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Tumbledown Manor
The windows rattle. The roof leaks. Every surface cries out to be stripped, painted, or polished. But for writer Lisa Trumperton, the dilapidated manor house that once belonged to her great-grandfather is far more than the sum of its battered parts. It's the chance for a new start on her own terms. The fact that it's in the Melbourne countryside of her Australian homeland, far from the deceitful ex-husband she just left behind in New York…well, that's a bonus.
Lisa sets to work refurbishing Trumperton Manor, assisted by her son, his friends, and a "Gray Army" of retired handymen. But it's not just her ancestral home that's being transformed. As she trades her chic Manhattan clothes for jeans and work boots, Lisa is changing and fortifying her relationships with her family and her sense of self. There are floods, fires, and catastrophes, but there are new allies too, including a one-eyed cat, a stubborn cockatoo, and a rugged landscaper with an irresistible grin. Piece by piece, the house is pushing Lisa beyond her old limits, daring her to embrace something bigger, braver, and more rewarding than she ever dreamed.
Lisa sets to work refurbishing Trumperton Manor, assisted by her son, his friends, and a "Gray Army" of retired handymen. But it's not just her ancestral home that's being transformed. As she trades her chic Manhattan clothes for jeans and work boots, Lisa is changing and fortifying her relationships with her family and her sense of self. There are floods, fires, and catastrophes, but there are new allies too, including a one-eyed cat, a stubborn cockatoo, and a rugged landscaper with an irresistible grin. Piece by piece, the house is pushing Lisa beyond her old limits, daring her to embrace something bigger, braver, and more rewarding than she ever dreamed.
291 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
34 people are currently reading
1215 people want to read
About the author
Helen Brown
19 books199 followersHelen Brown was born and brought up in New Zealand, where she became an award winning columnist, TV presenter, and scriptwriter. She now lives in Melbourne, Australia, with husband Philip and their high maintenance cat, Jonah.
She loves writing about cats and the impact they have on people's lives. Her memoir CLEO (2009) became a New York Times bestseller, translated into more than 17 languages. A major movie is in development.
The sequel, AFTER CLEO CAME JONAH (2012) (otherwise known as JONAH or CATS AND DAUGHTERS), was published in many languages and embraced by readers and critics alike.
Other titles include TUMBLEDOWN MANOR (2014), BONO (2018) and the children's story CLEO AND ROB (2019).
Her next book, MICKEY, will be released in North America and Australasia in February 2022.
When she isn’t writing, Helen enjoys knitting badly, laughing with grandchildren and swimming near the family beach shack on Phillip Island.
Find Helen on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Helen.Brown....
She loves writing about cats and the impact they have on people's lives. Her memoir CLEO (2009) became a New York Times bestseller, translated into more than 17 languages. A major movie is in development.
The sequel, AFTER CLEO CAME JONAH (2012) (otherwise known as JONAH or CATS AND DAUGHTERS), was published in many languages and embraced by readers and critics alike.
Other titles include TUMBLEDOWN MANOR (2014), BONO (2018) and the children's story CLEO AND ROB (2019).
Her next book, MICKEY, will be released in North America and Australasia in February 2022.
When she isn’t writing, Helen enjoys knitting badly, laughing with grandchildren and swimming near the family beach shack on Phillip Island.
Find Helen on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Helen.Brown....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
April 7, 2016
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
I love the cover of this book, it just looks like a magical place to be. *some mild spoilers ahead*
When I first started reading the book I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It starts out with Lisa and her husband Jake celebrating Lisa's bday in their home with their grown kids, Ted and Portia. When a simple bouquet of flowers arrive with a not so sweet card attached, all hell breaks loose!
Lisa survived a mastectomy, a cheating husband and she is a wonderful writer. She decides to go back to Australia where she was born and try to find a quiet place for herself and her writing. Lisa's sister and other family live there. They all think she is crazy for buying Trumperton Manor, it has bad vibes that go with it and it's falling down. But Lisa wants to redo the manor and live there, the home is part of her ancestry and she wants to keep it in the family. She even changed her name back to Trumperton, it is her family name.
One thing was certain. The only thing worse than annihilation would be to continue living like this. Either she jumped or...Lisa tossed the ring in the air. It hovered over the city and winked in a shaft of light.
As gravity took hold and sucked the gold circle down to the street, she suddenly knew what she had to do. Lisa Katz was dead and gone. She was changing her name back to Lisa Trumperton. And she was moving home to Australia.
Once she got to the manor it got really interesting. We get to meet a wonderful cast of characters, one being Scott, he's a sweetheart and a heartthrob. There is a feral cat and a cockatoo that lives in the yard. Eventually they become pets and live in the house. There are other great characters and they all had me in stitches. I never thought I was going to be laughing so hard at this book and it was great to laugh again :-)
Lisa decided to called the one-eyed kitty, Mojo. Well, he picked out the name himself. He was in a bad way until Lisa corralled him and got him to the vet.
She peered through the holes and perceived a cattish silhouette. A sleepy eye winked back. "You mean he's bald?"
"No, not at all," the vet said with a little laugh that could've been a cough. He went on to explain it was the best that could be done for a cat in Mojo's condition. Besides, his fur will grow out in a month or two.
The carry case went silent.
A hairdresser had told Lisa the same thing after he'd given her a mullet. But Lisa didn't have time to interrogate further. After handing over half the deposit for the vet's next holiday in Thailand, she slid Mojo's case into the back of the car. Then, on the drive home, she tried to avoid bumps in the road, remembering how much her stitches had hurt when Jake had driven her home from the hospital.
Lisa's manor had a lot of kangaroos and various animals come to visit. I think that's so cool.
She had a lot of work to do to get the home back to normal. She had a plethora of people working on the home and a lot of twists and turns along the way. She was slowly finding a love interest in Scott, but it was slow going and funny for many different reasons.
"Did he put his arm around your waist and try to work it up to your boobs?" Portia was warming to her subject.
"God no!"
"So what did he do?"
"He...breathed on me."
Portia was deflated. "Some old dude in a ute breathed on you?"
Lisa couldn't take the humiliation any longer.
"Are you coming to Australia for Christmas?"
Portia eventually moves to Australia, she finds someone she fits with when she comes to visit and she has some medical issues she has to deal with. Lisa's son Ted lives in Australia already and he gets married at the manor. It's all so sweet.
The book has it's ups and downs and there are many laughing parts and some parts I wanted to smack some people but I loved the book. It was a pleasant surprise as I may have already mentioned.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.*
I love the cover of this book, it just looks like a magical place to be. *some mild spoilers ahead*
When I first started reading the book I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It starts out with Lisa and her husband Jake celebrating Lisa's bday in their home with their grown kids, Ted and Portia. When a simple bouquet of flowers arrive with a not so sweet card attached, all hell breaks loose!
Lisa survived a mastectomy, a cheating husband and she is a wonderful writer. She decides to go back to Australia where she was born and try to find a quiet place for herself and her writing. Lisa's sister and other family live there. They all think she is crazy for buying Trumperton Manor, it has bad vibes that go with it and it's falling down. But Lisa wants to redo the manor and live there, the home is part of her ancestry and she wants to keep it in the family. She even changed her name back to Trumperton, it is her family name.
One thing was certain. The only thing worse than annihilation would be to continue living like this. Either she jumped or...Lisa tossed the ring in the air. It hovered over the city and winked in a shaft of light.
As gravity took hold and sucked the gold circle down to the street, she suddenly knew what she had to do. Lisa Katz was dead and gone. She was changing her name back to Lisa Trumperton. And she was moving home to Australia.
Once she got to the manor it got really interesting. We get to meet a wonderful cast of characters, one being Scott, he's a sweetheart and a heartthrob. There is a feral cat and a cockatoo that lives in the yard. Eventually they become pets and live in the house. There are other great characters and they all had me in stitches. I never thought I was going to be laughing so hard at this book and it was great to laugh again :-)
Lisa decided to called the one-eyed kitty, Mojo. Well, he picked out the name himself. He was in a bad way until Lisa corralled him and got him to the vet.
She peered through the holes and perceived a cattish silhouette. A sleepy eye winked back. "You mean he's bald?"
"No, not at all," the vet said with a little laugh that could've been a cough. He went on to explain it was the best that could be done for a cat in Mojo's condition. Besides, his fur will grow out in a month or two.
The carry case went silent.
A hairdresser had told Lisa the same thing after he'd given her a mullet. But Lisa didn't have time to interrogate further. After handing over half the deposit for the vet's next holiday in Thailand, she slid Mojo's case into the back of the car. Then, on the drive home, she tried to avoid bumps in the road, remembering how much her stitches had hurt when Jake had driven her home from the hospital.
Lisa's manor had a lot of kangaroos and various animals come to visit. I think that's so cool.
She had a lot of work to do to get the home back to normal. She had a plethora of people working on the home and a lot of twists and turns along the way. She was slowly finding a love interest in Scott, but it was slow going and funny for many different reasons.
"Did he put his arm around your waist and try to work it up to your boobs?" Portia was warming to her subject.
"God no!"
"So what did he do?"
"He...breathed on me."
Portia was deflated. "Some old dude in a ute breathed on you?"
Lisa couldn't take the humiliation any longer.
"Are you coming to Australia for Christmas?"
Portia eventually moves to Australia, she finds someone she fits with when she comes to visit and she has some medical issues she has to deal with. Lisa's son Ted lives in Australia already and he gets married at the manor. It's all so sweet.
The book has it's ups and downs and there are many laughing parts and some parts I wanted to smack some people but I loved the book. It was a pleasant surprise as I may have already mentioned.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.*
April 25, 2016
What I liked: the setting in Australia, an old house, family secrets, plenty of humor, the wonderful cat and crazy cockatoo, the animal wildlife, the characters, Ted and James, and the grey army.
Not so much: not enough time spent for my liking on the house renovations, rather predictable plot, the last scene seemed so out of character for the main character.
A fun, easy comfort read with a gorgeous cover and setting.
ARc from Netgalley.
Not so much: not enough time spent for my liking on the house renovations, rather predictable plot, the last scene seemed so out of character for the main character.
A fun, easy comfort read with a gorgeous cover and setting.
ARc from Netgalley.
April 25, 2016
I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I was hoping for an old manor house that Lisa inherits that's full of past secrets. That's not what happened. Lisa gets a divorce after a very cliche way, moves back to Australia, and buys her grandfather's manor. (They did hint about a secret.) Then she meets handyman, Scott. I didn't like him at all, but neither did I like Lisa, so I never did buy into the romance bit. I found myself completely bored with this book and I got to the point where I was just hoping it would be over with. There were some things I liked: the descriptions of Tumbledown Manor and the Gray Army, plus, I think the cover of this book is gorgeous!
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 26, 2017
Don't you just love it when a book comes along that you are exactly in the mood for? This happened to me when I started reading "Tumbledown Manor". I found this debut novel to be heart-warming, life-affirming, strong women's fiction. An excellent read!
Lisa Katz (nee Trumperton) is a novelist who is working on a three book deal of historical romances based on the lives of the three Brontë sisters. Happily (she thinks) married, a cancer survivor, and the mother of two grown children, she feels that, all-in-all, life is good.
On Lisa's 50th birthday, she is made aware of her husband's infidelity. She realizes that Jake has been unfaithful since shortly after her mastectomy surgery. Never vain, Lisa did not have reconstructive surgery after the removal of her breast. She thought Jake was fine with her new 'look'. Apparently she was sadly mistaken. With her trust and her married life shattered, her home on the Upper East Side no longer has the appeal it once had. She feels unwanted, unloved, and abandoned - and hates herself for her own self-pity.
"It occurred to Lisa that only old people and babies could light up spaces with smiles that were incandescent."
She never felt completely 'at home' in New York and always felt she was a big-boned Aussie girl. So... what better time to go back to the country of her birth? She changes her name from Lisa Katz back to Lisa Trumperton and moves home to Australia.
"Lisa buying back her heritage".
Against her sister's advice, she purchases the neglected and run-down family home. Trumperton Manor. Built in 1860, the manor needs lots of TLC and money spent on its repair and refurbishment. Lisa feels a real connection to the place and purchasing it has magically seemed to cure her writer's block.
Her son, Ted, is gay, and living in Australia. She is delighted to see more of him after her move. She is also delighted to meet his new love. Her daughter Portia, lives in California. Lisa is constantly worried at Portia's lifestyle and her more and more apparent anorexia.
After her move she adopts Mojo, "the ugliest, most bad-tempered looking cat in the world". With only one eye, his life as a stray has made him wary and volitile. Yet Lisa befriends him and the two become fast friends. Lisa also becomes 'parent' to an injured cockatoo whom she names Kiwi.
Because of the extensive renovations needed, she meets an 'able' neighbour whom she finds a little more than attractive. Though, like most people in middle age, he has his own baggage. She also becomes acquainted with the 'Grey Army', a group of retired tradesmen who lend a hand in bringing the manor back to its former glory.
"Tumbledown Manor" was laced with tidbits of information about the Brontë sisters which I found very interesting.
This book was written with empathy, compassion, and humour. Although it was fairly predictable plot-wise, I found that predictability did not mar my enjoyment of the novel in any way. This is women's fiction laced liberally with family secrets, humour, animals, and new beginnings. It was the perfect read for me at just the perfect time.
I loved Lisa and her quirky pets. I'd love to visit with them again, but the ending ties things up neatly, so I guess my invitation won't be coming...
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Kensington Books via NetGalley. I was only to happy to offer my unbiased review.
Lisa Katz (nee Trumperton) is a novelist who is working on a three book deal of historical romances based on the lives of the three Brontë sisters. Happily (she thinks) married, a cancer survivor, and the mother of two grown children, she feels that, all-in-all, life is good.
On Lisa's 50th birthday, she is made aware of her husband's infidelity. She realizes that Jake has been unfaithful since shortly after her mastectomy surgery. Never vain, Lisa did not have reconstructive surgery after the removal of her breast. She thought Jake was fine with her new 'look'. Apparently she was sadly mistaken. With her trust and her married life shattered, her home on the Upper East Side no longer has the appeal it once had. She feels unwanted, unloved, and abandoned - and hates herself for her own self-pity.
"It occurred to Lisa that only old people and babies could light up spaces with smiles that were incandescent."
She never felt completely 'at home' in New York and always felt she was a big-boned Aussie girl. So... what better time to go back to the country of her birth? She changes her name from Lisa Katz back to Lisa Trumperton and moves home to Australia.
"Lisa buying back her heritage".
Against her sister's advice, she purchases the neglected and run-down family home. Trumperton Manor. Built in 1860, the manor needs lots of TLC and money spent on its repair and refurbishment. Lisa feels a real connection to the place and purchasing it has magically seemed to cure her writer's block.
Her son, Ted, is gay, and living in Australia. She is delighted to see more of him after her move. She is also delighted to meet his new love. Her daughter Portia, lives in California. Lisa is constantly worried at Portia's lifestyle and her more and more apparent anorexia.
After her move she adopts Mojo, "the ugliest, most bad-tempered looking cat in the world". With only one eye, his life as a stray has made him wary and volitile. Yet Lisa befriends him and the two become fast friends. Lisa also becomes 'parent' to an injured cockatoo whom she names Kiwi.
Because of the extensive renovations needed, she meets an 'able' neighbour whom she finds a little more than attractive. Though, like most people in middle age, he has his own baggage. She also becomes acquainted with the 'Grey Army', a group of retired tradesmen who lend a hand in bringing the manor back to its former glory.
"Tumbledown Manor" was laced with tidbits of information about the Brontë sisters which I found very interesting.
This book was written with empathy, compassion, and humour. Although it was fairly predictable plot-wise, I found that predictability did not mar my enjoyment of the novel in any way. This is women's fiction laced liberally with family secrets, humour, animals, and new beginnings. It was the perfect read for me at just the perfect time.
I loved Lisa and her quirky pets. I'd love to visit with them again, but the ending ties things up neatly, so I guess my invitation won't be coming...
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Kensington Books via NetGalley. I was only to happy to offer my unbiased review.
September 17, 2018
Well, it hit the ground running but petered out somewhere along the way. It felt like even the author herself lost interest; chapters ended with sappy sentiment that sometimes was the exact opposite emotion she spent the whole chapter establishing. The few times the action really does pick up, the "scene" suddenly switched with no explanation or follow up. There were several times while reading that I found myself saying, "Hey, what happened here? Who was that at the door? Why did that chapter end so abruptly?!"
I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't the story for me.
I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't the story for me.
March 16, 2016
Lisa thinks her life could not get any better, her husband has arranged for her family and friends to gather and celebrate her birthday, her husband has thought of everything even sending flowers. But the flowers are not for her and so ends the life she thought she had. She decides to sell everything and move from New York to stay with her sister while she decides what to do next. On an outing with her sister they visit an ancestral home and instead of the condo her sister wants her to buy she purchases the run down manor and promptly moves in and starts to build a new life. As she struggles to turn the badly in need of repair manor into a home she is plagues with storms that cause flooding and fires that threaten her home but she grows to love the manor and the people she now calls her friends eve finding love along the way. Great read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
January 1, 2015
I really enjoyed this light-hearted look at family relationships. Lisa undergoes a far-reaching life change when at her 40th birthday celebration she discovers her husband of over twenty years is having an affair, she finds out when a huge bunch of roses is delivered to her but with another woman’s name on it. Once caught out he announces that he no longer loves Lisa – and her marriage is over – just like that. Lisa is alone in her New York apartment – both children have left home – so on impulse she decides to pack up and fly back to her homeland of Australia. Her son and sister live in Melbourne, but she soon realises that while she would like to be near her son, staying near her bossy sister is not a good plan. So she surrenders to yet another impulse and buys a crumbling old house in the country that used to belong to her family – Trumperton Manor. Lisa gets her first inkling that there are some quirky characters in the country when she meets the real estate agent:
“…The agent – if that was what she was – wore a Barbie-pink jacket squeezed over a sequined top. It was difficult to tell if the strip of fabric over her thighs was a skirt or a belt. Her cleavage was deep enough to be seen from Google Earth. The heels of her matching pink boots were so high she was practically standing on tiptoe…”
Lisa is an author and has two more books to write and the deadline for the first one is looming, expecting to be inspired in the peace and quiet of the country she instead finds herself in the middle of a construction site with members of Grey Army expecting a substantial home-made morning and afternoon tea to sustain them. Then she finds herself fighting bushfires, floods along with protecting her property from wildlife. And don’t even mention the alleged ghost in the derelict old stables!!! Lisa finds herself busier in the country than she ever was in New York; along with trying to write her book, and supervise the renovations, she also has to deal with family dilemma’s, a landscaper called Scott, then host a wedding – which means catching up with her ex-husband and his new love, finally she also wants to try and figure out just what the big mystery is about her ancestors that no-one in town will talk about.
The best characters (and really I loved all of them) were Mojo (the rescued feral cat) and Kiwi (the rescued cockatoo) who steal the limelight in every scene they appear in. I would love to have both of them in my life. Really I shouldn’t have been surprised because author Helen Brown is the author of the non-fiction book Cleo: How an Uppity Cat helped heal a family which was fabulous and starred the most wonderful cat. I am sure Mojo has read that book! I would have liked the back story of her daughter Portia to have developed more, but loved her relationship with her son Ted and his flatmate James who both rolled up their sleeves and helped bring her tumbledown manor back to life. Tumbledown Manor is a fun read that brings up serious and controversial issues in a non-confrontational manner. There is humour on nearly every page and some wonderful bush characters that prove when the things get tough, and your neighbours need help, you roll up your sleeves and lend a hand.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review.
“…The agent – if that was what she was – wore a Barbie-pink jacket squeezed over a sequined top. It was difficult to tell if the strip of fabric over her thighs was a skirt or a belt. Her cleavage was deep enough to be seen from Google Earth. The heels of her matching pink boots were so high she was practically standing on tiptoe…”
Lisa is an author and has two more books to write and the deadline for the first one is looming, expecting to be inspired in the peace and quiet of the country she instead finds herself in the middle of a construction site with members of Grey Army expecting a substantial home-made morning and afternoon tea to sustain them. Then she finds herself fighting bushfires, floods along with protecting her property from wildlife. And don’t even mention the alleged ghost in the derelict old stables!!! Lisa finds herself busier in the country than she ever was in New York; along with trying to write her book, and supervise the renovations, she also has to deal with family dilemma’s, a landscaper called Scott, then host a wedding – which means catching up with her ex-husband and his new love, finally she also wants to try and figure out just what the big mystery is about her ancestors that no-one in town will talk about.
The best characters (and really I loved all of them) were Mojo (the rescued feral cat) and Kiwi (the rescued cockatoo) who steal the limelight in every scene they appear in. I would love to have both of them in my life. Really I shouldn’t have been surprised because author Helen Brown is the author of the non-fiction book Cleo: How an Uppity Cat helped heal a family which was fabulous and starred the most wonderful cat. I am sure Mojo has read that book! I would have liked the back story of her daughter Portia to have developed more, but loved her relationship with her son Ted and his flatmate James who both rolled up their sleeves and helped bring her tumbledown manor back to life. Tumbledown Manor is a fun read that brings up serious and controversial issues in a non-confrontational manner. There is humour on nearly every page and some wonderful bush characters that prove when the things get tough, and your neighbours need help, you roll up your sleeves and lend a hand.
With thanks to Allen & Unwin and the author for this copy to read and review.
November 1, 2019
A nice story, likeable characters, predictable cliche plots, a comedy of errors- but that was it for me, it didn’t make me want to keep turning the page, I finished the book but only to see how it ended.
November 24, 2014
A few things drew me to read this book. One, I wanted to try an Australian writer I had not yet read. Helen Brown grew up in New Zealand but lives in Melbourne and has ancestral ties to rural Victoria, where this story is set. I liked the idea of reading about a writer’s life, plus the historical flavour of the blurb and the idea of restoring an old house with family secrets all drew me in.
For the most part I was not disappointed and enjoyed the story. It is entirely from the point of view of the main character, Lisa, who not only finds herself in a disappointing marriage but has undergone serious surgery at a time in her life when her self-esteem is waning, and she is living in a country which is not her own and far from family. Her coming home, rediscovering her roots in rural Victoria, restoring an old family home, rebuilding her broken life, and resuming her writing career, as well as finding out she is very lovable, evokes a sense of hope and renewal.
The author has an easy style of writing which flows at a good pace. She uses many (perhaps a few too many) analogies which evoke humorous and colourful images and keep the story entertaining. A romance blossoms with handyman, Scott, who is an engaging character. However, this does not overpower the essential core of the story which is about restoration, letting go and moving to new chapters in life. There are times when the cat antics are a little too much. Not being a cat lover perhaps I miss the tenderness which the cat is meant to add to the story. The family history which slowly comes to light is intriguing and adds an interesting twist. While struggling with many other challenges, Lisa is trying to complete a series of novels based on the Bronte sisters, and this in itself is an interesting side story.
I think Lisa is a character many women in the second half of life will identify with. She faces her challenges with maturity but also a vulnerability that is very real.
For the most part I was not disappointed and enjoyed the story. It is entirely from the point of view of the main character, Lisa, who not only finds herself in a disappointing marriage but has undergone serious surgery at a time in her life when her self-esteem is waning, and she is living in a country which is not her own and far from family. Her coming home, rediscovering her roots in rural Victoria, restoring an old family home, rebuilding her broken life, and resuming her writing career, as well as finding out she is very lovable, evokes a sense of hope and renewal.
The author has an easy style of writing which flows at a good pace. She uses many (perhaps a few too many) analogies which evoke humorous and colourful images and keep the story entertaining. A romance blossoms with handyman, Scott, who is an engaging character. However, this does not overpower the essential core of the story which is about restoration, letting go and moving to new chapters in life. There are times when the cat antics are a little too much. Not being a cat lover perhaps I miss the tenderness which the cat is meant to add to the story. The family history which slowly comes to light is intriguing and adds an interesting twist. While struggling with many other challenges, Lisa is trying to complete a series of novels based on the Bronte sisters, and this in itself is an interesting side story.
I think Lisa is a character many women in the second half of life will identify with. She faces her challenges with maturity but also a vulnerability that is very real.
September 20, 2014
New Zealand born columnist Helen Brown is probably best known for her bestselling memoirs, Cleo and After Cleo. Tumbledown Manor, set in Australia where the author now lives with her family, is the journalist's first fiction novel.
Lisa Katz (nee Trumperton) would rather forget she is turning 50 but is delighted when her family gathers to celebrate in her Upper East Side apartment, her daughter Portia has flown in from the west coast, her son, Ted, and her sister, Maxine and her husband, from Australia. As Lisa's husband of 20 plus years delivers a speech honouring her, an extravagant arrangement of roses is delivered and Lisa reaches for the card, only to learn the bouquet was intended for Jake's mistress. With her life in shambles, Lisa decides to return to Australia and to reclaim her ancestral home in the Victorian countryside. Trumperton Manor, nicknamed Tumbledown Manor by the locals, isn't in great shape but Lisa is eager to make it her home despite flood, fire, family secrets, a feral cat and an overly familiar landscaper.
The themes of Tumbledown Manor mainly focus on family, love, acceptance and moving on as the plot centers around Lisa's desire to make a new life for herself by renovating Tumbledown Manor. There is plenty of humour, a surplus of family drama, a touch of romance and a hint of mystery surrounding a past death in the manor's stables, which eventually exposes a dark family secret.
I have to admit I wasn't particularly fond of Lisa. While I sympathised with her over her marriage collapse, I thought her to be a prickly and somewhat self absorbed character who didn't demonstrate the personal change I was expecting. I think several characters (eg Portia, Zack and Aunt Caroline) could have been dispensed with to give Lisa more opportunity to grow, and their absence wouldn't have been noticed. I did like the laconic charm of Scott, the local landscaper/handyman who serves as the romantic interest, and is a fount of patience where Lisa is concerned. I also liked Ted and his flatmate James. My favourite characters were Mojo (the feral cat) and Kiwi (the cockatoo) who steal the limelight in every scene they appear in.
I was a little disappointed that the bulk of the renovations to the manor take place in the background. There are brief mentions of uncovering flagstones, furniture shopping and the 'Grey Army' being up and down ladders in between eating egg sandwiches but there is no real sense of the house being bought back to life, though the grounds get some attention.
Despite the appealing premise and some engaging scenes and characters unfortunately, Tumbledown Manor wasn't much more than an okay read for me.
April 26, 2016
I love a good mansion renovation story – all of those hardwood floors, original wallpaper, mouldy carpet, creaky stairs and ghosts… and, for me, this story only became that when the action moved to Trumperton Manor, instead of being in New York, where the book began. I think much of this earliest portion could have been dispensed with in favour of arriving in Australia—and the meat of the story—more quickly. Important details revealed in the beginning could have been mentioned at other appropriate moments as the story unfolded.
The story didn’t delve too deeply into the renovations, or really the history of the manor – and there wasn’t even the usual resident ghost, but was an engaging and flowing read. I enjoyed Lisa, the main character, and her supporting cast was interesting to read about, too. The gently romance was written well, although the two characters talking ould have resolved any confusion and provided a swifter resolution.
I loved the ‘feel’ of Australia in this book, and I could hear the accents when the characters spoke. Over all, it was a lovely read with a good conclusion.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
The story didn’t delve too deeply into the renovations, or really the history of the manor – and there wasn’t even the usual resident ghost, but was an engaging and flowing read. I enjoyed Lisa, the main character, and her supporting cast was interesting to read about, too. The gently romance was written well, although the two characters talking ould have resolved any confusion and provided a swifter resolution.
I loved the ‘feel’ of Australia in this book, and I could hear the accents when the characters spoke. Over all, it was a lovely read with a good conclusion.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 28, 2016
This was a nice easy read and I just loved the story of the old house and the changes it brought around in Lisa as well as how the house changed itself. I felt the book has a nice message to it too of starting over and making the best of new changes in life but this wasn’t heavy handed or overdone in the slightest and all blended well in the story.
I have to say that the cover got me from the very start! There is just something very appealing about a tumbledown house and the smells and dust that you associate with it. It was the whole going home thing to lick your wounds but then find out that home is where the heart is kind of novel that was nicely done. And it was based on a story in the author’s own family to top it off! I think this is a nice way to have paid homage to that.
Clare
I have to say that the cover got me from the very start! There is just something very appealing about a tumbledown house and the smells and dust that you associate with it. It was the whole going home thing to lick your wounds but then find out that home is where the heart is kind of novel that was nicely done. And it was based on a story in the author’s own family to top it off! I think this is a nice way to have paid homage to that.
Clare
September 19, 2016
This is a story of a woman married 20+ years, whose husband leaves her for someone younger and how she starts her life over back home in Australia. This was a sweet book, kind of sad at times. The author wrote in her acknowledgement about how she has friends who are going through life changes through marriages ending, children changing, etc. This poor woman had it all including starting her life all over again. The hunky neighbor was a little much, but then again this is fiction. 3-1/2 out of 5 stars.
September 28, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tumbledown Manor from beginning to end. This book was really well written and had some wonderful heart warming moments and a few deep,belly laughs.
I would highly recommend this to woman of all ages.
Can't wait for another book from Helen Brown.
I would highly recommend this to woman of all ages.
Can't wait for another book from Helen Brown.
April 5, 2015
This book made me truly believe, that I can write a novel. Poorly written in parts and with a highly predictable plot, it's a testament to the world of publishing for the masses.
May 8, 2016
*I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Tumbledown Manor by Helen Brown is a meaty contemporary chick lit novel. Yes, maybe I made up a genre just now. It’s not exactly what most people would call “fluff”; a term I actually object to. The main character is about a writer named Lisa, who is celebrating her 50th birthday when she accidentally finds out her husband is cheating on her. So, considering she’s originally from Australia, Lisa decides to take off and move back there to deal with both the breakdown of her marriage and also writer’s block. The latter part – the insight into her creative process – was my favourite part of the whole novel. She is writing a trilogy of historical novels (with a heavy dose of sexy romance) about the Bronte sisters, and Tumbledown Manor was also infused with random interesting tidbits about their lives. Yes, there were hindsight diagnoses and assigning medical conditions based on descriptions of people, but still, the writing process was fun to read about.
The novel also features a fixer-upper project –obvious from the title. I like these kinds of settings: a dilapidated manor-house, somewhere in the outback, that a single lady with gumption is trying to fix up. I mean, she wasn’t that far from a big city and even had access to takeaway deliveries and hardware stores, so it wasn’t completely unmanageable.
The novel also features a careful romance, it’s subtle and slow-burning with a couple of tropey “simple misunderstandings”. Still, I could get on board with it, and I liked she took her time getting over her 20+ year marriage. Oh, and there was also a slight mystery, but it was completely in the background.
Now, there were some aspects to the novel that I didn’t fully enjoy. Firstly, it featured a couple of odd-sounding metaphors and similes. The text seemed to be completely saturated with them to the point where it was difficult to actually understand what the author was trying to say. It did get better as the novel progressed! Secondly, the main character definitely did not act her age, in the sense that she was really immature at times and even silly. She just plain wasn’t as intelligent as I would expect a grown-ass woman to be. One of my pet peeves: she used an odd abbreviated text speech with her daughter, which I find kind of unlikely for a writer. I’ve met a few, and they all manage to type out most words, and wouldn’t be caught saying “Gr8”. I know she was perhaps trying to relate to her daughter but lady, use your words.
Also, I feel like the novel was trying to handle too many “issues” at once. It just seemed A LOT for one single person. The author did say she knows women (plural!) that these things have happened to, so it felt really artificial piling them all on the shoulders of this one lady. Even though the book outlined these possible issues, they weren’t really dealt with. For instance, Lisa’s son was openly gay and she accepted it as she should, but some other characters had weird issues with Ted’s sexuality and they were never actually addressed or analysed. Sidenote: I don’t think someone being gay is an issue. However, I took issue with the way people refused to accept it. That homophobia wasn’t really addressed within the family, which I find unrealistic. What is more, Lisa’s daughter Portia had a suspected eating disorder and that again was almost ignored by most of her family. Then there was a brief mention of cancer; of course also divorce, disability, racism. It just felt a lot for one woman, unless she’s a character on Grey’s Anatomy.
Thus, I am giving this book 3,5 stars. I rounded it up to 4 on Goodreads, but I actually think I’m right smack in the middle of “I liked it” and “I really liked it”. I know, this makes no sense. Tumbledown Manor wasn’t a spectacular literary masterpiece but it was fun to read, never a trudge, and it helped in getting me out of a reading slump. Cozy, is how I would describe it: I laughed out loud, I teared up. Also, I have gotten a bit more into Australian fiction lately. The author is originally from New Zealand so maybe Australasian fiction then :). If you like contemporaries or chick lit (in the best possible sense of the word), then go for it!
Originally posted on: doublelettersbookclub.blogspot.com
Tumbledown Manor by Helen Brown is a meaty contemporary chick lit novel. Yes, maybe I made up a genre just now. It’s not exactly what most people would call “fluff”; a term I actually object to. The main character is about a writer named Lisa, who is celebrating her 50th birthday when she accidentally finds out her husband is cheating on her. So, considering she’s originally from Australia, Lisa decides to take off and move back there to deal with both the breakdown of her marriage and also writer’s block. The latter part – the insight into her creative process – was my favourite part of the whole novel. She is writing a trilogy of historical novels (with a heavy dose of sexy romance) about the Bronte sisters, and Tumbledown Manor was also infused with random interesting tidbits about their lives. Yes, there were hindsight diagnoses and assigning medical conditions based on descriptions of people, but still, the writing process was fun to read about.
The novel also features a fixer-upper project –obvious from the title. I like these kinds of settings: a dilapidated manor-house, somewhere in the outback, that a single lady with gumption is trying to fix up. I mean, she wasn’t that far from a big city and even had access to takeaway deliveries and hardware stores, so it wasn’t completely unmanageable.
The novel also features a careful romance, it’s subtle and slow-burning with a couple of tropey “simple misunderstandings”. Still, I could get on board with it, and I liked she took her time getting over her 20+ year marriage. Oh, and there was also a slight mystery, but it was completely in the background.
Now, there were some aspects to the novel that I didn’t fully enjoy. Firstly, it featured a couple of odd-sounding metaphors and similes. The text seemed to be completely saturated with them to the point where it was difficult to actually understand what the author was trying to say. It did get better as the novel progressed! Secondly, the main character definitely did not act her age, in the sense that she was really immature at times and even silly. She just plain wasn’t as intelligent as I would expect a grown-ass woman to be. One of my pet peeves: she used an odd abbreviated text speech with her daughter, which I find kind of unlikely for a writer. I’ve met a few, and they all manage to type out most words, and wouldn’t be caught saying “Gr8”. I know she was perhaps trying to relate to her daughter but lady, use your words.
Also, I feel like the novel was trying to handle too many “issues” at once. It just seemed A LOT for one single person. The author did say she knows women (plural!) that these things have happened to, so it felt really artificial piling them all on the shoulders of this one lady. Even though the book outlined these possible issues, they weren’t really dealt with. For instance, Lisa’s son was openly gay and she accepted it as she should, but some other characters had weird issues with Ted’s sexuality and they were never actually addressed or analysed. Sidenote: I don’t think someone being gay is an issue. However, I took issue with the way people refused to accept it. That homophobia wasn’t really addressed within the family, which I find unrealistic. What is more, Lisa’s daughter Portia had a suspected eating disorder and that again was almost ignored by most of her family. Then there was a brief mention of cancer; of course also divorce, disability, racism. It just felt a lot for one woman, unless she’s a character on Grey’s Anatomy.
Thus, I am giving this book 3,5 stars. I rounded it up to 4 on Goodreads, but I actually think I’m right smack in the middle of “I liked it” and “I really liked it”. I know, this makes no sense. Tumbledown Manor wasn’t a spectacular literary masterpiece but it was fun to read, never a trudge, and it helped in getting me out of a reading slump. Cozy, is how I would describe it: I laughed out loud, I teared up. Also, I have gotten a bit more into Australian fiction lately. The author is originally from New Zealand so maybe Australasian fiction then :). If you like contemporaries or chick lit (in the best possible sense of the word), then go for it!
Originally posted on: doublelettersbookclub.blogspot.com
September 2, 2016
What's not to love about Tumbledown Manor? The story starts in New York City where on the eve of her birthday, Lisa Trumperton discovers her relationship with her husband hasn't been as monogamous as perhaps she might have liked. This sets off a tree-change and journey back to Australia where she grew up, and on a whim, she finds herself purchasing an historic old manor that had once been in her family, inserting herself into an entirely different life in country Victoria.
I loved getting to know Lisa and her family (though I really did want to shake Portia - please tell me I won't have to endure the same in ten years?), the Manor, and the animals that invited themselves on in. There were many scenes in the book that had me chuckling (most often involving a certain Mojo or Kiwi!) and a number that had me worried things would not turn out the way I hoped. I loved the book - it was easy to get caught up alongside Lisa as she tried to find her way again under the hot Australian sun (or wet Australian storms ;) ) and it was a fun, satisfying read. One of my favourites for 2014.
I loved getting to know Lisa and her family (though I really did want to shake Portia - please tell me I won't have to endure the same in ten years?), the Manor, and the animals that invited themselves on in. There were many scenes in the book that had me chuckling (most often involving a certain Mojo or Kiwi!) and a number that had me worried things would not turn out the way I hoped. I loved the book - it was easy to get caught up alongside Lisa as she tried to find her way again under the hot Australian sun (or wet Australian storms ;) ) and it was a fun, satisfying read. One of my favourites for 2014.
September 20, 2015
A super cozy book about how it's never too late to discover who you are.
On Lisa Trumperton's 50th birthday, her husband accidentally reveals he is sleeping with a much younger woman, and walks out on the family. Determined to start over, Lisa packs up and leaves New York, heading home to her native Australia. Once there, she decides to buy her grandfather's old house: Trumperton Manor. But as the name of the book suggests, the manor is a dump. Couple this with an overly persistent handyman, a grumpy cat, a flightless cockatoo, and a sinister secret that took place in the stables of the house, and you can understand that Lisa is having a pretty tough time.
Lisa is a little unsympathetic at the beginning of the book, but over time you come to realise that she is a woman who has been hurt, and just has her guard up. She is an incredibly resilient woman who deals with affairs, fires, floods and potentially a ghost.
Helen Brown's first attempt at fiction is a complete success. This book is complete cosy, curl-up-with-a-glass-of-wine, holiday reading. Highly recommended if you are in need of an escape.
On Lisa Trumperton's 50th birthday, her husband accidentally reveals he is sleeping with a much younger woman, and walks out on the family. Determined to start over, Lisa packs up and leaves New York, heading home to her native Australia. Once there, she decides to buy her grandfather's old house: Trumperton Manor. But as the name of the book suggests, the manor is a dump. Couple this with an overly persistent handyman, a grumpy cat, a flightless cockatoo, and a sinister secret that took place in the stables of the house, and you can understand that Lisa is having a pretty tough time.
Lisa is a little unsympathetic at the beginning of the book, but over time you come to realise that she is a woman who has been hurt, and just has her guard up. She is an incredibly resilient woman who deals with affairs, fires, floods and potentially a ghost.
Helen Brown's first attempt at fiction is a complete success. This book is complete cosy, curl-up-with-a-glass-of-wine, holiday reading. Highly recommended if you are in need of an escape.
May 3, 2016
Middle aged woman finds out her husband is cheating. She divorces him, goes back home to Australia, buys the old family home which is in shambles, rebuilds her life, finds a new love and lives happily ever after.
In a nutshell, that would describe the book for me. The story resembles many other books I have read before, which is not good, but the good part is that the characters in this one are pretty unique.
A cat called Mojo and a parrot called Kiwi are on the top of my list, plus an assortment of lovely young people: Lisa's (the mc) kids, their friends, her eccentric sister Maxine, the Grey Army. And the not so unique: her cheating husband, his cliché of a girlfriend and the spoiled daughter. The boyfriend is forgettable, as is the "secret" surrounding the Manor. This part of the plot is just not necessary. It doesn't add anything to it.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because in spite of all my complaining, it was a very pleasant read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In a nutshell, that would describe the book for me. The story resembles many other books I have read before, which is not good, but the good part is that the characters in this one are pretty unique.
A cat called Mojo and a parrot called Kiwi are on the top of my list, plus an assortment of lovely young people: Lisa's (the mc) kids, their friends, her eccentric sister Maxine, the Grey Army. And the not so unique: her cheating husband, his cliché of a girlfriend and the spoiled daughter. The boyfriend is forgettable, as is the "secret" surrounding the Manor. This part of the plot is just not necessary. It doesn't add anything to it.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because in spite of all my complaining, it was a very pleasant read.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 30, 2016
This was a great book about midlife crisis, divorce and figuring out what your going to do with yourself after your husband of 20 years decides to marry someone younger.
I loved the idea of bringing back to life a manor that hadn't been lived in for years. It sounded absolutely wonderful. I love mixing old with new.
Of course, there were several romances going on as well. For those of you wondering about explicit sex, it was mentioned as a thought, but it wasn't actually being done.
There were several characters who got their comeuppance and I LOVED that part of it. I do have to add, there were happy tears and sad tears, so get out the Kleenex box.
I found the story very entertaining, enjoyable and one I would definitely recommend to my book reading friends.
Huge thanks to Kensington Books and Net Galley for allowing me to spend this afternoon reading this great book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the idea of bringing back to life a manor that hadn't been lived in for years. It sounded absolutely wonderful. I love mixing old with new.
Of course, there were several romances going on as well. For those of you wondering about explicit sex, it was mentioned as a thought, but it wasn't actually being done.
There were several characters who got their comeuppance and I LOVED that part of it. I do have to add, there were happy tears and sad tears, so get out the Kleenex box.
I found the story very entertaining, enjoyable and one I would definitely recommend to my book reading friends.
Huge thanks to Kensington Books and Net Galley for allowing me to spend this afternoon reading this great book in exchange for an honest review.
April 5, 2016
I really liked the premise of the story, but it definitely needs some serious editing. The first third of the story, when the main character, Lisa, is breaking up with her husband should be condensed down into 1 or 2 chapters. When Lisa decides to move back to Australia, her homeland, the story picks up and finally becomes interesting. I really liked the idea of her buying the manor house that her grandfather had built and fixing it up. I liked the Gray Army and wished more was told about them and fixing up the old manor. My favorite characters were Mojo the feral cat and Kiwi the injured cockatoo.
I received an advance copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review.
I received an advance copy of this book via Netgalley for an honest review.
April 29, 2016
When Lisa discovers that her husband has been having an affair she decides to move back to Australia, her childhood home. She finds that the house that used to belong to her family is for sale and the story of Tumbledown Manor begins. She wants to create a home.
I loved the characters including the Gray Army who help with all the renovations. I also loved the setting in Australia . The house needs some major work and I loved all the plans. There is a hint of a secret in the house.
It was a lovely read perfect for curling up with whilst the kitchen renovations are going on in my own home!
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this book.
I loved the characters including the Gray Army who help with all the renovations. I also loved the setting in Australia . The house needs some major work and I loved all the plans. There is a hint of a secret in the house.
It was a lovely read perfect for curling up with whilst the kitchen renovations are going on in my own home!
With many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this book.
April 25, 2016
I loved, loved Tumbledown Manor!! It was so refreshing to read about a middle age woman and what was happening in her life. I loved the whole story, the messages it gives, the laughs I had, the emotions and the hope. First the cover drew me in, and the first paragraph cemented the knowledge that I had to read this book. I could feel a connection to Lisa and was thrilled to go on this adventure with her. Tumbledown Manor is an unforgettable read with fantastic characters who all had so much to offer. I'd highly recommend Tumbledown Manor to any woman's fiction reader!
January 16, 2016
Pleasant saga, set mainly in an Australian country town, about a middle aged divorcee who buys a old house that once belonged to her grandfather. And of course she meets a gorgeous, capable man who step in to save the day. Therefore, this is a fantasy!
March 16, 2016
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book, it was very easy to get caught up in the characters, great setting. A heartwarming read with some laughout loud moments, I recommend this book as a light, enjoyable read.
November 12, 2017
You know, with the daily news showering us with political and sexual scandals, shootings, international drama, and overall negative, troubled events, it sure was a pleasure for me to get away mentally and read this book to get away from it all if but for a couple of late reading nights.
It’s a light fun read and had enough twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting. At the very beginning we are at Lisa and her husband jakes place in New York. He surprises her for her significant birthday ending with a 0 with appearances of their grown children, and a few others. He also surprises her by having a huge bouquet of flowers delivered to house but uh-oh its an error as these are for his mistress at the office with a sordid greeting card and I had to laugh at Lisa’s name for her - cow belle (the mistress name is belle). Ha! Divorce time (his choice). Lisa goes through some self reflections and decides to leave town and move to Australia. She is a writer and currently stuck in producing her next awaited parts of a book series on the bronte sisters. She thinks the relocation to another country will spark her writing once again. Plus she has an urging to connect with her ancestors home which also happens to be in Australia.
The book is well paced and there is a host of characters of which everyone has something going on - from sly cunning jake - who is sneaky to the very end - to Lisa’s past breast cancer - to their son who is gay and living his free life in Australia and finally found the love of his life - the daughter, Portia who has care bear tattoos and is anorexic and a weird way of communicating yet avoiding her mother - to Lisa’s sister, Maxine and her husband, who are an eccentric couple living in Australia and it is Maxine who when Lisa comes down to Australia takes her in and takes her around to find a home. Lisa always wanted to see the family manor in Australia and here was her opportunity. In short, it is a delapidated manor, overgrown, abandoned by its former owners, stories of hauntings - all that gets the reader excited - damp moldy curtains hanging from the large windows. A horse stable caving in from old age and disrepair. But...there is beauty revealed in the land, in the home, in the peacefulness of the country, in the people (eventually).
The house and land are up for sale and Lisa has a strong pull to this family home and buys it - supported in her decision and vision by son ted. There is a hunky guy named Scott who comes around to Lisa’s aid with minor House issues/repairs and great ideas for landscaping. They seem to share same visions but do not know each other well and work their way up to a relationship. Her way and his Aussie way are very different but in the end they get it happily figured out.
Again, there are other people who come in and out of the story and also new information is revealed about the manor and their former inhabitants. A scandal. An eccentric aunt Caroline. Teds wedding. A very close call with a brush fire. A flood. An injured cockatoo who becomes a pet. A cat with one eye who becomes a friend and protector. A trio of quirky repairmen working on the house. A snake bite. Relationship issues. And on it goes. Such fun! There was never a loss of anything happening and the author accomplished her story with sheer fluidity. A fine run from the first few pages into the book to the end which was happy and solid.
It was a pleasure to read this book by Helen brown.
It’s a light fun read and had enough twists and turns along the way to keep things interesting. At the very beginning we are at Lisa and her husband jakes place in New York. He surprises her for her significant birthday ending with a 0 with appearances of their grown children, and a few others. He also surprises her by having a huge bouquet of flowers delivered to house but uh-oh its an error as these are for his mistress at the office with a sordid greeting card and I had to laugh at Lisa’s name for her - cow belle (the mistress name is belle). Ha! Divorce time (his choice). Lisa goes through some self reflections and decides to leave town and move to Australia. She is a writer and currently stuck in producing her next awaited parts of a book series on the bronte sisters. She thinks the relocation to another country will spark her writing once again. Plus she has an urging to connect with her ancestors home which also happens to be in Australia.
The book is well paced and there is a host of characters of which everyone has something going on - from sly cunning jake - who is sneaky to the very end - to Lisa’s past breast cancer - to their son who is gay and living his free life in Australia and finally found the love of his life - the daughter, Portia who has care bear tattoos and is anorexic and a weird way of communicating yet avoiding her mother - to Lisa’s sister, Maxine and her husband, who are an eccentric couple living in Australia and it is Maxine who when Lisa comes down to Australia takes her in and takes her around to find a home. Lisa always wanted to see the family manor in Australia and here was her opportunity. In short, it is a delapidated manor, overgrown, abandoned by its former owners, stories of hauntings - all that gets the reader excited - damp moldy curtains hanging from the large windows. A horse stable caving in from old age and disrepair. But...there is beauty revealed in the land, in the home, in the peacefulness of the country, in the people (eventually).
The house and land are up for sale and Lisa has a strong pull to this family home and buys it - supported in her decision and vision by son ted. There is a hunky guy named Scott who comes around to Lisa’s aid with minor House issues/repairs and great ideas for landscaping. They seem to share same visions but do not know each other well and work their way up to a relationship. Her way and his Aussie way are very different but in the end they get it happily figured out.
Again, there are other people who come in and out of the story and also new information is revealed about the manor and their former inhabitants. A scandal. An eccentric aunt Caroline. Teds wedding. A very close call with a brush fire. A flood. An injured cockatoo who becomes a pet. A cat with one eye who becomes a friend and protector. A trio of quirky repairmen working on the house. A snake bite. Relationship issues. And on it goes. Such fun! There was never a loss of anything happening and the author accomplished her story with sheer fluidity. A fine run from the first few pages into the book to the end which was happy and solid.
It was a pleasure to read this book by Helen brown.
February 15, 2018
You can read all of my reviews on my blog -> Cover2CoverMom Blog
I am going to start off with a few things I liked about Tumbledown Manor. One thing I really enjoyed about this one was that Lisa, the main character, is an author who writes a series of books based off the Brontë sisters. This book was loaded with tidbits of info about the Brontë sisters and their lives. Being a huge Brontë fan myself, I really appreciated seeing this included in the book. Secondly, I love the cover, which had originally given me Louisiana vibes, but turns out I was way off as the book actually takes place in Australia. Unfortunately this was pretty much the extent of my enjoyment of the book…
My biggest hang up about this book is that it has a very similar plotline as the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, which is based off the novel Under the Tuscan Sun. Now I have not read the book, but I will compare the similarities between Tumbledown Manor and the film version of Under the Tuscan Sun. In both, a middle aged woman discovers that her husband is having an affair, the woman then proceeds to move to a foreign country. In both, the woman buys an old run-down house on impulse. The woman begins to rehab the old house with a cast of eccentric contractors & friends whereupon disasters & surprises ensue. In both, there is a wedding at the house at the end of the book. Now, the concept of a single woman buying a run-down house & fixing it up is not unique to these two books by any means, but there was just too many parallels to Under the Tuscan Sun that it was distracting. Sure there are some slight differences, but the overall plotline is eerily similar.
Lisa, our main character, wasn’t exactly an endearing character, nor did she really have any redeemable qualities. When a character hits rock bottom at the beginning of a book, I expect the character to make a tremendous amount of growth and personal development over the course of the book, but that didn’t really happen here. There wasn’t really any sense at the end that Lisa was empowered or standing on her own two feet. The secondary characters were underdeveloped, so I never felt we got to know anyone other than Lisa in this book, which includes Lisa’s love interest. The romance was in Tumbledown Manor was awkward to say the least. Lisa and her love interest had zero chemistry. Actually, it felt as if they disliked each other for the most part, but it didn’t feel like the hate to love trope. Whatever it was it did not work for me.
Another aspect that I struggled with in this book was the author’s writing. At times it just felt awkward and forced. For example, here are a few separate lines that made me do a double take when I came across them…
“But his pillow was as vacant as the wastelands of Antarctica.”
◊
“It was her favorite pillow, so it probably harbored superbugs.”
◊
“The scar ran in a horizontal line across her torso like a ruler marking the end of a school essay.”
◊
“…row of suns yellow as egg yolks.”
◊
“Scott’s boots lay like a pair of drunken sailors under the step.”
The writing just didn’t flow or connect well in my opinion. I just couldn’t get into it.
Based off the synopsis I was anticipating the majority of the book to be about Lisa fixing up the house, but this aspect of the plot fell flat. Aside from a few mentions of uncovering flagstones and such, but we really never get a sense of the house being restored to its former glory. There just wasn’t much in the book about the rehab process… Furthermore the big “secret” surrounding Lisa’s family and the manor basically felt thrown into the story without any type of development. Now that I think of it, there wasn’t anything in the book about the history of the house other than the “plot twist.” The author really needed to spend more time developing the backstory behind the house and the past inhabitants in order for this type of plot twist to work.
I tend to shy away from chick-lit in general, but every once in a while I dip my toes in when I’m in the mood for something fluffy. Unfortunately, Tumbledown Manor did not hit the spot for me.
*Big thanks to Kensington Books for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I am going to start off with a few things I liked about Tumbledown Manor. One thing I really enjoyed about this one was that Lisa, the main character, is an author who writes a series of books based off the Brontë sisters. This book was loaded with tidbits of info about the Brontë sisters and their lives. Being a huge Brontë fan myself, I really appreciated seeing this included in the book. Secondly, I love the cover, which had originally given me Louisiana vibes, but turns out I was way off as the book actually takes place in Australia. Unfortunately this was pretty much the extent of my enjoyment of the book…
My biggest hang up about this book is that it has a very similar plotline as the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, which is based off the novel Under the Tuscan Sun. Now I have not read the book, but I will compare the similarities between Tumbledown Manor and the film version of Under the Tuscan Sun. In both, a middle aged woman discovers that her husband is having an affair, the woman then proceeds to move to a foreign country. In both, the woman buys an old run-down house on impulse. The woman begins to rehab the old house with a cast of eccentric contractors & friends whereupon disasters & surprises ensue. In both, there is a wedding at the house at the end of the book. Now, the concept of a single woman buying a run-down house & fixing it up is not unique to these two books by any means, but there was just too many parallels to Under the Tuscan Sun that it was distracting. Sure there are some slight differences, but the overall plotline is eerily similar.
Lisa, our main character, wasn’t exactly an endearing character, nor did she really have any redeemable qualities. When a character hits rock bottom at the beginning of a book, I expect the character to make a tremendous amount of growth and personal development over the course of the book, but that didn’t really happen here. There wasn’t really any sense at the end that Lisa was empowered or standing on her own two feet. The secondary characters were underdeveloped, so I never felt we got to know anyone other than Lisa in this book, which includes Lisa’s love interest. The romance was in Tumbledown Manor was awkward to say the least. Lisa and her love interest had zero chemistry. Actually, it felt as if they disliked each other for the most part, but it didn’t feel like the hate to love trope. Whatever it was it did not work for me.
Another aspect that I struggled with in this book was the author’s writing. At times it just felt awkward and forced. For example, here are a few separate lines that made me do a double take when I came across them…
“But his pillow was as vacant as the wastelands of Antarctica.”
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“It was her favorite pillow, so it probably harbored superbugs.”
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“The scar ran in a horizontal line across her torso like a ruler marking the end of a school essay.”
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“…row of suns yellow as egg yolks.”
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“Scott’s boots lay like a pair of drunken sailors under the step.”
The writing just didn’t flow or connect well in my opinion. I just couldn’t get into it.
Based off the synopsis I was anticipating the majority of the book to be about Lisa fixing up the house, but this aspect of the plot fell flat. Aside from a few mentions of uncovering flagstones and such, but we really never get a sense of the house being restored to its former glory. There just wasn’t much in the book about the rehab process… Furthermore the big “secret” surrounding Lisa’s family and the manor basically felt thrown into the story without any type of development. Now that I think of it, there wasn’t anything in the book about the history of the house other than the “plot twist.” The author really needed to spend more time developing the backstory behind the house and the past inhabitants in order for this type of plot twist to work.
I tend to shy away from chick-lit in general, but every once in a while I dip my toes in when I’m in the mood for something fluffy. Unfortunately, Tumbledown Manor did not hit the spot for me.
*Big thanks to Kensington Books for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2016
This book wasn't what I was expecting. Going in I was expecting a contemporary romance but set in Australia and I got a lot less romance and much more story about Lisa herself. This isn't a bad thing it was just a little different than I expected.
I like Lisa quite a bit. Her fun 50th birthday surprise party turned into something rather awful and sent her scrambling to figure out who she was and what she really wanted. What she wants is to go back to Australia, closer to her son and her sister but where she hasn't lived since her marriage 20+ years ago. She's intelligent and a bit of a reformed free spirit who is writing a trilogy about the Bronte sisters but in a much more historical romance sense. She is also a breast cancer survivor and getting used to her life post-mastectomy. Her life in Australian isn't exactly all unicorns and rainbows as the history around her old family home is obviously not very pleasant but no one will tell her exactly what it is and figuring out all that needs to be down to the old house is an impressive task on it's own. Her struggles with her writing are very much a part of the book as she tries to figure out Emily's story and not let her concern for her daughter Portia, who halfway around the world is refusing to eat and becoming more and more standoffish, take over. The side characters are more developed and flawed than I would have expected. Lisa's relationship with her sister is complicated and it would be so easy to make her a villain but instead there are flashes of kindness and support and I saw her as more protective than bad. This was the same with the majority of the characters and added more depth to the novel.
I didn't understand her reaction to Scott after their first meeting. She seems oddly hostile to him at times though he's proven time and again that his intentions are good and that he is clearly helpful. She'll be all fine with him helping her or working on a project and then turns around and slaps him down for what seems like no reason. I also didn't enjoy the Portia subplot. She's really hard to like for the majority of the book and it seemed to wrap up a bit too quick. However, I did understand why Lisa was trying so hard to make the relationship work.
I loved the sense of place in this book. It felt like it was really set in Australia versus Anytown,Anywhere that was just labeled Australia. Between the fires, floods, and sometimes hostile wildlife there was never a dull moment. And I loved how blase Brown is about driving past kangaroos. I also really enjoyed the Afterword where Brown explains her inspiration for the story. It made it feel much more personal.
I very much enjoyed this book despite periodically wanting to drown a character or two and wanting to sit down and have a good talk about mixed signals with Lisa. It's an unusual story with a very unusual main character who is unusual because she seems so normal and just someone you'd really know.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot...
I like Lisa quite a bit. Her fun 50th birthday surprise party turned into something rather awful and sent her scrambling to figure out who she was and what she really wanted. What she wants is to go back to Australia, closer to her son and her sister but where she hasn't lived since her marriage 20+ years ago. She's intelligent and a bit of a reformed free spirit who is writing a trilogy about the Bronte sisters but in a much more historical romance sense. She is also a breast cancer survivor and getting used to her life post-mastectomy. Her life in Australian isn't exactly all unicorns and rainbows as the history around her old family home is obviously not very pleasant but no one will tell her exactly what it is and figuring out all that needs to be down to the old house is an impressive task on it's own. Her struggles with her writing are very much a part of the book as she tries to figure out Emily's story and not let her concern for her daughter Portia, who halfway around the world is refusing to eat and becoming more and more standoffish, take over. The side characters are more developed and flawed than I would have expected. Lisa's relationship with her sister is complicated and it would be so easy to make her a villain but instead there are flashes of kindness and support and I saw her as more protective than bad. This was the same with the majority of the characters and added more depth to the novel.
I didn't understand her reaction to Scott after their first meeting. She seems oddly hostile to him at times though he's proven time and again that his intentions are good and that he is clearly helpful. She'll be all fine with him helping her or working on a project and then turns around and slaps him down for what seems like no reason. I also didn't enjoy the Portia subplot. She's really hard to like for the majority of the book and it seemed to wrap up a bit too quick. However, I did understand why Lisa was trying so hard to make the relationship work.
I loved the sense of place in this book. It felt like it was really set in Australia versus Anytown,Anywhere that was just labeled Australia. Between the fires, floods, and sometimes hostile wildlife there was never a dull moment. And I loved how blase Brown is about driving past kangaroos. I also really enjoyed the Afterword where Brown explains her inspiration for the story. It made it feel much more personal.
I very much enjoyed this book despite periodically wanting to drown a character or two and wanting to sit down and have a good talk about mixed signals with Lisa. It's an unusual story with a very unusual main character who is unusual because she seems so normal and just someone you'd really know.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot...
April 30, 2016
Tumbledown Manor is a new novel by Helen Brown. Lisa Trumperton Katz, a writer, has been married to Jake for twenty-three years. Lisa believes she has a good life (and a happy husband) until she opens the card attached to her birthday flowers and finds out that they are for his mistress. Lisa asks Jake for a divorce and decides to head back to her birthplace of Australia. Lisa stays with her sister, Maxine (a real pain in the tuchis) and her husband, Gordon. Lisa, thanks to her divorce settlement and her income from writing (she is currently doing a three book series based on the Bronte sisters), can afford a place of her own. Her sister encourages her to purchase a new townhome. But once Lisa discovers their family home Trumperton Manor (Tumbledown Manor to the locals) is for sale (and in horrible condition), her decision is made. It will need quite a bit of work, but that does not alter Lisa’s decision. Her son, Ted and his friends are big supporters and offer their assistance. Lisa also hires Scott Green (local handyman and landscape designer) and the Gray Army to help with the renovations. Lisa is looking forward to her new life in Castlemaine, Australia. What secrets will Lisa uncovers about the house and her family during the renovation? Will Lisa ever be able to complete her latest manuscript (she is suffering from writer’s block)? What happens when ex-husband, Jake has a change of heart?
Tumbledown Manor is an expected story. It has a pretty good flow to it and nice writing, but there are really no surprises or twists (I kept hoping for a ghost in the stables). Everything turns out just like you expect it would. I do wish there had been more about the renovations on the house and less about Lisa’s writing. I also found way too many references to egg salad sandwiches (I’m not kidding). It turned me off eating for several hours. It was an overused and unneeded reference. I liked Lisa finding out the history of her family (the scandal) and the addition of Mojo (the cat) and Kiwi (the cockatoo). Tumbledown Manor was a satisfactory novel, but I wanted more. It is basically a romance novel with a theme that has been done many times (a woman finds out husband is cheating, gets divorce, and starts a new life by making an impulsive buy). I give Tumbledown Manor 3 out of 5 stars. I did like the sweet ending (all romance novels have to have a happy ending). I think the novel had unrealized potential. It could have been so much more (a great ghost story or the beginning of a mystery series).
I received a complimentary copy of Tumbledown Manor from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
Tumbledown Manor is an expected story. It has a pretty good flow to it and nice writing, but there are really no surprises or twists (I kept hoping for a ghost in the stables). Everything turns out just like you expect it would. I do wish there had been more about the renovations on the house and less about Lisa’s writing. I also found way too many references to egg salad sandwiches (I’m not kidding). It turned me off eating for several hours. It was an overused and unneeded reference. I liked Lisa finding out the history of her family (the scandal) and the addition of Mojo (the cat) and Kiwi (the cockatoo). Tumbledown Manor was a satisfactory novel, but I wanted more. It is basically a romance novel with a theme that has been done many times (a woman finds out husband is cheating, gets divorce, and starts a new life by making an impulsive buy). I give Tumbledown Manor 3 out of 5 stars. I did like the sweet ending (all romance novels have to have a happy ending). I think the novel had unrealized potential. It could have been so much more (a great ghost story or the beginning of a mystery series).
I received a complimentary copy of Tumbledown Manor from NetGalley in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.
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