Mona of the Manor, Armistead Maupin
Mona of the Manor, Armistead Maupin
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Mona of the Manor
A Novel

Author: Armistead Maupin

Narrator: Mara Wilson

Unabridged: 5 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 03/05/2024


Synopsis

Narrated by Mara WilsonSet in the early 1990s, the long-awaited tenth novel in Armistead Maupin’s beloved and enduring Tales of the City series follows the adventures of Mona Ramsey, now the widowed Lady of a glorious old manor in Britain’s golden Cotswolds, and her fabulous adopted son Wilfred, as they come to the aid of an American visitor with a troubling secret.When Mona Ramsey married Lord Teddy Roughton to secure his visa—allowing him to remain in San Francisco to fulfill his wildest dreams—she never imagined she would, by age 48, be the sole owner of Easley House, Teddy’s grand, romantic country manor in the UK. She also didn't imagine that she’d need to open the manor’s doors to paying guests to afford the electric bill and repair the leaking roof. Yet somehow she and her young friend Wilfred--whom guests assume is serving as Easley’s charming-but-clumsy butler--and the loopy old gardener Mr. Hargis, are making it work.This delicate equilibrium is upended when Americans Rhonda and Ernie Blaylock arrive for a weekend vacation at Easley, and Wilfred stumbles onto their terrible secret. Now, instead of being able to focus on the imminent arrival of her old friend Michael Tolliver and beloved parent Anna Madrigal, Mona will need to focus all of her considerable charm, willpower, and wiles—and the help of Wilfred and Mona’s girlfriend Poppy, the town’s postmistress and local calligraphy whiz—to set things right before the Midsummer ceremony when the whole town will descend on Easley’s historic grounds.

About Armistead Maupin

Armistead Maupin is the author of the Tales of the City series, which includes Tales of the City, More Tales of the City, Further Tales of the City, Babycakes, Significant Others, Sure of You, Michael Tolliver Lives, Mary Ann in Autumn, The Days of Anna Madrigal, and Mona of the Manor. His other books include the memoir Logical Family and the novels Maybe the Moon and The Night Listener. Maupin was the 2012 recipient of the Lambda Literary Foundation’s Pioneer Award. He lives in London with his husband, Christopher Turner.


Reviews

Goodreads review by V. on April 29, 2024

For the most recent entries into Armistead Maupin's long-running Tales of the City books, I've waxed poetic about their elegiac tones and how they're a fitting end to the series...and then the author has gone and pumped out yet another. I'm not falling for it this time, Mr. Maupin. Mona of the Manor......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on March 06, 2024

Revisiting the past can be tricky but here we step back in time to meet with Mona, but not at Barbary Lane but at Easley, the English country house that's her home. Packed with equal amounts of trademark Maupin laughter, drama and tragedy I devoured this book in two glorious sittings. Excellent!......more

Goodreads review by Gigi on June 16, 2024

I am brand new to Tales of the City and I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this! I was, however, enraptured by the queer, loud, and hilarious characters and the depth of exploration into being queer and understanding and loving those who are.......more

Goodreads review by Stephen Richard on October 15, 2023

Armistead Maupin and the Tales of the City series is iconic and was/is a landmark in LGBTQ+ fiction. Mona of the Manor is a companion novel to the chronicles and is set in rural England during the Thatcher era- five years after the introduction of the divisive Section 28 and with the shadow of AIDS......more

Goodreads review by Kirk on February 13, 2024

I loved it. It’s like a comfort read with some favorite characters from Tales of the City. I read it in one day. Thanks to Harper Books/Harper Collins Publishers and a book fairy for the ARC.......more