2.5 stars. The Orphans of Mersea House is a very sweet character-driven story about a group of adults and one child that have lost all of their family members. Together they forage a make-shift family in a small town on the English seaside.

Wingate created a very atmospheric setting. I felt like I was walking along the water with the characters and could vividly picture the town and Mersea House.

The post-war themes of family loss and polio were interesting but I kept waiting for the grand plot to start. This book is truly about the characters and not much happens to them. Everyone was very nice and nice is ok but doesn’t add much dimension to the story. Even the “villains” were sympathetic characters. The story became very repetitive and the constant description of offering tea/coffee, making tea/coffee, serving tea/coffee grated on me after awhile.

I received an advanced digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE ORPHANS OF MERSEA HOUSE-Marty Wingate

I received this book to my Kindle free for the purpose of review. The story line is great and historically accurate. Olive's love, her only love, never returned from World War II. She is alone and a bit fearful. It is 1957 England. She is also penniless.

Never did she expect to see her childhood friend Margery Paxton. Circumstances brings Margery back to claim her inheritance, a home and a business. Margery wastes no time cleaning the storefront she now owns and also the home....she is determined . Margery is deciding to turn the home into a boarding house and Olive will be in charge of the Mersea House.

As Margery adjusts to getting the store up and running and Olive works on Mersea House a big surprise arrives in the form of an 11 year old little girl, Juniper. So, life changed abruptly but it was all good. Don't forget to learn about Miss Binny when you read this interesting and fun book.

#Net Galley #Goodreads #The Orphans of Mersea House

Post WWII in England finds childhood friends Margery and Olive thrown together to build a future in the town they grew up in. Margery has been in London but now must return to take over her inherited home, Mersea House, and a retail business. Olive, who has never left, stayed to care for her parents who have now died. Margery persuades Olive to help her turn the large house she’s inherited into a boarding house and act as the cook, housekeeper and partner in this endeavor. Margery sets about updating the shop her uncle left her, modernizing the shop and stocking the new appliances coming on the market. Two adult boarders come from London to find peace after their experiences in London during the war. But the arrival of 11 year-old Juniper changes all of them. Juniper has been orphaned and has been in foster care for several years while the authorities tried to find Margery who was named as her guardian. Juniper has had polio and wears braces and uses “sticks” to walk, but her spirit cannot be beaten down.
This is a truly heartwarming read, peopled with characters with real hopes, fears and feelings. I didn’t want it to end; and hope there’s a sequel in the works.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Really couldn't put this book down, a lovely descriptive storyline with some wonderful characters, thoroughly enjoyed this book

Orphans and outsiders, this is a book about losing family and then finding it in the most unlikely of places. Southwold with all its magic. This is a story about acceptance and love as a group of people come together in Margery's boarding house. England, 1957. After Olive Kersey's love never returned from WW11, she finds herself alone and financially poor. Margery, her childhood friend steps in and hires her to run Mersea House. Out of the blue, Margery has a new ward, eleven-year-old orphan Juniper Wyckes, daughter of Margery’s first love. Juniper was stricken with polio as a child, and uses braces to walk. Along with lodgers Hugh Hodson, the new cinema manager, and Mrs. Abigail Claypool, a war widow, who bring their own intrigue and secrets. This novel is lovely, A book to curl up with in front of a roaring fire with buttered teacakes and a blanket. Warm and comforting.

What a truly fabulous book. This tugged at my heartstrings for so many reasons.

The secrets of an old house, a surprise child, and the consequence of bullying all made for a beautiful story.

Two women, struggling to survive during WWII, begin to take in boarders to make ends meet. Each boarder comes with their own secrets and challenges and slowly, they begin to unravel and become a family.

The Orphans of Mersea House: A Novel Kindle Edition by Marty Wingate is a historical fiction and drama about love and family both lost and found. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC, this is my honest review.
This book is just a lot about life and relations; character driven story. Not about one thing, one plot, or person. I often hear people say I just like to read about life or people. Made me think in some ways about "A Man Named Ove", in that regard, not the same vibe, the same kind of story about so little and so much, kind of hidden in the stories or relationships. This is a slower paced read, not to be rushed.
About: England, 1957. Olive Kersey’s only love never returned from World War II, and now, she’s alone and penniless spinster. Olive’s life takes a sunny turn when her childhood friend Margery hires her to run the new establishment Mersea House. Several personalities move into the house to lodge. Unexpected: Margery is informed she has a new ward, eleven-year-old Juniper Wyckes, the orphaned daughter of Margery’s first love. Juniper was stricken with polio as a child, and uses braces to walk. Olive fears Juniper is being bullied at school because of her disability, even as the girl begins to thrive at home. But the past is never far behind for the inhabitants of Mersea House, and looming secrets may destroy these friends.
I want not expecting the ending and yet it really just "felt" right and good. I wanted a bit more one Olive, Margery, and Juniper; women defying their time... I wanted a bit more plot, drama or experiences.
In the end this book is about the families we chose and the dreams that come to pass even after forgotten to not known. ..."you're already a family". "It's what I wanted most in the world...I've never wished for something that's come true before, but now it has."

This was a good book. The characters stories were well written and interesting. If you're looking for a comforting read this is for you.

This is a charming character driven story set in the 1950s/post WWII seaside town called Southwold. The characters are well rounded with interesting and relatable backstories. There’s not much going on plot-wise, no major conflicts, but the themes of love, relationships, hope and found-family are showcased well. An easy, wholesome read.

If asked to describe this book, the best answer would be "comforting" and "lovely". This story is all about family - the loss of it, the finding and building of it and most of all - all of the different feelings that come with having a family.
Olive as the main character, having just lost her last family member and is trying to figure out what she should do next in this weird time occurring after World War II. So when her old friend Margery comes back to town and decides to operate two different businesses including a boarding house and she wants Olive to manage it.
A classic drama book that manages to skillfully incorporate several ideas and themes from each character into the story. Themes like found family, ableism, living with disabilities and homosexuality are consistent throughout and are written very well.
The ending of the story is such a beautiful ending where it is not absolutely perfect but Olive and the others are content and healing. Sometimes what happens in life is nothing like what you expect to happen or even thought could happen, but that is exactly what was needed to heal and grow. Beautiful and touching - this book is perfect.

The setting and writing style of this story is exactly what I enjoy about a book. A gentle tale, with just enough suspense and angst to keep it interesting. I rarely make time for binge-reading, but this one I read eagerly and kept reading until finished. Delightful!

The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate was not what I expected at all. Margery was an orphan raised by her aunt & uncle. When her uncle died, he left his store and house to Margery. Olive was a "spinster". Her boyfriend was killed in Norway; her brother died at Dunkirk,; and now her parents were dead. She was looking for a position when Margery offered her the job of managing her uncle's house. Margery was leaving London to run her uncle's store, and she was going to turn the house into a boarding house.

The boarders were an eclectic bunch -- a gay man, a reclusive widow, Olive, Margery, and Juniper, Margery's ward. Juniper was the orphan child of Margery's former boyfriend and his wife. The family they formed was non-traditional at best. Juniper was a survivor of polio. I think the story was supposed to focus on how Juniper survive ed and and eventually thrived, but it seemed to be more a treatise on acceptance of everyone no matter what their beliefs. I was able to read this book on #NetGalley.

The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate is a lovely gem of a novel set in post-World War II England. It takes place in Southwold in 1957, a seaside town struggling to recover after the war. Margery inherits her uncle’s property and asks her old friend, Olive’s help. She and Margery begin this new adventure of running a boarding house for lodgers as well as refurbishing Margery’s uncle’s store, unusual for a woman in this time period.

As this new venture is begun, Margery also discovers that she has a young ward that she is responsible for. Over the course of the story, Mearsea House becomes the family to not only an orphan named Juniper but all of its residents, showing the importance of relationships in a world that can leave those with no connections feeling alone. This uplifting novel was a joy to read and has whetted my appetite for more books by Marty Wingate!

#netgalley

in 1957 Olive Kersey is hired to run an inn.
there are several people who live there and the story is how their lives all come together, there is also an 11 year old girl with polio who comes to live there. I enjoyed the story.

This is the story of the odd little ‘family’ that began with Margery who opened a boarding house called Mersea House. Then came her friend, Olive, who would be its maid, cook, and general keep-it-together chief. Soon Juniper, an 11-year-old girl, came along who was a ward of Margery’s. There were others who peppered the story with pleasant side stories.

This was a good-natured read with realistic characters and plenty of kindness and love and friendship to go around. The author did an expert job in developing the characters, and I enjoyed watching them evolve. Juniper had to wear leg braces because she’d had polio when she was younger, and everyone in the boarding house and others from the town looked out for her. The developing love between Olive and Juniper was very well done. I enjoyed the very satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Orphans of Mersea House. Great story!

** I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC, this opinion is my own **

The Orphans of Mersea House is like a heartwarming diorama that focuses on postwar's daily life in England; It's 1957, rationing has just been lifted, yet, the shadow of the war is lingering close, with many people still mourning over who and what was lost during the war, and despite aggravating circumstances, they all try to make the best of it.

There is Olive, the housekeeper, who lost a brother at Dunkirk, Margery ward of Juniper, a fiercy, intelligent young girl for whom a lump of sugar with a pink dot came too late, then there is Charlie Salt, divorced, who sees himself as an anti-hero as he didn't contribute much during the war, and then there is Mrs Binny, the gossiper who - like a Hyacinth Bouquet, keeps an eye on everyone and everything..

This lovely lot are at the core of this beautiful novel: ordinary people that have to deal with immeasurable grief, prejudice, and narrow mindedness. In the end, they find new love, friendship, understanding, and a place they can call home.
Albeit a bit too sweet for me at times, this novel is a lovely, heartwarming story about human connections, finding love, and family.
A Quick read, with lovely and hugable characters. who forever will have a place in my heart. Highly recommended!

- Publication date: August 9, 2022

This book perfectly fit what I was in the mood to read. I wanted to feel like I was in a historical fiction book, sans war, and connect to characters and the setting. I loved the setting of a boarding house that turned strangers into family and I found myself loving each individual character. I liked the romance sprinkled in and I especially loved the "mother/daughter" relationship in this book. I loved the character Juniper and felt so happy for her throughout the book! Overall, this was a great read !

The Orphans of Mersea by Marty Wingate is a beautiful story that reminds the reader that families are not always the group of people you are born into. Set in Suffolk, England in post-WWII, Olive Kersey, in her late 30’s has just lost her mother, her last remaining family member. Left with a grave financial situation, she is not entirely sure what is next for her. Her childhood friend, Margery Paxton, returns from London, having inherited a shop and Mersea House from her uncle. Margery provides Olive the opportunity to live and work at Mersea House, and the cast of characters who comes to live there include Hugh Hodson, manager of the town cinema, Mrs. Abigail Claypool, a recluse war widow and Juniper Wyckes, the orphaned daughter of Margery’s ex who has polio in her early childhood. All the characters play an important role in the overall story and each has a history they are trying to learn to live with, which become apparent as you read the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.