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The Wild Rose  By  cover art

The Wild Rose

By: Jennifer Donnelly
Narrated by: Jill Tanner
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Publisher's summary

The Wild Rose is a part of the sweeping, multigenerational saga that began with The Tea Rose and continued with The Winter Rose.

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: Willa Alden, a passionate mountain climber who lost her leg while summiting Kilimanjaro with Seamus Finnegan and will never forgive him for saving her life; Finnegan, a polar explorer who tries to forget Willa as he marries a beautiful young schoolteacher back home in England; Max von Brandt, a handsome German sophisticate who courts high society women, but has a secret agenda in wartime London. Many other beloved characters from The Winter Rose continue their adventures in The Wild Rose as well.

With myriad twists and turns, thrilling cliffhangers, and fabulous period detail and atmosphere, The Wild Rose provides a highly satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy.

©2011 Jennifer Donnelly (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

What listeners say about The Wild Rose

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So sad that this third in the series is the last.

This third installment in the Tea Rose series was a wonderful addition. Im thoroughly dissapointed that its the last, and can only hope that there will be more based on the next generations.
One thing I really love about these books is how the author brings all the characters from all three books together in each book. Im sure Im not the only one who tends to make friends with characters, and I always am so sad when the book is over and I have to say goodbye. Its nice to see them over and over again.
Feel confident that if you have enjoyed the first two books, you will find that this one, too, is worth the read.

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14 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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Loathed it

I loathed Willa and disliked Seamus. It’s difficult to enjoy a book no matter how good the writing when the main characters are so awful. This was the third book in a trilogy that started out strong but got weaker and weaker with each installment.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

STOP! Don't make the mistake I made

I read "Winter Rose" prior to buying this book. Then I discovered there was another book, "Tea Rose" before "Winter Rose", but of course by then I knew some of what had happened in the first book. I don't like to go backwards.

I'm not much for "family saga" books, but since it was set during the early 20th century and in England, I read "Winter Rose", then this book. Both were really good. But this book kept me riveted. I am ashamed to say, I did not get as much work done as I should have because I found every excuse possible to stop and listen "for just 15 min..."!

I like steam, and this book does not have any, but the characterization and story line more than made up for that. There were many twists and turns, and it was nice to catch up on the characters from "Winter Rose".

I highly recommend this book, even if, like me, you don't care much for family sagas! I'm getting ready to see what else this author has written.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Really disappointing

The heroine in this story was not a character you can even like. She is a selfish, self-centered person who used anyone around her and was a whiner needing lots of pills to handle any pain. The other characters in the book were interesting and the story could have been much better if centered on one of them.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not what I was hoping for

I really was primed to enjoy this book. I loved loved loved Revolution by this author and hoped this was similar. But it is not at all. I was hoping for an intriguing story with lots of texture and character and minimal "bodice ripping" but I was for the most part disappointed. I never became involved in any of the characters, never felt invested in what happened to them. Add to that all the bedroom detail and it wasn't an enjoyable ride. The narrator was very good and I would definitely listen to another of her performances, I just wasn't taken in by the story or the characters. By about half way through the book I couldn't justify plowing through the bedroom scenes to find out what happened. I really didn't care any more. It takes a lot for me to stop reading something as I tend to be somewhat OCD about books. And I know a lot of people don't care or even enjoy hearing the details of other peoples' physical encounters but I'd just as soon leave things up to the imagination. If the story is well done and the characters intriguing, I can overcome that obsticle but that wasn't the case in this book. So far, I'm 2 for 3 on trying female authors writing historical fiction. Maybe I'm too picky, I think I'll go back and read some Dickens again...

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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My Least Favorite of the Series ...

... by far. Extremely tedious for those of us who read the first two books and are required to repeatedly revisit those characters' histories through awkward snippets of information. What's really dissapointing is to see how self righteous and indignant the main characters from The Tea Rose became. And I never want to hear the word "Ant-TART-TickAH" again. Ever. Willa is not a sympathetic character. Or maybe I have no sumpathy for fictional drug addicts who selfishly wallow in their self pity to the detriment of all who love her.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Part Three of Three

I think people need to know that this book is the third book in a series of three. Each of the three books The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and the Wild Rose focus on different characters from the same family so each can stand alone but I think I was more invested in the characters because I had red the two books before this one. The Wild Rose was by far my least favourite of the three but Audible doesn't have the first two books in Audible form. After saying that I really enjoy Jennifer Donnelly's writing style. I found all three books to be unpredictable and character driven which is what I personally look for in a book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not a bad ending to the Series, worth the time!

The performance is superb. The various character voices are distinct and recognizable. For example, Von Brandt & Billy Madden can be instantly identified at the cabin just hearing their voices, before any identification is made in the book. Well done! Many Kudos.
The story, too, is excellent. However, it is (just barely) not quite as good as the first two books; but I'm at a loss to say why. Maybe it just didn't go as I'd expected. Nonetheless, it is so interesting and exciting that I could not put it down until I finished it.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Mixed Feelings

I loved the first 2 books in this series and this one is well written as well. I just struggled with the relationship between Shammy and Willa. what they did to others, one in particular, hurt me and made me think they are two of the most selfish people. overall the author is very talented.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I finished it out of obligation to see it through

Just 🙄🙄🙄🙄. I only finished it because I was so close to the end. The story of Seamus and Willa was just selfish and exhausting, all the way through. The ending of lost all the steam and was dry and predictable. I love trilogies, but I feel like this one she maybe over committed and was over it herself by the end.

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