Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges.
"The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone" is a charming novel featuring a unique storyline and lovable, quirky characters. It's both heartwarming and humorous, with a touch of magical realism that adds to its charm. Audrey Burges's vivid descriptions make the mansion come alive on the page, creating a delightful reading experience.

I've become such a fan of magical realism over the last year, but this one was just a little shy of what I was expecting. A great premise, but for me it just didn't work for me. It took a long time to set up the story and then I was always just slightly confused as I read or listened to it.

Maybe it was just too many pieces for me with both Alex and Myra in both the past and present? Or maybe it was just all me and my expectations.

There is a sweet story in here of family and love. And also a bit of loss and moving past it.

While I was confused, the narration of the audiobook was superb. Christine Lakin makes the most of the story and really brought the characters to life.

This is a delightful story of a woman who builds tiny rooms in a mansion in her attic. Online fans try to figure out who she is. Then, one day, a man sees a room on her blog and realizes it's his room in his family home. This man, Alex, and the woman, Myra, connect in a delightful and fun way to read. The premise was unique, and I enjoyed reading this story a lot.

I think this was the first book to discuss agoraphobia that wasn't a thriller, so that was a plus! This was the perfect chilly fall read. I love a magical realism book and it had just the right amount of quirky. The characters were great and memorable, as was the setting. The plot was unique, but the writing did run a little slow at times.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

I think the age when she started making miniatures/when her grandma died was a little too young to be believable. Not that this fiction story has to be believable but it was sort of distracting every time she mentions that she remembers everything her grandma taught her at age 5, especially with something so tedious as making miniatures!

Because of that I dnf'd at like 25%.

This was such a fun book to read that will give you the perfect combination of suspense, romance, childhood nostalgia and even a dash of paranormal that will have it hard for you to put this book down. I also have to say that I instantly fell in love with each character. From the first page I connected to each one and felt their happiness and pain right along with them. This was a very fast read and I highly highly recommend this book to all readers.

This was good! I liked the slight magic elements of it and the bond it created between Alex and Myra. The writing was great and I liked the mix of story and blog writing that wove together nicely. One thing that bothered me was that it used my most hated line in books "He let out a breath he didn't realized he'd been holding" TWICE! Two times in the same book. Whenever I see that line, I cringe. There was also an aspect that was a bit insta-lovey for me. Overall it was a really good book.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. As someone who is obsessed with The Doll Maker, and before that, The Tale of the Dollmaker, loosely based on the aforementioned book. While this book is less about dolls, than the mansion that houses them, my interest was piqued.

As a woman in her mid thirties, it always interests me to read about protagonists of a similar age. That's not to say our interests always align, but there is certainly more to relate to. Myra blogs about a dollhouse mansion. Elsewhere, Alex recognizes the dollhouse as his family home. This is part mystery, part fantasy, with a healthy dose of magical realism, which isn't for everyone, but is definitely for me. I enjoyed seeing how the story played out, and how the two storylines eventually connect. Alex's family could use a little work, but we can't choose that, so I won't fault him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is the most whimsical book you're gonna read all year! I love miniatures so I was immediately drawn to the title. This is much much more than a book about a miniature house. It's about love and magic and loss and finding out who you are and what matters most. Multiple generations of stories are beautifully interwoven together to make a truly wonderful story! I enjoyed making the connection between timelines and characters so much that I want to read it again soon!

But if a slow start but once you're in, you are IN. There's mystery, love, friendship, family, and of course a bit of magic. Was not expecting to fall in love with this story but I fell head over heels.

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is interesting and touching magical realism about Myra Malone’s Minuscule Mansion (dollhouse) and its connection with Alex Rakes’ actual full-sized Mansion that is exactly the same as Myra’s.

Writing is captivating, detailed, and beautiful. I absolutely loved the concept of a story around the magical house that kept its owner safe and timeless for ages making itself and the owner refuge for people who needed it. It made the house more than a setting and it was interesting to read stories of everything it contained, both living and animated objects alike.

I’m a person who loves to stay at home and I can be fine with no other physical contact with the outside world but Myra was on a whole different level. I get her fear of leaving the house but not how she couldn’t notice what her parents and especially her mother was going through. Let’s just say I didn’t warm to her for a long time and in my opinion, her family let her cooped up in the house so long that it didn’t feel right or realistic.

I loved Willa’s story and all past timelines related to her. It was heart-shattering to read what Willa has gone through in her life.

This is the story of the magical connection with the house, loss, grief, tragedy, dysfunctional family, friendship, resilience, and hope.

Why 3 stars- slow pace. There are lots of timelines in random order slowed the pace even more. plot was meandering and also predictable. I didn’t like Myra as much as I expected in the beginning.

Overall, The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is unique and interesting fiction with magical realism and beautiful writing but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.

Aside from my bank account and a plate of nachos… aren’t miniature things just infinitely cuter than their larger counterparts!?⁣
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Myra Malone doesn’t leave her Arizona home after a car accident killed her grandmother and left her face severely scarred. She spends her days curating her “don’t-call-it-a-dollhouse” minuscule mansion while her best (and only) friend Gwen, has turned the spectacular tiny abode into a social media sensation.⁣
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Meanwhile, Alex Rakes, in Virginia, stuck in the family furniture business and quite miserable when he sees a photo of Myra’s magical miniature manor. ⁣
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He’s shocked though, when he realizes…it’s an exact replica of the home he lives in - right down to the furniture. And as he changes things in his own home, they instantly transform in Myra’s mansion as well.⁣
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The two connect and together try to solve the mystery of the connected homes. What follows is a several intertwining stories of love, tragedy, mystery, and a whole lot of magic. And while it’s a tad heavier than I expected, and a little bit sad - I enjoyed this unique and enchanting story so, so much and it was quite unlike anything I’ve ever read.

"She felt in her bones that the rooms weren't gone. They were living somewhere else, and someone else could feel the love she poured into them."
Titular character Myra is a 34-year-old recluse who spends her days physically in the attic of an Arizona mountain town. But her mind and soul are focused on a magical miniature house that she was gifted as a child. Rooms come and go, and the magical minuscule mansion has a rapport with the ever-grieving and wounded Myra, speaking to her through light and music and miniature objects that appear and disappear as required. There's a lot that goes unexplained in this debut novel that switches back and forth from the present (2015) to the past to tell the parallel stories of Myra Malone and Alex Rakes, who was born into a wealthy but troubled family in Virginia, which is where the IRL mansion stands. Alex lives in the mansion, which belonged to his mother before she disappeared at the urging of the overbearing Rakes matriarch. It's not clear how the Rakes came to be 'rakes,' but the name is a not-subtle clue. Alex is more like his mother than the family whose last name he bears, and the house is an extension of her. Thus, Myra and Alex form a long-distance relationship, with the house and the Lady of the house their touchstones. Fun premise. Solid enough execution.
[Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I was in the mood for something different to read and this was just the book I was craving!

There were adorable characters that were both quirky and memorable, and it was such a
unique plot about a woman named Myra who suffers from agoraphobia, and hasn’t left her home, and Alex who works in his family’s furniture store.

*many thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy for review

Creepy, magical mystery!
Myra, 34, has been a recluse since her disfiguring accident when she was a young child. She inherited a small mansion from her grandfather and step-grandmother and it seems to have a mind of its own. Alex returns home to a sick father that’s always pushed him away and he needs help running their business. Myra blogs about her miniature mansion and Alex notices that some of the furniture in his life-size mansion matches exactly to the tiny furniture in Myra’s. The characters are lovable and I appreciate the empathy shown throughout the book. The mystery behind the two mansions is written with creativity and unravels perfectly, 4 stars!

don’t know what I expected when I entered the world of Burges’ novel, but what I got was a beautiful story about family, love, isolation, and the refuge we all need in our lives. THE MINUSCULE MANSION OF MYRA MALONE explores the relationships that can be forged by letting people into your world and sharing a small part of yourself, even on a blog.

There is a timeless lyrical nature to this book weaving together the past and the present effortlessly. And though there is a budding romance between Myra and Alex, the history and strange links between the mini-mansion and the real location are the catalyst for a truly heartwarming narrative.

There is something so special about having this tale grounded in mystical lore and a tradition of maintaining the mansion for those who need it. Through her eloquence, Burges delves into the core of who her characters are and allows them to develop beyond the confines of the situations they are put in.

THE MINUSCULE MANSION OF MYRA MALONE is a wonderfully charming novel with just the right amount of magic, emotion, and humor.

An enchanting tale, spanning several decades. After a terrible accident leaves Myra traumatized and disfigured, she becomes a recluse; her only escape being a miniature mansion left to her by her step-grandmother.

Little does she know that her grandmother had a long-held secret, linking her to a life far from Myra and her family.

Magical rooms and furniture that appear and disappear overnight, leave Myra knowing that there is something more the the miniature house.

An online presence sparks a contest and connection with Alex, from across the country. Pieces come together as histories collide.

I was a much bigger fan of the Willa/Ford romance than anything between Alex and Myra; that relationship fell flat for me. Overall cute and mystical, though slow at parts. Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Berkley and the author for an advance copy; all opinions are my own! This debut was tender and touching, a moving story with just the right dash of magic and mystery. I rooted for Myra and Alex as individuals and for their budding love story.

Stevie‘s review of The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges
Contemporary Magical Realism published by Berkley 24 Jan 23

I have a long-standing love for dollhouses and miniature dioramas, so this book looked very much like something I would enjoy reading. Myra Malone inherited a dollhouse and furnishings (but no dolls) from her grandfather’s second wife, who died in a car crash when Myra was five. Badly injured in the same accident, Myra has hardly left the cabin in which she lives with her mother since leaving the hospital six months later, almost thirty years ago. There are magical aspects to the dollhouse: accessories, items of furniture, and even whole rooms appear and disappear without warning; music plays from the house, especially at night. Myra feels as if the house is telling her what it wants. When Myra’s mother confesses that their cabin is about to be repossessed due to her overspending on the high-end fashion items she hoards, Myra’s saved income from freelance writing isn’t going to be enough to save them. However, Myra’s best friend, Gwen, suggests they hold a series of competitions for followers of Myra’s blog, with the main prize a chance for the winner to see the house for themselves. Enter Alex…


Rutherford Alexander Rakes III has returned from working in China as an English teacher to step into his family’s furniture village, due to his father’s declining health. The company has flourished in recent years, selling overpriced replicas of vintage furniture to wealthy patrons. Alex, who much prefers hunting down bargain examples of genuinely old furniture, hates the job, and the only consolation he gets from his return is that he is able to stay in the mansion that used to belong to his grandmother, a house his father hates. Talking one day to customers who have a particular piece in mind, Alex sees pictures from Myra’s blog and realises that her mansion is a very close replica of the one he inhabits. Taking advantage of the competition, Alex writes to Myra in hope of answers.

The two soon become friends, but Myra is reluctant to meet Alex, or even talk to him on the phone initially. Meanwhile, Alex’s father is struggling with his mental health, as well as his physical limitations, and takes his frustrations out on Alex and his love for the mansion. Things come to a head right before Myra’s house is due to be auctioned, and everything looks grim for both families. Money and magic save the day, though, and a solution is found that works for almost everyone.

Told from multiple points of view across the years spanning the lifetimes of both Myra and her step-grandmother, this story was enchanting, if a little disjointed at times. I could have done without the epilogue, but I definitely want to see more from the author.

Grade: B

This story is unlike anything I’ve read before, but it has themes that are constant: family, love and loss, safety and courage. Myra is a fascinating character, and the stories that Burges weaves through multiple timelines and places are magical and mysterious.
One complaint is that this should not be categorized as a romance book. It has a romance storyline, but that plot is not the most important one in the book. It’s much more about family. This reads more as contemporary fiction or “women’s fiction.”