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Tea Cups & Tiger Claws
First comes the miracle and then comes the madness. The miracle is the birth of identical triplets, and the madness is all about money, of course. The year is 1916 and the newborn baby girls have become pint-size celebrities. Unfortunately, this small portion of fame soon leads to a much larger portion of greed, and the triplets are split up—parceled out to the highest bidders. Two of the girls go to live in a hilltop mansion. The third girl isn't so lucky. She ends up with a shady family that lives in an abandoned work camp. That’s how their lives begin: two on top, one on the bottom, and all three in the same small town. And when their worlds collide, as they must, the consequences are extreme.
"Tea Cups & Tiger Claws" spans fifty years and takes the reader from a shantytown to a gilded mansion, from dark desires to sacrificial love.
"Tea Cups & Tiger Claws" spans fifty years and takes the reader from a shantytown to a gilded mansion, from dark desires to sacrificial love.
435 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2013
85 people are currently reading
1281 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Patrick
3 books9 followersTim Patrick learned at an early age about living on both sides of the tracks. His family scraped to pay the rent but he received his primary education at a private boarding school, the result of smooth talking parents and a generous scholarship. On visiting day Tim watched the parents of his schoolmates arrive in limousines and Lamborghinis. His parents arrived in a utility van that said "Patrick's TV Repair" on the sides.
In Tea Cups & Tiger Claws, his first novel, Patrick continues with this childhood theme as he introduces forbidden mountaintop palaces and the characters who try to sneak into them. It's a family saga that spans three generations and takes you on a wild ride from one side of the tracks to the other.
In Death of Movie Star, the author’s second novel, he takes you backstage to meet the types of film stars that the whole world loves and hates—sometimes simultaneously. There are the ambitious divas, the wisecracking sidekicks, and the really frightening ones who just might be playing themselves.
In Ollie Come Free, Patrick unites his fondness for the American family saga with the fascinating phenomenon of acquired savantism, where a person can get bonked on the head and wake up with a new and amazing talent…and the brain damage that always accompanies it.
Tim is a graduate of UCLA. He and his wife live in California and are the parents of two grown children. In his spare time, he enjoys aviation, bicycling, and experimenting in the kitchen.
In Tea Cups & Tiger Claws, his first novel, Patrick continues with this childhood theme as he introduces forbidden mountaintop palaces and the characters who try to sneak into them. It's a family saga that spans three generations and takes you on a wild ride from one side of the tracks to the other.
In Death of Movie Star, the author’s second novel, he takes you backstage to meet the types of film stars that the whole world loves and hates—sometimes simultaneously. There are the ambitious divas, the wisecracking sidekicks, and the really frightening ones who just might be playing themselves.
In Ollie Come Free, Patrick unites his fondness for the American family saga with the fascinating phenomenon of acquired savantism, where a person can get bonked on the head and wake up with a new and amazing talent…and the brain damage that always accompanies it.
Tim is a graduate of UCLA. He and his wife live in California and are the parents of two grown children. In his spare time, he enjoys aviation, bicycling, and experimenting in the kitchen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
March 31, 2014
I'm a little torn on this book. On the one hand it did hold my interest pretty well and the plot and characters felt pretty novel and interesting. It was quite a saga, spanning multiple generations and many years. The writing was decent in a plot-driven kind of way. Dark and a bit disturbing, which I like in a book. The book felt a little rushed at times, skimming the surface and not delving into the characters much, and leaving some stuff and some characters hanging.
I did feel like I wasn't sure who the author wanted us to sympathize with in this work. It starts out with what I felt was the main character, Dorothea, who has not gotten a lot of breaks in life. I felt like we should sympathize with her although even at the beginning there is a dichotomy with her mother's choice to keep her rather than sell her being somewhat oddly a bad thing rather than a good thing.
Initially I wanted to see the underdog make a place for herself and see some justice for her in the world. But then the character takes some actions that basically make her irredeemable. Dorothea isn't a love-her character or even a love-to-hate-her character. And there's really no one to root for through much of the book until the later part of the story where it comes to a climax of Dorothea versus her sisters' children in a battle for life and home, when it is pretty clear that we should want Dorothea to fail and for the kids who have basically had everything in life, to succeed, which seems a bit of a turnaround. But maybe its supposed to be unclear. Maybe that's the point.
An interesting book. Worth a read.
I did feel like I wasn't sure who the author wanted us to sympathize with in this work. It starts out with what I felt was the main character, Dorothea, who has not gotten a lot of breaks in life. I felt like we should sympathize with her although even at the beginning there is a dichotomy with her mother's choice to keep her rather than sell her being somewhat oddly a bad thing rather than a good thing.
Initially I wanted to see the underdog make a place for herself and see some justice for her in the world. But then the character takes some actions that basically make her irredeemable. Dorothea isn't a love-her character or even a love-to-hate-her character. And there's really no one to root for through much of the book until the later part of the story where it comes to a climax of Dorothea versus her sisters' children in a battle for life and home, when it is pretty clear that we should want Dorothea to fail and for the kids who have basically had everything in life, to succeed, which seems a bit of a turnaround. But maybe its supposed to be unclear. Maybe that's the point.
An interesting book. Worth a read.
February 4, 2014
A pitiless look at how wealth and position drive the lives of a diverse community of people in the genteel small town of Prospect Park, California. It's impossible to outline the contents of the book without giving away too much of the plot and, since I hate spoilers, I will focus this review on the style and quality of the writing. The three parts of this complex, convoluted and multi-generational saga are so different in focus and tempo that, in different hands, might have ended up as a trilogy. Timothy Patrick weaves the separate strands with great skill and mastery, creating a tapestry of jealousy, hatred and revenge, shot through with sardonic observations of middle-class hypocrisy and, occasionally contrasted by the opposing forces of love and family devotion.
There is so much in this tale that it could have easily come apart but, somehow, the theme of revenge drives the plot relentlessly like a devastating tornado through a corn field. Some aspects are unrealistic and far-fetched but this is a work of fiction and the everyday authenticity of the common people's world is strong enough that the reader is willing to suspend belief and be taken along for the ride.
The first part “Sisters” spreads its poisonous foundations like an oil spill. The middle “Cousins” ticks along like a time-bomb, plotting and calculating, spinning a web of intrigue that is perhaps difficult to relate to real life. The third and last “Enemies” takes us on a mad, unstoppable ride of reckless power games and murderous folly where the book becomes a page turner and hard to put down.
Most of the main characters are frankly revolting human beings, and even the 'good' ones are not always easy to like. The narrator's voice remains neutral and non-judgemental but I sensed a fair amount of sympathy for human weakness in the face of adversity. Even though the story deals with three identical triplets, the author shows how upbringing and childhood values shape the character of the sisters so that, in maturity, they are as different as can be imagined. Their children (natural and adopted) are also heavily influenced and moulded by their respective mothers' personalities and parenting styles. Strangely, in this distorted slice of reality men have only limited influence and their impact is mostly dependent on their jobs and positions. There is a Henry James quality to the inevitability of an outcome that was almost impossible to foresee but, nonetheless, once the wheels of hatred are set in motion, can only lead to one conclusion. Dorthea's machine-like epic power is counterbalanced by the very human scale of characters such as Sarah and Mack, whose only strengths are their cool intelligence and determination to survive. Horse lovers will appreciate Tim Patrick's confident and knowledgeable treatment of equestrian matters and I very much enjoyed the horse-gentling subplot of Mack's youth, which reminded me of Monty Roberts.
Although the storyline is predominantly disturbing and there is some graphic violence, when something is done very well, it is enjoyable no matter what. This is certainly the case here and I loved the strong, assured quality of the writing, the fresh and original phrasing and the total command of both the gutter and lofty heights worlds that co-exist with such unease, separated and cushioned by the large and anonymous middle-class who despise both bookends with equal vigour. An intriguing and engaging read. I would like to see Tim Patrick tackle some lighter material with the same detached sardonic eye.
There is so much in this tale that it could have easily come apart but, somehow, the theme of revenge drives the plot relentlessly like a devastating tornado through a corn field. Some aspects are unrealistic and far-fetched but this is a work of fiction and the everyday authenticity of the common people's world is strong enough that the reader is willing to suspend belief and be taken along for the ride.
The first part “Sisters” spreads its poisonous foundations like an oil spill. The middle “Cousins” ticks along like a time-bomb, plotting and calculating, spinning a web of intrigue that is perhaps difficult to relate to real life. The third and last “Enemies” takes us on a mad, unstoppable ride of reckless power games and murderous folly where the book becomes a page turner and hard to put down.
Most of the main characters are frankly revolting human beings, and even the 'good' ones are not always easy to like. The narrator's voice remains neutral and non-judgemental but I sensed a fair amount of sympathy for human weakness in the face of adversity. Even though the story deals with three identical triplets, the author shows how upbringing and childhood values shape the character of the sisters so that, in maturity, they are as different as can be imagined. Their children (natural and adopted) are also heavily influenced and moulded by their respective mothers' personalities and parenting styles. Strangely, in this distorted slice of reality men have only limited influence and their impact is mostly dependent on their jobs and positions. There is a Henry James quality to the inevitability of an outcome that was almost impossible to foresee but, nonetheless, once the wheels of hatred are set in motion, can only lead to one conclusion. Dorthea's machine-like epic power is counterbalanced by the very human scale of characters such as Sarah and Mack, whose only strengths are their cool intelligence and determination to survive. Horse lovers will appreciate Tim Patrick's confident and knowledgeable treatment of equestrian matters and I very much enjoyed the horse-gentling subplot of Mack's youth, which reminded me of Monty Roberts.
Although the storyline is predominantly disturbing and there is some graphic violence, when something is done very well, it is enjoyable no matter what. This is certainly the case here and I loved the strong, assured quality of the writing, the fresh and original phrasing and the total command of both the gutter and lofty heights worlds that co-exist with such unease, separated and cushioned by the large and anonymous middle-class who despise both bookends with equal vigour. An intriguing and engaging read. I would like to see Tim Patrick tackle some lighter material with the same detached sardonic eye.
January 24, 2020
Sometimes I browse around on my Kindle scanning the books I’ve downloaded and have forgotten about. Obscure titles by no-name authors I’ve added as BookBub deals at little or no cost. Browsing my Kindle’s “fiction” section, I opened Tea Cups & Tiger Claws at random, and read this opening:
Ooooh, what started? Tell me more...
These triplets are born to a poor, “white-trash” couple, Ermel and Jeb Railer. Following all the publicity, a duchess (in name only) from an affluent part of town comes to the Railers expressing an interest in the infants. The feisty Ermel and the often-drunk Jeb, both see this as an opportunity for personal gain, but their ideas differ in the details. What follows is a story that starts with the triplets’ birth, and spans several generations, into the 1970s.
It called to mind an old Sidney Sheldon paperback. What a throwback! I remember reading Master of the Game somewhere around the late 80s or early 90s. I can barely recall the plot, but I do remember being hooked on a juicy story that covered three generations and several decades. TC&TC started out fairly well-written. But after its strong opening chapters, it slowly devolved into a well-paced soap opera.
It became so corny toward the end, I wanted to round my 2.5-star assessment DOWN to 2 stars out of sheer exasperation. But to be honest, the book held my interest, it never lagged, and its page-turning quality had me reading past my bedtime many nights. Go figure.
So, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Certainly nothing profound, but good for some easy entertainment.
It started in 1916 when the newspapermen came to town to write stories about a local scamp who’d given birth to identical triplets. Truthfully, the whole thing didn’t look like much more than a new swatch on an old quilt, but they came anyway.
Ooooh, what started? Tell me more...
These triplets are born to a poor, “white-trash” couple, Ermel and Jeb Railer. Following all the publicity, a duchess (in name only) from an affluent part of town comes to the Railers expressing an interest in the infants. The feisty Ermel and the often-drunk Jeb, both see this as an opportunity for personal gain, but their ideas differ in the details. What follows is a story that starts with the triplets’ birth, and spans several generations, into the 1970s.
It called to mind an old Sidney Sheldon paperback. What a throwback! I remember reading Master of the Game somewhere around the late 80s or early 90s. I can barely recall the plot, but I do remember being hooked on a juicy story that covered three generations and several decades. TC&TC started out fairly well-written. But after its strong opening chapters, it slowly devolved into a well-paced soap opera.
It became so corny toward the end, I wanted to round my 2.5-star assessment DOWN to 2 stars out of sheer exasperation. But to be honest, the book held my interest, it never lagged, and its page-turning quality had me reading past my bedtime many nights. Go figure.
So, 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Certainly nothing profound, but good for some easy entertainment.
January 23, 2014
By D. Elliott, Amazon Vine Voice, Top 500 Reviewer. (This review by D. Elliott is posted on the Amazon UK site. It is posted here with his permission. Timothy Patrick did not write this review.)
A possible genre for this book could be `murder mystery' and certainly there are plenty of murders, but in fact `Tea Cups & Tiger Claws' is much more - it is a family saga, it is a romance, and it is a historical societal commentary. The book is divided into 3 parts - first is `Sisters' covering identical triplet girls where Abbey and Judith are adopted by a rich `Duchess' and the third triplet Dorthea is brought up in squalor and poverty by her natural parents. In the second part, `Cousins', Dorthea shows her true colours and sets out to usurp her sisters where pious Abbey turns to religion and spoilt Judith enjoys living in luxury and as upper class. Both have baby girls, cousins Sarah and Veronica, who are brought up quite differently and have very different temperaments. Vindictive Dorthea adopts a young boy Ernest and embroils him in her scheming to supplant his cousins - and everything comes to a head in the final section, `Enemies', where new liaisons form with friends and foes co-existing for a frenzied roller-coaster finale.
The setting is a small town, Prospect Park, where the divisions of social class are real barriers between trash at the bottom of the hill, increasing respectability part ways up, and high society literally at the very top - though all is never what it may first appear and these generalisations cleverly mask undercurrents. Author Timothy Patrick skilfully employs homilies to explore concepts of honesty, sincerity, privilege, regret etc. and he introduces concepts of love and loyalty as well as jealousy, hate, misery, suffering etc. plus insights to domination, control, revenge etc. 'Tea Cups and Tiger Claws' is a complex novel, and as such some events are perhaps not fully explained, and there is a degree of implausibility in Dorthea's wielding of power - but it all makes a great story. Narrative is easy to read and comes across as spoken by a raconteur, with much humour in the dialogue and commentaries which at a serious level highlight differences between American white-trash and the old money class. Dorthea herself makes good financially but cannot overcome snobbery, inbred superiority and authority of those living on top of the hill. The final chapter queries what has changed within the family, and more importantly what remains the same in the wider community of Prospect Park.
A possible genre for this book could be `murder mystery' and certainly there are plenty of murders, but in fact `Tea Cups & Tiger Claws' is much more - it is a family saga, it is a romance, and it is a historical societal commentary. The book is divided into 3 parts - first is `Sisters' covering identical triplet girls where Abbey and Judith are adopted by a rich `Duchess' and the third triplet Dorthea is brought up in squalor and poverty by her natural parents. In the second part, `Cousins', Dorthea shows her true colours and sets out to usurp her sisters where pious Abbey turns to religion and spoilt Judith enjoys living in luxury and as upper class. Both have baby girls, cousins Sarah and Veronica, who are brought up quite differently and have very different temperaments. Vindictive Dorthea adopts a young boy Ernest and embroils him in her scheming to supplant his cousins - and everything comes to a head in the final section, `Enemies', where new liaisons form with friends and foes co-existing for a frenzied roller-coaster finale.
The setting is a small town, Prospect Park, where the divisions of social class are real barriers between trash at the bottom of the hill, increasing respectability part ways up, and high society literally at the very top - though all is never what it may first appear and these generalisations cleverly mask undercurrents. Author Timothy Patrick skilfully employs homilies to explore concepts of honesty, sincerity, privilege, regret etc. and he introduces concepts of love and loyalty as well as jealousy, hate, misery, suffering etc. plus insights to domination, control, revenge etc. 'Tea Cups and Tiger Claws' is a complex novel, and as such some events are perhaps not fully explained, and there is a degree of implausibility in Dorthea's wielding of power - but it all makes a great story. Narrative is easy to read and comes across as spoken by a raconteur, with much humour in the dialogue and commentaries which at a serious level highlight differences between American white-trash and the old money class. Dorthea herself makes good financially but cannot overcome snobbery, inbred superiority and authority of those living on top of the hill. The final chapter queries what has changed within the family, and more importantly what remains the same in the wider community of Prospect Park.
May 3, 2014
REALLY??
REALLY??
Mr. Timothy Patrick sure knows how to spin a tale! The hatred, jealousy, and revenge that surrounds and envelopes the character of Dorthea is creepy! Are there really people like this??? I am hoping that the nastiness that comes from being unloved is just in Mr. Patrick's imagination! I found it hard to put this book down. I appreciate that the book was clean, as well as well-written. I totally recommend this to anyone who likes twisted mysteries and reading about dysfunctional families!
REALLY??
Mr. Timothy Patrick sure knows how to spin a tale! The hatred, jealousy, and revenge that surrounds and envelopes the character of Dorthea is creepy! Are there really people like this??? I am hoping that the nastiness that comes from being unloved is just in Mr. Patrick's imagination! I found it hard to put this book down. I appreciate that the book was clean, as well as well-written. I totally recommend this to anyone who likes twisted mysteries and reading about dysfunctional families!
July 7, 2014
While the timeline was off towards the end of this book it gets all 5 stars because it had a unique story line. Triplet girls are born to a family that lives in a shack. One of the richest ladies in town tries to buy all three girls but ends up with only two. This is the beginning of the girls all taking very different paths in their lives. Follow along to see where these paths take them and their kids. It likely won't be where you expect.
June 12, 2014
Pleasant surprise
Pleasant surprise
This was not at all what I expected as I started reading. I almost quit reading about the third chapter but decided to go one more...and then couldn't put it down! Excellent story of revenge and it's consequences! Very well written and decent job of editing too! Well done!
Pleasant surprise
This was not at all what I expected as I started reading. I almost quit reading about the third chapter but decided to go one more...and then couldn't put it down! Excellent story of revenge and it's consequences! Very well written and decent job of editing too! Well done!
May 17, 2014
Great potential, loved the beginning. Triplets separated, I wanted more of that story. It got weird and drawn out into a strange, fake twist. Almost felt like I read two different stories. It held my interest but I wanted something different.
May 14, 2018
Tedious
This book was promising to start with but quickly turned tedious the majority was mind numbing ramblings. The message I think the author was trying to portray about faith and love and how we often don’t appreciate love especially from a parent until we don’t have it anymore and how if we never receive parental love it can twist you into something evil but if you have a love and who has faith in you it can save you but he took too long to say it the middle could have been a lot shorter and the end less like a runaway truck. Essentially the book was readable but I wouldn’t recommend it. I hate not knowing the end of any story no matter how dull so that’s the reason I persisted with this one.
This book was promising to start with but quickly turned tedious the majority was mind numbing ramblings. The message I think the author was trying to portray about faith and love and how we often don’t appreciate love especially from a parent until we don’t have it anymore and how if we never receive parental love it can twist you into something evil but if you have a love and who has faith in you it can save you but he took too long to say it the middle could have been a lot shorter and the end less like a runaway truck. Essentially the book was readable but I wouldn’t recommend it. I hate not knowing the end of any story no matter how dull so that’s the reason I persisted with this one.
October 21, 2017
This is a wonderful story, and I really love to read a good story with a little possible and a little improbable thrown in for good measure.
Though not all the characters were well developed, they weren't just glossed over, and it was the plot that was compelling. I expected with triplets separated at birth, it would be a more character driven saga, but though it wasn't I was not disappointed.
What really got me was the way the author pulled at my heart strings, and for a time, had me rooting for the "bad guy", but didn't alienate the good character too much that I couldn't root for them in the end.
Though not all the characters were well developed, they weren't just glossed over, and it was the plot that was compelling. I expected with triplets separated at birth, it would be a more character driven saga, but though it wasn't I was not disappointed.
What really got me was the way the author pulled at my heart strings, and for a time, had me rooting for the "bad guy", but didn't alienate the good character too much that I couldn't root for them in the end.
March 23, 2018
This story starts with a good premise and then expands it into a page-turning, can't put down tale. While I did manage to put the book down a few times, the closer I got to the end, the more difficult it became to put it down. I finally got up an hour early to finish the story. The last chapters were a roller-coaster ride.
This book delivered far better than I anticipated. Thank you Mr Patrick, you know how to draw in a reader and tell a tale
This book delivered far better than I anticipated. Thank you Mr Patrick, you know how to draw in a reader and tell a tale
September 17, 2017
What!?!
What a rollicking read! It was fun, which is not what I'd expected. As a matter of fact, I was bracing for a total downer. I kept reading because of the underlying attitude of sarcasm, which I enjoyed. We'll...get ready for a bumpy ride!!
What a rollicking read! It was fun, which is not what I'd expected. As a matter of fact, I was bracing for a total downer. I kept reading because of the underlying attitude of sarcasm, which I enjoyed. We'll...get ready for a bumpy ride!!
May 18, 2018
Decitefullness
Bit of a while to get into, but could not put down took two hours to get into the very good ending, awful hatred the third triplet had for her siblings, but She got caught by her adopted son.
Bit of a while to get into, but could not put down took two hours to get into the very good ending, awful hatred the third triplet had for her siblings, but She got caught by her adopted son.
May 17, 2017
Decent read
I had Some issues with the writing style of the novel but I was pleased to not guess the outcome.
I had Some issues with the writing style of the novel but I was pleased to not guess the outcome.
March 26, 2018
Good book
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA
January 25, 2019
I hate to leave bad reviews, but this book was dark and disturbing. It left me feeling very unsettled. I don't recommend it.
March 30, 2019
I liked it! Fun read during the airplane ride :)
August 11, 2021
Very good
Really enjoyed the story line.. Talk about family secrets.. Goes to show that money isn't everything, and Being right with God is the answer
Really enjoyed the story line.. Talk about family secrets.. Goes to show that money isn't everything, and Being right with God is the answer
August 18, 2022
2.5 stars. The length really took away from any positive in the book.
March 27, 2023
DNF. I gave about 25% in. The writing was poor; the was no character development; and the plot only limped along.
January 13, 2025
Rated PG
It was a very slow read. One depressing thing after another.
It was a very slow read. One depressing thing after another.
March 23, 2017
So so
Started out interesting but went into too many unbelievable turns. The jealousy and criminal mind if Dorothea was just too much to accept even in fiction.
Started out interesting but went into too many unbelievable turns. The jealousy and criminal mind if Dorothea was just too much to accept even in fiction.
August 25, 2018
I wish I could give half star ratings on Goodreads. This book is really a 2.5. It moves along quickly enough. No real character development and most of the characters are blah. The end was totally stupid.
August 7, 2025
Awesome Indies Book Awards is pleased to include TEA CUPS & TIGER CLAWS by TIM PATRICK in the library of Awesome Indies'
Badge of Approval
recipients.
Awesome Indies' Reviews:
Review One
4 stars
This book is about power, and greed; and greed for power; and the power of greed. It all starts with the birth of identical triplets and the associated publicity this event generates in a news-starved press. Two of the three baby girls are adopted by a wealthy duchess from ‘up on the hill’, whilst the third remains in her deprived and somewhat dysfunctional home. The story follows her throughout her life, and the decisions she makes, in the chasing of her ambition. The setting is in Prospect Park, in California, where the rich elite rule absolute.
The book issplit into three sections: Sisters, Cousins, and Enemies. The point of view changes frequently between characters, but these switches are clearly indicated each time. The character development is good, and I felt engaged with them. The plot and pacing are also done well. What lets the book down, in my view, is the passive writing style and strange punctuation. There is an abundance of comma splicing, missing question marks to denote direct questions, and overuse of the exclamation point; as well as mixing up ‘then’ and ‘than’ on a lot of occasions. Some of the sentence constructions are clumsy and could do with some re-working.
If you enjoy historical fiction, family saga, and a good drama (and don’t mind the odd bit of graphic violence) then I think you would enjoy this book. All in all, I found this to be an entertaining read.
Review two
The first thing that struck me when I began reading ‘Tea Cups and Tiger Claws’ by Timothy Patrick was that the author had a strong and engaging voice, a real boon when writing in omniscient point as view as the author has here. The second thing I noted was that the story was almost entirely told rather than shown—usually a recipe for disaster in modern fiction—but I felt that this might be one of the few books that could pull this off. However, when the story moved away from Dorothea before I had developed any connection with her—basically due to the telling in omniscient POV—I changed my mind. Had the writing been more immediate, I would have felt something for her. But by the time I got to the end of the book, my initial impression had returned. The telling works because the narrator’s voice is strong and unique, and the story and its themes were well developed.
The couple of plot points that were introduced and left hanging (that of the basement and the suggestion of blackmail after Dorothea’s father’s death) were reincorporated at the end, solving the mystery of the hanging plot threads. When we switched generations, I thought the plot was wandering, but when we finally settled onto Sarah as the main character, it all came together again. The pacing kept me reading without wanting to pause, and ended in a vortex of action. The end scenes were written a lot more actively than the rest of the book which, along with the drama of the story, made them highly engaging.
I liked the author’s voice a great deal. He narrated the story with a light, sometimes humorous, touch and there were a few gems in his observations of the society. I also liked how he didn’t reveal the full extent of Dorothea’s insanity until the end, and how the turning point for Veronica was seeing that her mother did, in fact, love her a great deal. There is a lot to like here.
All up, this is an excellent story that makes a strong statement about the corrupting influence of the desire for money and power.
4 stars
Awesome Indies' Reviews:
Review One
4 stars
This book is about power, and greed; and greed for power; and the power of greed. It all starts with the birth of identical triplets and the associated publicity this event generates in a news-starved press. Two of the three baby girls are adopted by a wealthy duchess from ‘up on the hill’, whilst the third remains in her deprived and somewhat dysfunctional home. The story follows her throughout her life, and the decisions she makes, in the chasing of her ambition. The setting is in Prospect Park, in California, where the rich elite rule absolute.
The book issplit into three sections: Sisters, Cousins, and Enemies. The point of view changes frequently between characters, but these switches are clearly indicated each time. The character development is good, and I felt engaged with them. The plot and pacing are also done well. What lets the book down, in my view, is the passive writing style and strange punctuation. There is an abundance of comma splicing, missing question marks to denote direct questions, and overuse of the exclamation point; as well as mixing up ‘then’ and ‘than’ on a lot of occasions. Some of the sentence constructions are clumsy and could do with some re-working.
If you enjoy historical fiction, family saga, and a good drama (and don’t mind the odd bit of graphic violence) then I think you would enjoy this book. All in all, I found this to be an entertaining read.
Review two
The first thing that struck me when I began reading ‘Tea Cups and Tiger Claws’ by Timothy Patrick was that the author had a strong and engaging voice, a real boon when writing in omniscient point as view as the author has here. The second thing I noted was that the story was almost entirely told rather than shown—usually a recipe for disaster in modern fiction—but I felt that this might be one of the few books that could pull this off. However, when the story moved away from Dorothea before I had developed any connection with her—basically due to the telling in omniscient POV—I changed my mind. Had the writing been more immediate, I would have felt something for her. But by the time I got to the end of the book, my initial impression had returned. The telling works because the narrator’s voice is strong and unique, and the story and its themes were well developed.
The couple of plot points that were introduced and left hanging (that of the basement and the suggestion of blackmail after Dorothea’s father’s death) were reincorporated at the end, solving the mystery of the hanging plot threads. When we switched generations, I thought the plot was wandering, but when we finally settled onto Sarah as the main character, it all came together again. The pacing kept me reading without wanting to pause, and ended in a vortex of action. The end scenes were written a lot more actively than the rest of the book which, along with the drama of the story, made them highly engaging.
I liked the author’s voice a great deal. He narrated the story with a light, sometimes humorous, touch and there were a few gems in his observations of the society. I also liked how he didn’t reveal the full extent of Dorothea’s insanity until the end, and how the turning point for Veronica was seeing that her mother did, in fact, love her a great deal. There is a lot to like here.
All up, this is an excellent story that makes a strong statement about the corrupting influence of the desire for money and power.
4 stars
January 12, 2014
Timothy Patrick’s TEA CUPS & TIGER CLAWS is a fractured fairytale, a darkly funny parable about haves and have-nots, takers and givers, and what it’s like to live in the shadow of great mansions on the Hill. The story is divided into three parts. The first revolves around three identical triplet sisters born to a white trash mother and her alcoholic loser husband living in a garbage-littered dump. Two of the babies – Abigail and Judith – are adopted by “the Duchess,” who lives in one of the town’s two palatial Victorian mansions; the third sister – Dorthea – grows up in poverty with her parents in a run-down shack, with little hope of anything better. Abbey and Judith become young ladies living in the lap of luxury, while Dorthea learns the lesson her parents teach her – “when love isn’t an option, sometimes the next best thing is hate.” She vows to get revenge on her sisters, the Duchess, and the Newfields who live in Sunny Slope Manor, the grandest estate in town.
In the second part of the story, the focus shifts to the second generation, as Abbey’s daughter Sarah, Judith’s daughter Veronica, and Dorthea’s adopted son Ernest become pawns in Dorthea’s continuing quest for vengeance. And by the third act, these enemies play out their diabolical and twisted roles as Dorthea moves to rid herself of all of them, taking what she’s wanted all along – Sunny Slope Manor for her own.
At its heart, this is a novel about human depravity, and our very American fixation with wealth, power, and social standing. Patrick’s convoluted saga spans over sixty years, with Dorthea’s simmering hatred fueling the action. In another writer’s hands, this story could have played out like an American Cinderella story, with poor Dorthea left behind as her sisters become wealthy and powerful. But Dorthea is hardly sympathetic, and she’s no Cinderella. Although she’s smart enough and cagey enough to manipulate her way into a fortune of her own, it can never give her what she really wants – the status of her sisters, and the right to live on the Hill with the “old money” crowd. Her bitterness is reminiscent of Dickens’ Miss Haversham, who uses her ward Estella in a twisted plot against the hapless Pip, or perhaps Bronte’s Heathcliff, who works to destroy not only the people he believes have betrayed him but their children as well (including his own son). As skillfully as Dickens or Bronte, Patrick brilliantly illustrates the results of allowing hatred and a thirst for vengeance to direct the course of one’s life.
TEA CUPS & TIGER CLAWS is a beautifully written novel, with a sharply satiric style that works to propel the saga of these characters from twisted fairytale to morality play, without ever once getting preachy. There are characters here to root for – Sarah, for one, who manages somehow to rise above the craziness of her family and the town she lives in – and others to despise (including the noxious Veronica, who would give Roald Dahl’s Veruca Salt a run for her money in the spoiled brat department!). And the town Patrick has invented, with its mansions on the Hill (the Hill the working classes are always gazing up at with awe and envy), is totally believable, even in its stereotypical familiarity. The rich are always envied, the poor are always bitter, and hatred really is easier to latch onto than love when the good life seems so very far away. This is a smart and savvy novel that will draw readers in from its first page. I highly recommend it.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
In the second part of the story, the focus shifts to the second generation, as Abbey’s daughter Sarah, Judith’s daughter Veronica, and Dorthea’s adopted son Ernest become pawns in Dorthea’s continuing quest for vengeance. And by the third act, these enemies play out their diabolical and twisted roles as Dorthea moves to rid herself of all of them, taking what she’s wanted all along – Sunny Slope Manor for her own.
At its heart, this is a novel about human depravity, and our very American fixation with wealth, power, and social standing. Patrick’s convoluted saga spans over sixty years, with Dorthea’s simmering hatred fueling the action. In another writer’s hands, this story could have played out like an American Cinderella story, with poor Dorthea left behind as her sisters become wealthy and powerful. But Dorthea is hardly sympathetic, and she’s no Cinderella. Although she’s smart enough and cagey enough to manipulate her way into a fortune of her own, it can never give her what she really wants – the status of her sisters, and the right to live on the Hill with the “old money” crowd. Her bitterness is reminiscent of Dickens’ Miss Haversham, who uses her ward Estella in a twisted plot against the hapless Pip, or perhaps Bronte’s Heathcliff, who works to destroy not only the people he believes have betrayed him but their children as well (including his own son). As skillfully as Dickens or Bronte, Patrick brilliantly illustrates the results of allowing hatred and a thirst for vengeance to direct the course of one’s life.
TEA CUPS & TIGER CLAWS is a beautifully written novel, with a sharply satiric style that works to propel the saga of these characters from twisted fairytale to morality play, without ever once getting preachy. There are characters here to root for – Sarah, for one, who manages somehow to rise above the craziness of her family and the town she lives in – and others to despise (including the noxious Veronica, who would give Roald Dahl’s Veruca Salt a run for her money in the spoiled brat department!). And the town Patrick has invented, with its mansions on the Hill (the Hill the working classes are always gazing up at with awe and envy), is totally believable, even in its stereotypical familiarity. The rich are always envied, the poor are always bitter, and hatred really is easier to latch onto than love when the good life seems so very far away. This is a smart and savvy novel that will draw readers in from its first page. I highly recommend it.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
November 9, 2015
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
I am probably one of very few people in my demographic in the US who has not watched Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones and has not read the Song of Ice and Fire books. Still, much of it has somehow been absorbed into my pop culture subconscious, such as the fact that George R. R. Martin called Walter White a monster worse than anyone in Westeros. And while I know that there are some real doozies of monsters out there in fiction-land, I think Timothy Patrick's character Dorthea Railer could play ball with the worst of them.
Tea Cups & Tiger Claws follows three generations of women, starting with Elma Railer during World War I. Elma gives birth to identical triplets and allows two of them, Abigail and Judith, to be adopted by a duchess, but she keeps the third baby, Dorthea, for herself--presumably out of spite for the people trying to manipulate her into giving up all three of her children. The Railer family is, put simply, white trash, and everyone figures that Dorthea will end up just as bad as the rest of them. She doesn't. She ends up much, much worse. As Dorthea tries to claw her way to the top of Prospect Park society and find her place in the mansion on the hill, she creates her own little underworld, complete with drugs, secret dungeons, kidnapping, and a hefty dose of murder. Sucked into this mess are Abigail and Judith's daughters, good girl Sarah and party girl Veronic, and when Dorthea finally makes her grab for the high life, it's Sarah and Veronica who get caught in the flames.
This is very much a character-driven story, and really all of the characters are reflections of each other, showing what each could have become if things were just a little different. It's written in a mostly-linear fashion, broken up by great chunks of background info on places and people. Still, this exposition is written in such a flowing, fluid style that I didn't feel it bogged down the narrative at all, but instead made it even fuller and richer. The level of detail could have easily strayed into the territory of dull and lifeless, but instead left just enough to the imagination to keep me interested.
There were a few issues--some misplaced or misused words, some typos and rough grammar in a few areas, though not enough to be ruinous to the whole. The thing that bothered me most was part of the mystery I never felt was truly resolved. One of the characters leaves clues tot eh others that are meant to help stop Dorthea. While I am pretty sure I know who the helper is, it was never said outright, and the "how"s and "why"s of the aid are left somewhat in the dark. I really would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit more to add some more completeness to the story. Still, I could gather enough on my own, I guess, and the engaging characters and prose kept me going long after I should have been asleep on more than one night.
4.5 stars out of 5.
I am probably one of very few people in my demographic in the US who has not watched Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones and has not read the Song of Ice and Fire books. Still, much of it has somehow been absorbed into my pop culture subconscious, such as the fact that George R. R. Martin called Walter White a monster worse than anyone in Westeros. And while I know that there are some real doozies of monsters out there in fiction-land, I think Timothy Patrick's character Dorthea Railer could play ball with the worst of them.
Tea Cups & Tiger Claws follows three generations of women, starting with Elma Railer during World War I. Elma gives birth to identical triplets and allows two of them, Abigail and Judith, to be adopted by a duchess, but she keeps the third baby, Dorthea, for herself--presumably out of spite for the people trying to manipulate her into giving up all three of her children. The Railer family is, put simply, white trash, and everyone figures that Dorthea will end up just as bad as the rest of them. She doesn't. She ends up much, much worse. As Dorthea tries to claw her way to the top of Prospect Park society and find her place in the mansion on the hill, she creates her own little underworld, complete with drugs, secret dungeons, kidnapping, and a hefty dose of murder. Sucked into this mess are Abigail and Judith's daughters, good girl Sarah and party girl Veronic, and when Dorthea finally makes her grab for the high life, it's Sarah and Veronica who get caught in the flames.
This is very much a character-driven story, and really all of the characters are reflections of each other, showing what each could have become if things were just a little different. It's written in a mostly-linear fashion, broken up by great chunks of background info on places and people. Still, this exposition is written in such a flowing, fluid style that I didn't feel it bogged down the narrative at all, but instead made it even fuller and richer. The level of detail could have easily strayed into the territory of dull and lifeless, but instead left just enough to the imagination to keep me interested.
There were a few issues--some misplaced or misused words, some typos and rough grammar in a few areas, though not enough to be ruinous to the whole. The thing that bothered me most was part of the mystery I never felt was truly resolved. One of the characters leaves clues tot eh others that are meant to help stop Dorthea. While I am pretty sure I know who the helper is, it was never said outright, and the "how"s and "why"s of the aid are left somewhat in the dark. I really would have liked to see that fleshed out a bit more to add some more completeness to the story. Still, I could gather enough on my own, I guess, and the engaging characters and prose kept me going long after I should have been asleep on more than one night.
4.5 stars out of 5.
June 3, 2014
I have a mixed opinion on this book. It is well written and features an eclectic group of weird characters. Its plot is straightforward; the battle between the well-off and the wannabes. But it is difficult to follow, at times, and the wannabes who scramble at the outer fringes of the well-offs are too radical and loopy to actually be believed. “Tea Cups & Tiger Claws,” by Timothy Patrick, in my opinion, is scored to be either greatly liked or largely unappreciated. That leaves me in the middle.
Identical triplets, born to a 16-year old trashy girl and her equally no good husband, are coveted by the grand dame of a high fallutin’ California enclave of wealthy snobs. Through some devious manipulations the wealthy woman, much to her displeasure, manages to buy only two of the girls while the third must remain at her house of squalor and dysfunction. The two, adopted into wealth and splendor, are raised very comfortably while number 3 longs for, then schemes and actually gains an even higher status than that of her sisters and their wealthy benefactors. Her methods are ugly.
The book traces the development of the girls and their offspring over several decades. Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and assorted other characters are woven through the story with abandon to the detriment of any continuity and defying normal comprehension. The strongest thread is that of the daughter left to meager circumstances who through, at first, outlandish and, later, mostly criminal activity rises to the level of a fanatic who stops at nothing to outdo the wealthiest citizens in terms of money and power. Basically there is one sister who is the saint; another is a pitiful alcohol and drug-ridden product of wealth; and the third who, through some criminal activity, becomes an avaricious fiend. And, although number 3 has the strongest role, her believability, as presented by the author, is somewhat strained. Their children also figure into the story in adjunct roles but the reader will have to decide how their appearances add to the story.
So we have good writing, an interesting if convoluted plot, well presented action scenes, and some hard-to-believe elements that, for me, affect the overall appeal of the book. I certainly wouldn’t discourage readers from taking their own look, however, because I’m aware that there is some appeal in the story.
Identical triplets, born to a 16-year old trashy girl and her equally no good husband, are coveted by the grand dame of a high fallutin’ California enclave of wealthy snobs. Through some devious manipulations the wealthy woman, much to her displeasure, manages to buy only two of the girls while the third must remain at her house of squalor and dysfunction. The two, adopted into wealth and splendor, are raised very comfortably while number 3 longs for, then schemes and actually gains an even higher status than that of her sisters and their wealthy benefactors. Her methods are ugly.
The book traces the development of the girls and their offspring over several decades. Mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and assorted other characters are woven through the story with abandon to the detriment of any continuity and defying normal comprehension. The strongest thread is that of the daughter left to meager circumstances who through, at first, outlandish and, later, mostly criminal activity rises to the level of a fanatic who stops at nothing to outdo the wealthiest citizens in terms of money and power. Basically there is one sister who is the saint; another is a pitiful alcohol and drug-ridden product of wealth; and the third who, through some criminal activity, becomes an avaricious fiend. And, although number 3 has the strongest role, her believability, as presented by the author, is somewhat strained. Their children also figure into the story in adjunct roles but the reader will have to decide how their appearances add to the story.
So we have good writing, an interesting if convoluted plot, well presented action scenes, and some hard-to-believe elements that, for me, affect the overall appeal of the book. I certainly wouldn’t discourage readers from taking their own look, however, because I’m aware that there is some appeal in the story.
June 5, 2014
A good-to-great psychological portrait that suddenly goes careening off the rails into a weird B-movie/film noir. It's not that there aren't earlier hints of the melodramatic but once the story jumps the tracks (and you'll know when that happens), you're in for shock value instead of good story-telling and psychological probing. Up until that point it had really won me over and I was planning on specifically mentioning in my review how the odd title and amateur cover art should be overlooked, but it turns out in the balance of the whole I'd say they're unfortunately just about spot-on.
The story starts out and maintains for much of the book as a fascinating analysis of human behavior in unusual situations, mostly centered around class and family relations. Then it suddenly drops the analysis of its central character, Dorthea, and her actions become more and more outrageous with less and less justification and explanation of motivation. She becomes less a model of extremist living-well-is-the-best-revenge and more a Cruella DeVille nut-job. Her nieces also start out as complex characters, heiresses most of all to a fairly psychotic family dynamic, but when the real crazy starts flying they become just as much stereotypes of the poor little rich girl and the virtuous heroine unappreciated for both her strength and actual power. I rolled my eyes when the steadfast, dependable cowboy came on the scene, but even he managed to justify his existence for a while before completely retreating into exactly what he's expected to do. Same with the unloved orphan loner, but I think he avoids the worst of the obvious through few appearances.
I'm still trying to figure out how the two parts of the book fit together. I can't figure out if the author suddenly decided on more action, was running up against the deadline, or only had so much quality narrative available and once that was gone: Action! Stereotype! Romance! Gruesome death! It's really a shame.
The story starts out and maintains for much of the book as a fascinating analysis of human behavior in unusual situations, mostly centered around class and family relations. Then it suddenly drops the analysis of its central character, Dorthea, and her actions become more and more outrageous with less and less justification and explanation of motivation. She becomes less a model of extremist living-well-is-the-best-revenge and more a Cruella DeVille nut-job. Her nieces also start out as complex characters, heiresses most of all to a fairly psychotic family dynamic, but when the real crazy starts flying they become just as much stereotypes of the poor little rich girl and the virtuous heroine unappreciated for both her strength and actual power. I rolled my eyes when the steadfast, dependable cowboy came on the scene, but even he managed to justify his existence for a while before completely retreating into exactly what he's expected to do. Same with the unloved orphan loner, but I think he avoids the worst of the obvious through few appearances.
I'm still trying to figure out how the two parts of the book fit together. I can't figure out if the author suddenly decided on more action, was running up against the deadline, or only had so much quality narrative available and once that was gone: Action! Stereotype! Romance! Gruesome death! It's really a shame.
May 7, 2014
This is a fascinating story of greed, jealousy and desire, against a setting of the rich who live on the hill and their destitute neighbors who live below. In 1916 female triplets are born to a teenage mother in the shanty town at the foot of the hill. Triplets were a rare occurrence and promptly become celebrities. Donations and cash are given, but only for a little while. The father was thrilled - money meant booze. He is irate when the gifts stop coming, but one of the girls’ wealthy admirers, a Duchess, wants to adopt the triplets and offers a $3,000.00 – a thousand for each baby, more money than they could ever imagine, the father agrees. Their young mother, Ermel is angry with the deal and keeps one baby, Dorthea.
Her 2 sisters are raised in luxury & love, while Dorthea can only watch from squalor at the shantytown at the foot of the hill. It’s soon clear that Ermel didn't keep Dorthea for love but to anger the Duchess & her greedy husband. She doesn't love Dorthea and barely cares for her while giving birth to many more children in poverty – while the two identical sisters grown up in comfort.
It is mostly Dorthea's story and how the effect of poverty and envy can define life. The characters are well written – and the individual difference in the triplets was interesting. It became a little far-fetched towards the end, but it was a compelling read.
Her 2 sisters are raised in luxury & love, while Dorthea can only watch from squalor at the shantytown at the foot of the hill. It’s soon clear that Ermel didn't keep Dorthea for love but to anger the Duchess & her greedy husband. She doesn't love Dorthea and barely cares for her while giving birth to many more children in poverty – while the two identical sisters grown up in comfort.
It is mostly Dorthea's story and how the effect of poverty and envy can define life. The characters are well written – and the individual difference in the triplets was interesting. It became a little far-fetched towards the end, but it was a compelling read.
March 24, 2016
Patrick starts up with colorful and brilliant writing that brings Mark Twain to mind then seamlessly shifts gears into what I can only describe as Steinbeck East of Eden light as the multigenerational dynastic plot thickens, then he careens into a suspense thriller on a par with Dan Brown (but with status symbols) as the story fueled by revenge and love races through to the finish line. There is much to praise in the writer's technique: deftly integrated cultural references to fashion and music, well drawn characters and eras with narration that subtly matches them. Patrick had me buckled into my seatbelt for the whole trip. I didn't even want to stop for bathroom breaks. I sure hope he will keep writing! I have a couple of quibbles however. One is that identical triplets, in my opinion would not have ended up so different from one another despite the separate upbringings. I can understand Judith and Dorthea, but not Abigail. Abigail and Judith both were raised in the same "nurture" environment but were unbelievably different from each other - more like fraternal twins. The other quibble is the cover design and title. Both led me to believe I would be reading a cozy murder mystery. This book is much more than that and deserves better.
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