The Wild Rose

This book is the third in a trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly. Set in England, but covers many other places this series keep you reading to find out what's next. Following the Finnegans, a family whose father has immigrated from Ireland to Whitechapel in London the reader is an observer of the changes coming to the entire world in the late 1800s going through World War I. Historical Fiction at it's best. Good character development and each book stands alone while each being tied to the next.

m'eh. Had to finish the series just to find out what happened. Found myself skimming a large number of pages, and don't feel I missed much. I don't really feel like I am invested in any one character's life.
Just an ok read. A Northern Light was much better.

Third in her series and just as riveting as the first 2!!

It took me a while to get into this book. It started abysmally with both of the main characters, Willa and Seamie, sleeping with people they didn't care about because they weren't with each other. I never really came to like either of them. Willa really annoyed me with her stupidity and Seamie with his selfishness. And poor Jennie (Seamie's wife), though she started out all right, was ruined by the pair of them. (With some help from Max von Brandt.)

Max von Brandt is what I would call a smooth operator, and I mean that in a slimy, unpleasant sort of way. I could understand his motives, but his methods made me hate him. There were times when I felt like the author wanted me to feel sorry for him, but I just couldn't.

Now that I have complained about all of the main characters, I have to admit that I really liked the minor ones. Fiona and Joe (Seamie's sister and her husband) are lovely, likable people with a fun daughter. They stand up for what they believe in and support their family. Likewise, Sid and India (Seamie's brother and his wife) are about ten times more likable and interesting than Willa and Seamie.

The Wild Rose has an interesting story set in a fascinating time. The characters rub elbows with Winston Churchill, Ernest Shackleton, and Lawrence of Arabia to mention only a few. The amount of name-dropping in this book borders on the ridiculous. World War I is one of my favorite time periods to read about, so I enjoyed the history. The plot is complicated and involves just a few too many coincidences for my taste, but it was still, for the most part, enjoyable. What I did not like was the adultery. I really, really dislike adultery. I don't care that he loved her before he loved his wife, that is no excuse for such behavior.

All in all, this book was okay. I disliked the main characters but the minor characters were good enough to keep me reading. There were some aspects of the story that I hated but others I really liked. I haven't read The Tea Rose or The Winter Rose yet, but I think I will like them better because they tell the stories of Joe and Fiona, Sid and India, who are my favorite characters in this book.

I would recommend this book to people who like long, complicated historical romances. I don't highly recommend it, but it wasn't bad. I would probably give it three stars.

I received and advance e-book of this for review from NetGalley.

The melodrama of the Finnegan siblings comes to a close in this third installment of the trilogy. I have to admit that while I'm satisfied with the ending, this did not rank as highly for me as the first book. Like the others, this one is well written & filled with lush detail. I liked Willa very much initially but there was so much back & forth with she & Seamie that I honestly began not to care (especially because I figured the formula for the prior two books would prevail & starcrossed lovers would get their happy ending). The happy ending is a bit more bittersweet for Seamie & Willa but it exists nonetheless. I had true care for Jennie but she lost me when she & Josie embarked on their scheme. I lost a lot of respect for Jennie & knew (per the prior two books) that the trope would play out in such a way that she would lose everything. So that, much like a lot of the story, was just waiting for the inevitable. There were also what have now in the series become, reliable conveniences to make things work out or not. This being the third installment & the mains being less endearing, it plays out as more unforgivable contrivance than the same did in "The Tea Rose". Also, there's enough reference to the happenings in the second book (& some of the first) that one really can skip the middle book & not miss much.

All that said, I did find this one more enjoyable than the second in the series. In the end, the "Rose" that could never be compared or magic recaptured was Fiona. Ingrid nor Willa ever matched my interest in her & Joe's story. I did like that Fiona & Joe were carried through in all the books, I think they provided a much needed anchor.

Not fair to rate not far into it!

Book one in the series, I didn't want to put it down. I love a book with history mixed in. This book was so good, I ordered the others in the series. It is wonderful to discover a new favorite author.

I was sad when the series ended !

Quick read. But wish font was a little larger. But that’s just a personal preference. Font is standard.

book was great