The Tea Rose: A Novel - Hardcover

Donnelly, Jennifer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312288352 ISBN 13: 9780312288358

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2003

Synopsis

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, a bright and defiant young woman dares to dream of a life beyond tumbledown wharves, gaslit alleys, and the grim and crumbling dwellings of the poor.

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 dreams are shattered when the actions of a dark and brutal man take from her nearly everything-and everyone-she holds dear. Fearing her own death at the dark man's hands, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit-and the ghosts of her past-propel her rise from a modest west side shopfront to the top of Manhattan's tea trade.

Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, however, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.

The Tea Rose is a towering old-fashioned story, imbued with a modern sensibility, of a family's destruction, of murder and revenge, of love lost and won again, and of one determined woman's quest to survive and triumph.

Authentic and moving, The Tea Rose is an unforgettable novel-one certain to take its place beside such enduring epics as A Woman of Substance, The Thornbirds, and The Shell Seekers.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Following in the footsteps of such beloved epics as "A Woman of Substance," "The Thornbirds," and "The Shell Seekers" comes this towering story of murder and revenge, of love lost and won again, and of one determined woman's quest to survive and triumph...
The Tea Rose
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. Fearing her own death, she is forced to flee London for New York. There, her indomitable spirit propels her rise from a modest West Side shop-front to the top of Manhattan's tea trade. But Fiona's old ghosts do not rest quietly, and to silence them, she must venture back to the London of her childhood, where a deadly confrontation with her past becomes the key to her future.
.
"Full of warmth and rich period detail, "The Tea Rose" begs for a comfy, overstuffed chair and plenty of time to keep turning those pages." "-Dallas Morning News"
"Steeped in melodrama, revenge, and a maddeningly star-crossed romance...a fine yarn." -"People"

About the Author

Jennifer Donnelly writes books for children and adults. She lives in Brooklyn and Callicoon, New York, with her husband and two greyhounds. She has a passion for tea and roses.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0312288352
• ISBN 13: 9780312288358
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 560