Chai Tea Sunday [Paperback]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this story - it has a nice flow to it. Having travelled in parts of the world that sound very similar, I was taken back to those countries through the rich descriptive passages and colourful phrases which made that world come alive.
Can't wait to read Heather's next book!

I couldn't put this book down. It was a really touching story that I could easily relate to. I thought how the author dealt with fertility issues and loss were spot on! I also felt transported to Kenya by the vivid descriptions, and touching characters. Having read Little Princes and Three Cups of Tea, I did feel parts of the story a little too familiar and predictable. And I wish the main character was more developed (I often feel this way about novels, hence why I typically much prefer biographies). But overall it was a great read, and I truly enjoyed it!

Story Description:

ECW Press|April 1, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-77041-082-4

Explore the true resilience of the heart - and one woman's determination to find hope in a world fraught with adversity

Thirty-something Nicky Fowler has it all - a rewarding career, a loving husband and the perfect home. But when she and her husband suffer a complicated tragedy, the strain of two people dealing with an impossible situation in different ways breaks up their marriage.

Emotionally lost, Nicky travels to Kenya to volunteer at an orphanage. Amidst the violence and abject poverty, Nicky discovers the one thing that keeps Kenyans moving forward: hope. Over steaming mugs of chai, the country's signature drink, Nicky opens up to her host mother, Mama Bu, and finds understanding, love and strength. And with that strength, Nicky realizes what she needs to do to save the endangered children she's grown to love. Based on a true story, CHAI TEA SUNDAY is a glorious portrayal of the power of the human spirit.

My Review:

Heather Clark's debut novel CHAI TEA SUNDAY is going to be a big hit!! Tender, startling, filled with sadness, violence, yet hope, goodness and the Kenyan spirit teaches Nicky some major life lessons that she will apply to the rest of her life.

Nicky and her beloved husband, Eric, suffer a terribly devastating and sad loss that would knock the wind out of any parents. Each encompassed in their own grief and dealing with it in different ways their marriage falls apart and they separate after some thirteen very happy years together.

Eric throws himself into his job as a lawyer and Nicky heads off to Kenya, Africa to volunteer as a teacher in an orphanage after her school principal in the United States suggests she take some time off to get her grief in order as it was having a profound effect on her Grade three students.

What Nicky finds in Kenya in her host family is, Mama Bu. An intelligent and wise woman who teaches Nicky what holds Kenyans together in the face of such abject poverty and starvation - hope, chai tea, and a forever friendship. However, Nicky is sickened when the current director of the orphanage is less than kind to the children and she strives to find ways to cope with the injuries these young children suffer while at the same time trying not to interfere to the point she is kicked out. The last thing these kids need is to lose Nicky, their only source of love and hope.

Apparently this novel is based on a true story and I was mesmerized and read it in one sitting. I just couldn't put the book down and didn't want it to end. This is one novel I won't soon forget and it has earned a spot on my "permanent" book shelf! Congratulations Mrs. Clark on a wonderful debut novel!!! I will certainly be spreading the word about this new and wonderful Canadian author.