Seventeen years ago, Penny and Daniel Stanley were married and inherited Muldoon's Tea Rooms from Penny's father. Since Daniel had trained as a chef, the match was perfect. The two have put all of their heart, soul and money into the tea shop over the years, and although business is booming, Penny is finding herself more and more discontented. She wants to have a baby before it's too late, but Daniel has issues from the past that makes him reluctant to have children.
The numerous regulars who stop in for tea and delectable foods are all dealing with their own dilemmas. Housewife Sadie Smith has tried for years to slim down to be appealing to her go-getter husband. Nothing seems to please him, and when Sadie discovers he's having an affair, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Henry Blackstock's wife loves the Victorian era. When she wants to remodel their home to house her book group, where does that leave Henry? Young artist Brenda Brown paints sad pictures and writes numerous fan letters to actor Nicholas Cage, whom she admires from afar. Will she ever receive her break in the art world? Clare Fitzgerald moved from Ireland to New York but has never forgotten the man she loved and lost. Will a return trip to the tea room help her find him again?
Settle back for a cozy trip to Ireland and get to know the varied and interesting characters in The Tea House on Mulberry Street. Penny and Daniel's plights are the focal point, with the other characters mingling in as they come into the tea shop and interact with each other. Even through short vignettes, each character's motivation and struggle is clearly revealed and their approach to life will resonate with readers. Detailed characters with engaging personalities make the book difficult to put down.
If you enjoy books by Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher, The Tea House on Mulberry Street is a treasure you won't want to miss. The descriptions of the foods are delectable, the setting wonderfully described, and each situation is different and fascinating. They will cause readers to long for a place to go when life becomes too much to handle, to escape with a cup of tea and some great company. Pour your own cup of tea and lose yourself in this thoughtful book.