Mona of the Manor by Armistead Maupin

Beloved storyteller Armistead Maupin returns to his iconic Tales of the City universe with this delightful tenth installment, whisking readers across the pond to the English countryside where the irrepressible Mona Ramsey has landed in the most unexpected of circumstances.

Set in the sun-dappled Cotswolds of the early 1990s, Mona of the Manor finds our heroine as the unlikely Lady of Easley House—a glorious, crumbling estate she inherited after a green-card marriage that began as pure friendship. Now 48 and running the manor as a bed-and-breakfast with her fabulous adopted son Wilfred and an eccentric gardener, Mona’s carefully maintained world tilts when American guests arrive harboring a dark secret.

What follows is vintage Maupin: warmth, wit, and that signature blend of comedy and heart that has made his work essential reading for decades. As Mona marshals her considerable charm—along with help from her girlfriend Poppy, the local postmistress—to set things right before the Midsummer ceremony, familiar faces from San Francisco begin arriving, including the beloved Michael Tolliver and the incomparable Anna Madrigal.

Neil Gaiman calls Maupin “one of America’s finest storytellers,” and this tender, hilarious novel proves exactly why. Whether you’re a longtime devotee of the series or discovering these characters for the first time, Mona of the Manor offers the perfect escape: a story about chosen family, second acts, and finding home in the most unexpected places—from the foggy streets of San Francisco to a leaky-roofed manor overlooking English hills.

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