Jennifer DonnellyThe Winter Rose

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!

I loved this book, as I loved the first one. I can't wait to learn more about the Finnegan family in the 3rd book!

This is my first time reading this author's work. It brought me back to the books that I loved as a younger reader. Epic historical fiction, well researched with characters that grab you right from the start. This one was linear and is apparently a second book in a trilogy. Having said that, I will say I had no problems reading it. I did see glimpses of a prior story line which made me curious enough to go digging. I really, really loved this book. It put me right on the streets of the East End of London, Whitechapel of Ripper fame. It was rich in detail, language, culture and all of the things that make historical fiction so interesting to read.The protagonists were well-rounded, flawed but rise above the flaws to make you want to cheer them on. Best of all is a very strong female protagonist who could have been a very flat caricature of the well-bred female who wears hideous glasses, is bookish and wants to work for the betterment of the poor, even when she really has little idea what their lives are really like or what they really need. She means well with every fiber of her very big heart and learns her lessons well, albeit, the hard way. She falls in love with the very epitome of the wrong sort, who happens to be the criminal with a heart of gold and a very understandable and sad back story. They try very hard to rise above the prejudices that plague them at every turn, but inevitably are torn apart by circumstances out of their control. Like the black cloud hovers over them and the bad guy seems to always come out smelling like a rose. But even the bad guy has a story that makes him rise above the ordinary, to make him a character that you will hate, but also feel the tiniest bit sorry for.The story takes place in early 20th century London, British East Africa (Kenya) and the American west coast. It is well-researched and resounded with the kind of detail that makes an era come alive to readers. Sights, sounds, language, politics, smells, all of it.The only small complaint I have is that the romance element needed a little oomph to start with. A build of UST would help bring this story to life. The love scenes were a bit dry (not a euphemism). Everything else was so well done. I would love to see the author push this element a bit more in future novels. I will definitely be reading more from her, though not at current ebook prices (but that is not a criticism of the writing, just the pricing).

I bought a used copy of this book for one penny, along with a used copy of another book by the same author for one penny, and about £5 postage and packing to cover both. Brilliant value. The books are as described and hardly show any wear at all. They were delivered ahead of schedule and packed nicely. I would use the supplier again. The book is a fairly typical romantic historical novel packed with period detail and characters from the early 20th century. (It follows on from "The Tea Rose" by same author.) About 700 pages with some short snappy chapters and some much longer ones. Plenty of dialogue along with graphic descriptions and a narrative that rings true most of the time. Obviously some characters tend to be larger than life and some of the storylines predictable, but the author knows her audience and you do need some dramatic effect to feed the imagination. It is a long read. I tend to skim some passages when I read anyway if I'm not interested in a particular character or location. It's not a problem with this book and I'm still able to follow the storylines without missing major events. An ideal book for the beach, nights in by the fire, or long tedious journeys.

Set in the 1900s, The Winter Rose tells the story of India Selwyn-Jones, lady doctor working in the East End of London. When she treats local crime boss Sid Malone it changes India's life - she begins to fall for this bit-of-rough anti-hero and becomes drawn into his murky world of opium dealing, robbery... and murder.The Winter Rose is a sequel to The Tea Rose, which I had not previously read, but I encountered no problem reading The Winter Rose as a standalone novel. The backstory tells the reader what he needs to know.The story of a well-to-do young lady defying convention to become a doctor working among the poor has been told before. But there are lots of fresh ideas here. This is an ambitious book - over 600 pages - but Jennifer Donnelly keeps the reader's attention all the way through and the pace never flags. The atmosphere of the turn-of-the-century East End is vivid - the reader can see and smell the dirt and poverty. Suffragettes and the fledgling labour movement cross the stage too giving a truly authentic feel. The author wears her impressive research lightly, and the reader never gets the impression Donnelly is showing off how clever she is.There were some unsatisfactory aspects which prevented my giving it five stars; the villain, Freddie, for instance comes across as farcical and pantomimish, and as he occupies a substantial portion of the book, that's a significant flaw.But overall, an enjoyable and engrossing read.

I was rather disappointed with the quality of this book. I received it and it promptly began to fall apart.I love the author, Jennifer Donnelly. The prequel to this book is absolutely amazing! That's why I was so eager to read the sequel. Unfortunately it was nowhere near as good as the first. It was nice to see whether characters have moved, but the main characters in this book were really nowhere near as powerful as the prequel.

Loved this 2nd book in the 3 book saga. Best books read in a long time.Well written, gripping and interesting story line. Was engaged throughout. I often end up downloading books which are little more than mildly interesting chic lit which somehow get 5 star reviews. When you come across books like the Rose trilogy - you get reminded what a real book is.

A superb read, couldnt put it down. It would stand alone as a story, but much better to read the whole trilogy, starting with the Tea Rose, then Wild Rose and finishing with the winter rose. A very interesting subject, a lot of research has gone into the books. I am recommending it to all my friends.