The Winter Rose - Tapa dura

Praise for ‘The Winter Rose’:

'There's a hint of mystery, lots of interesting characters and locales such as India, Africa and California, with turn-of-the-century London at the centre of an engaging book. Recommended.'
Barbara Taylor Bradford

‘Donnelly’s feel for the period and attention to detail make this more than just a ripping yarn.’
Telegraph

‘So vividly imagined that it’s like time-travelling back to 1900’
Eve magazine

‘Melodramatic set pieces keep this romp rattling along, with drugs, prostitution and robbery adding colour to a world defined by poverty and corruption.’
Daily Mail

‘Compelling reading’
Heat, number 9 chart position (pb)

‘Savour every page, it’s well worth it.’
Easy Living

‘A vivid and entertaining read...it’s a brilliant story.’
Yours magazine

More praise for ‘The Winter Rose’:

‘A great read with fabulous characters, plenty of historical drama and romance, as well political intrigue and moments of sumptuously gothic excess.’
www.hagharlotsheroines.com

‘Rollicking romance’ Dorset Echo

Praise for the ‘The Tea Rose’:

‘This is a most seductive novel. You’ll be charmed by the novels heroine – her intelligence, her courage, her great heart. Despite her suffering – a lost love, a tragic family – there are moments you will want to cheer. It’s the kind of novel where the writing is so fluid you feel the author simply loves telling her story. This is a splendid, heartwarming novel of pain, struggle, decency, triumph – and just what we need in these times.’ Frank McCourt

‘I loved this vividly researched and wonderfully rumbustious yarn – brilliantly told, great fun to read.’ Simon Winchester

‘Bold, brisk and beguiling, ‘The Tea Rose’ is a splendid brew of a book.’ Sam Twining

Another strong, satisfying novel, full of rich storytelling, by the author of the favourite ‘The Tea Rose’.

Set in London and Africa in the early days of the twentieth century, 'The Winter Rose' introduces some remarkable new characters. India Selwyn-Jones is one of the rare new breed: a lady doctor. Her family, her eligible, ambitious fiancé, the male medical establishment all object but she insists on defying convention and finds a post in London's East End. There she meets a gangland boss called Sid Malone. Criminal he may be but he also has a hidden charm, and a devastatingly attractive personality, and when India is called to treat him after a dockside brawl, their friendship becomes more intense.

But Sid Malone is not his real name: he has a past and enemies by the score, including India's determined and ruthless fiancé whose intention is to marry into the family money as well as becoming a leading political figure. The stormy, noisy, brawling docklands are a natural home to the political fight as the fledgling Labour Party gets underway, and the struggle for the women's vote becomes more strident.

But the East End is also a place for those who have a past to hide, a new beginning to find. And so the complicated strands of betrayal and pretence, of ambition and family, are woven again into a new drama, in a new country.

Jennifer Donnelly, author of 'A Gathering Light' as well as 'The Tea Rose', has a wonderful gift for sweeping storytelling, with a lively cast of vivid characters, rich and detailed backgrounds. Her writing has a warmth and energy that takes all readers completely into her world.