Andrée Jannette’s THE TEA DRINKER’S GUIDE TO ADVENTURE is the literary equivalent of a nice hot pot of tea on a crisp afternoon, pure comfort and sweetness without too much stress. Sure, there’s action in the book, ranging from tornadoes to a hostage situation, but it’s all set in a kindly and gentle setting which leaves the reader knowing that everything’s going to turn out all right in the end. The protagonists are three older women–Betsy, grappling with Parkinson’s disease, Cathy, a widow who lost her husband to cancer, and Linda, an ER nurse. The story doesn’t make light of, or smooth over, the difficulties, pains, and stresses of old age and chronic illness, but neither does it treat old age and chronic illness as life-ending tragedies that reduce people to helpless victims. The warmth of community and found family permeate the book, with characters who work together to help build a safe place for everyone to live, who support each other, and give each other helpful guidance in times of indecision and stress.
The protagonists and their friends are quite likeable–optimistic, generous and open-hearted, and focused on doing something worthwhile with their lives, giving themselves hope and satisfaction through concern and compassion for others. A touch of romance livens the book, and it’s refreshing to see an older couple get a chance at both romantic love and physical attraction rather than the usual assumption that such things are only for the young. There’s an element of deus ex machina in the resolution of that romance, with a perfect stranger offering just the right guidance at just the right time, but the resolution itself is both satisfactory and realistic. At times the story feels a bit too sweet, almost preachy–even the best of people occasionally have clashes of temper or personality, but there’s very little of that here, just love, warmth and understanding. Dialogue can be a bit stilted at times, but never to the point of complete unbelievability. All in all, it’s a lovely book that offers a gentle dose of hope, the warmth of friendship, sisterhood, and community.
Andrée Jannette’s THE TEA DRINKER’S GUIDE TO ADVENTURE is warm, wholesome story that makes it clear that new friends and new adventures aren’t limited to the young, with a touch of romance and a couple of adorable dogs to sweeten the pot.
~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader