Review for "The Tea Rose" by Jennifer Donnelly

Could I do it? Could I face life bereft of my heart and soul, live life without the one that makes me wake with a smile and laughter in my eyes? I don't know. I suppose I would have to, yet I'm sure there would be something missing, a hole inside me that I would fill with the necessities of living...a job, some friendship, family. But I am sure that at some point the sadness of my lonely existence would overtake me. Would I have the courage to move on, to simply exist? This is the plight of Fiona Finnegan in Jennifer Donnelly's The Tea Rose.

It is 1888 and Jack the Ripper is wreaking havoc in East London. Amidst this terror is Fiona Finnegan, a young girl with a dream, a dream she shares with her lifelong love, Joe. They are supposed to be together forever, they are supposed to open their own shop, they are supposed to live happily ever after. But of coarse, life is not a fairy tale for Fiona. She is thrust into a world she never asked for, a world filled with sorrow, murder, despair and tragedy...a world without her Joe.


The Tea Rose is a story of murder, betrayal, innocence lost and strength found. As I turned the pages, I couldn't help but be drawn in by this strong female character. Her determination, strength and drive mixed with an unmistakable innocence draws everyone to her. Only she feels the emptiness inside her, that hole that cannot be filled by her large mansion in New York or her millions of dollars. Not even the wealthy entrepreneur, the handsome and much older and experienced Will McClane, can give her what she needs. Although I would have liked to feel more of the connection between Joe and Fiona, I am reminded of the strong message in this story, one that Fiona held on to....."The day you let someone take your dreams from you, you may as well head straight to the undertaker's. You're just as good as dead." And so, I keep dreaming.....