Monsoon Mansion

A Memoir

By: Cinelle Barnes

Narrated by: Cinelle Barnes

Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, Monsoon Mansion is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family’s rise and fall from grace in the Philippines. It would take a young warrior to survive it.

Cinelle Barnes was barely three years old when her family moved into Mansion Royale, a stately ten-bedroom home in the Philippines. Filled with her mother’s opulent social aspirations and the gloriously excessive evidence of her father’s self-made success, it was a girl’s storybook playland. But when a monsoon hits, her father leaves, and her mother’s terrible lover takes the reins, Cinelle’s fantastical childhood turns toward tyranny she could never have imagined. Formerly a home worthy of magazines and lavish parties, Mansion Royale becomes a dangerous shell of the splendid palace it had once been.

In this remarkable ode to survival, Cinelle creates something magical out of her truth - underscored by her complicated relationship with her mother. Through a tangle of tragedy and betrayal emerges a revelatory journey of perseverance and strength, of grit and beauty, and of coming to terms with the price of family - and what it takes to grow up.

©2018 Cinelle Barnes (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Captivating!

I read often and this book had my complete attention from cover to cover. I could not put it down! I will be reading it again!

Beautifully written and fully immersive

Cinelle Barnes does a beautiful job both writing and narrating her story. Her descriptions of locations and events create such a clear story that as I listener I felt present in each of her memories. I read a lot of memoirs and I can tell you this is one that will stick with you in an incredible way. I highly recommend it.

Like Reading Poetry

The author's writing style is very poetic and her story is compelling. I highly recommended!

interesting

I liked this story. at times it was hard to follow. I might have enjoyed reading it better as the voice and tone were not really engaging.

A Beautiful Intimate Journey of Memories and Strength

Hearing the beautifully crafted word images full of strength and pain told from the authors small yet strong voice was an amazing journey. She is a brilliant woman who doesn’t just have an excellent memory but the ability to weave it into a gorgeous exercise of healing and strength. I’m thankful for her memoir and what it must have taken to share it.