Friday 6 February 2009

The Tea House on Mulberry Street - Sharon Owens

Today is Waitangi Day, a holiday in New Zealand. Instead of doing anything productive, I have spent most of it relaxing with a book - one of my favourite ways to indulge. I have devoured Sharon Owens' novel The Tea House on Mulberry Street (2003). Being a fan of Irish novels, I was loaned The Tea House, my first introduction to Sharon Owens. It's a wonderful character-driven story, very much like Maeve Binchy in style, and a delightful way to relax on a holiday.

The plot revolves around Muldoon's Tea House on Mulberry Street in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A chain of characters is introduced, each one seemingly unconnected save for their habit of visiting the tired and shabby tea rooms. It turns out that more are connected than they ever would have thought, and some of the plot twists are hilarious. Heartwarming, humorous, and incredibly 'feel good' by nature, this is an enjoyable summer read.

2 comments:

ELY said...

have you read the ballroom on magnolia street? i live in texas and i'm having a hard finding more of her books to buy

Caffeinated Weka said...

I haven't come across that book. The Tea House is the first Sharon Owens book I've read, but I really enjoyed it so will keep an eye out for other novels she has written.