Reviews

Tea is so Intoxicating by Mary Essex

suannelaqueur's review against another edition

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4.0

You know me and my love of Stiff Upper Lip fiction. I started on audio but the narrator got on my nerves. It reads better than it listens.

krobart's review against another edition

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4.0

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/review-1608-tea-is-so-intoxicating/

xanadu_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

especiallysarah's review against another edition

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4.0

I mean I bought this for the title but I really enjoyed it as a lighthearted snapshot of village life in the late 40s/early 50s. Not sure I'd visit this tea shop though.

paperbacksandpines's review against another edition

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4.0

Mary Essex's Tea Is So Intoxicating is the second book I've read from the British Library Women Writers line and I am impressed. I had previously read Father by Elizabeth Von Arnim last summer and was blown away.

What starts out as a seemingly simple story about Germayne’s second husband trying to open a tea garden turns into something else completely.

This is a story about the relationship amongst women with other women, relationships and misunderstandings between the sexes, the changing nature of village life, societal viewpoints toward and expectations of women and their place in society, and self knowledge.

So much of the day to day life was foreign to me and partly because I'm not British, partly because of the passage of time since this book was written. For these reasons, I could never guess where the author would take me. This book will stay with me for a long time and I look forward to reading many more books from the British Library Women Writers line.

macbeckyton's review against another edition

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4.0

I don't usually 'do' funny books but this was hilarious. Proper tongue-in-cheek 1950s humour, albeit with some troubling stereotyping...

rhino's review

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

drizcoll's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this. Nothing particularly big happened but the writing style and characters made it interesting and enjoyable.

rosyroo's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.75

thriftybookishlucy's review

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

4.0