The Wild Rose

I have been waiting literally years for "the Wild Rose" to be published. Ever since I first read "The Tea Rose" (which was originally written to be a standalone novel) and learned about the planned trilogy I was over the moon. It's just how good these books are. Things went downhill drastically for the Finnegan family when their father was murdered for trying to organize a dock workers union and their mother was killed by Jack the ripper. Three children survived, Fiona, Charlie, and Seamus. Fiona, in "The Tea Rose" battles star crossed love and immense poverty to become the head of a tea company in America. In "the Winter Rose" Charlie, who turned into a London crime boss after his mother's death, falls in love with a lady doctor but can't seem to shake his past. And Seamus is raised by Fiona and her gay husband/ best friend in America, running wild and exploring everything he can. "The Wild Rose" is Seamus (Seamie as he is called) turn to narrate and picks up several years after the mountain climbing disaster at the end of "The Winter Rose" that cost Seamie's love Willa her leg, and Seamie her trust and his chance to be with her. To try to keep the pain away Seamie becomes a world class explorer. But many years apart, and with World War 1 looming on the horizon there's a chance these two heavily damaged lovers will never see each other again before it's too late. There's no disputing the fact that this trilogy is essentially one really long, fantastically written soap opera. This is not a criticism, just an observation that more bad, amazing and historically important things happen to this family than any other. It's just how these books work- heartbreak after heartbreak, danger followed by more danger. But it all keeps for dissolving into a clichéd mush because of how good the characters are- how much personality they have. The level of description in this novel is also just astounding- every little smell, leaf and emotion is noted. And the epic romance's flowing through these books makes them impossible to put down- even if you aren't a fan of romance traditionally. This wrap up to the series is an amazing book, every bit as good as the two that came before it. Jennifer Donnelly is an incredibly skilled writer who obviously has the imagination to not only picture every scene in the novel as though it were part of a movie, but also pass that on to her reading audience. Five stars for "the Wild Rose", Five stars for the series as a whole. And I'll be whishing, hoping and praying until Donnelly's next adult novel comes out.

Very few writers can concoct a story as intertwined and elaborate as Jennifer Donnelly. That being said, at some points in the story I was beginning to feel that the world was just a bit too coincidental. How many times can people randomly meet on separate continents? All three of the Rose Trilogy books have had their bouts of out of the ordinary events however I think the Wild Rose may have over done it. I also struggled to relate to Willa like I had with Fee and India. In the previous two novels Fee and India were strong independent female characters who fought for what they loved and continued to stand on their feet. In the Wild Rose, Willa seems to self destruct time and time again, only to find stability in the end when she and Seamie were reunited. Of course I did finish the book quickly, and was entertained through out the reading process. I just do not think the finale quite lives up to the previous two of the series.

5 Stars for the Rose Series. Such a well done mix of researched truth and captivating fiction. My sister and my mother had both raved and insisted that I read the 3 book series as well. Here I am tonight smiling and so happy that I listened... and read! I loved the history, the settings, the characters, the strong wills and their important roles. I felt like I was watching history happen! (One thing that actually happened while I was on book 3, during March 2019, there was current news that DNA evidence revealed the true Jack the Ripper! Who it actually is would have changed the book 1 story, but it just doesn't matter!) As I read each of the 3 books I realized and appreciated how they went together, but could also easily stand on their own. It is a super great series, you will be happy spending your time relaxing with it!!!

I had been waiting for this book awhile after I finished The Winter Rose in 4 days. And I wasn't disappointed. Ok so it is a little soap opera-y. But it doesn't bother me in these books. It only added to the angst which this author is so good at. I absoutely love these characters and their stories. I think some of the other reviewers were disappointed that these characters had flaws and demonstrated those flaws in the aftermath of war. It makes the book quite interesting because some of the plot lines aren't realistic at all while the flawed characters can be relatable. If you go into looking for a realistic book then this isn't it. But if you want to get sucked into a story and be entertained then this is your book. I couldn't put this thing down and nothing is better to me than a book that is a real page turner. Thank you Mrs. Donnelly. I am looking forward to what you write in hopefully the near future.

I adore the work of Jennifer Donnelly, and the Rose Trilogy is especially terrific. It seemed like such a long time between books #2 and #3 but the wait was worth it. Still, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't want to have to wait another couple of years before Donnelly gives us another spellbinding story. I know THE WILD ROSE was meant to end the Rose Trilogy, but I do so hope Donnelly will consider continuing the series for her many fans. I would love to see the stories of Katie, Charlotte, and Charlie told in a fourth book set against the years of WWII. I'm truly envious of the way Donnelly is able to torture her characters and keep us feverishly turning pages into the night. All the while I was reading each of the Rose novels, I knew the story would end happily -- or at least in a very satisfying way -- but that didn't keep me from worrying about the characters, because Donnelly has that rare ability to plunge them into seemingly impossible situations, then finding the one way to get them out that her readers will believe. Bravo, Ms. Donnelly. You are a marvelous writer, and I'm envious. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

As in the previous books of the series Wild rose is full of action and suspense but still very human. I enjoyed it.

Très beau roman faisant partie d'une trilogie : L'insoumise (The Tea Rose) L'ange de WhiteChapel (The Winter Rose) L'indomptable (The Wild Rose).

I don't usually write reviews but strangely I do base a lot of my choices on reading other reviews so here goes..... I read a wide range of genres but one of my favourites is historical fiction. This trilogy is absolutely brilliant it starts with The Tea Rose, then The Winter Rose and finally The Wild Rose. Read them in order as the characters are carried on through the three books. I was absolutely hooked from the first page and stayed up late many a night as I was desperate to know what was going to happen next. You get so involved with the characters, their triumphs, disappointments and disasters and the stories are cleverly tied in with factual history. I recommended these books to my sister in law and she's told me not to phone her because her life is on hold until she's finished reading them. :-)

A great read. Hard to put it down once I started. 😊

Donnelly uses the first few chapters to reacquaint readers with the characters from the previous books and also to introduce new characters such as Max von Brandt, the handsome German who has his very own, clandestine, agenda in this part of the story. She interweaves her loveable, yet flawed characters with real-life persons like Lawrence of Arabia or Ernest Shackleton which adds credibility to the storyline. "The Wild Rose" mainly concentrates on Seamie and Willa while the other, beloved characters from the previous books, take a backseat. Donnelly takes us from the peaks of the Himalayas to London & from the Arabian Desert to Africa. Set against the backdrop of WW I it encompasses womens' fight for equal rights, the conquest & mapping of the Himalayas, espionage and last but not least a love-story of a kind. Donnelly's vivid & colorful way of telling the well researched story (her bibliography is six and a half pages long) and her trademark cliffhanger chapter-endings let the story play out right before my very eyes. Those familiar with her previous works will enjoy the twists she adds to her stories. They make "The Wild Rose" nearly as unputdownable as "The Tea Rose" and "The Winter Rose". However, I must admit that there were a few twists too many for my liking when it came to the main characters Seamie and Willa. I would have wished for a little more character development & a teensy weensy bit less predictability, too (If I went into detail here, it would spoil your reading). Also I would have wished for a bit more information on how Willa handled daily life with her prosthesis during all the hardships to make that part more understandable for me. Apart from that "The Wild Rose" is a suspenseful reunion with beloved characters and a satisfying, fitting ending to a wonderful trilogy that answers the questions I had concerning the protagonists. I enjoyed reading it very much, but not *quite* as much as I enjoyed reading " The Tea Rose " and " The Winter Rose " - therefore 4.5*, which makes it nearly as good as a five-star read ;-).