Hilary is recently estranged from her wealthy husband, whose good fortune seems to have come from defrauding his financial clients. She has moved in with her elderly sister, the grouchy, chain-smoking Nancy.
Joy is a new "intern" at Marjorie Marshall, a whiz at making scones and serving tea and sympathy, but criticised often by Hilary for minor misdemeanours. Joy is working her way up to revisiting the ward where her husband Len was recently desperately ill.
Chloe is the new "Duke of Edinburgh", a high school student whose parents and brothers are doctors. It is expected that she will follow their career path, but Chloe faints at the sight of blood and has issues of her own.
The catalyst to the progress of the story is the modernisation of St Jude's. There is to be a Wellbeing Hub and a Meditation Pod, and most concerningly, a new restaurant that offers three types of chai. What will this mean for the Marjorie Marshall Memorial Cafeteria?
These three women are at the heart of a story of tangled and repressed emotions, complex and shifting relationships, misunderstandings and enforced change. Its beauty is that it mirrors normal life and normal people (a term here used broadly) in all their messiness, casual unkindness, generosity and friendship.
Hilary, Joy and Chloe are about as different as three people can be, yet in times of need, they possess qualities that complement one another. There is much investigation around perspective and empathy and standing up for what is right and what is needed.
The Tea Ladies of St Jude's Hospital is a lovely slice of life in which kind hearts band together. It is laugh-out-loud funny, nicely plotted and executed with absolutely delightful moments. I may have shed a tear once or twice too. Highly recommended for anyone in need of a book hug.
