The Wild Rose

( 76 )

Overview

“Enjoy the ride: 600-plus pages of romance, harrowing exploits, cinematic backdrops, cliff-hangers, and plot twists.” —Publishers Weekly It is London, 1914. World War I looms on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. Into this volatile time, Jennifer Donnelly places her vivid and memorable characters, continuing the story of the Finnegan family. With fabulous period detail, myriad twists and turns, and thrilling cliff-hangers, The Wild

... See more details below
Paperback
$15.99
BN.com price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (36) from $1.99   
  • New (25) from $1.99   
  • Used (11) from $1.99   
The Wild Rose

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$15.59
BN.com price
(Save 40%)$25.99 List Price

More About This Book

Overview

“Enjoy the ride: 600-plus pages of romance, harrowing exploits, cinematic backdrops, cliff-hangers, and plot twists.” —Publishers Weekly It is London, 1914. World War I looms on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. Into this volatile time, Jennifer Donnelly places her vivid and memorable characters, continuing the story of the Finnegan family. With fabulous period detail, myriad twists and turns, and thrilling cliff-hangers, The Wild Rose is the highly satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy that began with The Tea Rose and continued with The Winter Rose—and an utterly captivating read in its own right.

Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

A pair of lovers converges, then parts, then repeats the abrupt cycle in this new novel by Jennifer Donnelly (Revolution; A Northern Light; The Tea Rose). In the early years of the 20th century, Seamus Finnegan and Willa Alden both pursue lives of intense danger, but their mutual attraction survives numerous disasters, misunderstandings, and separations. With its exotic settings, arresting historical undercurrents, and soulful romantic plot, The Wild Rose ranks with Donnelly's best.

Booklist

"Mix Gangs of New York, Romeo and Juliet, and Oliver Twist, and get a passionate tale propelled by sophisticated plotting, cleverly disguised motives, and intriguingly entangled characters."

Romantic Times Book Review
"A lush story of epic proportions . . . Donnelly peoples her book with larger-than-life characters whose tragedies and triumphs lift your heart and soul."
Washington Post Book World
"If Jennifer Donnelly doesn't watch out, she's going to get a reputation. With the publication of The Winter Rose, she proves that her first fast, fat and fun historical novel—The Tea Rose— wasn't a fluke. She's a master of pacing and plot, with enough high points scattered throughout to keep your pulse racing . . . I read the last third at near-choking speed . . . I imagine you will, too."
Library Journal
As in Donnelly's The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, a pair of lovers must survive misunderstandings, betrayals, physical dangers, and emotional upheavals before they find happiness. After a climbing mishap on Kilimanjaro, Seamus Finnegan manages to save Willa Alden's life, but she loses one of her legs. Embittered and despairing, Willa seeks refuge in Tibet, while Seamus gains fame through polar expeditions. When the novel opens eight years later, in 1914, Europe is poised on the brink of war. Amid social and political ferment, Seamus marries Jennie Wilcott, pregnant with his child. Willa's return for her father's funeral results in a passionate affair that ends abruptly when Willa's brother confronts her. By 1918, Willa is using her photography skills in Arabia to support Tom (T.E.) Lawrence's spy network, while Seamus commands a navy ship in the Mediterranean. Their paths converge at several points as they survive disasters such as a plane crash, a submarine attack, imprisonment, and torture. Familiar characters from the earlier novels also reappear. VERDICT Donnelly skillfully integrates historical detail while entwining multiple plotlines in a fast-paced narrative. Readers of the earlier books will be especially eager for this volume, which should also earn the author new fans.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato
Kirkus Reviews

Want to end the war to end all wars? Put a mountaineer—and a woman mountaineer—to the task.

Willa Alden isn't just any mountaineer, at least not by genre novelist Donnelly's account. In a thick, overly long narrative peopled by a few returnees fromThe Winter Rose (2008, etc.), Willa is a standout, admirable in her many strengths. But then, just about everyone in this story is strong in his or her own métier, from Winston Churchill to charm-the-pants-off-anyone Kaiserian spy Max von Brandt. Heck, even the Dalai Lama is a brick—and a pal of Willa's, natch, who "on occasion...would drink with her, sing Tibetan songs with her, and swap bawdy stories." But all these are wimps next to Willa's true amour, Seamus Finnegan, fearless polar explorer and breathless lover, who has gotten himself into countless scrapes with her and left her wanting only once, and then by way of something in a limb. (You'll have to read the book for the details.) "You're a very dashing figure, you know," says one admirer of Seamie's. "You've achieved so much, done so many amazing things." Seamie knows, yet the one thing he wants eludes him. Meanwhile, old Max is up to no good, for these, after all, are the stirring years of World War I, and his job is to embarrass smarty-pants Britons and exalt Teutons everywhere. By the end of this endless exercise in historical fiction, one that gets all the details right except the way people spoke to each other a century ago, Max, Seamie and Willa have been replaying the Perils of Pauline in the company of Lawrence of Arabia, a perplexing and improbable turn of events that at least moves the plot along. Thank goodness Willa has picked up conversational Arabic and Turkish along the way. "Jamal Pasha is coming! Jamal Pasha is coming!"

But is Max that much a rotter, and Seamie that much a hero? Read this aspirational potboiler and find out. Or not.

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781401307479
  • Publisher: Hyperion
  • Publication date: 5/22/2012
  • Pages: 640
  • Sales rank: 67,274
  • Product dimensions: 5.30 (w) x 7.80 (h) x 1.68 (d)

Meet the Author

Jennifer Donnelly

Jennifer Donnelly is the author of The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, the children's book A Northern Light, and a young adult novel, Revolution. She lives in Tivoli, New York, with her husband and daughter.

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 76 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(44)

4 Star

(17)

3 Star

(7)

2 Star

(6)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 76 Customer Reviews

  • Posted July 10, 2011

    Lives up to the first two!

    All I can say is . WOW!! If Tea Rose and Winter Rose were turned up to 11 in terms of drama, emotion, plot twists and unforgettable characters, Wild Rose is turned up to - I don't know - 12? 20?? This absolutely lives up to its predecessors, and then some. It's tied with Winter Rose for my favorite of the three . but everyone has a different favorite for different reasons! I could gush for pages, as this is very fresh on my mind - but I don't want to spoil it. So I'll just cover some of the big, general questions I had while waiting (and waiting . and waiting) for this book. First, everyone is back! Joe and Fiona, Charlie and India, and of course Seamie and Willa (whom the story is centered on). It's like a family reunion! There's a very lovely scene on a happy occasion where Fiona is looking out at (almost all of) her extended family and I must say I had tears in my eyes taking it all in through her perspective. I felt like it was my family, I know them all so well. These characters don't just make an appearance, either - they all have real roles in the plot . which, as you can imagine, is a huge, sprawling story. (I think it's the most complex plot of the three - and that's saying something!) Real history - and real historical figures - are present in a big way. Biggest yet, I think. See if you don't fall in love with Tom Lawrence (THE Tom Lawrence . of Arabia)! The villain is creepy and great. It's hard to top Jack the Ripper for badness, but we get closer to the bad guy in The Wild Rose - and he's a really compelling character. Which makes him even more scary somehow ... There are big plot twists, of course -- as you'd expect (and I won't spoil). Some I saw coming a mile away, some took me completely by surprise. It's an emotional rollercoaster. The love story is very hard won (as usual) - but this one is grittier and maybe a little bittersweet (but no less powerful - their love is deep and intense). There's more emotional weight to their relationship and less of the protagonists just missing each other. They're not perfect; everyone is scarred and flawed. This all occurs amidst the horrors and heartbreak of World War I, and the suffering of that conflict is laid bare. The ending is as lyrical as the others, and knowing I was at the conclusion of such a long and engrossing three-volume story left me feeling like I was saying farewell to a dear old friend. This is the most sequelly of the three - you can read this one first, or even by itself, but I think it's best read after the others in the series. There are so many characters coming back into this one that you'll miss out if you don't know their history. Finally, maybe this is just wishful thinking and I know there are only supposed to be three books in this series. But, see, Joe and Fiona have this beautiful, feisty and ambitious daughter -- and she, it turns out, is a chip off the old block . I have read so many thirds/lasts in a series that were disappointing. I'm very happy to say this isn't one of them. I think Donnelly took the time to do this one right. I guess that's why it took so long! Enjoy this - if you enjoyed the other Rose books, I'm sure you will. And thank you Jennifer Donnelly for this unforgettable, epic tale.

    7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted June 26, 2011

    Where's the Nook version??

    Love this author! Why isn't a Nook version available for pre-order on this book??

    5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 3, 2012

    Ugh!

    I haven't finished reading this last book, and I'm not sure I will as it has become increasingly hard to read. I find Seamie and Willa's character hard to like (nevermind love) and even harder to forgive.

    The first two books were definitely better. My recommendation at this point would be to forget about this book altogether, and just read "The Tea Rose" and "The Winter Rose".

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 7, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Well-written story, irritating characters.

    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.

    3 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 25, 2012

    Some glitches on Nook...

    Great book but beware Nook users...some pages are missing in the electronic version. It's frequent enough to be very irritating. Buy the hard copy.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 8, 2011

    I wouldn't have missed the third in the Rose series

    I had planned to just read the first in the series, but enjoyed it so much I bought the second and loved it even more. As soon as The Wild Rose was available, I bought it. Great writing by Jennifer Donnelly. Her historical research was amazing. I actually "liked" the main characters in the first two books better than the main characters in The Wild Rose. However, the rest of the family are still around in this book which made this also an excellent "read". Jennifer Donnelly really brought all these characters to life. I hope she is writing additional books!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 25, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    You Must Read This!

    After reading The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose I had waited patiently for The Wild Rose...it was worth the wait! Jennifer Donnelly has a unique talent for creating characters you either root for or despise...all the while you just can't wait to see what happens next. Reading this book was a true delight and I was so sad when the book ended!

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 2, 2011

    Sweeping Read

    Willa Alden and Seamus Finnegan, soul mates who cannot seem to find their way back to each other, are strong forces that propel the reader into a maelstrom that threatens to overwhelm at times. The Wild Rose is poignant, compelling and often heartbreaking. It takes the reader into the World War I era when social structures and ways of waging war changed forever. It is an amazing love story bit it also encompasses a world of social woes and inexplicable human emotions.

    The battle scars of living in hard times and in war time marks the lives of every character in this novel. Each character seems avidly committed to a cause that rules his or her life, a commitment that excludes happiness except in small increments, like brief glimpses of the sunshine on a dreary, cloudy day. Whether it is a quest, a duty, a strong sense of social justice, or a "calling", something demands the best and continual efforts of the characters at great personal expense.

    The Wild Rose is like a huge tapestry that records a significant time in history and in the lives of Willa, Seamus, their families, friends, and associates--some good and some not-so-good.

    Sophisticated espionage, political struggles, deplorable living condition in parts of London, and dedicated "do-gooders" (in the very best sense of the word) are background, an ever-present design, in the tapestry while Willa and her quest at wild, pristine Mount Everest stands out in bold. stark, detail showing all the beauty and danger.

    The part of the tapestry that shows life in London is crammed full of characters, a few add a touch of humor here and there, but most are serious and many have clandestine agendas that force them to lead doubt lives that create stress and sometimes irreparable hurt.

    After Mt. Kilimanjaro where Willa seemed to lose her dreams and her way after she left Seamus, she drives herself mercilessly using opiates to fight the pain of her amputated leg (and wounded soul) she photographs and writes about Mount Everest as battles the cold and makes her way in a unique culture of the people she lives among. Her heart still reaches out to Seamus but she denies herself not only him but also her family that worries about her. She is alone.

    Seamus, haunted by what happened at Kilimanjaro, longs for Willa down-deep in his soul. His is a bold design in The Wild Rose tapestry-a design that shows him beautifully male, desired by women, a rover, and polar explorer who slips into a marriage, then into the thick of navel operation in the Mediterranean that finally lands him in a prisoner of war camp in the African desert. After the war, Seamus' design in the tapestry changes to less bold as the bonds with his little son.

    As the Willa design and the Seamus design weave in close to each other then out again during both their near-death war experiences, the reader's breath is taken away by the barbarism and the covert operations that are carried out in such unfeeling ways.

    Finally the tenuous balance of winner and loser of the war finding a way back to some sort of normalcy for the good of humanity proves to be a fragile thread in the tapestry that could so easily break with just the wrong twist or pull.

    Read the Full Review at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 23, 2012

    Exhausting, too much going on

    Wow, I am exhausted. The Wild Rose took me on a wild ride. I read the two other books that are part of the trilogy. I liked them. I like all of the characters and history in each book. This book, however, got a little too "Indiana Jones" for me. Donnelly did not need so many different threads throughout the story. My goodness, the reader is all over the place. So many MAJOR things happen to a handful of people over a short period of time. I would have preferred if some of the threads were taken out, and others more focused. The book is entirely readable, the way a soap opera is to watch. You want to know what is going to happen, you can't put the darn thing down. But I prefer when the historical novels stick a little closer to the history, and make more realistic scenes. The woman with one leg tramping through the desert with Lawrence of Arabia! Willa seemed to get special treatment all the way around. There were also so many near death experiences that it made the story that much harder to believe. Some historical novels, you can lose yourself in. You really feel these things are happening, and that you are there. But so many scenes from this book are so unreal, you find yourself giggling throughout the book. All of this said, I did enjoy the trilogy. #3 was just a bit much for me. There is no need to overwhelm readers with such massive plot. Some of the simplest stories, make the best stories. 3.5 stars

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted March 22, 2012

    Excellant

    Not quite as good as the first two, but still an excellant read.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 28, 2011

    ***** Highly Recommended

    Absolutely wonderful end to this trilogy. I stumbled on the Tea Rose in November and immediately read Wild Rose and Winter Rose. There are enough twists and turns throughout to keep you staying up late into the night. At times I was upset with the direction but just when I thought it was going one way she turned the corner and it righted itself... Cannot wait for another book by this author.

    There should be more books like this out there...

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 11, 2011

    Great series!!

    I loved this series! Make sure youstart with book one!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 17, 2011

    A Treasure

    Beautifully written, with well-drawn characters and plot lines. It is definitely not necessary to read the first two novels in the trilogy, but it will make the experience even more enthralling if you do. Donnelly is a gifted writer. Don't miss this wonderful read.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 26, 2011

    Not great

    I really enjoyed the first two books, but not this one. I only finished it because I had so much time already invested in reading the series that it didn't seem right not to finish it. I agree with others that Willa and Seamie were not very likable. The plot was not believable. I found myself skimming over whole pages of wordy descriptions that addded nothing to the story . Save your time and money and skip this one....just re-read the first two, which are actually enjoyable.

    1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 23, 2011

    Amazing book!

    I could not put this book down, it was so good just like Tea Rose, and Winter Rose. I think Ms. Donnelly is brilliant author. I hope to read more books by her. She is another one of my favourite writer.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 6, 2011

    awesome!

    I loved these 3 books.Ifelt like i was there in London. Vvery well written.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 3, 2011

    please have Nook version available too!

    when will this book be available to read on Nook?

    1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 24, 2012

    Highly Recommended

    I'm half way through this book and I just can't put it down!! I will be sad when I finish this. This was a great series that everyone should take the time to read. The details in the books are so livid, it is as if you are there yourself!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted June 19, 2012

    Love love love!

    I read all 3 of the Rose books, and after the first one I thought "there is no way the 2nd one will be as good". I thought the same thing about the 3rd after reading the 2nd. They are all wonderful! Even being fairly long books, I read them all within a matter of days, I just couldn't put them down! Highly recommend, and definitely read them in order!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 30, 2012

    Great Trilogy

    The Tea Rose, Winter Rose and Wild Rose are a fantastic trilogy. I highly recommend all three of these books. I didn't want to put them down. They are a long read, but hold your attention.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 76 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)