Our group, minus Marcia, trekked out to the deep woods to Jonetta's house for our April meeting. Diana provided the rose hip tea - which was a big hit - while Jonetta provided the meal. We ate spinach/strawberry/pecan salad, caraway seed bread, roasted garden vegetables seasoned with rosemary, and a cold mint pea soup. After our book discussion we satisfied our sweet tooth with baked pears and vanilla bean ice cream.
Synopsis:
It's the late 1800's in England, Jack the Ripper is on the loose, and young Fiona and Joe are in love with big plans for their future together. However, the two soulmates will soon be separated and forced to forge their own individual futures continents apart from one another. Despite their circumstances, Fiona and Joe will eventually find success and with any luck each other once again.
Comments:
Okay, if the synopsis sounds cheesy, that is because this novel felt like one long drawn out Harlequin story! We were all disappointed with this book. When we first met years ago to discuss the formation of a book club, one of the guidelines we all agreed upon was that we would not include any Harlequin romances on our reading list. We obviously missed the mark with this book.
This storyline was predictable in so many areas. We all knew which character was really Jack the Ripper, that Millie would snag Joe, and that Joe and Fiona would eventually reunite. Besides the predictability, the unreal coincidences and multitude of major achievements by the main characters made it difficult to pinpoint just when this story 'jumped the shark' for us. Could it have been when Fiona invented the teabag? Or how about her brilliant idea for assembly line work? Perhaps it was when her uncle went from being a complete souse to a sober, productive citizen after one interaction with his infant daughter? How about when Nick offers to share his room on the ship and then ends up being a Viscount holding the majority of stock Fiona needs to take over her enemy's tea business? No matter which scene you choose, the story's plausibility - if ever there was any - dramatically dropped.
In an effort to find something positive to say about a book in which a few of our members admitted to fast-forwarding through various sections, we will say that it was evident that the author did her research at times. The union strife was realistic, the description of the poverty and the market stall area was vivid, and the information regarding teas was interesting. It was a great time period with lots of history-making advances and inventions, interesting historical figures, and momentous occasions.
Memorable Quote:
"We're not punished for our sins, lad. We're punished by them." (p. 319 Nook)
FAB Rating: ** (2 out of 5 stars)
Obviously, we did not enjoy this month's book selection. Ms. Donnelly's writing skills are well honed, but the plot is predictable and unbelievable too much of the time. Our readers desire mystery, surprise, and maybe some edgy twist which doesn't necessarily make all the loose ends tie up nice and neat....in other words, realism: shocking, unclean, and maybe even heartbreaking. The author herself offered great advice on p. 319 which could be applied to writing a story, "Trust me on this. Use what you know to grow."
