The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

"When India Selwyn Jones graduates from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1900, she is advised to set up her practice in a fashionable neighborhood. Instead, the idealistic India chooses to work in the East End, serving the poor. There, India meets Sid Malone, one of London's most notorious gangsters. Before long, an unpredictable, passionate, and bittersweet affair ensues."
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

I enjoyed Donnelly's The Tea Rose very much, but I absolutely ADORED The Winter Rose! I had forgotten how much I had become emotionally invested in Fiona and Joe's story and the tragedies and triumphs of the Finnegan family, but it all came flooding back as I got lost in their turn-of-the-century London world once again. Joe and Fiona are now blissfully married with a child, and Fiona is busy supporting her husband's political career and her own involvement in her tea empire. While life has brought them much happiness, they will once again experience trying times, challenges, and a test of the strength of their bond.

The saga, however, focuses on my favorite character in the novel: aristocratic, idealistic graduate of medical school, India Selwyn Jones; she is a thoroughly likeable character who sets out to change the world of healthcare for women and children by serving the poor and destitute of Whitechapel. Her passion and dedication is sincere, but as a woman in the medical field, she faces an uphill battle and is appalled by the outdated medical practices of her male superior and his indifference to the suffering of women. Although she is engaged to Freddie Litton (an unscrupulous, power-hungry cad with political aspirations and an eye on India's wealth), she remains committed to medicine despite his insistence that she give up working once they are married.

India's entire world changes when a notorious underworld criminal, Sid Malone (remember his true identity from The Tea Rose?) is brought to her for medical help as he was near death from an accident. She works tirelessly to save him, and in the long process, becomes intrigued and drawn to him -- and he to India. I became totally consumed with the story of India and Sid.....she wants so desperately to save Sid from himself, to turn his life around, that is was just heartbreaking. And for once in his life, he has found someone who touches his heart. Such an unlikely pair....she, a doctor with a dream of opening a clinic for women to better the world, and Sid, the notorious criminal boss who is feared by all and wanted for murder, but will give the shirt off his back to warm a sleeping child in the trash....ah! such angst! Their star-crossed, bittersweet romance tugged at my heart and I found myself thinking about them even when I wasn't reading the book! How could their love survive such impossible odds?

The Winter Rose was an incredible novel, highly suspenseful and gripping, with richly drawn characters and an amazing, complex plot -- passion, revenge, murder, secrets, greed, vendettas, tragedy, and triumphs -- with an ending that took my breath away! Highly, highly recommended!


5/5 stars - LOVED it!

Title: The Winter Rose
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Hyperion Books
2008
707 pages

New Releases in 2011 - Which ones are you waiting for?

Is it too early to get excited about some upcoming releases for 2011? Considering that I haven't finished all that I had planned to complete on my TBR shelf for 2010, it probably is jumping the gun a bit. Out of the hundreds of historical fiction and historical romance books coming out next year, I have carefully considered just a few titles that are a must to add to my library for the new year, and I'm interested to see what everyone else is anticipating for 2011. (These titles are making their U.S. debut.)

Elizabeth Chadwick - To Defy a King (available March 2011)

The privileged daughter of one of the most powerful men in England, Mahelt Marshal’s life changes dramatically when her father is suspected by King John. Her brothers become hostages and Mahelt is married to Hugh Bigod, heir to the earldom of Norfolk. Adapting to her new life is hard, but Mahelt comes to love Hugh deeply; however, defying her father in law brings disgrace and heartbreak. When King John sets out to subdue the Bigods, Mahelt faces her worst fears alone, knowing neither she, nor her marriage are likely to survive the outcome. A story of huge emotional power set against the road to Magna Carta and the fight to bring a tyrant king to heel.Click here for information about the novels of Elizabeth Chadwick.

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Karleen Koen - Before Versailles. (available June 2011)
I adored Through a Glass Darkly, so I'm looking forward to her newest release set in 1661 in the court of young Louis XIV. Click here for Karleen Koen's novels.




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Lauren Willig - The Orchid Affair (available January 2011) Another Pink Adventure! Can we ever get enough intrigue, swordplay, and romance? I don't think so!

Laura Grey, a veteran governess, joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling exploits in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of Andre Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte’s minister of police. Jaouen and his arch rival, Gaston Delaroche, are investigating a suspected Royalist plot to unseat Bonaparte, and Laura’s mission is to report any suspicious findings. At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen—secret meetings and odd comings and goings. As Laura edges closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought. Click here for info about Lauren Willig's books.




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Jennifer Donnelly - The Wild Rose (available August 2011 - no cover yet)
The wonderful saga began in The Tea Rose and I have The Winter Rose planned for a December read for my blog. The trilogy will be complete with the summer 2011 release of The Wild Rose which is the final book of Finnegan saga, carrying the story forward until WWI and the 1920's. Click here for Jennifer Donnelly's books.




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Paullina Simons - The Summer Garden (available July 2011)I admit it -- I have never read one of the most celebrated epic love stories around....The Bronze Horseman! I know, I know.....there is absolutely no excuse for not making this fabulous series a priority. I plan to correct that. Click here for Paullina Simons info.





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So, what books are your can't-wait-for releases in 2011? Please share!

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

From the publisher:

"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, 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 life is shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything--and everyone--she holds dear...."

My thoughts:

The Tea Rose is a sweeping saga featuring star-crossed young lovers Fiona and Joe in Whitechapel during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. Hopes and dreams, tragedy, terror, suspense, love and loss, revenge, good fortune and triumph are the threads that weave this tale of the indomitable heroine, Fiona Finnegan. I enjoy big, chunky historical novels, and this one takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as she travels from London to New York in her struggle to survive and overcome the adversity in her life. The novel needed some editing as I thought it ran a little long in parts and could have been more concise, but the period details were interesting and the twists and turns of the plot lines were compelling. The reader is a little battle weary by the ending, but it is worth it to stay until the bitter end. Do I love it enough to read the sequel, The Winter Rose? Probably not -- this will be a stand alone book for me. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it lacked that special quality that would have made this otherwise
interesting story a 5 star read. If you've read it, what are your thoughts?

Title: The Tea Rose
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
2007
557 pages

4 stars = Very Good; worth reading