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The Tea Gardens
The Tea Gardens
Oct 4, 2024 11:24 AM

Author:Fiona McIntosh

The Tea Gardens

A sweeping, epic love story which follows one woman's journey from the cobbled streets of Brighton to the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Lucinda Riley.

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A passionate love affair. An impossible choice.

England, 1932.Dr Isla Fenwick has little interest in marriage, until a reunion with an old friend blossoms into to something more. But Isla is determined to fulfil a long-held promise to practice medicine in India. With her fiancé's blessing she sails to Calcutta to set up a midwifery clinic - promising to return within the year.

There, Isla does her best to navigate a complex new world, and forms a deep connection with one of her colleagues - against all better instincts.

When a desperate rescue mission to save the one person who needs her the most takes her into the foothills of the Himalayas, Isla will be asked to pay the ultimate price for her passions.

Reviews

Fiona writes with great authenticity, with meticulous research helping her capture the period and the mood between the two wars perfectly.

—— Better Reading

You will be transported on each and every page.

—— JodiGibsson.com

A charming - and sharp - love story about what it means to fall for someone who is your polar opposite

—— Sunday Telegraph

Frequently funny, consistently engaging ... it has great warmth in its heart

—— Observer

Hornby's hilarious and heart-wrenching new novel explores what it means to be somebody's perfect match, and why this notion of perfect compatibility is an absolute disaster when it comes to love

—— Woman and Home, Best Books to Look Forward to this Summer

The capable crackle of his dialogue - honed by a string of successful screenwriting projects - propels the domestic drama forward at an easy pace, particularly effective in the voices of the children

—— Financial Times

The novel explores division and racism and has its share of sharp observations that help illuminate what it means to fall headlong in love with someone who is nothing like you at all

—— Independent

Nick Hornby writes so well about his characters . . . his most enjoyable book for some years

—— Sunday Express

Hornby has always been a first-rate storyteller and Just Like You - just perfectly put together - sparkles with tip-top dialogue and pin-sharp comic timing

—— Daily Mail

Truly funny . . . the novel gallops straight into something that is immensely readable, sharp-eyed and at times hilarious

—— Guardian

A brilliant read full of his trademark wit and ability to get to the heart of human nature

—— The Sun

Comedy for our times

—— Sunday Times

Excellent

—— Irish Times

Tender and timely

—— Good Housekeeping

Set in 2016 against the strident backdrop of the Brexit vote, Nick Hornby's warmhearted comedy chronicles the love story between a middle-aged white woman and a young black man, suggesting that difference needn't always be divisive: sometimes it can bring us together

—— Daily Mail

Hornby's prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut

—— Independent

Hornby writes with a funny, fresh voice which skewers male and female foibles with hilarious accuracy

—— Guardian

A fine writer, swift and pointed, with a lighter, more mischievous heart than he lets on, and more sympathy for the devil than he admits to

—— New York Magazine

Dares to be witty, intelligent and emotionally generous at once

—— New York Times

Deliciously over-the-top, with a protagonist you'll never forget

—— Bookpage

Superbly taps into our inner Avenger. Hugely compelling and unpredictable

—— Ruth Jones , bestselling author of Never Greener

Compelling, edgy, beautifully written

—— Daily Mail

Intelligent, edgy and witty

—— Glamour

I LOVE her books. She always delivers a fabaliss read

—— Marian Keyes , bestselling author of Grown-Ups

Barbed, twisty and full of deliciously dry wit, this is smart stuff to race through

—— Sunday Mirror

This entertainingly twisty tale is populated with some enjoyably toxic characters

—— Sunday Mirror

Chick lit with an edge

—— Guardian

Sparkling and unpredictable

—— Elle

Darkly comic and addictive

—— Daily Express

Another sure-fire hit from Fallon

—— Platinum

Set over the course of an upstate New York summer, this shrewd, kindly tale embraces a topical spread of inter-generational challenges, yielding tart truths about love, class and family. It's spry and satisfying

—— Mail on Sunday

A warm, funny novel

—— SheerLuxe

If you can imagine a glorious mash-up of Elizabeth Strout and Gilmore Girls, All Adults Here is it

—— Red

Set over the course of an upstate New York summer, this shrewd, kindly tale embraces a topical spread of inter-generational challenges, yielding tart truths about love, class and family. It's spry and satisfying.

—— Mail on Sunday

A novel full of poignant insights into family

—— Woman & Home

If you're a fan of Anne Tyler's writing, you'll love this captivating, well-observed family drama

—— Good Housekeeping

Busting with witty and poignant observations about the messiness of family

—— Jenna Bush Hager , Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

Emma Straub has done it again! All Adults Here introduces us to the Stricks, a delightfully flawed family, with matriarch Astrid at the centre...I know I've been having trouble adulting during this time (seriously, I have to cook, again?!), and the characters in this novel feel like they're struggling right alongside me

—— Read It Forward

All Adults Here will make you question your entire childhood

—— Marie Claire US

All Adults Here is deliciously funny and infectiously warm - a clever blend of levity and poignant insights. Straub's flair for irony and wit shine, and she puts a fresh (and progressive) spin on the age-old multigenerational family saga

—— Washington Post

The queen of the summer novel...we have turned to Emma Straub to bring us highly enjoyable, yet still thought-provoking, tales about witty protagonists in the throes of life changes

—— Entertainment Weekly

Straub's novel takes her signature wit upstate, exploring the complexities of small-town life and what it's
like to live as an adult in the same place where you grew up

—— Deadline

If you've spent lockdown at home with the family, this one might just ring true for you. A witty, warm and thoroughly entertaining novel. Relatable

—— Luxe

It takes rare skill to make everyday family ups and downs so pleasurable to read but Straub brings both a deceptive light touch and a flinty sense of humour to this breezy big-hearted portrait of ordinary people trying to negotiate the landscape of being a grown up. A superior slice of domestic fiction for fans of Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett

—— Metro

Pulsating with perceptive wit . . . entertaining

—— Sunday Post

Great for fans of Liane Moriarty

—— Harpers Bazaar

Whips along with feel-good momentum, driven by warmth and love

—— Press Association

Warm, witty, perceptive. Anne Tyler on laughing gas

—— Saga Magazine

Written with true warmth and wit

—— Bella

Praise for Emma Straub

—— -

It's the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistible

—— Liane Moriarty

Funny, poignant and beautifully observed

—— Jojo Moyes

Straub writes beautifully and amusingly . . . hard to beat for sheer charm and gentle wit

—— Daily Mail

Smart and entertaining

—— Stylist

Hugely talented . . . intelligent holiday reading

—— Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 4

Warm and big-hearted . . . leaves you smiling for days

—— Maria Semple , bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Straub writes with such verve and sympathetic understanding of her characters . . . Reading this novel has all the pleasures of reading one of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits

—— New York Times

A funny and insightful look at love and relationships

—— Good Housekeeping

Written with true warmth and wit

—— Bella

A smart, cool sensibility

—— Elle

Lovely, satisfying

—— EW.com

Smart and fresh, offering new insights into the lives of people all around us

—— Brooklyn Magazine

Thoughtful and hilarious

—— Real Simple

It would be easy to compare Straub to other masters of the genre like Meg Wolitzer or Jennifer Egan, but she's already a master in her own right

—— The Millions

Wise and often hilarious

—— Buzzfeed

Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel

—— Publishers Weekly

A precise and observant writer whose supple prose carries the story along without a snag. Straub's characters are a quirky and interesting bunch . . . it's a pleasure spending time with them

—— Starred Review , Kirkus

Devilishly observed

—— Starred Review , Booklist

Sprinkled with humour and insight

—— Starred Review , Library Journal

Straub is consistently excellent

—— Book Riot

A warm-hearted and wise tale of a family in trouble. Packed full of sharp observations and laugh-out-loud lines

—— i

Her writing just gets better and better . . . Grown Ups is funny and clever in the way it tackles addiction and eating disorders and the hurly burly of family life

—— Waitrose Weekend

A sharp satire of family dynamics and the trappings of wealth. It is a delicious thing - light and dark at once, full of acid observations and warmth, and fully attuned to the absurdities of familial life

—— The Gentleman's Journal

An entertaining story of family dynamics packed with vibrant characters, humour and empathy

—— The Sunday Times

A sharp, wry tale about a seemingly happy family with contemporary problems . . . despite the traumas, you'll whizz through it with a smile on your face

—— Oxfordshire Limited Edition

Keyes's captivating 14th novel tackles difficult issues with a sparkling style that makes it impossible to put down

—— Daily Mail

Marian Keyes is the most wonderful writer. She just gets better and better. She is a writer who believes in the best of us. She shows people's foibles but she also shows the love that binds us together in a very real way

—— Richard Osman

Her novels tackle hard subjects with such humour and warmth its impossible not to be drawn in

—— Jane Harper , Daily Mail

Another high-definition family comedy. An intoxicating, effervescent and warm look at modern life

—— Metro

A delightful and insightful examination of the modern family

—— Holly Bourne , Beastmag

Laughter and tears intertwine, as ever, in the latest from our leading chronicler of the emotional messiness of contemporary life

—— Guardian

The strength of this book lies in its relatability factor - I laughed, cried, nodded in recognition and laughed again

—— Irish News

Shines a light on the frustrations and gripes of family life, while inviting us to laugh at the petty reality of it all

—— London Living

A book to fall into and while away hours with

—— Writers Online

Funny, thought-provoking and hitting you right in the feels, Marian Keyes does it again

—— Red Online

I loved this complex family drama . . . Keyes nails every character she touches while keeping it all so relevant

—— Jamie Klingler , iNews

Praise for Marian Keyes

—— -

Mercilessly funny

—— The Times

Everything this woman touches turns to comic gold

—— Cosmopolitan

Comic, convincing and true. The warmth and empathy of Keyes's writing shine through this tale of family secrets revealed.

—— Katy Guest , Guardian

Clever, hilarious, poignant . . . Gloriously funny

—— Sunday Times

Wildly funny, romantic and nearly impossible to put down

—— Daily Mail

Her writing is a lovely mixture of funny and perceptive and bittersweet

—— Cressida Cowell

Full of brilliantly funny characters, genuine emotion and heaps of charm

—— Heat

Her books are humorous and have the quality of a warm bath

—— The Times

Classic Marian Keyes: a blizzard of wit and wisecracks

—— The Times

Keyes is an international treasure. The ultimate choice for a binge read

—— Stylist

When it comes to writing page-turners that put a smile on your face and make you think, Keyes is in a class of her own

—— Daily Express

Fabulously entertaining. The queen of intelligent women's fiction

—— Sunday Mirror

Full of darkness and light, this is Keyes at her classic and most brilliant best

—— Red

Keyes writes about women who are absolutely themselves, even when society tries to insist they are something else

—— Irish Times

Glorious, life-affirming

—— Woman & Home

Marian's glorious, warm-hearted wit is always guaranteed to make me laugh on the very first page

—— Liane Moriarty

There is no finer writer than Marian Keyes

—— Rowan Coleman

She really is unparalleled when it comes to making serious points with the lightest of touches

—— The Pool

Hilariously wise

—— Prima

Brutal yet endearing honesty, wonderful humour and astonishing acumen

—— Ruth Hogan

Keyes writes extremely well about modern women. Candid and deeply felt

—— Metro

Marian Keyes has an unparalleled talent for making you howl with laughter, nod in recognition and think at the same time

—— Sam Baker , Good Housekeeping

Always brilliant - and brilliantly funny

—— Best

A publishing sensation

—— Daily Express

There are few fiction writers today with as much verve and sense of independence as Marian Keyes

—— Daily Telegraph
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