Official Review: The Misanthrope's Mansion

[S dot Lennon]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Misanthrope's Mansion" by Emma L Saville.]

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For the last two years Leah and Jordan have been living with their Aunt Cathy in New York, after the death of both of their parents. Leah, who needs drugs to cope, has just been arrested for breaking and entering, not to mention possession, and her Aunt Cathy is at her wit’s end. Jordan has been having issues at school and has gotten yet another detention. But soon everything is going to change. Next school year Jordan is going to a boarding school in Michigan. While Aunt Cathy has found a job for Leah as a nanny in London that she will go to once she finishes this, her senior year in school, and the community service ordered by the Judge. Both Leah and Jordan are devastated at the thought of their separation. Leah knows she is at a breaking point and a drastic change might be exactly what she needs. Before leaving Leah promises Jordan that she’ll come back for him and assures him that this is only a temporary separation. But Lady Margaret and her family are waiting for her in London and their plans for her may prevent her from ever leaving their mansion, Endswold, again. No one ever leaves Endswold alive.

The Misanthrope’s Mansion is a fiction novel about Leah, a young woman trying to start over in a new place that ends up trapped in unbelievable circumstances. Lady Margaret, who fears anyone who lives outside the gates of Endswold has created a self-sustaining world for her and her family. Outsiders are brought in to “join” the family, so the family will grow and continue to thrive on the land. Leah of course is horrified and the story focuses on her trying escape while focusing on her promise to her brother. But she is emotionally torn. She is changing the longer she stays within the gates. She wants her freedom but she is finding both people she cares about and a calming simplicity at Endswold.

I found this novel to be well written and easy to read. There was enough mystery and intrigue to move the novel easily through the pages. Leah was a well-developed and relatable character. The novel’s antagonist, Lady Margaret, was a believable enough force, both fearful and intimidating. The story of the family’s existence is what drew me in and kept me fascinated.

Sawville created an interesting concept for a novel that I wish had been developed more. The novel is less than two hundred pages and its lack of detail held the story back. I would have loved to have seen more of the not only the estate but also some of the outlying characters that were introduced early in the novel but never elaborated on or explored.

I give this novel 3 out of 4 stars. The effects of living a secluded life should have been more embellished. That increase in information would have developed more of the characters and really enriched this novel.

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[Njkinny]

This book soundw very interesting..grt review..

[S dot Lennon]

Thanks! It was definitely an interesting and very different novel.