I almost never re-read books but I have read this series in its entirety three times! And I would gladly re-read them all over again. To be honest Mona is not my favourite character from this beloved series, but I will gladly return to these books via any character I can. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed reading about Mona's life as a Lady of the Manor which is so far removed from a resident at Barbary Lane. Instead of the usual corner of San Francisco we are visiting a rural pocket of England. A few years ago Armistead Maupin emigrated to the UK and so he has lovingly planted Mona in the UK too. If you are new to this series you could start with this book, however as an avid fan I loved and appreciated the numerous callbacks to years gone by. Mona of the Manor is a hilarious social commentary with a deeper undertone along the way.

Maupin's tales of the city books takes you a fantastical trip through the decades and I guarantee you will love every one.

Maupin never disappoints -and in many ways he's a comic Dickens for me - chronicling life in witty, charming and clever ways. Mona of the Manor continues the Tales of the City series, and whilst it veers away from some of the familiar locales of the other books, it maintains the warmth, humour, and realism that all the other books possess

In exchange for an honest review, I was given an advance copy of Mona of the Manor by NetGalley.

So this book is unmistakeably Maupin. The 10th in the Tales of the City collection, he's found a way to branch out the series by having a mid-quel. In this novel we follow an assortment of highly-sexed members of a 'logical family'. We also have an outsider that comes into the fold, a crime subplot and a slew of recurring characters making for a flying visit.

If you read a chapter or two everyday it works quite well. It's somewhat sexually explicit in literary terms, which can pall somewhat but I did enjoy his turn of phrase and nostalgia relating to the UK in the '90s.

I grew up with Armistead Maupin's San Francisco Chronicles, and loved them. However I haven't read any of the more recent additions. I have been planning to re-read the books starting at the beginning again, but wasn't sure is I would find them as good as I did way back when, and didn't want to spoil my memories by finding out they do not stand up to the tests of time. I saw this book and decided to give it a go.
My memories of the books are now getting hazy, but you don't need to have read the previous books to follow this one. A sentence here or there keeps you up to date with the past and does not get in the way of the narrative. The book is a quick, light and very enjoyable read that still shocks slightly here or there. If you have read the previous books you will love this one, if you haven't this is a great gateway, leaving you wanting to know what happened all those years ago.

Reading this was like picking up with an old friend you haven't seen in years. You might not have spoken every day, but you have such a rich shared history that it takes no time to be comfortable with one another again. That's how it always feels coming back to Maupin's Tales of the City characters. This is just a breezy treat, with lovely, compassionate writing.

A Treasure..
Book ten of the Tales of the City series and another delicious instalment and, as always, a timely reminder to fully embrace life and live it the full. The deftly drawn cast of characters fizzle with life on the page, entirely credible and older and wiser, as the storyline blends lives and handles difficult issues with a deep warmth and much empathy. Written with huge heart and laced with a delicate blend of humour. A treasure.

This is the tenth book in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series and is a delight, not least as I thought his ninth book was going to the last in the series.

We are now in 1993, so 15 or so years on from when we first met the main characters in this book – namely Mona, Michael and Anna Madrigal. Mona is now ‘Lady of the Manor’ in England having married an English man with a title and stately home. I reread the first book to remind myself of the characters but this book would work quite well as a stand-along if you are not familiar with the characters of 28 Barbary Lane, San Francisco from the previous books.

Lady Roughton. aka Mona, is widowed and living in Easley House in the Cotswolds with her 26 year old adopted son Wilfred. They are taking in paying guests to help with the upkeep of the someone dilapidated house. Ernie and Rhonda, from North Carolina, arrive expecting a grand British stately home experience with very British hosts so are a little put out to find a leaky run down house run by fellow Americans. And quirky ones at that.

As ever with Maupin’s writing there are a lot of LGBTQ+ relationships, some serious topics (the AIDS pandemic in this case) and a lot of fun along the way. Maupin’s books are always a great read when you want an escape from the more serious nature of life. I am minded to reread all in the series having enjoyed this one so much.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I am a long time fan of the residents of Barbary Lane, having first read the books as they came out in paperback in the mid 80s. I was delighted to be get the chance to read more about Mona even although in the earlier books, the sojourn in England with Wilfrid etc., were not my favourite episodes.

This book is set in 1993 and is very short. We find out a bit more about how Mona and Wilfrid are getting on in England in Teddy's stately home. where Mona welcomes paying guests. I enjoyed it but I have not enjoyed Maupin's later writings as much as his earlier work up to Sure of You. All in all it is a bit slight and flat although he has managed to recapture the essence of Mona and the old days. Wilfrid 's Londonness is still demonstrated by him (very annoyingly) saying "me" instead of "my", But it could be worse, there are no "Cor blimey, Guvnor" s and no renditions of "My old man's a dustman".

There is probably room for a "further adventures of Mona and Rhonda".

I will mark it as 5 for old time's sake.

I adore Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City series, so spending time with Mona, Michael, and Anna again was truly delightful. The tenth installment of the series takes place in the 1980s in Britain, when Mona, as Lady Roughton, is living at Easley House in the Cotswolds. It picks up where the last few installments left off. She shares a home with her 26-year-old adopted son Wilf and runs the manor house by hosting B&B guests.
It was interesting to see what happened to Mona after she relocated to Britain because I adored the character from the first Tales book and genuinely missed her presence in the later books. Maupin writes with such ease as always, and I completed this in a single day. Although it addresses the serious topics of the AIDS crisis and life in Thatcherite Britain, it is nevertheless an interesting and reassuring read. I adored the allusions to previous series characters like Brian and John, as well as Mona and Michael's recollections of their time spent in San Francisco.
There's so much happiness ahead if you've never read the Tales series, so I recommend starting at the beginning!
The only thing that bothered me about this return to the beloved characters was how short it was, and now that I've read it, I feel empty. Still, I liked it.

I was so excited to hear that there was a new book by Armistead Maupin as his Tales of the City series is one of my all time favourites. Mona of the Manor didn’t disappoint, it was just lovely, reading it was like meeting an old friend you haven’t seen for a while and just feeling that they have never been away. I loved it. Thank you to Doubleday and Netgalley for letting me read this, I’d happily recommend this and the whole series.

This was brilliant. Armistead Maupin has some amazing, larger than life characters, and although there are a number of plot holes that do not bar much scrutiny, this was a fun read.

I really enjoyed this slice of English country life, told through the experience of an American ex-pat. Transplanting American characters into a rambling country pile was an excellent touch and all is not what it seems. Mona is a wonderfully strong character who manages to be simultaneously real and likeable and the history of the 1980s San Francisco was well handled. Thanks NetGalley!

Armistead Maupin returns us to his marvellous LGBT+ Tales of the City series, this time set in the UK during the Thatcher era and the trauma of the Aids crisis, with a social and political commentary of this period. When Mona Ramsey married Lord Teddy Roughton so he could live his wildest dreams in San Francisco, it paved the path for her to become owner of his Cotswolds manor, Easley House, living there with her 26 year old adopted son of Aboriginal heritage, Wilfred. Now Lady Roughton, Mona's impressive but dilapidated manor has a leaking roof, a home that is in constant and desperate need of repairs, fuelling the bed and breakfast business, taking in paying guests necessary to pay the bills.

The clumsy Wilfred plays the part of butler, and employed to manage the grounds is the mad elderly Mr Lachlan Hargis, who is on the lookout for trespassing gypsies, despite Mona not minding their presence. Mona, determined to hold on to the manor, intending to leave it to her son, has a friends with benefits relationship with the local Chipping Camden postmistress, Poppy Gallagher who wants it to be more, and like any mother, she worries about Wilfred's regular London trips. Matters are thrown into disarray when an American couple arrive for a weekend stay, the Christian Rhonda and Ernie Blaystock with a dark and disturbing secret. Everything draws to a dramatic Midsummer celebrations conclusion as Michael Tolliver and Anna Madrigal arrive for a long awaited visit.

Fans of the series will welcome the latest addition to the series, my only issue with it was that it all came to an end much too soon. I adore the characters and Rhonda is a revelation with her capacity to fit in and become an integral part of running the manor. A hugely fun, fabulous, and colourfully vibrant read that hits on the big issues and trauma of the period. All I can say to all readers is enjoy! Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book and their interactions. I found myself raucously laughing out loud at times which rarely happens.

I foolishly missed the part in the blurb that mentioned this was a new novel in a series. So I read this book as a standalone novel, with no prior knowledge of the other books or characters in the series. I felt a bit clueless at times when characters were mentioned and I didn’t have a clue who they were, if like me you haven’t read earlier books.

Back in the day I read and loved Tales of the City, so I was beyond excited to get a copy of Mr M's new book. I was a little apprehensive but I needn't have worried ,it was a scream, and I loved it. I loved the characters really well described, and believable . I know the area it is set in quite well, and in my mind Mona and all the others are living in a manor house in the Cotswolds, I am absolutely certain of that. I loved the references back to Tales Of The City ,and Anna and Michael it was perfect .Older readers like me will love this book, and so I am sure will new readers, who may then want to read the other books. This was a pleasure to read, and I absolutely recommend it.

The Tales of the City series means so much to me and I’m always going to love spending time with any of the character. This book didn’t entirely work for me - it was a bit too short and slight - but having said that it was still a charming, entertaining read. I can’t bear to think that there won’t be any more books. But thank goodness we have them at all.

This was a great book. Maupin effortlessly manages to include humour and entertainment (in characters including Mona and her wonderful manor; her frothy banter with Wilfred) while seamlessly dealing with severe and devastating subjects such as criticism and judgement of the LGBTQIA+ community, and the HIV and AIDS crisis of the eighties, as well as domestic abuse.

I read this book as a standalone novel, with no prior knowledge of the other books in the series. That in itself is a testament to what a wonderful book this was to read.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it's a 5 star joy - revisiting the characters who feel like old friends - Anna Madrigal, Michael, Mona, and their world is an inclusive delight. But the plot is very thin and dare I say it slightly lazy at times, hard to illustrate without giving spoilers but one of the 'wrapping up' solutions doesn't stand the slightest scrutiny.

So I am very grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for a review copy. As another reviewer says it's like being wrapped in a warm blanket, but without the nostalgia element I'm not sure it would be as loveable.

So, a chance to revisit Mona Ramsey, decades after the halcyon days of Barbary Lane in the mid 70s; although, in fact, this novel is set not that many years later than the last of the original six Tales of the City chronicles and thus well before the recent three sequels. It's 30 years since I fell in love with Mouse, Mrs Madrigal, uptight Mary Ann and Mona, the four around which the themes, the stories, the love really happens. Amazingly faithful tv adaptations of the first three books left their mark, too.

I think with these later novels, there is still a lot of love and nostalgia for the characters, who have fought their personal battles and survived and drifted apart and come back together again. Naturally the books that have been set in modern times have had to move characters forward and introduce new ones and that mostly worked in a sympathetic nod to those who've disappeared stage left; there was still the spontaneity that brought the early Tales to life. Some aspects of Mona of the Manor feel as if they've been included almost because something less than sweet had to be ticked off, which I don't feel necessarily makes it a better novel - I genuinely would have been delighted for a window into a brief period of time for these favourite old friends and we did, almost, get just this.

What a treat, a pre-publication Armistead Maupin. Thank you NetGalley. This is a welcome addition to the Tales of The City series. Mona has created a new logical family in Gloucestershire and Mouse & Anna pitch up too. It is as beautifully written as its predecessors with some thought provoking politics behind the lightness of touch. A must read.