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High Tea
Magpie's Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A. — a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition...but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom's waitstaff — a talented but desperate TV star who hasn't acted since Detective Buck Love went off the air, and a twenty-something ingénue who'll do anything to get the part — her grandmother's scones begin to feel irrelevant. When the critic from Tea Talk announces she is crossing the pond to visit, Margaret attempts to marshal her staff. But, being of the thespian variety, they all want to be doing something else. Yet despite the high personal drama at hand, the customers still demand their perfectly steeped tea and cucumber sandwiches.... As Margaret battles pilot season and produce-coordinator malfunctions, she begins to lose her will to live...in L.A. But can her L.A. neighborhood do without her tearoom?In this delightful debut novel with delicious recipes thrown in, Sandra Harper creates a hilarious world where Earl Grey and watercress make a meal, buttering the scones may get you scolded, and nobody does eggs anymore. Warm up the kettle and pull up a seat — you don't want to miss High Tea !
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2008
3 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Harper
2 books12 followersSandra Harper is the author of "Over the Holidays" "High Tea" and the play "Magpie's Tearoom." She has written a cooking column for SKIRT! The best job she ever had was working at the Cook's Library on 3rd Street in Los Angeles.
Read the first chapter of her new novel, "The Chicken Painting" at sandraharper.us
She is co-writing a memoir, "From Rags To Rigatoni" with Madelyn Alfano, owner of Maria's Italian Kitchens in Southern California. Madelyn is a past president of NAWBO (National Association of Women's Business Owners) and a commentator on CNBC.
Read the first chapter of her new novel, "The Chicken Painting" at sandraharper.us
She is co-writing a memoir, "From Rags To Rigatoni" with Madelyn Alfano, owner of Maria's Italian Kitchens in Southern California. Madelyn is a past president of NAWBO (National Association of Women's Business Owners) and a commentator on CNBC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 10, 2009
This book was a quick read, and was pretty fluffy. There's not a lot of depth here, though most of the characters are likeable to some degree. I liked that the synopsis on the back cover didn't completely give away the story and that it wasn't totally predictable. I didn't like how the author changes from character to character as a narrator. It often wasn't done in any clear way and was kind of hard to follow who was thinking what, etc. There are even some 'thought comments' from extremely minor characters. An ok book, but I didn't love it.
May 6, 2020
This was a charming little book; ladies trying to deal with aging, peer pressure, societal challenges. I read it in a day.
December 17, 2010
Sandra Harper’s High Tea looks to be a light, savory little chick lit novel — and I guess, if I were feeling vapid and ridiculous, I might have enjoyed it more. I read Harper’s Over The Holidays last December and thought it was fun, though it was badly stricken with Too Many Characters-itis. This one suffered the same illness: too many characters and far too many storylines resulted in my total ambivalence about everyone in this quick read.
Margaret is our main character and, as such, we get the most of her back story — which would have been fairly interesting if I had a clue what any of it meant to her. Her ex-husband, Tony, was a starry-eyed actor who brought his young family to Los Angeles as he pursued a stage career. Now older, wiser and, you know, gay, Tony and Margaret have divorced but continue to raise their daughter, Kate, together. As the years have gone on, Margaret and Tony have become friends — even as Tony, now 60, lives with his long-term boyfriend but watches said boyfriend parade young men through the house.
All very interesting, but how was Margaret feeling? She’s a 60-year-old divorcee whose husband — a man with whom she was once madly in love — has left her and come out of the closet. That’s enough to send anyone into a psychotic break, I’d reckon, but we never get even an inkling of emotion from our heroine. This isn’t a fresh wound in the story, of course; all of this went down years before High Tea opens. But still: there’s nothing.
Lilly’s plotline felt completely ridiculous to me, too. Here we have a woman with dreams, ambitions, goals — and the inability to stop being a doormat to her young girlfriend, a high-powered Hollywood producer who treats Lilly more like a mother than a significant other. Lilly is obsessed with their sex life — or lack thereof — and spoiler: she hops into bed with a stranger with absolutely no preamble. Struck dumb by the idea of life without Deborah, Lilly somehow has zero issue cheating on her with someone she doesn’t even know. And suddenly they’re planning a whole life together? In about .567 seconds? What?
Clarissa and Lauren passed in and out of the story so infrequently, I can’t really bother to comment on them. I never got to know either woman, other than that one was “old” and one was “young,” and apparently that’s an “issue” in Hollywood. Yeah, thanks for the breaking news that all starlets are supposed to be fresh-faced, doe-eyed and thin. Got it.
Meh. I won’t go on. I’m a huge fan of chick lit and love tea — hence why I picked this one up, coupled with the pink cover — but I sped through it in no time because I was bored. Margaret’s sojourn to England provided a brief and promising change of scenery, but it never amounted to much.
Lackluster.
Margaret is our main character and, as such, we get the most of her back story — which would have been fairly interesting if I had a clue what any of it meant to her. Her ex-husband, Tony, was a starry-eyed actor who brought his young family to Los Angeles as he pursued a stage career. Now older, wiser and, you know, gay, Tony and Margaret have divorced but continue to raise their daughter, Kate, together. As the years have gone on, Margaret and Tony have become friends — even as Tony, now 60, lives with his long-term boyfriend but watches said boyfriend parade young men through the house.
All very interesting, but how was Margaret feeling? She’s a 60-year-old divorcee whose husband — a man with whom she was once madly in love — has left her and come out of the closet. That’s enough to send anyone into a psychotic break, I’d reckon, but we never get even an inkling of emotion from our heroine. This isn’t a fresh wound in the story, of course; all of this went down years before High Tea opens. But still: there’s nothing.
Lilly’s plotline felt completely ridiculous to me, too. Here we have a woman with dreams, ambitions, goals — and the inability to stop being a doormat to her young girlfriend, a high-powered Hollywood producer who treats Lilly more like a mother than a significant other. Lilly is obsessed with their sex life — or lack thereof — and spoiler: she hops into bed with a stranger with absolutely no preamble. Struck dumb by the idea of life without Deborah, Lilly somehow has zero issue cheating on her with someone she doesn’t even know. And suddenly they’re planning a whole life together? In about .567 seconds? What?
Clarissa and Lauren passed in and out of the story so infrequently, I can’t really bother to comment on them. I never got to know either woman, other than that one was “old” and one was “young,” and apparently that’s an “issue” in Hollywood. Yeah, thanks for the breaking news that all starlets are supposed to be fresh-faced, doe-eyed and thin. Got it.
Meh. I won’t go on. I’m a huge fan of chick lit and love tea — hence why I picked this one up, coupled with the pink cover — but I sped through it in no time because I was bored. Margaret’s sojourn to England provided a brief and promising change of scenery, but it never amounted to much.
Lackluster.
January 25, 2009
Really 3.5 stars
Blurb from Book
Magpie's Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A. -- a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition...but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom's waitstaff -- a talented but desperate TV star who hasn't acted since Detective Buck Love went off the air, and a twenty-something ingénue who'll do anything to get the part -- her grandmother's scones begin to feel irrelevant.
When the critic from Tea Talk announces she is crossing the pond to visit, Margaret attempts to marshal her staff. But, being of the thespian variety, they all want to be doing something else. Yet despite the high personal drama at hand, the customers still demand their perfectly steeped tea and cucumber sandwiches....
As Margaret battles pilot season and produce-coordinator malfunctions, she begins to lose her will to live...in L.A.
But can her L.A. neighborhood do without her tearoom?In this delightful debut novel with delicious recipes thrown in, Sandra Harper creates a hilarious world where Earl Grey and watercress make a meal, buttering the scones may get you scolded, and nobody does eggs anymore.
This is a very charming read about three women who all find their way in life. I really thought it was cute and quick.
Blurb from Book
Magpie's Tearoom is a cozy haven in bustling L.A. -- a place for luncheons, baby showers, or simply hanging out. Its owner, British expat Margaret Moore, relishes tradition...but between a frustrated chef preoccupied with her neglectful producer girlfriend and the tearoom's waitstaff -- a talented but desperate TV star who hasn't acted since Detective Buck Love went off the air, and a twenty-something ingénue who'll do anything to get the part -- her grandmother's scones begin to feel irrelevant.
When the critic from Tea Talk announces she is crossing the pond to visit, Margaret attempts to marshal her staff. But, being of the thespian variety, they all want to be doing something else. Yet despite the high personal drama at hand, the customers still demand their perfectly steeped tea and cucumber sandwiches....
As Margaret battles pilot season and produce-coordinator malfunctions, she begins to lose her will to live...in L.A.
But can her L.A. neighborhood do without her tearoom?In this delightful debut novel with delicious recipes thrown in, Sandra Harper creates a hilarious world where Earl Grey and watercress make a meal, buttering the scones may get you scolded, and nobody does eggs anymore.
This is a very charming read about three women who all find their way in life. I really thought it was cute and quick.
February 7, 2011
I picked this book up in the "LA" section of the Silverlake library because it was a) written in the last few years, b) by a woman, and c) to form a greater appreciation of my current neighborhood, which straddles the trendy trinity of Los Feliz, Silverlake and Atwater Village.
I have to say for a hunk of chick-lit entertaining a variety of women pursuing their dreams, while working together in a tea room, isn't my ideal "cup-of-tea," this one was good. I suppose the greatest challenge for this book to reach readers is the fact that its protagonist is a sixty something, old-fashioned business owner/divorcee in a LA-centric setting. For anyone reading out of that range, having no interest in LA for example, or being into younger, more outgoing characters, this book will most likely be boring.
Other, minor, characters add a diverse sprinkle of flavors to the happenings of the story; this is what keeps the wheels in motion--the constant turnover of drama in everyone's personal and professional lives, fuming a mild soap opera flair to the goings on, this and thats, almost-cat-fights, wannabe actress shpeal, lesbian breakfast trysts, all between mentions of yummy finger foods. Cucumber sandwiches have never seemed so delicious until High Tea.
I have to say for a hunk of chick-lit entertaining a variety of women pursuing their dreams, while working together in a tea room, isn't my ideal "cup-of-tea," this one was good. I suppose the greatest challenge for this book to reach readers is the fact that its protagonist is a sixty something, old-fashioned business owner/divorcee in a LA-centric setting. For anyone reading out of that range, having no interest in LA for example, or being into younger, more outgoing characters, this book will most likely be boring.
Other, minor, characters add a diverse sprinkle of flavors to the happenings of the story; this is what keeps the wheels in motion--the constant turnover of drama in everyone's personal and professional lives, fuming a mild soap opera flair to the goings on, this and thats, almost-cat-fights, wannabe actress shpeal, lesbian breakfast trysts, all between mentions of yummy finger foods. Cucumber sandwiches have never seemed so delicious until High Tea.
December 6, 2009
i read Sandra Harper's 'High Tea' for Book Club. I have to say that I thought the book cover was adorable, and the idea was good. I mean, who wouldn't love a quaint little tea room to cozy up in with a good cuppa and book?
Well, it took me about four eves to get through this book; double the amt of time it should have. Reason being....I just didn't care. The writing was very amateur. Very choppy. Nothing about the charactors was likeable. We tried to think of a book to compare this one to and couldn't. And that's not a compliment.
Sorry Ms. Harper...I wish there was something good I could say. I cannot recommend this one.
Well, it took me about four eves to get through this book; double the amt of time it should have. Reason being....I just didn't care. The writing was very amateur. Very choppy. Nothing about the charactors was likeable. We tried to think of a book to compare this one to and couldn't. And that's not a compliment.
Sorry Ms. Harper...I wish there was something good I could say. I cannot recommend this one.
December 5, 2008
This book was something of an anomaly for me--contemporary fiction, with no fantasy or historical element? Strange! But when I spotted it in the bookstore I was immediately suckered in by the adorable cover, and the promise of one of my very favorite things in the world: TEA. It turned out to be a very pleasant read. Likable characters, great food (I want to try the coffee cake recipe!), the prerequisite beverage of choice, and even a bit of antiquing thrown in (always a bonus). Good stuff. Recommended!
August 18, 2011
I tried really hard to like this book. I found half way through that I just didn't care. I didn't care about the story. I didn't care about the characters. I had trouble enough remembering who everybody was. This was a miss for me. I had to actually force myself to sit down and read it.
June 17, 2020
Such an adorable novel about British expat Margaret Moore running a tearoom in LA. Margaret begins to question her business and her life in LA after a disastrous even involving a reviewer from renowned Tea Talk magazine. What turned out to be a disastrous event became a life-changing moment for Margaret and all of her staff members—Lilly the chef, Clarissa and Lauren both servers and competing actresses vying for the same auditions. Margaret heads to back England for a well-deserved vacation and for some soul-searching on whether she should return back home to be closer to family. While Margaret is on hiatus, all of the characters re-evaluate changes in their careers, partners, and personal values.
The writing was light, fluffy, easy going yet with just enough pace, character development, and perspective variety in the plot line. I found the characters likeable and often found myself rooting for them. Harper’s humor shines in the back of the book where she includes recipes based on each book character. This novel was a refreshing summer read and a great pick-me-up.
The writing was light, fluffy, easy going yet with just enough pace, character development, and perspective variety in the plot line. I found the characters likeable and often found myself rooting for them. Harper’s humor shines in the back of the book where she includes recipes based on each book character. This novel was a refreshing summer read and a great pick-me-up.
August 19, 2020
I really wanted to like this book. I held a garden tea party and this book was a gift from one of the ladies that attended. I thought it would be a fun, light read.
I ended up confused. The characters were not likeable and frankly felt underdeveloped to me.
It was a quick read (I read the bulk of this in the past 26 hours) - so one star for that reason and the second star because I love tea.
I ended up confused. The characters were not likeable and frankly felt underdeveloped to me.
It was a quick read (I read the bulk of this in the past 26 hours) - so one star for that reason and the second star because I love tea.
Read
July 30, 2011A fun, light and easy book :) If you know me, you know why this book would appeal to me - 1) the main character's name is Margaret, 2) she's British, 3) I lived in the L.A. area for over 25 years and 4) when I visit my sister in L.A., we often go to tearooms! So it was perfect really. I loved that Margaret is an older lady (no, I'm not as old as her, lol) who had to make some life choices and didn't know what to do. I liked her perfectionism at first but willingness to change later. I liked that she didn't buy into the superficiality of the west coast lifestyle and remained true to her roots. The recipes in the back of the book are mostly for fun. Enjoy this book with a good cup of tea!
November 22, 2011
I have to admit, I picked up this book for two reasons: 1) the main character is an English ex-pat, and 2) the Maltese on the front looks very similar to mine. Shallow reasons admittedly, but it was a cute book. Easy to read, light on the doom and gloom. Unfortunately, I really disliked most of the characters (and there aren't that many) from the start, and the rest of the book did not change my feelings. I liked the main character, and found her understandable but I really wasn't interested in Clarissa or Lauren or what happened to them. So, it was a light read, fairly well written, I just didn't care for a number of the characters or the LA setting.
February 18, 2013
When I first picked this book up I thought the cover was really cute & pink. I never really go for novels that look like that but then I was also looking for something different from what I usually read. I think the cover is a bit decieveing. For me this book had too many characters. I wish the writer would have concentrated more on the life of Margaret Moore and her Tearoom at Magpie's instead of the airheaded actresses and actors that surrounded her. I really did try to like this book but there were way too many times I found myself scanning through it quiet bored.
January 30, 2011
Given the title and the setting, I was hoping that this would be better than it turned out to be. Instead it was boring, predictable, and flat. Like a cup of tea made with Liptons. Blah!
To read the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_H...
To read the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Book_H...
September 23, 2013
A very shallow, plot driven story. Easy read.
The most interesting part, and in my opinion what the book should have primarily focused on, was Margaret's travels back to England and dealing with the life she had, the life she has, and the life she longs for. Would have made a much more interesting and worthwhile endeavor.
The most interesting part, and in my opinion what the book should have primarily focused on, was Margaret's travels back to England and dealing with the life she had, the life she has, and the life she longs for. Would have made a much more interesting and worthwhile endeavor.
August 31, 2016
Yet again, another condescending book cover. This was a stort and amusing book. Recommend it to those who want a fun, yet shallow, easy, read. Wish it focused more on the visitors of the Tearoom (like an episode of Cheers) than on the employees. Liked how honest the story was about finding work acting in L.A.
October 1, 2011
This was a very quick read. It was alright - this book takes place in Los Angeles so of course there was a mention of the company I work for. I always find that odd for some reason whenever my reality and my book worlds collide!
December 7, 2010
No great literature going on here, nothing that makes you say "Hmm," as you close the cover on the last page, just a readable book. Includes some "typical" LA characterizations. Not a complete waste of time.
March 14, 2011
A solid 3.5. A nice, light read with a host of likable characters. The characters showed a little more depth than most chick-lit novels and the plot didn't unfold in a completely predictable way. I liked the happy endings for most of the characters - isn't that what light is all about?!
June 8, 2011
It was an easy read with a nice story. It took place over a long period of time without being tedious to read and that it contains the recipes for food and drink that's mentioned in the novel is nice.
April 8, 2013
I have a feeling that I'd like this book anyway even if I didn't like the idea of a cozy English tearoom, but I do, hence the 3 star rating. Nothing moving whatsoever plot-wise, but reading it wasn't such a waste of time.
February 23, 2016
Superficial and shallow. I love sitting down with a hot cup of tea and a good book. I love the idea of high tea, and a tea room. So relaxing, the atmosphere, the escape. This book was not thought out, horrible characters, and no depth what so ever. Anything but relaxing and enjoyable.
August 10, 2009
Cute story and I scored an awesome scone recipe!
December 17, 2009
This will be the first book our newly formed Book Club will be reading! It has been on my to read list for a long time, so I am excited! More later!
April 20, 2009
fun and frolic. The british do this well.
September 26, 2009
Interesting cast of characters. Not what I really expected when I picked up the book to read it. Wasn't bad, but it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down.
January 12, 2010
Kind of slow beginning, but really picked up in the second half - very worth the read!
Want to read
February 22, 2010Brit woman running a tea salon in trendy LA
July 15, 2023
Really fin light quick read! Just what I was looking for!
September 6, 2010
a fun read about a tea shop in the LA area---the owner and the staff---
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews