** spoiler alert ** Eleanor Smith is a woman on the street with nothing but a thin sweater to her name. Rosemary Fell stands in an antique shop, just down the street, lavishly spending money, if only to keep up with appearances. When Eleanor asks Rosemary if she could have enough money to buy a cup of tea, Rosemary thinks of how great it would look to take this woman under her wing, and decides to take her home and freshen her up. This small encounter changes Rosemary and Eleanor’s lives forever, whether they are aware of it or not. Set in 1917, Amy Ephron’s A Cup of Tea explores the differences between riches and rags, and how feelings of entitlement can be the biggest downfall a person can have.

Review (Not necessarily spoiler free)

Firstly, this book is the quickest full-length novel I have ever read. It only took me about two hours to read. The chapters are extremely short, but the plot was so continuous it didn’t bother me at all.
However, what really makes this novel are the characters. Although this book takes place during WWI, most of the story encompasses the lives of the women left behind in New York City. Rosemary represents the girl with all the riches in the world. She is also optimistic to the point of insanity. Jane, her best friend, is also wealthy, but more levelheaded. Eleanor comes from nothing, and takes the book (and reader) by storm. Central to this book is the emotions these women experience and what happens because of what they feel. Because emotion is so central to the story, the characters and plot are timeless. This is a story that anyone can enjoy, and truly should be read by everyone, if only for thematic quality.
The only thing that bothered me about the story was the ending. It was too abrupt. And, while Ephron sets the reader up to be able to figure out what happens to all the characters, I think she could have added either an epilogue or another chapter simply so the reader could experience what Eleanor was feeling first hand. Perhaps it’s my own twisted head, but I think a spinoff book about Rosemary, post-Philip’s murder would be extremely interesting. Ephron is truly a genius.