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A review by stephbookshine
The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital by Joanna Nell
5.0
I’ve read a few of Joanna Nell’s novels now, so I know that I can expect them to be well-written family dramas, often about aging, and that they will both warm and break my heart in equal measures. This one is no exception to those rules!
I found the story a little hard to get into at first, as one of the first characters we meet is the rather prickly and judgmental Hilary, who immediately got my back up with her inner commentary on Joy and Chloe. But, as expected, we soon get past that veneer to the deeper characters beneath and I was able to fall fully into the story and feel the characters’ struggles as my own.
Each of the ‘Tea Ladies’ has her cross to bear – Hilary has her ex-husband and sister, plus her worries about the future of the cafeteria; Joy has her husband’s serious illness, and her antipathy for anything too serious; Chloe has issues with her parents and boys, and is struggling with the career path laid out for her – but they all gradually come together in a common cause and learn lessons about themselves and each other along the way.
Heartwarming, witty, touching and just all-round lovely to read, I thoroughly recommend this, and all other Joanna Nell books for anyone who loves a cosy, people-centred story about strength, hope, and found family.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
I found the story a little hard to get into at first, as one of the first characters we meet is the rather prickly and judgmental Hilary, who immediately got my back up with her inner commentary on Joy and Chloe. But, as expected, we soon get past that veneer to the deeper characters beneath and I was able to fall fully into the story and feel the characters’ struggles as my own.
Each of the ‘Tea Ladies’ has her cross to bear – Hilary has her ex-husband and sister, plus her worries about the future of the cafeteria; Joy has her husband’s serious illness, and her antipathy for anything too serious; Chloe has issues with her parents and boys, and is struggling with the career path laid out for her – but they all gradually come together in a common cause and learn lessons about themselves and each other along the way.
Heartwarming, witty, touching and just all-round lovely to read, I thoroughly recommend this, and all other Joanna Nell books for anyone who loves a cosy, people-centred story about strength, hope, and found family.
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog