"All the Tea in China" by Jane Orcutt at Absolute Write

Hi all:

I have a new review over at Absolute Write for Jane Orcutt's last novel All the Tea in China.

All the Tea in China By Jane Orcutt / Revell Everybody expects Isabella to get married, but the witty, fun-loving Englishwoman shocks them all by announcing that she's going to become a missionary in the Far East. Leaving her predictable Oxford life behind, she sets sail to a world fraught with danger. Can she trust her fellow missionary Phineas? Or will her adventure end before it ever begins?

Here's how my review begins:

All the Tea in China is a well-crafted historical romance that brings readers on a physical and emotional journey from Oxford to China by way of Capetown, South Africa, and from single to family by way of an unusual courtship. Orcutt's rich period language brings readers back to 1814 England with such delightful words as sapscull, missish, verrucas, and hoydenish. Indeed, when you enter these pages, you escape to the dignified past of early 19th century Oxford in the upper class home of a renowned academic dean-- but not without glimpsing the destitute history of the sorry slums just outside the university limits. You also experience the cacophonous bustle of the London and Gravesend docks, and exult in the excitement on board the full-masted merchant ship Dignity, first as a stowaway huddling with the livestock, then as a passenger posing as a sister whose "brother" will be putting her off in Capetown, for sure. But independent hero, Isabella Goodrich, is on a mission to China and will not be put off. Brother Phineas Snowe is also a missionary, or so she thinks, but on the long voyage to Macao, many secrets are revealed ...

Find out more about Isabella's adventures on the high seas and in the Far East, as well as what she's doing with that sword, by reading the rest of my review here. Or buy the book here.

You may have also noticed the animated ad for this book in the right side bar of my blog. Clicking on the ad will bring you to a web page put together by several of Jane Orcutt's writer friends after Orcutt's untimely death in March of this year from leukemia. The website supports Orcutt's books and her husband and two young sons.

This is a great book!

Enjoy!

hrh

Blog Update and photo

Hi all:

A quick note to let ya' know I added local weather conditions from Wunderground to the right sidebar just in case anyone's interested in the weather in Southeastern Connecticut at any given time!

In more exciting news, I added a Cbox below the weather info. that lets you leave me a message in real quick time. Type in the boxes, click "go" and pop comes your message in the box below. [NOTE: You can leave the e-mail/URL box blank if you don't wanna' put that info.]

I'll have a more interesting post soon ...

In the meantime, here's another photo of cutie Lilly and moi from our China trip that dear friend Gail just sent me:

Enjoy!

hrh

China Trip Wrap-up

Hi all:

Cute photo of the week:

My friend, traveling companion, and mother of these two sweet girls, has written up the amazing story of her family's two-year wait for daughter number two. I think it's a great and fitting wrap-up to this great adventure that some of you may have been following here on my blog and on the family's website.

The adoption agency she used, America World Adoption Association, has now posted the article.

Here's how it begins:

“Hold that plane!”

I felt like I was in the middle of a movie scene as my husband, four-year-old daughter, and I dashed through Detroit International Airport to make our flight to Beijing via Tokyo on November 16, 2006.

“Hurry, hurry!” I kept yelling back to my good friend Heather, who was lagging behind. “They’re boarding NOW!!”

Finally arriving at the gate, we met up with my equally nervous father-in-law and breathed a sigh of relief as our traveling group was finally together and could settle into our 12-hour flight to Japan ..."

Click here to read the rest of the happy conclusion and for another adorable photo of Lilly.

I love a happy ending!

Take care,

hrh

Guangzhou, China to Tokyo to Minneapolis to Baltimore

Hi all:

Whew! What a long trip home. I can tell you how to get a 3-day weekend: Fly East from China to Baltimore, that's how!

We left our hotel in Guangzhou at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, December 2, and flew to Tokyo. We left Tokyo at 3:40 p.m. and flew 10 hours to Minneapolis arriving at 11:00 a.m. - Saturday December 2! Then on to Baltimore finally arriving back at the family's house around 5:30 p.m. - which felt like 6:30 a.m. Sunday December 3 to us. Yep, we were pooped.

Bringing Lilly home:

Lilly likes flying!

She had several bottles enroute on our 24-hour trip!!

We're home!!

Daddy and Abby are soooooo glad to be home!

Lilly meets Grandpa!

Lilly likes her high chair.

We've reached the end of the journey. I may have some overall reflections once I debrief.

I hope you enjoyed the trip!

Take care,

hrh

Buddhist Temple and Chinese Christmas

Hi all:

Friday December 1 was our last day in China. In the afternoon we took a taxi with one other family to a Buddhist Temple, the Guangzhou Liurong Temple, which is several centuries old.

Studying the layout of the temple grounds:

Several buddhas:

Here's an incense burner:

It has a pagoda that's 9 stories tall.

I climbed up about halfway with Jim and Abby, but Abby's fearless, and I was worried about her. She kept sticking her head through the railing!

It's a long way down from here!

So we came back down!!

In the evening the China Hotel had a Christmas reception in the lobby with wine, beer, soft drinks, and snacks. The wait staff were in tuxedos and Santa hats. Bing Crosby was piped in singing Christmas carols!

They had a girls choir.

The same strolling musicians we heard at Thanksgiving.

Santa Claus for the Chinese kids to sit on his lap and get their picture taken.

Daddy and Abby check out the festivities!

A very surreal day!

Next up: The looooong trip home!

Take care,

hrh

Shamian Island, Guangzhou, China

Hi all:

Thursday, November 30, was another free day, so we went back to Shamian Island to hang out and finish up last-minute shopping.

Here's a goldfish pile-up in the hotel lobby pond of the White Swan Hotel, which is where most adopting families stay. [We were in the China Hotel.] We used the taxi stand at the White Swan to travel to and from Shamian from our hotel.


Here's a shop run by a Chinese man and his sister named Jordon and Wendy. He chose his American name after Michael Jordan, and hers was chosen for her by her English teacher:



Here's Abby with one of the many life-like sculptures in a Shamian Island park:

Lilly's on the move in the park!

Mom plays with the girls while Dad watches the fun:

Helpful signage!

Here's our party in Lucy's Bar and Grille:

Yes, it's named after Lucille Ball. Here's one of the many pieces of American entertainment memorabalia hanging in the restaurant (This one's for you, Mom!):

One more entry on our looooong trip home and the happy homecoming will wrap up our China trip!

Take care,

hrh

Cruise on the Pearl River, Guangzhou, China

Hi all:

Wednesday, November 29, was a free day, so we went down to the hotel's Kiddieland for a while to let the kid play. Both Lilly and Abby loved the playroom.

Lilly's on the move!

Lilly's found something to play with:

We also went on an evening dinner cruise on the Pearl River. Here's Jim showing his ticket to get on the ferry in the background.

Here's the family at dinner:

Here's Abby showing us the lighted boat parade.

Here's Lilly on the top deck amazed at the decorated ships:

This was the last night of the boat parade which touted tourism in Guangdong Province. Some magnificent floats. Enough to make another slideshow, but here are a few shots:

I'll probably do 2 more entries to finish the trip log.

I hope you're enjoying the journey so far!

Take care,

hrh

First Birthday Party, Guangzhou, China

Hi all:

Sorry about no posts for a few days - I was busy flying back to the States! I'll write up that LOOONNGG trip in chronological order in a few days. Meanwhile back to our time in China ...

Monday afternoon, one of the families threw a first birthday party for all the girls, since they were all born in late October or November 2005. What a hoot!

Here's Lilly motoring all around the room. She had a big breakthrough Monday and became very social and the life of the party. Great timing!!


Here's Aunt Laura, one of the party hostesses, and Abby, who got to blow out the birthday candles on behalf of the babies!


Here's most of the birthday girls - or as many as we could assemble before they started crying or getting away!


Here's Lineker, one of our guides, with Lillie. Believe it or not there were three Lily's in our group, all spelled differently, Lily, Lilly, and Lillie!


Here's our other guide, Amy, enjoying the party. Both of these guides have been with America World (AWAA) since the beginning, over 10 years. We were Lineker's 102nd group!

For the story from the new adoptive family's perspective, visit their site and click on "Our Journey to China".

Take care,

hrh

Chin House and Tea Room, Guangzhou, China

Hi all:

Saturday night we went to a Japanese Restaurant for dinner. The ambiance was fun but the service was not. And the food, though it tasted good at the time, did not agree with me later.

We had our room and sat on the floor without shoes Japanese style - except there was a well under the table so we put our feet down and weren't really sitting crosslegged. Bit of a cheat but much more comfortable.

Here we are in our room - before Abby left. The service was too slow so Jim brought Abby back to the room.I ended up carrying Lilly around the restaurant for a while to look in the fish tanks, etc., 'cause she got restless, too.

Here's Jim's plate of appetizers. Appetizing, eh?

Here's my plate:

Sunday we went to the Chin House from the Chin Dynasty with all kinds of Chinese arts 'cause it's also an arts school. We went here in 2004 as well. Very lovely. I bought some souvenirs here. Here's the entrance gate:

Then we went to a tea room and had a demonstration and got to try ceremonial teas. I bought souvenirs here, too, since I'm such a big tea drinker. Had to really. :)

Linaker, one of our guides, at the tea house:

Demonstrating the quality of the clay teapots:

Tea service:

For the story from the new adoptive family's perspective, visit their site and click on "Our Journey to China".

Take care,

hrh