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Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
19 posts | 12 read | 40 to read
Told with a lyrical, almost-dreamlike voice as intoxicating as the moonflowers and orchids that inhabit this world, Monsoon Mansion is a harrowing yet triumphant coming-of-age memoir exploring the dark, troubled waters of a family's rise and fall from grace in the Philippines. It would take a young warrior to survive it.Cinelle Barnes was barely three years old when her family moved into Mansion Royale, a stately ten-bedroom home in the Philippines. Filled with her mother's opulent social aspirations and the gloriously excessive evidence of her father's self-made success, it was a girl's storybook playland. But when a monsoon hits, her father leaves, and her mother's terrible lover takes the reins, Cinelle's fantastical childhood turns toward tyranny she could never have imagined. Formerly a home worthy of magazines and lavish parties, Mansion Royale becomes a dangerous shell of the splendid palace it had once been.In this remarkable ode to survival, Cinelle creates something magical out of her truth--underscored by her complicated relationship with her mother. Through a tangle of tragedy and betrayal emerges a revelatory journey of perseverance and strength, of grit and beauty, and of coming to terms with the price of family--and what it takes to grow up.
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kindergartenkat
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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#nonfiction2019 BINGO #somethingfromanothercountry
Almost filled my BINGO card!

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Blueberry
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Just added to my tbr list after listening to the Modern Mrs. Darcy podcast. My husband is from the Philippines so this memoir can give me more familiarity with the country.

VioletBramble Beautiful cover 5y
DebinHawaii I have this one on my Kindle #TBR stack so I look forward to hearing what you think. 📚👍 5y
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Simona
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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I almost completed all of my goals, but my most important achievement is that I was active for every single day in the past week.
Fitness goals: walking 21 km ➡️ 24,4 km, workout at home for 5 hour ➡️ 3,40 and 2 hours long yoga class. Bookish goals - 1 audiobook and 1 paper book: I finished audiobook in tag, but I didn‘t finished the paper one, because it is 900+ pages long book (but I‘m in the finished line🤓)

Leftcoastzen 👍👏👏👏👏 6y
wanderinglynn Way to go! Great first week! 🙌🏻 6y
See All 11 Comments
BookwormAHN Great job 👏🏻 6y
alisiakae Great job!! 6y
Ash.on.the.line Great job! 6y
Caterina Yay fantastic job! 👏 Good luck with this week! 6y
guinsgirlreads Wonderful!! 👏🏻 6y
Megabooks 🙌🏻🙌🏻 6y
BarbaraJean Great job!! 👏🏼🎉 6y
56 likes11 comments
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ReadingEnvy
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Linda906 Wow!👏👏 6y
StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego Wow, great job! 📖💖 6y
Lindy 🎉🎉🎉 6y
HardcoverHearts 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 6y
81 likes4 comments
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Currey
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Pickpick

#Philippine This memoir is the inverse of your traditional rags to riches story with the author recounting the disintegration of her family and their palatial home in poetic language. I got a good gulp of life in the Philippines along with this introduction to a strong willed survivor and author. I found the book uneven but life is uneven but well worth the read.

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mreads
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Mehso-so

Memoir of a girl growing up in the Philippines in the 90s. I hate to review memoirs since it feels like a judgment of someone's life or what they may have gone through. But the majority of this memoir is about a wealthy family and a girl who had so much more opportunity and advantages then most of the population even in the worst of times. I'd like to read a memoir with the POV of someone not wealthy.
#readingwomenchallenge2019 no.17 shortlist

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britt_brooke
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Cinelle Barnes grew up in a lavish Manila mansion, but when a monsoon wreaked destruction on their home, and war struck the Middle East, the family collapsed. Over the years, Mansion Royale became one debauched venture after another. It was no place for a young girl to live, but her mother was obsessed with status and luxury. It‘s rare to come across a memoir with such beautiful prose. Barnes‘s writing is painful, but so gorgeous.

vivastory What a stellar cover! 6y
britt_brooke @vivastory It‘s one of the prettiest covers I‘ve ever seen! 6y
109 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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britt_brooke
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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▶️🎧

Isn‘t this cover gorgeous?!

Bookish_B It is! 😍 6y
minkyb Absolutely. 6y
zezeki 😍😍 6y
90 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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DreesReads
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Pickpick

I managed to finish this memoir tonight, despite a certain feline‘s efforts. In this book Barnes explains her childhood—from being a spoiled child of a successful businessman to living in a previously flooded house, making regular trips to the town well, and finding ways to raise her own cash while avoiding her mom and mom‘s boyfriend as much as possible. Today she is a college graduate, wife, mother, and writer. #memoir #filipinolit #philippines

MrBook 😻😻😻😻 6y
BookBabe 😻😻😻 adorable!!! 6y
AmyG Awww 😻 6y
emilyhaldi Too cute 😂 6y
43 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Chasingmermaids
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
Pickpick

I loved everything about this book. Until the end where the author said she had a Tiger Lily costume from Peter Pan. But I‘m trying to not let it effect my opinion on this amazing and sad book. But... ugh. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ would be five if it wasn‘t for that fact.

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Chasingmermaids
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes

I know I‘ve reced this. So I‘m warning now. There is abuse in it. There is animal cruelty. Drug abuse. And rape. It‘s all true, but if you have triggers of these things, I‘d hold off this one.

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Chasingmermaids
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Hey guys!! Great news!! I sadly didn‘t get to finish this before my library copy was due back! But it‘s also currently on sale!! Highly recommend seeing as I was struggling to read anything else since returning it.

ReadingSusan Ohh thanks! I have been wanting to read this! I also got the audible narration for 1.99 and a promotional credit. Yippee! 6y
6 likes1 comment
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Chasingmermaids
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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My current read. Trying to get through my pile of library books. I need to stop ordering them when I‘m bored at work 😂

4 likes1 stack add
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sarahjane1077
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Pickpick

I‘ve yet to get a picture that does this gorgeous cover justIce. Thankfully, the book inside is just as amazing. In addition to reading like a page-turner novel (it‘s memoir), it‘s an incredibly important read at a time when so many Americans seem to lack basic compassion for immigrants & asylum seekers, especially those of color. The language is beautiful, and the story worth telling. The fact that the author is a lovely person is just a bonus.

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spinesvines
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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#DiverseSpines | Day 9 Book and Drink

A lovely Spine & Vine on #winewednesday! La Spinetta Rosê & MONSOON MANSION by Cinelle Barnes ??

#spinesvines #books #wine #photochallenge #day9 #bookanddrink #roseallday #monsoonmansion

Linsy That cover!!! 🤩 6y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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sarahjane1077
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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This books is gorgeous. The dust jacket appears to have sparkling water droplets and covers a beautiful cover underneath. Can‘t wait to start. So proud to say the author is a graduate of my MFA program AND a lovely person.

readordierachel That's so cool! 6y
8 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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peacegypsy
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Starting this today. Hope you‘re all having a good Monday. 😊🧡✌️

46 likes3 stack adds
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Lupita.Reads
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Pickpick

Memoirs are slowly becoming one of my fave genres. But they can be so hit or miss. If it‘s a miss it feels like your listening to someone talk about themselves over and over again. If it‘s a win- like this one! You feel open & refreshed & connected to someone‘s experience that although may be very different from your own; you manage to connect with. This #booksandbeers post is brought to you by #MonsoonMansion and #FleshandBloodIPA by #DogFishHead

Cinfhen Beautiful review and photo ❤️ #stacked 7y
britt_brooke Great review! This is a recent #KindleFirst choice for me, but I haven‘t read it yet. 7y
emilyhaldi Great review! And the cover is reason alone for me to buy it 😉.... #stacked 7y
See All 8 Comments
laurenlovesliterature I really like the cover of the book 7y
Lupita.Reads @Cinfhen thank you so much!!! 7y
Lupita.Reads @britt_brooke Yay! Looking forward to your thoughts on it! 7y
Lupita.Reads @emilyhaldi omg wait until you take the cover off!!!!!! It‘s still stunning! 7y
Lupita.Reads @laurenlovesliterature me too!!!! ❤️📚 7y
76 likes7 stack adds8 comments
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TheBookStacker
Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir | Cinelle Barnes
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Can‘t wait to start this sometime soon. #mounttbr

70 likes1 stack add