All The Tea In China
July 15, 2007 10:23 pm Jane Orcutt, Reviews, Women's Fiction
Isabella Goodrich has an independent streak that may guarantee her a life as a spinster. She is introduced to a missionary named Phineas Snowe and is enthralled by his tales of life in the east.
Rather than sit around wasting her life in Britain, Isabella decides to follow her conviction to become a missionary. She follows Phineas on board the ship heading for China and sneaks down to the lower deck to hide amongst the cattle. .
After days of sleeping in the hay, milking the nearest cow for sustenance and braving the stench, she is discovered. Taken to Phineas’ cabin to mend, she awakens to learn that he has claimed her as his sister to protect her reputation. They must share a cabin to ensure their secret is kept.
As the journey continues, Isabella learns that Phineas may not be who he says he is. She must find a way to fulfill her dream of missions work in China, but he may be the one thing standing in her way.
This book had it all – mystery, intrigue, far away lands, romance. I read this book through in two sittings and enjoyed every minute. I loved Isabella’s strong character and I identified with her stubbornness and independence.
On a sadder note, members of the Christian fiction group Chi Libris have decided not to let novelist Jane Orcutt’s final novel fall through the cracks. Orcutt, diagnosed with leukemia last December, passed away March 17. She was 47.
She finished her last book, All the Tea in China (Revell), just before she died. Chi Libris has created a special Web site, janeorcutt.com; individual writers will blog about the new book; and a vast network of friends and colleagues will spread the word.
According to Publishers Weekly’s Religion BookLine, the group hopes to drive Amazon sales on the book’s release date and boost royalties to offset medical expenses incurred by Orcutt’s family.
About the book: Has this saucy high-society Englishwoman met her match? Though well-bred, fashionable, and educated, Isabella Goodrich feels useless as a spinster in a world of matchmaking and social gatherings. She’d rather be practicing her skills at the sword and discussing philosophy than making painful small talk at ridiculous parties.
Then Isabella meets the mysterious Phineas Snowe, and she becomes convinced she is meant to follow him to the mission fields of the Orient. A woman with an independent nature, she sneaks away and boards a ship to China. What she discovers about her companion and the world beyond Britain’s shores draws her into a greater quest–and deeper love–than she could have imagined.
All the Tea in China is a fast-paced, witty, and lighthearted tale of adventure, romance, and the pursuit of impossible dreams. Jane Orcutt is the author or coauthor of fifteen books, including the bestselling Porch Swings and Picket Fences. A two-time RITA award finalist, Jane was also a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Orcutt, a lifelong Texan, leaves behind a husband and two sons.
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