This book was sent to me by Netgalley elecyronically for review. It is a quick read, historical fiction...family...friends...hardships...helping others...new friends...working...thinking of others...these themes run throughout this story. It is almost as if this author sat down and wove this story for us...taking us through each step of the characters' lives. I enjoyed reading this quick read...try it.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also expected it to be about an actual orphanage, but it is not. A orphaned young woman agrees to leave her life of poverty and move into a boarding house recently inherited by her childhood friend. The two go about remodeling both the boarding house and a shop. Shortly after obtaining a couple of tenants, the owner is faced with child care for a young polio victim. As a small town would have it, the busybodies have their noses where it doesn’t belong and almost results in the child being removed, but alas, faith intercedes and all is well,

In England, 1957, Olive Kersey is feeling a bit adrift after all of her family members have died. She is unexpectedly rescued when her childhood friend, Margery, returns to accept her inheritance of a store and house. She plans to turn Mersea House into a boarding house and asks Olive to help run it. Soon the house has two lodgers, Hugh Hodson, the new cinema manager, and Mrs. Abigail Claypool, a war widow. Each seem to be keeping a secret. Unexpectedly, Margery is notified that she is the ward to the eleven-year-old Juniper, the orphaned daughter of her first love. Juniper has lifelong disabilities after her bout of polio when she was 3 and Mrs. Pagett, the Children's officer, warns that Juniper can be taken away if she is not safe. Olive creates a loving home for the housemates of Mersea House, and a new sort of family is forged, but that could all be threatened as secrets start to come out.
This book is a sweet story of a group of people, with their own battles and scars, who come together in Mersea house to build a family. Although not a family, in the true sense of the word, the members of the house form a loving bond and atmosphere that the reader will fall in love with. And the lynch pin of the family is Olive. Olive is an amazing woman who is strong, full of empathy and acceptance, and the glue that holds the whole crew together. She is full of insight into the people around her, and throughout the book she helps many people in the community. Olive is a great role model for all women. I enjoyed the sweet nature of this book. It is not a book full of action, but the author’s voice is so captivating that it makes it an easy read. You’ll fall in love with the characters in this book.

If I have to describe The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate in a single word, I would say ‘heartfelt.’

Set in 1957, in a charming seaside town, Southwold, England, this character-driven story is about love, friendship, acceptance, and second chances.
Olive Kersey, Margery Paxton, and Juniper Wyckes are the central characters around whom the story develops.

37-year-old Olive has recently lost her mother. She is lonely and on the brink of poverty. Her grave financial situation leaves her with two options–either apply for a caretaker’s job in a faraway town or become a companion to Mrs. Constance Binny, the town’s unofficial news broadcaster. Thankfully, the return of her childhood best friend Margery from London fills her with a fresh ray of hope. Margery has recently lost her uncle Milkey and has inherited a small shop and Mersea House – a stately home which she plans to turn into a lodging. She employs Olive as a caretaker to run and manage the lodging.

The arrival of the very first guests–Hugh Hodson, manager of the town cinema, and Mrs. Abigail Claypool, a recluse war-widow sends the rumour mills working overtime in the small town.
Mrs. Lucie Pagett, a Children’s officer, turns the lives of Margery and Olive upside down with an unexpected revelation – Margery is now to become the guardian of 11-year-old Juniper, the orphaned daughter of Margery’s ex.

Juniper is an intelligent and cheerful child. Polio-stricken since her early childhood, she has certain special needs. Unable to meet her requirements would lead to placing Juniper in a welfare home. Olive completely fills the role of Juniper’s guardian, becoming more of a mother to the child. Margery’s business roars and soon she signs up Olive for driving lessons. Mr. Charlie Salt, the driving instructor, soon becomes Olive’s friend and companion.

But Mersea House isn’t a regular home. Every member has a secret to hide, a past they do not wish to reveal. As the secrets come out in the open, relationships border close to destruction, sending the lives of all in turmoil.

It would be unfair to the author and publishers if I reveal the finer details of the story. All I can say is, read on to know more. You won’t regret grabbing this book.
This book has a gripping storyline and lovely setting. But what makes it more endearing is the narration. Wingate holds control of the flow and narrative all throughout. Nowhere does it feel that the story is sliding down a slippery slope. The story is set in the post-war UK, but there isn’t much focus on the historical aspect of the war, rather it is more on its effect on the lives of the townsfolk.

Created in a nuanced manner, the characters finely fit with the olden times. Every person plays a role in the story without overshadowing others. Their fears, insecurities, losses, and hopes are well depicted. It is impossible to not fall in love with the well-rounded characters. Their back-stories are revealed at appropriate places, helping the reader to get to know them at ease.

While Olive and Margery’s friendship is delightful, Olive’s relationship with Juniper is one of kindred souls brought together. Mrs. Wilkins is the hero the world needs more of. Billy, Hugh, and Mrs. Abigail are the friends one can always count on.
There are a couple of scenes showing an intimate physical relationship between two characters. Even these have been done tastefully, keeping in mind the period in which the story is taking place. I doubt whether women would have been this forward in the 1950s…

The author has addressed issues like polio, same-sex love, death, loss, and longing sensitively; especially the way she has depicted Juniper, a person afflicted with polio is inspiring and heart-warming. The townsfolk’s reluctance, prejudice, and acceptance are depicted with raw honesty.

The story unfolds in a soothing manner, leading to a touching and happy ending. I am certain that it wouldn’t be easy to achieve considering the historical setting. Though the author doesn’t highlight the practical difficulties of that perfect ending, it hardly lessens the beauty of the story.

I would recommend The Orphans of Mersea House to fans of historical fiction and to those looking for a story brimming with hope and positivity.
Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Thanks to Net galley and Alcove Press for the early reading of this most delightful book. Well written! Olive and Margery running a lodging house and the people who stay there are so enjoyable. Then comes Juniper,a young child who had polio,left to Margery as a ward. I thought it was going to be a home for orphans after WW all . Acceptance , love, in people who care.

An engaging read with empathic characters. Post WWII was a rough time with so many suffering lose and getting their bearings to go forward. Normal Circumstances like the passing of an only parent leaves Olive at loose ends in her small English town. At 37 unmarried, no training or job experience she is offered a servant/ companion position by the town busy body under the guise of “help”. Fortunately, Margery, an old friend returns from London with plans to manage her deceased uncles store and open a boarding house in his home and Olive is just the girl to run the house. Out of the blue Margery is delivered a little girl as a ward. Apparently, an old beau and his wife died and named Margery as her guardian. This book is about growth. Growth for Olive, her friend Margery and everyone who touches their lives. No mater what hardships or secrets they have, much growth is possible as long as there is Hope.

This is a really sweet, feel-good story set in a British seaside village in the 1950s. I loved getting to know the characters, and I appreciated that they were all pretty well-rounded in that none were too perfect or absolutely horrible - they all felt human, with flaws and virtues. This was an easy read that held my attention and was a nice little distraction from reality.

A few comments about things I didn't particularly like about this book:
- I felt like some of the moral attitudes of the characters were not true to the setting in which this story takes place. The average reader probably wouldn't be bothered by 1950s characters having a 21st century moral perspective, but as a reader with a degree in history, accuracy matters to me. The responses of the characters to some of the plot elements were not true to what their attitudes likely would've been at the time during which this story takes place and, for me, this was distracting and took me out of the story.
-I wish that Margery's character had been more developed. This story easily could've been shared by her and Olive and I think that her "side" would've been really interesting to read, but she went from what appeared to be a main character at the beginning of the story to essentially an afterthought by the end.
-While I absolutely prefer a happy ending and I liked the concept of how this story ended, it did feel too perfect. Without giving anything away, the way that things ended actually would likely have involved a lot of complications in real life and the author presented it as an easy happily-ever-after type of conclusion to the story. I love happy endings. For this particular story, the lack of complications leading up to it was distracting.

These three minor complaints aside, I really did enjoy this book! I think this would be an awesome beach read. This book will be released on August 9 of this year, so keep it in mind for your end-of-the-summer reading list! 😊

I like this book okay but was a little to sweet for me. If you won’t a sweet read then this is for you . It was just ok for me

This is a very sweet, light and easy, British story, in which every scene is accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee and some shortbread or cake. It takes place in a small rural town in England in the 1950s and I found it to be a heartwarming read. It is about an unusual group of people living under one roof, including an eleven year old orphan, a polio survivor, who helps to make them into an unconventional "family". I was a little thrown off by the title of the book at first. I expected the storyline to be about a home for orphans or an orphanage, which it wasn't. However, I quickly fell in love with the characters and was drawn into caring about what happened to them. This character driven story has much to recommend it and would be perfect for fans of Maeve Binchy or Jan Karon.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Alcove Press for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book. Publication date: August 9, 2022.

The Orphans of Mersea House follows the lives of Olive, Margery and Juniper, an eleven year old, as they all come together at the Mersea House. Olive and Margery grew up together for a time and lost touch when Margery went to London. Olive has dealt with her fair share of love, loss and choices made in life.

Set in the time post World War II, we come across people who have lost loved ones and who are trying to move on with their lives. The author gives us a glimpse into the lives of the people but with a slightly less focus on the historical aspect. The story is purely one of friendship, love and honoring promises. It's of strong bonds and family that is made among friends who learn to accept one another for who they really are.

The book has a diverse set of characters, each as different from the other but bringing so much to the table. I adore Hugh and Mrs C. I also liked reading about Billy and the impact he has on Juniper's life. More than anything, I love how the author has handled a character dealing with the after effects of polio with delicacy providing enough information to us as a reader. In addition, the author has shown us that having polio does not make one any different from the rest, the person/people can lead normal lives just like anyone else (while taking into account the constraints).

I enjoyed reading about Olive and Margery's friendship and their antics when they were children. Perhaps the best part of the book is the bond that forms between Olive and Juniper (even though she is officially Margery's ward). Juniper is a delightful child who end up bringing out the best in everyone around her at Mersea House while carving a place for herself. As secrets have a way of coming out people have a choice with respect to how they react to them and this is also portrayed in this story.

This is a beautifully written story that reminds us what it means to have friends and family, the importance of friendship, acceptance and the joy of being in love. A truly remarkable and enjoyable read, I would recommend this book to everyone!

This is a very sweet book - the characters are believable and well developed. The historical accuracy - language and setting - was really good. I enjoyed reading about the innovations being introduced to the house. For me though, it was a little too sweet overall but I know someone who’d love it so I’ll be buying a copy for her.

After the life altering WWII, Olive and Margery rekindle their friendship and develop and working relationship running a boarding house together. A surprise occurs when an old boyfriend names Margery as guardian of a child named Juniper. Juniper's physical handicap resulting from polio, as well as other boarders in the house, teach lessons about inclusiveness in a period of time when similar characteristics were kept behind closed doors.

I enjoyed this book from start to finding. It was well written and had a very sweet story line. Thanks to publisher and NetGalley for access to ARC.

A very easy read. A sweet tale involving a disabled girl and how her story brings people together. Always love a happy ending

This fun story has Margery roping her friend Olive into the adventure of hiring her as her lodging house, Mersea House, housekeeper. It's quite a motley crew who find themselves living together. They become a rather cohesive lot, however; even the 11 year old orphan, Juniper "tree", in that abode by the sea.

Juniper has suffered the effects upon her body of having contracted polio as a younger child. I love her amazingly cheerful, infectious attitudes. I believe that she had learned well, how to embrace life despite it's setbacks. I love that the author, Marty Wingate, included such in her story. One hopes that others who live with such polio effects will take courage from Juniper's example and have the loving support system of carers, too. However, will Miss Binny the town gossip and Mrs. Pagett the social worker spoil Juniper's chances for a "real family" by exposing the secret lives of some of those Mersea House lodgers?

Besides polio, the LGBT lifestyle is touched upon and in both cases, the prejudices and/or the acceptances against such are alluded to in the way the townfolks react or respond. Thank God for the Mrs. Wilkins's of the world who come to the rescue of the protaganists in this smallish town. Addtionally, it's good for the reader to realize the story is set in postwar UK, thus the deprivations a war causes were also factors affecting the book's characters. What a lovely, feel good in the end, story.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

December 2021

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by NetGalley and the publisher.

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/04b37ae7f3ff846e213a00a515d0a1f507bf1833" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>

<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/95bfbb51bd15b75713b08162cd37354affcfcc50" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>

Olive and Margery were friends growing up in Southwold, but when Margery left to live in London during the war, they grew apart. When Olive's mother dies, she feels lost and is struggling to find a place to work without having to leave Southwold. Margery returns to Southwold after her uncle dies and after speaking to Olive, decides to stay. Margery redesigns her uncle's old store and opens a boarding house. She offers Olive a job at the boarding house and both seem grateful to be able to reconnect with one another. Margery finds a few acquaintances who want to leave London to come and live at the boarding house straight away. Then the first surprise comes when Margery is told that her old boyfriend has died, and he has requested that Margery be the guardian of his daughter Juniper. Juniper brings love and life to the Mersea House and each of the "orphans" finds a new family within the walls of the Mersea House. Such a wonderful story and I just adored the characters.

The Orphans of Mersea House by Marty Wingate is a lovely story about friendship, family, in every sense of the word, love and home.

Olive and Margery were old friends who lost touch for many years and were lucky enough to find each other again when they both needed friendship the most. Margery came back to Southwold, a small, rural town in England, to claim an inheritance. Her uncle left her a lodging house and a small store. Since Olive’s family had all passed, Margery asked her to run the lodging house and Margery herself would run the store. Soon after opening, Mersea House has two lodgers and soon find out a child will be moving in as an old beau of Margery’s has died and has named Margery as her ward. These boarders, although not true orphans, all needed a home and acceptance by loved ones, and Mersea House gave them that and more.

It’s easy to fall in love with every single character, even the town gossip. The relationships that grow from living under the same roof are perfect. I’m thrilled that I had a chance to read such a beautiful story during these turbulent times. It brought hope and happiness to my life and I’ll cherish this story for awhile.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of The Orphans of Mersea House. This is my honest review.

This was an enjoyable book to read about two women who run a boarding house. They were friends from their youth and help each other.. They acquire a variety of lodgers as well as a handicapped little girl. She is so delightful never letting her handicap be a problem.The story is easy to read and l do recommend that the book is read.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was heartwarming and kept my interest throughout.

Highly recommended.

“The Orphans of Mersea House” by Marty Wingate tells the story about two women, Olive and Margery, who decide to run a lodging house. Olive will be the caretaker, while Margery will both own the house, but additionally run a general store - both previously owned by a recently deceased uncle. Two lodgers move in pretty quickly - one is Hugh, who manages the town cinema, and the other is Ms. Claypool, a reclusive war widow. After getting settled into a routine (and the meshing of personalities), Margery is informed that her former boyfriend has passed and his daughter, Juniper, is to become Margery’s ward. Juniper was struck with polio when younger, but now gets around with the aid of walking assistance devices. A few other people come into play in the story - a London friend, a driving teacher, some townspeople Olive and Margery have known all their lives, and some children.

Due to the title, I believed that Mersea House was going to be a boarding house for orphans after WWII. It is and it isn’t - Olive, Margery, and Juniper are all orphans - and they come together as a family, two adults and one child. As with any family, there’s some drama, some humorous times, some good stories, and a meshing of personalities. There’s a lot of love in this story - Olive and Margery love and care for Juniper, but as both women were unmarried, there’s an adjustment to becoming responsible for a pre-teen child.

I found this to be a sweet book - a pleasant read about a seaside town, with a woman (Margery) trying to become a business owner, with Olive doing both running a household and caring for Juniper. One thing that I liked was how a certain issue (cannot say due to it being a spoiler) was addressed - head on, no hedging, just pure beautiful acceptance and love.