With a genderfluid protagonist and 21st-century twist, this spirited debut pays homage to the British classics while joyfully centering an LGBTQ+ point of view, perfect for fans of Emily M. Danforth.
This charming, immersive read reminds all queer people, now more than ever, we deserve to take up space and matter (Kosoko Jackson).
Orphaned young and raised with chilly indifference at an all-boys boarding school, Brontë Ellis has grown up stifled by rigid rules and social norms, forbidden from expressing his gender identity. His beloved novels and period films lend an escape, until a position as a live-in tutor provides him with a chance to leave St. Marys behind.
Greenwood Manor is the kind of elegant country house Bron has only read about, and amid lavish parties and cricket matches, the Edwards family welcomes him into the household with true warmth. Mr. Edwards and the young Ada, Brons pupil, accept without question that Brons gender presentation is not traditionally masculine. Only Darcy, the eldest son, seems uncomfortable with Bronthe two of them couldnt be more opposite.
When a tragic fire blazes through the estates idyllic peace, Bron begins to sense dark secrets smoldering beneath Greenwood Manors surface. Channeling the heroines of his cherished paperbacks, he begins to sift through the wreckage. Soon, hes not sure what to believe, especially with his increasing attraction to Darcy clouding his vision.
Drawing energy and inspiration from Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, and more while bowing to popular fiction such as Plain Bad Heroines, The Manor House Governess is destined to become a modern classic.