The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Thin paper back and thin writing print. Other than that delivery speed and everything was great

NOTE: The Winter Rose is the second book in the Rose Trilogy. Having read all three of the books, I wrote my review of the entire series and included it as one review for the series.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but the books in the Rose Trilogy reminded me of the Danielle Steel books I used to devour when I was 14-years old … and I mean that in the very best way!!

I used to love Danielle Steel’s books (though I’ve “outgrown” them after being exposed to a “better” class of books) because they featured heroines who experienced all these ups and downs but who eventually triumphed over difficulties to have amazing lives. Plus they also had complicated and often tragic love lives. The Rose Trilogy has all these same elements … except with better writing and historical detail!!

The Rose Trilogy focuses on the Finnegan family–a close-knit family from the hardscrabble section of London known as Whitechapel. Family members include: family patriarch Paddy, whose leadership in the nascent union movement leads to tragedy; his wife Kate, who struggles to keep the family together despite multiple difficulties; Fiona, the oldest daughter, who is in love with the boy down the street; Charlie, the oldest son, who contributes what he can to family finances, even when that means walking on the edge of what is legal; and Seamus, the youngest son, who is just 5 years old in the first book but is featured front and center in the final book of the series.

We first meet the Finnegans in The Tea Rose. It is the 1880s in East London, and a murderer named Jack the Ripper is terrorizing the area. (Donnelly even goes so far as to unmask Jack’s “true” identity in the book.) The Tea Rose of the title refers to Fiona Finnegan, the feisty daughter who is in love with a coster (veggie salesman) named Joe Bristow. They are saving every bit of their meager wages to open up a shop of their own. However, tragedy hits the family and Joe betrays Fiona in the worst way possible–leaving Fiona and Seamus in desperate straits. Fleeing to America, Fiona struggles to survive in New York City, where she vows revenge on the man who ruined her family.

The opening book sets the tone for the entire trilogy: star-crossed lovers; continual setbacks and obstacles; rich historical detail (Donnelly isn’t afraid to incorporate real-life historical figures such as George Mallory, Jack the Ripper and Lawrence of Arabia into her books), and a plot that keeps you wondering what will befall her beleaguered characters next. (Some pretty hot and heavy sex scenes are sprinkled throughout too!) Although there is a fair amount of coincidence that strains the limits of believability, just forget all that and enjoy the ride.

The second book, The Winter Rose, has a new “rose” as its center–Dr. India Selwyn-Jones, an idealistic young doctor who dreams of opening a clinic for women and children in poverty-stricken Whitechapel. Just like Fiona in the first book, India must deal with an evil man set on ruining her life while struggling with her attraction to a criminal named Sid Malone. The book moves from London to Africa and also introduces readers to Seamus as a young man. Fiona makes periodic appearances but isn’t the primary focus of the book. Although it sounds like the book doesn’t focus as much on the Finnegan family, I’ll leave you to discover why that isn’t true!

The third and final book, The Wild Rose, features Willa Alden, the great love of Seamus Finnegan’s life, as its rose. “Wild” is the right word to describe Willa, who readers first meet in The Winter Rose. She is a fearless mountaineer who defies expectations of what women can and should do, despite a significant handicap after an accident on Mt. Kilimanjaro (which takes place in the second book). Like the other two books, this book starts in London before moving the action to Arabia during World War I.

Each book is a chunkster (all of them are 500+ pages) and requires a fairly decent time commitment, but they are the type of chunksters that move along at a steady clip. My biggest criticism is the amount of coincidence that propels the plots, but don’t let that stop you from reading the books. This was historical fiction at its best: fast-paced, far-ranging and drama-filled. I enjoyed the series immensely, and thank Jill at Rhapsody in Books for turning me on to this series. I would have never picked these books up on my own as historical fiction isn’t my preferred genre and the staid covers don’t give you a full sense of all the action, drama and romance that pack the pages inside. Highly recommended!

Rarely is a sequel as good as the first book or movie, but THE WINTER ROSE is, if anything, even better than THE TEA ROSE. I don’t say that lightly. I adored THE TEA ROSE and have recommended it to everyone, yet THE WINTER ROSE is so good, I was torn between wanting to devour it and read it slowly to savor every word. Indian Selwyn Jones is one of the most memorable and remarkable characters I’ve read in a long time, and Sid/Charlie is a perfect match. Their story is intense, romantic, dramatic, touching, tender, and unforgettable. You’re rooting for them at every stage of its development and even though you know the story must end well — it simply has to! — you’re still frightened it won’t. Ms. Donnelly’s villains are just as satisfying as her heroes, and Freddy is right up there with the best of them. Oh, he’s wonderful to hate! I am in awe of Donnelly’s ability to plunge her characters into seemingly unresolvable conflict and to make them suffer and then suffer some more. She’s an absolute master, one of the most talented writers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. As a bonus, THE WINTER ROSE continues the story of Fiona and Joe and the rest of the Finnegan family. Now I’m wondering which of these fabulous characters will star in the third book of the Rose Trilogy. Will it be Seamus and Willa? Charlotte? Or maybe all three? I can hardly wait. I only wish Ms. Donnelly could write faster. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Once I’d read The Tea Rose from a friend I couldn’t wait to read the next book & it didn’t disappoint, it was as gripping as the first, I couldn’t put it down. Finding it hard to get the 3rd book as they say it’s not being printed now which is a shame but I will keep looking.