favorite waitress, Janette, was there, too. She even asked where J and M were. We love her! She knows what we order... does that mean we go there too much? Probably, but it's so good! She buys Girl Scout cookies from M. It was great just to hang out with J. He spent most of the dinner trying to convince me why he, instead of his sister, should get my phone when I upgrade. I've told him if he gets it, he'll be the one paying for texting. Since he's basically a miser, I thought this would turn him off but, I think, the teenage boy in him won out. He is more than willing to fork out the cash :o) I haven't even decided yet if I'm going to upgrade. My husband suggested having the kids bid on the phone... cash, extra chores etc. Not a bad idea, really.