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60th out of 96 books
—
33 voters
High Tea
by
Sandra Harper (Goodreads Author)
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 th...more
Paperback, 259 pages
Published
November 11th 2008
by Gallery Books
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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...more
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...more
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...more
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...more
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...more
Margaret is our main character and, as such, we get the...more
A 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...more
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...more
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...more
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 mino...more
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. Reco...more
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 cou...more
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 cou...more
I was hoping for a book more about the contrasts of a very old-fashioned quaint tea shop versus the bustling life of Santa Monica but instead I got the same narrow-minded view most writers who are clearly not native Angelenos who are not immersed in the Hollywood/Actor life. It was a quick and easy read, finished within a night or two but it was not satisfying to say the least. I found myself wishing the writer would focus more on the main character of Margaret than the airheaded actors and actr...more
Mar 14, 2011
Suzanne
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Suzanne by:
Diva Scavenger Hunt - little dog
Shelves:
chick-lit
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?!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Mid-life crisis and love scenes and the recipes are a joke.
I wanted to open my own tea business after reading this novel. I totally loved it! A great summer, girly book that's so LA! This is one that should be turned into a movie.
Kind of slow beginning, but really picked up in the second half - very worth the read!
The f bombs made me want to put it down, but was glad I didn't. Cute easy read
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.
a fun read about a tea shop in the LA area---the owner and the staff---
A quick read. Not really exciting.
Entertaining
Not that good, not terrible. I suppose it was worth the few hours it took to read & the $3.00 I paid for it.
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...
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!
Book Club Book #1
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!
Really fin light quick read! Just what I was looking for!
The best book ever! Sandra Harper is immensely talented.
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Sandra Harper is the author of "High Tea" and the play "Magpie's Tearoom." She has written a cooking column for SKIRT! She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son. The best job she ever had was working at the Cook's Library on 3rd Street.
Her new book, "Over The Holidays" is out now.
More about Sandra Harper...
Her new book, "Over The Holidays" is out now.
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