Muldoon's Tea Rooms on Mulberry Street in Belfast is the crossroads for a vibrant cast of characters, each of whom is at a crossroads in his or her own life. From the proprietors, Daniel and Penny Stanley, to the winsome florist across the street, the starving artist next door, the philandering businessman across town, his plump little doormat wife, the spinster sisters down the road, and the pretentious society matron, everyone who enters the tearoom for a scone and some Earl Grey leaves a bit more resolved to make changes in his or her life. Must be the ingredients they use, for the tea shop itself hasn't changed a whit since the Stanleys inherited it from Penny's parents. But when a tragic accident nearly destroys the restaurant, the Stanleys undertake the most drastic changes of all. Owens, a best-selling author in her native Ireland, makes it all unfold as smoothly as the shop's cherry cheesecake in her charming debut novel, which will surely appeal to fans of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher. --Carol Haggas Copyright 2005 Booklist

"It was like a magical shop in a children's book; ordinary-looking from the outside but magical within," though the only thing magical about the Belfast tea shop is that it is patronized by people who are about to be transformed. In Owens's first novel-which is already a best seller in her native Ireland-the patrons include an edgy "Goth" artist, an elegant magazine publisher, a frustrated gardener, and two spinsters hoping to meet the queen. Each character is jolted out of his/her rut into unfamiliar territory. A fire, a letter, a house addition, a Greek vacation, and a name on a birth certificate all prove to be catalysts for growth and happy endings. This is a wonderful Irish novel, to be savored by fans of Maeve Binchy.-Carol J. Bissett, New Braunfels P.L., TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A dilapidated tea house in Belfast, Ireland, is second home to a handful of down-in-the-dumps locals in this flat-footed debut, a bestseller in Owens's native Ireland. Brought together by a common fondness for Muldoon's Tea Rooms-and the establishment's luscious cherry cheesecake-the members of the motley cast have little else in common. Occupying center stage are the shop owners, Daniel and Penny Stanley, whose very different dreams threaten their 17-year marriage. Penny longs for beautiful things and exotic vacations, but Daniel pinches pennies and worries over a long-held secret. Then there are the regulars-starving artist Brenda Brown, who believes her boring name is holding her back in the art world and spends her time penning love letters to Nicolas Cage; wealthy bookshop owner Henry Blackstaff, who escapes his imperious Bront?-loving wife to spy on Rose, the florist across from the tea house; and magazine editor Clare Fitzgerald, who returns from New York periodically to search for her lost childhood love. Owens strives to craft rounded characters with weaknesses and flaws-Daniel is revealed to be a former petty thief; Brenda makes an unexpected decision about her blossoming career-but manages only to create disjointed figures whose motives are hard to credit. Even Belfast is a pallid presence, little more than a stagy backdrop for this unsatisfying medley of tales. Agent, Helenka Fuglewicz at Edwards Fuglewicz. (Feb. 3) Forecast: A 100,000-copy first printing, a hefty $100,000 marketing budget and a very nice price will get this out the door, but readers in search of the next Maeve Binchy may be less than satisfied. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Owens made bestsellerdom in Ireland with this debut that intertwines the stories of the various customers of a small Belfast restaurant/cafÉ. Daniel and Penny Stanley run Muldoon's, which had belonged to Penny's parents. A cast of regular--and occasional--patrons frequent Muldoon's for breakfast, lunch, and baked specialties, in particular the cherry cheesecake (recipe included). Brenda Brown, an eccentric young artist whose flat is next door to the restaurant, writes fan letters to Nicholas Cage and paints art that doesn't sell. Bookstore owner Henry Blackstock, partial to Muldoon's breakfasts, allows his wife to destroy his beloved garden so she can build a conservatory for her literary club. Ample Sadie Smith, who breaks her frequent diets at Muldoon's, suspects that her husband, the builder of the Blackstock conservatory, is cheating on her while she tirelessly cares for his aging parents. Clare Fitzgerald, a publishing executive in New York who lived in Brenda's flat as a student, met the love of her life at Muldoon's, lost contact through a freak accident (shades of An Affair to Remember) and has returned to search for him. At the center, Daniel and Penny are in a marital crisis that threatens the future of both their marriage and their restaurant. Miserly Daniel refuses to have children and cares only about the business. Penny, emotionally exhausted, begins an affair with a customer, a real-estate agent who inadvertently drops a bombshell about Daniel's past. Meanwhile, Henry falls in love with the recently divorced florist across the street; Sadie catches her swinish husband in bed with his skinny mistress, who used to be Brenda's boss; Clare buys a painting from Brenda, whose flat then burns up in a fire that also destroys Muldoon's; and Daniel saves Penny and realizes that, although he married her for the restaurant, he does love her . . . . A sugar-and-spice toy for Maeve Binchy fans. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.