Mona of the Manor

A Novel

By: Armistead Maupin

Narrated by: Mara Wilson

Narrated by Mara Wilson

Set 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.

He just keeps getting better!

I love the early Tales, but he just becomes a better and better writer, as the years speed by, now beginning to blur with their rapid rush. Okay, getting older has not prevented me from remaining dreadful, but his skill continues to improve. Thank you so much for the gift of your fine work, sir!

THE GREAT ARMISTEAD DID IT AGAIN!

This was a wonderful story with an excellent reader. I hope there will be many more sequels with our friends from Barbary lane!

loved Monas life in UK

This was a fun way to get a load of Mona's life post Barbary Lane. I enjoyed it thoroughly

I love spending time with old friends

from the moment I was introduced to the menagerie on Barbary Lane, I was obsessed. Enthralled. in LOVE.

I'VE

Nice to “see”old friends again.

Cute story of our old friends. Nice to know they are still going strong.Looking forward to the next chapter.