It’s appalling what the ‘medicine’ men back then could get away with, simply using general ignorance about women and misogynistic diagnoses to abuse their patients. Shudder!

I was a little surprised to still see this attitude in a 1900 doctor. I mean, I know it was considered women’s burden to bear for Eve shoving the apple at Adam and leading us all into a world of sin but after the discovery of anesthetics early in the 19th century, I would have thought those beliefs would have died out.

Yes Meriam. I loved the medical aspects even though a lot of it horrified me, especially India’s first boss.

Then don’t read The Crimson Petal and the White! There’s a doctor in it who almost turned my stomach. It’s appalling what the ‘medicine’ men back then could get away with, simply using general ignorance about women and misogynistic diagnoses to abuse their patients. Shudder!

Ah-ha. Is this the kind of set-up Donnelly did in The Tea Rose? Got to admit that I love the titles of these books.

You know, I got the impression that Donnelly didn’t really intend for the Tea Rose to morph into a trilogy and so whilst there was a little bit about Sid and his past, it didn’t feel like set up to me. It might have been though.

“And then it struck on me that I was only ##00 pages into the book. … Oh no, I thought. I still have ##00 pages to slog through.
It was more with a feeling of “gotta get through this” rather than anticipation that I squared my shoulders, picked up the book again and plowed on.”

I had to highlight this bit. I haven’t read The Winter Rose, so no opinion to offer there. But, in general, this is the *exact* way I feel about all lengthy books, even if they are rocking my world. At some point, I always start getting resentful of the time commitment and just want the damn story to be ovah!

I know, I know. I’m a heathen. :P

Most of the Africa and mountain climbing stuff is setting the scene for the third book I think.

Ah-ha. Is this the kind of set-up Donnelly did in The Tea Rose? Got to admit that I love the titles of these books.