The Tea House on Mulberry Street

by Sharon Owens

Muldoon's Tea Rooms--and the 17-year marriage of proprietors Penny and Daniel Stanley--are fading. But a perpetually dieting housewife still comes in to escape her husband's stick-thin mistress, a struggling artist pens love letters to actor Nicolas Cage, and a woman returns to search for a long-lost soulmate. Behind the cherry cheesecakes and chocolate cappuccinos are the stirrings of a change that will redefine and heal lives. And lead Penny and Daniel to discover what truly matters in life--and love.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Ireland, Romance, Audiobook, Irish Literature, Contemporary

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Here are some questions I get asked a lot:

DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A WRITER?

No, it never crossed my mind, though I have always loved books.

WHAT BOOKS DID YOU LOVE AS A CHILD?

THE BORROWERS
THE BORROWERS AFIELD
THE BORROWERS AFLOAT
THE BORROWERS ALOFT
THE BORROWERS AVENGED, all by Mary Norton
THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE by CS Lewis

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU LOVE NOW?

THE MAIDEN DINOSAUR
TEA AT FOUR O'CLOCK, both by Janet McNeill
LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER by DH Lawrence
THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE
THE FEAST OF LUPERCAL
AN ANSWER FROM LIMBO
THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY, all by Brian Moore
READING IN THE DARK by Seamus Deane
THE COUNTRY GIRLS TRILOGY by Edna O'Brien
BEATRICE by Noelle Harrison
THE RAGGY BOY TRILOGY by Patrick Galvin
THE FALLING ANGELS by John Walsh
MAN OR MANGO? by Lucy Ellmann
THE BLUE TANGO by Eoin McNamee

HOW DO YOU RELAX?

I love gardening. This is my garden in Belfast. We managed to squeeze about 25 trees into a very small space. It’s getting quite cramped now the trees are maturing but it feels like a little secret garden to sit in so we love it. I don't think I could ever move house as I love my garden far too much and also this was our first home together and the only house our daughter has ever known!
WHAT KIND OF FOOD DO YOU LIKE?

I'm a veggie who doesn't like courgettes or aubergines! So eating out is usually quite an adventure. I love salads, pizza, fries, most vegetables especially butternut squash, most cheeses, Indian curries, pretzels and most types of bread, all kinds of fruit and ice-cream. My favourite snack is tea and toast with real butter. I do a mean roast chicken for my daughter Alice, and she loves my bread and onion stuffing made on the frying pan with a little butter and
DO YOU WATCH MUCH TV?

Too much! My favourites are:

MURDER SHE WROTE
POIROT
MIDSOMER MURDERS
MISS MARPLE
MONK
KATH & KIM
FATHER TED
BLACK BOOKS
THE IT CROWD
8 OUT OF 10 CATS
THE FRIDAY NIGHT PROJECT
CORONATION STREET
SEINFELD
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN FASHION?

Well, I would have said no until recently when it was pointed out to me that I love fashion very much: but only certain trends, and I never change my mind about what I like. So, for the last 25 years I have worn (only black) Victorian-style blouses, long waisted overcoats, pointy-toed ankle boots, DM shoes and sandals, palazzo pants and silver costume jewellery. I have long, straight hair and my favourite perfume is the POISON range by Dior, or anything by CHANEL. I have one designer piece: a LULU GUINNESS handbag that dermot

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?

Yes. It happened to me. My husband Dermot is a wonderful man; strong and supportive yet gentle and thoughtful too. I wouldn't have a career without his encouragement, and I don't think I'd be nearly as happy or well-grounded either. He's my best friend.
The funny thing is, when I first met him, he was really skinny with long black hair and he wore a dog collar and an overcoat from the second World War. Twenty-three years on, he's gained some muscles, shaved his head, and now resembles a Hollywood hit-man. Both looks work for
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED?

Hopefully with affection by my husband, daughter and close friends.

MY FAVOURITES...

BANDS:
Joy Division
New Order
Bauhaus
Jesus & Mary Chain
Siouxsie & the Banshees
Smiths
Morrissey
Cure
Cocteau Twins
Iggy Pop
Undertones
Papa Roach
XTC
Sex Pistols
Clash
Interpol
Muse
Rammstein
Futureheads
Kooks
KT Tunstall

Best Live Band: Smiths
FILMS...

WILD AT HEART
TRAPPED IN PARADISE
RAISING ARIZONA
AMELIE
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS
SWEENEY TODD

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stories about tea houses. I love about book shops. So this book was right up my alley. Because not only is it a story about the building and the institution of it, it’s about the owners, the people who live next door, the people in town, the visitors who drop in. And of course, everyone had their story! And it all coils back to the tea house!

A fun, cozy, light hearted read. Bottom line is that everyone has their ups and downs, secrets and challenges, hopes and dreams. The chapters jump around because there is so much going on with the people involved in the story. This was not a deterrent to me.

The photo cover of my book selection features an old hand scripted envelope on a rustic table with a cup of strong tea in an old timey tea cup, a luscious cherry cheesecake tart (oh geez, I really really want one of these right now!) and a few sugar cubes sprinkled around. If the cozy cover doesn’t lure you to choose this book off the shelf, the easy reading story of people and life will make you feel good at the end. I do agree with some other readers, that the writing style is of dearly departed author, Maeve Binchey (d.2012). The writ describes a cozy small town and its own personal style and challenges, plus an introspection into the lives of the village characters. A human nature story, if you will.

I do recommend this little gem! And if you are so inclined, there’s a recipe for the pictured cherry cheesecake pie at the back of the book. 🥧🍒

[Tambra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly light, Irish novel. In the style of Maeve Binchy with the plot driven by stories of individual characters. A bit too much mid-life crisis, infidelity, and broken marriages to be uplifting overall. The main characters' story was the most interesting and redeeming for me. The other stories had some delightful moments.
I'm going to look for another novel by this author to see if it is of a different subject matter because I did like the writing style.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this cozy read by Sharon Owens, I’ve not read anything of her’s before. There are many stories of people’s life that centers around a tea house on Mulberry Street run by a troubled couple Daniel & Penny. Owens is very good with her characters, showing the many complexities of relationships. Very humorous at times, had me chuckling, while also very serious subject matter. Highly recommend this novel if you’re looking for something to relax with.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah Sharon Owens writes like one of my all time favorites, Maeve Binchy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙌

[Darkpool · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long, rambling, not very positive review thing follows. Minor bitchiness. And some spoilers. *ticks the spoilers box*

This book has been on and off my TBR list several times, so when I had the opportunity to read it while staying with my parents last week, I grabbed the chance. While I found it sufficiently interesting to hold my curiosity long enough to finish it, I can’t in all honesty say I liked it. I felt almost all the characters where unsympathetic and lacking in any kind of depth. I knew, almost from the moment I met each character, which would get a happy ever after and which would get his or her comeuppance. Those who were deemed worthy of happy endings were allowed to get away with all sorts of bad behaviour – marital infidelity, dishonesty, and humiliation of innocent bystanders for instance – without having to suffer any apparent consequence. Scorned wife embarrassing cheating husband at work do was amusing until she started telling people his nick-names for them. Would this character really be so insensitive to how hurtful this would be to those people? She came across as selfish, mean and horrid as a result, and therefore I wasn't cheering when she finally won her happy ending.

Some of the other character related stuff I found bizarre. Example: the beautiful and successful business woman who had resigned herself to having no female friends because they all eventually became jealous of how all men would look only at her, and ignore them. Does the author really condemn the entirety of her gender as that superficial? Then there were the older ladies, who we are told were born during the Second World War. Their behaviour and attitudes seem to me more appropriate to people born decades earlier than that, but it is critical to their story that they are born in 1940 or 41, making them only 58 or 59 at the time of the story. They are written like a pair of octogenarians and one is referred to as a pensioner. I wondered briefly if the author had ever met any old people...

Aspects of the writing annoyed me too. On one occasion, the reader was made aware of facts the characters didn’t know by the simple expedient of being told, and then, mysteriously, the characters were able to deduce these same facts in an amazing intuitive leap. That aside, I thought the quality of the writing was pretty average.
And as for the Happy endings? Well, two characters only got their separate happy endings after they’d abandoned their dreams – one to be a writer, the other a painter. There's a message to take on board, kids! I thought the description of the made-over tea house was awful, but that may just be my 2011 sensibilities jarring against 1999 chic. And I really truly don’t want to think too hard about the chronic comfort-eater who suddenly started losing weight once she got a job in the café.

Finally, I can't resist saying that this book was simply not my cup of tea.

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of tea-rooms. There are times I pop into my favourite local tea-room for a latte, grab a window seat and watch people passing by, or other customers, and wonder what stories their normal lives hold. Scandal? New discoveries? Family secrets? Maybe it's because of this that I have given this novel a top rating. I don't give out five star reviews easily, but The Tea House on Mulberry Street deserves this accolade.

The story is based in Belfast, Ireland - the centrepiece of the novel being, surprise surprise, the tea shop. This establishment is run by Daniel and Penny Stanley. Daniel has had a sad and shady past, and is very tight with his money; Penny (several years younger than Daniel) likes "pretty" things, and is very eager to refurbish the ever decaying tea room. Both own and work in the tearoom, and basically it is their life. For a while anyway.....

The other characters in the story are frequent visitors to Muldoons tea room.....the eccentric and delusional artist Brenda Brown, who can't sell her artwork, and has an infatuation with Nicolas Cage - constantly writing him letters; Henry and Aurora Blackstaff - the unlikely couple, him being into gardening and her into her literature and Bronte Bunch meetings; Clare Fitzgerald and her pursuit of Peter; Alice and Beatrice Crawley - the elderly spinster twin sisters, who spend their lives collecting for charity and awaiting their moment of reward for their efforts; Sadie and Arnold Smith - Sadie being the rotund, foodie, housewife and Arnold, the purveyor of blinds and conservatories who also happens to have a "bit on the side", Patricia. Most of the comedy in the book comes from the Smith's relationship and it's down and downs. It never seems to have "ups"!

Despite a sizeable part of the book being concerned with the characters' infidelity (I found myself asking who WASN'T having a fling, at one point!), there is a disaster, a revelation and a happy ending. It only took me a few hours to read - once I started I could not put this book down!

Be warned, like caffeine, this book is very addictive!

[Sandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to Muldoon’s Tea Room home of delicious cherry cheesecake and meeting place for the vast array of characters who inhabit this Belfast neighborhood. Owners, Penny and Daniel Stanley have done little else but work in the tea house for the duration of their seventeen year marriage and that mundane existence is getting pretty old for Penny. Their story is the focus of Sharon Owens THE TEA HOUSE ON MULBERRY STREET but truth be told it's really the customers that make a visit to the teahouse a real treat.

Fans of Maeve Binchy will quickly find themselves comparing Ms. Owens writing style and characters to those of Ms. Binchy. Although a die-hard fan of Binchy, I was completely taken by the Owens characters. Her folks are definitely more aggressive and fallible and apt to give in to their feelings. My personal favorite in this compendium of personalities, was Sadie Smith who takes rather vindictive action when she discovers her cheating husband, Arnold plans to leave her and wed his “young honey” as soon as his parents are gone. Seems he can’t divorce Sadie now since she is the caregiver for her husbands’ parents and it would cut into his considerable savings if he had to hire outside help to care for them. Sadie’s revenge is as delicious as a huge slice of chocolate cake topped with ice cream and is sure to give every reader a big belly laugh.

Then there is Brenda Brown, bohemian starving artist who spends part of her time being fired from various jobs, part of her time devoted to her art and part of her time writing fan letters that she rarely mails to the love of her life, Nicholas Cage.

This is only a demitasse size sample of the engaging, amusing and vibrant folks you may run into at the tea house. Owen has a real talent for depicting the lives of ordinary people and their ordinary lives in an extraordinary way. The book is definitely hard to put down and your housework is sure to suffer.

For my final thoughts on author Sharon Owens and The Teahouse on Mulberry Street I will rely on a quote from a teahouse regular, Brenda Brown, and state “I’m a genuine fan”.

[Josh Caporale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might be the only male that has read The Tea House on Mulberry Street, but it was in an effort to become a more well-rounded reader during a time I wanted to become a professional book reviewer. If film critics have to watch everything, then I would be led to believe that book reviewers are to be held at the same standard. My great-aunt was giving away books and I took everything that was available. While I eventually sorted through it and only kept what caught my interest, I did get to this one beforehand and came across something that was light, cozy, and okay.

There is nothing that is too complicated about the premise of this story. It follows a couple, Daniel and Penny Stanley, that own a tea house in the UK, and some strenuous drama that takes place between them during a tough situation that pops up. I feel that for the audience that it is aiming toward, which is a reader that is looking for something light and expected that they are 98% sure will pan out in the end after drama induced circumstances, this is the book for you. For me, this novel's greatest accomplishment was how it attracted my gustatory and olfactory senses, creating a cozy atmosphere that would be reflective of being in a café or bakery in the UK.

I have since either sold this book or donated the book to be sold, so it was a decent delight, but not something I wish to read and examine. It was okay in my mind, but feel it is specifically reserved for those that do not have high expectations when it comes to how predictable it is and are easy to satisfy.

[Ghost of the Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Minor Edits done for typos -

What a delicious little story!
I don't know if its because i am a fan of tea shops and tea houses but i loved this book from page one!
In the finest Irish tradition of Maeve Binchy - who picked people just like you and me, told their life story and added a little touch of magic - Sharon Owens totally transported me to Belfast and into the lives of her characters.
I may not agree with the way things end for all of them - hey a girl is allowed to wish a happy ending every now and then! - but i do however totally understand why it ended that way...real life isn't filled with happy endings.
It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made want to reach into its pages and slap a couple of the characters....it may not be a suitable Maeve Binchy successor yet, but i would say this book and Sharon Owens are on the right track for it!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light and frothy read but it is fairly forgettable. There were quite a few characters, which I found it a little difficult to keep track of (which may also have something to do with my difficulty in remembering the story). The characters’ lives intersect at the Mulberry Street teahouse, Muldoon’s. The main aspects that stand out in my mind are artist Brenda’s continual letters to Nicolas Cage, Penny’s yearning to have a child (unfortunately not shared by her husband), and her husband, Daniel’s, penny-pinching ways. I enjoyed it as I read it.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

+3,5

Книга "Чайная на Малберри-стрит " сейчас во многих новогодних подборках, но вот я прочитала и поспорила бы о том что эта книга может подойти для новогоднего настроения. Роман сам по себе милый, хотя и местами очень наигранный. Для меня главным минусом стало то что в книги для себя я не нашла ни одного приятного персонажа. Пожалуй, свои симпатии я отдала бы Сэди и то, не сказала бы что персонаж пришёлся мне по душе. Автор ломает много семейных уз, для того чтобы в финале романа создать новые, но почему-то из-за этого у меня остался большой осадок в душе.

[Iryna Khomchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Якби я побачила обкладинку цієї книги (російського перекладу зокрема) десь на книжковій полиці, то ніколи не взялася б її читати – занадто "любовнороманно" виглядають й ілюстрація, і назва, і навіть ім'я авторки, як не дивно))) Так і очікуєш заплющених в пориві пристасті очей, шаленого кохання та глибоких розчарувань і висновків: чоловік – суворий властєлін, жінка – кокетлива рабиня)))Власне, якщо узагальнити, то я й не дуже помилилася у висновках, щоправда, вони мають абсолютно протилежне первинному значенню забарвлення.

Але про все по-порядку. Взятися за "не мій" формат мене примусив один цікавий флешмоб, у якому я із задоволенням приймаю участь уже кілька років. Цьогоріч замовила собі "найкращі прочитані вами книжки" і брала все, що мені пропонували, не перебираючи. І я вдячна за свою неперебірливість, бо ця книга, яку я "ніколи не взялася б читати", подарувала мені неабияку насолоду – і від сюжету, й від образів, і від почуття гумору та відчуття жіночої солідарності (зовсім неоднорідні поняття, але вже як написалося))), й від Ірландії, яка начебто переслідує мене з книги в книгу.

Сюжетна канва заснована на улюбленому мною прийомі: випадкові люди перетинаються у якомусь місці і... А далі відбувається щось цікаве. Неважко здогадатися, що це "випадкове" місце – та сама чайна на Малберрі-стріт у Белфасті (скільки фото цього міста передивилася в інтернеті!), а "цікаве" – це стосунки між людьми, зокрема чоловіками та жінками, настільки різними, що нудно ніяк не могло бути.

Повернуся до згаданих на початку висновків: часом усвідомлення чоловіком свого "властєлінства" – не що інше, ніж помилка, за яку зрештою доводиться розплачуватися. Особливо ж якщо дружина на перший погляд – кокетлива рабиня, бо ховаючись за цією невинною маскою вона може гори звернути, та ще й так, що вони розчавлять "властєліна". А ще жінка може раптом зрозуміти, що вона – також "властєлін" свого життя, й почати жити так, як хоче вона, а не хтось інший. Часом це усвідомлення та його наслідки також можуть розчавивши чоловіка (тут мої симпатії на боці цього героя))). А часом люди розуміють, що оте все властєлінство і рабство – повна маячня, і просто роблять один одного щасливими.

Втім, роман не тільки про любов і ненависть. Є у ньому і питання національної самоідентифікації, й цінності мистецтва, й пошуку свого місця у житті, й купа смаколиків (навіть рецепт одного з них!)... Написано легко, захопливо – те що треба для читання на відпочинку. Ну і що, що нині я здебільшого читаю у метро? Там також можна відпочивати – від спеки, наприклад)))

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first thought on reading this was, "what a delightful little story." While it starts out a bit doom and gloom with several failing relationships, it somehow brings humor into the gloom and ends with the happiest of endings.

The main couple, Penny and Daniel Stanley, are the owners of the Tea house. Daniel is a workaholic and more concerned with his penny-pinching than anything else. Penny is disappointed in the relationship and goes on to have an affair due to Daniel's cold ignorance of her feelings.

Another couple, Sadie and Arnold are also having trouble with their relationships. Sadie on a continuous stream of diets finds out about his affair and after doing so, plots the most delicious of revenge that you can't help smiling in glee with how it turns out.

Rose, Aurora, and Henry make up another lovers circle. Aurora is more concerned with her book club, and the addition to her house (done by Arnold) rather than her relationship with Henry. He prefers to pitter in his garden all day long that is eventually destroyed by the addition. While at the tea house he meets Rose, a recent divorcee who owns a flower shop and loves gardening as much as him. As Aurora draws further into her club and a new man, Henry and Rose plant something beautiful.

In addition to these stories there are also two side stories. One is of Clare, who used to live in Belfast where the teahouse is located and is in search of a long lost love. The other is Brenda, a failing artist who is in love with Nicholas Cage.

Towards the end of the novel, a fire somehow fixes many things for the characters and everyone receives a happy ending. A bit mushy for some, but sometimes a little lightheartedness is needed in a read.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining and charming read! At the center of it is the tea house,its owners and visitors and their individual stories. Beautiful storytelling!

[Chelsea McInerney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has been on my ‘Want To Read’ shelf for a very long time, so the excitement I felt when I finally picked it up to read was palpable. Maybe it was my high expectations, but unfortunately this wasn’t my cup of tea (pun intended 🤪) and it now belongs on my DNF shelf.

[Kelly Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of months ago while shopping at Big Lots I saw a display of books near the check out. The cover and the title intrigued me as well as the fact that it was only a couple of dollars. I read the jacket and saw that it takes place in Belfast, Ireland and I knew I had to get it.
The setting of the book is an old, dilapidated tea house in Belfast. Ironically enough the owners, Daniel and Penny Stanley, are in an old, dilapidated marriage. Penny, a housewife, finds herself dissatisfied after 17 years of marriage to her husband, Daniel, who is more interested in his baking and keeping a deep dark secret, than he is in her.
There’s Brenda Brown, a starving artist who believes her “boring” name is holding back her career and his having an imaginary love affair with Nicolas Cage, who she writes to every day.
There is Clare, who returns home from New York on assignment for her magazine and searches for her long lost childhood love, whom she only new for 19 hours.
And then there is my favorite character, Sadie, who discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger woman and decides to have her revenge.
There is a cast of other characters too and all of their stories are entertaining and interesting as well.
All of the stories in one way or another are connected to each other by way of the tea house and I found this book to be absolutely delightful and a very quick and easy read.
A great way to spend a chilly fall night with a cup of tea and some great characters.

[Kate Insley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this story so much. I liked the setting, the writing was fine, nothing against it, but the fact that we were 1/3 into the book and still introducing heaps of new characters and storylines…just didn’t go deep enough for any of the various plots, and they didn’t intermingle enough (except for the number of affairs and dissatisfied marriages ugh). Not a huge fan, guess I’ll go read a Jenny colgon book to recoup ;)

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great wee book! Sharon Owens writes brilliantly believable characters! Its a real novelty for me 2 find an Northern Irish author and I find it so fun reading about places I know. I was particularly excited in this book when it mentioned the place where I live and the building where I work! lol

[Jeannie Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I do love a happy ending 💓

[Claire Poolman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from the minute I picked it up, to when I finished reading it. I loved all the characters who visited the Teahouse and what was happening in their lives.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Tea House on Mulberry Street gets four stars from me not because it's great literature but because I found, after a somewhat slow start, that I really enjoyed it and wanted to know what happens to each of the characters. I also found myself wondering what other books Sharon Owens has written, and that's usually a good sign I've enjoyed an author. Owens' writing has a bit of Maeve Binchy about it, which I count as a compliment. Anyone who has happily read Maeve Binchy might at least try Sharon Owens, and draw your own conclusions.

[Elaine Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read but I would avoid being a customer of the Tea House - it doesn't seem particularly lucky!!

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a dedicated coffee shop, muffin and cheesecake fan, I so enjoyed this cute book. I have an uncorrected proof copy so my cover is very different from the “finished” article; I don’t think I can part with it now. It has a real retro mood, being set in 1999 and I would love to see this story adapted into an ensemble cast film in the style of Love Actually, Valentine’s Day or even the old Four Seasons 1980s film. It had that sort of feel to it. I have never read any book set in Belfast before and Sharon focused on people and their lives rather than the Troubles for which I was thankful, and the city is painted in a positive light. And it was a very good read.

Throughout the year of 1999 we get to know the owners of the Tea House, Daniel and Penny, and their mixed bag of customers. They have spent their entire 17-year marriage running the teashop; Penny is restless, the shop is in desperate need of some care and attention (rather like Penny) but Daniel is a workaholic Scrooge with a dubious, and rather depressing, past. All the customers who come in are interlinked in some way with their own little story to tell. I really didn’t want to put it down and quickly became as addicted to it as I would to the cupcakes or muffins I might buy there. I couldn’t classify it as chick lit as it was more of a retro read, whilst being very up to date for the time it was set. I loved the flashbacks and the references to Human League and Spandau Ballet too.

Every player in each little vignette wants their life to change in some way. The cast list comprises rather caricatured spinster twin sisters, a struggling, bizarre artist who is in danger of becoming a (rather amusing!) celebrity stalker, a pompous salesman and his unhappy, comfort-eating wife, a middle-aged couple with zero in common, a too-perfect and rather superficial magazine editor with a long-held emptiness ....... However I feel the focus on infidelity was massive overkill – everyone seems to be at it – but notwithstanding that, one story’s resolution is absolutely hilarious. You will all be cheering for Sadie Sponge! It was my favourite part of the book.

Sharon Owens is a very talented storyteller and I like the way she wove together infidelity, revenge, tedium, family secrets, snobbery, abandonment, and most of all second chances, all with a good slice of humour along with the cherry cheesecake. There are family secrets to uncover, amusing detective work to eavesdrop on,

I wouldn’t say everyone has a perfect resolution, but I think everyone gets what they deserve (but Daniel needs to work much harder to deserve his happy ending).

Excellent as a debut novel and I will seek out the rest of Sharon’s work, I enjoyed it so much.

4.8 rather than 5 – because of too much emphasis on cheating and affairs; a better balance would have been achieved with more stable couples facing different issues and coming through them instead.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There's nothing wrong with dreams. Dreams cost nothing."

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens from Audible.com back when I was closing my subscription with them. I had a bunch of credits to spend on audiobooks, so I downloaded about 10 to get to whenever I had time. I have no idea where I got the recommendation for this particular book, but it must have resonated with me because I have three or four more books by her sitting in iTunes for me to listen to when I get around to it. I've seen other reviewers compare Owens's books to Maeve Binchy, if that's any indication for you (having never read Binchy, it didn't give me a clue).

The story centers on a tea house (Muldoon's Tea Rooms) in Belfast, Ireland, and all of the people whose lives pass through and are affected by the tea house. There's Penny and Daniel Stanley, the proprietors of the tea house whose marriage is on the rocks. There's starving artist Brenda Brown who lives in an apartment next door and comes in to drink tea and write love letters to Nicholas Cage. Henry starts coming more often to get away from his wife's obssessive re-enactments of Victorian literature and ends up falling in love with Rose, the florist across the street from the tea house. Sadie comes in to comfort herself with Daniel's delicious desserts when her husband is mean to her (which is often).

They're a lovely cast of characters - compelling, with believeable quirks and struggles. While I was listening to it, I thought it was a little slow and melodramatic, but two months later, I still remember the characters very fondly. I got attached to these people! Brenda and Sadie were my favorites, but I really enjoyed the entire cast. I don't wonder what happened to them, though, because Owens did a really good job of giving closure to all the stories. The voice actor read with a lilting Irish brogue, which was quite appropriate for the story. This is possibly the first time I have liked a book more two months after I finished it than I did right after I was done. In November, I would have given this three of five stars, but now, I give it four!

[Ladyslott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tea House on Mulberry Street was a sweet, cozy and highly improbable read.
Centering on Muldoon’s Tea Shop, located in Belfast and owned by Daniel and Penny Stanley, the book is peopled by a disparate group of strangers who have little in common except the pastries at the tea shop. There are the Crawley sisters who dedicate their lives to charity and little else. Brenda Brown, the struggling artist, in love with the American actor Nicolas Cage. Sadie and Arnold Glass, she cheats on her diet and he cheats on her. Clare Fitzgerald, the mysterious stranger trying to connect with her past: and Penny and Daniel, who after 17 years of marriage no longer remember why the fell in love.
Although comparisons to Rosamund Pilcher and Maeve Binchy are inevitable, I think those authors write books with more depth and characterizations than found in this book. While I enjoyed the book, the characters were fairly one dimensional, and the ending of the book a little to sugary sweet for my taste. Also there is an impression given that there are recipes in the book; however there is only one at the very end.
As I said a nice cozy read, not much depth.

[Henni · Rating 1 out of 5]

En hyggeligt "hjørnet-af-sofaen-med-en-kop-te" bog, relativt hurtigt læst, men alligevel med en god portion tyngde i indholdet. Owens fletter flere skæbner sammen i et irsk kludetæppe af romantik, stædighed, fasination og drømme alt sammen krydret med beskrivelse af de lækre kager der serveres i Tehuset. Stort set intet er uændret når man er kommet igennem historien, men der er en god stemning og man bliver i lidt bedre humør, når alle får deres bekomst til slut.

Genlæst 2013 - jeg blev en smule skuffet, jeg husker denne bog som bedre end den viste sig at være. Jeg manglede den feel-good stemning jeg havde første gang jeg læste dem.

Genlæst 2023 - måske er tiden bare løbet fra Tehuset... for her 14 år efter 1. læsning er det ikke ret meget hyggeligt over boget, folk er smålige, ondskabsfulde og hævngerrige - blandet med utroskab og løgne er der ikke ret mange personer man har lyst til at læse om, endsige holde med i historien. Og hende man holder lidt med må opgive sin drøm for at blive lykkelig...

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read after the sadder books I have read lately.

Sharon's story covers the lives of the owners and customers of a cute little tea house in Belfast. Each chapter covers a different person and there isn't too much overlap with the stories which can be annoying in some books.

Sharron's writing is reminiscent of Sheila O'Flanagan and Jill Mansell and a great little touch of Ireland.

Despite the sometimes sadder topics covered of failing marriages, unemployment etc. ultimate this is a fun read. Looking forward to reading more

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fluffy bit of delight to read when you're feeling a little low. It's a sunny-side up novel, told very slightly tongue-in-cheek, that wraps up well and leaves you in a good mood.

I won't go into the plot. There's little drama or trauma, or explicit sex. It's somewhere between a very light romance and a comedy of manners, but the humor is not at all caustic. The book is not about politics or "the troubles" in Belfast. There are no serious issues, extreme trauma, or hard edges here. It's about average people struggling to be happier while living a modern life in the heart of Belfast.

Think of it as a chocolate eclair of a novel and read when you're in the mood for that kind of story.

[Ali · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just engaging enough to read it to the end but I would not recommend it.
The main story line with Daniel and Penny was by far the best. It was the one that had the most depth. The other story lines were rushed and did not allow for enough character development. It was hard to remember who everyone was and the story-lines did not come together enough to justify having so many of them. It would have been better as a collection of short stories, given that each story would be more developed.
Also it is extremely unrealistic for EVERYONE and their mother to have terrible relationships/marriages. The author uses relational unhappiness and aggression as a shortcut to conflict. It would have been more refreshing to see other forms of conflict given there are so many stories.