Erin Marinelli has her work cut out for her when she arrives at her late grandmother’s Wisconsin home to prepare for an estate sale. But sifting through the overwhelming collection of figurines, outdated appliances and dusty books, she finds something that captures her attention: a yellowed envelope of old photographs. In one, taken almost a century ago, a beautiful woman is seated with a young … young boy who looks uncannily like Erin’s five-year-old autistic son, Will.
Intrigued, Erin looks further into her family’s history, and discovers parallels to her present‑day life. The boy in the picture, John Cartwright, was deaf. He and his mother, Amelia, are presumed to have drowned together in Geneva Lake, beside Amelia’s family home. Named for the butterflies that flocked to its lush gardens, Monarch Manor still stands, though the once-grand Queen Anne house is now in ruins, slated for demolition. Seeking respite from her own exhausting battle to get the best care for Will, Erin delves even deeper into the past—unearthing a story that is both heartbreaking and surprising.
Weaving Erin’s and Amelia’s narratives together, Maureen Leurck creates an unforgettable and moving novel of sacrifice and hope, and the way love between a parent and child can transform them both.
Praise for Maureen Leurck’s Cicada Summer
“Rich with believable characters and an evocative setting, Leurck’s novel is a gem.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Leurck has crafted a perfect summertime story of love, loss, and second chances. . . . Readers of Elin Hilderbrand and Nancy Thayer will enjoy this beach read.”
—Booklist
“A captivating novel about the power of redemption.”
—Jen Lancaster, New York Times bestselling author
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This is a beautiful written novel about families with special needs children. It’s dual time line with Amelia and her deaf son John in 1923 and Erin and her autistic son Will in present day. Both stories are full of love of mothers for their sons and how they work to help them find their place in the world despite their special needs.
Erin is helping her mother clean out her grandmother’s cluttered home so that the house can be sold. As she is going through piles of ‘mementos’ she finds an envelope of old pictures. She’s unsure who is in the pictures but she is amazed to see that the young boy in the picture looks exactly like her son Will. She goes on a quest to find out about the people in the pictures and what happened to them. At the same time, she is overly stressed at home while she tries to find the best place for her son to go to a school that will provide him with the best chance of learning to live with his needs. Her husband and Will’s twin sister are helpful but Erin is the person who really worries and tries to do the best for her son. Her research of the pictures leads her to Monarch Manor, now a dilapidated mansion, and she continues to try to find out more about the family. She soon finds out that Amelia and her son drowned on a stormy night when they were on a boat ride on Geneva Lake. But she still has hope that somehow the connection will help her with trying to help Will. The further she digs, the more discrepancies she finds. Did Amelia and John really die?
Amelia is visiting Monarch Manor with her son John, who is deaf. Her husband has just died and her mother in law wants to send John away to a school for ‘people like him’ so that he will no longer cause embarrassment to the family. Amelia is heartbroken and knows that she needs to do something to keep her son with her because she knows that she can help him learn to live a good life. Did they really drown or was this just a way to escape from her mother in law and her plans?
This is a beautiful story about love and the lengths women will go for their families and their children.
Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
As Erin and her mother, Mary Ellen, go through the process of closing her grandmother’s home in preparation to sell, Erin finds an old photo of a relative from the last. The photo shows a young woman, Amelia and her son, John. John looks so much like her own son, Will, that Erin feels the need to learn more about them.
It is this quest that leads Erin to a family mystery that has been buried for decades…as she finds answers and more questions, she finds parallels between her life and Amelia’s….
A beautifully written novel crossing generations…how far would you go to protect those that you love?
Monarch Manor is a beautifully written novel that is filled with love, sadness, and a fierce determination of two mothers who have children with disabilities. As this novel alternates between two time periods and viewpoints, the story unfolds a little at a time. After her grandmother passed away, Erin goes to Lake Geneva to clean out her grandmother’s house, “Monarch Manor”, to prepare for an estate sale. A mother of twins, Charlotte and Will, Erin is exhausted both physically and mentally. Her son Will is autistic and she is focused on him getting the very best treatment and therapy that he can get. Finding some photographs as she was cleaning her grandmother’s house, Erin is curious to see who they all are. When she sees a beautiful young woman and a boy, that looks a lot like her son Will, Erin decides to find out all she can about her roots. She discovers that the young lady and boy are distant relatives, Amelia and John. John suffers from hearing loss and lives during a time period that makes it difficult for anyone that has any type of disability. Set in 1923, Amelia has to face daily opposition from her in laws since her husband passed. Wanting to place John in an institution because of his hearing loss, Amelia refuses to let them dictate her life or her son’s life. Back to present time, Erin discovers that is was believed that Amelia and John drowned in Lake Geneva at the family’s home, Monarch Manor. Will Erin discover what really happened? Did Amelia and John drown or did they disappear from the family that wanted to keep her precious John hidden? This was such an amazing book. The two time periods and two viewpoints really made this story stand out. I could feel the frustration of Amelia and Erin as they were doing all they could for their sons. The prejudice attitude that people had toward children with disabilities back in Amelia’s time period was so sad. They basically felt it was best to hide John away in institutions because he was deaf. Even in the present time, Will has to face prejudices, as well, but not to the degree that John had to. I applaud Author Maureen Leurck for the beautiful and heartfelt storyline. I am excitingly waiting to see what else this magnificent author has in store for us!
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed the book. I will definitely read more of her work.
This is the story of two women, set it two different eras, who have similar experiences. They are both the mother of a child with special needs and both struggled to find their way. With the mystery of the deaths of a young mother and her child, this book alternates between two timelines a century apart.
The story was both enjoyable and sad but I enjoyed it and would recommend it who loves historical fiction or those who like multiple timelines.
This was the first book I have read by this author. I can tell you that it will not be the last. This book pulled me in from the very beginning and I was enthralled by the storyline and the characters. The story involves two women who are both Moms of special needs children. The “present day” Mom, Erin, has a 5 year old son who is autistic. She lives in Chicago but, after her Grandmas passes away, she goes to Lake Geneva to clear out the Aunt’s house. She finds old photos and letters there that intrigue her and make her want to find out more about a woman in the photos, Amelia.
Amelia is a Mom in 1923. She has a child with hearing loss. Sadly, her husband passes away and Amelia is left to raise the child alone. Her overbearing in-laws insist that she put the child in a special school because of the disability.
This is a wonderful story and is very detailed. My best friend has an autistic child and I was so impressed with the details about autism in this book. I later found out that Maureen Leurck also has a child with autism and much of the detail was from personal experience. I highly recommend this book and I personally think it will become a book for the ages.
I was lucky enough to receive a ARC of Monarch Manor by Maureen Leurck this is her second book. I didn’t have the please to read the first one but I will certainly try too. The book was very well written, and touching as it moved from the past to present concerning the lives of two mothers with children with disabilities. We see the lenghts a parent will go too, to try and protect their child. The book was able to hold my attention from start to finish, which is very important to me when I rate a book. I believe there maybe one bad word in the book but overall this is a very clean book, considering the issues both mothers are having to deal with. I would certainly recommend this book to others. This is my honest review of an amazing book.
Two women, living a century apart, both facing the challenges of raising a child with special needs. Erin and Amelia are bound by blood, but they are tied even more by the sacrifices they make for their children, each epitomizing the strength and courage of a mother’s love. This is a very moving book, heartfelt and poignant, with a bit of a mystery. The dual timelines work perfectly in this story as Amelia’s story unfolds, while Erin is coming to terms with her own struggles. The love that these mothers feel for their sons is evident throughout the book, and we also feel in our heart the hard choices they make for the sake of their children.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Monarch Manor” by Maureen Leurck, Kensington Publishing, July 30, 2019
Maureen Leurck, Author of “Monarch Manor” has beautifully written and vividly described the characters and landscape in her novel. “Monarch Manor” was a mansion that was built surrounded by gorgeous gardens and flowers that attracted Monarch Butterflies to flutter all around. The story is narrated by two characters and two time-lines, that eventually connect. The Genres for this story are Fiction, Historical Fiction, some Mystery and Suspense. This is an intriguing, captivating, suspenseful, romantic, emotional story that tugs at my heartstrings. The author describes her colorful and dramatic characters as complex and complicated.
Erin Marinelli is cleaning out her Grandmother’s house with her mother and finds pictures and memories of past family. Erin and her husband have an old house. One of her twin children Will has Autism and is having trouble in school. Erin is frustrated at times. Looking at the pictures, Erin sees a young woman with a young boy that looks exactly like Will.
The young woman, Amelia and her son John, supposedly drowned many years before. John was deaf. After Erin looks into the family history, there are questions and the mystery as to why and what really happened to Amelia and John.
I love that the author discusses the importance of mothers, sons, families, disabilities, emotional support, love and hope. I would highly recommend this wonderful read. Happy Reading.