Book Review: The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

Posted January 26, 2023 by WendyW in Book Review, bookblogger / 56 Comments

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

by Audrey Burges
Publication Date January 24, 2023
Published by Penguin
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Goodreads
Genres: Fiction / Magical Realism, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Women
Pages: 352
Format: ARC

***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***


A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges.

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business, encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family’s home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds—big and small—and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love.


The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges is a sweet, slow-burn romance with just a bit of magical realism.  

Story Recap:

Myra Malone lives in a cabin with her mother in the Arizona Mountains and she blogs about her extraordinary minuscule mansion, or dollhouse.  But, don’t let Myra hear you call it a dollhouse!  She has thousands of followers who hang on her every word about the mansion.  She changes the decor in each room with hand-crafted furniture and accessory pieces.  But, the mansion sometimes has its own ideas as rooms appear and disappear as do Myra’s decor choices.  Myra is a recluse and doesn’t leave her mountain cabin ever.  She relies on her mother and her best friend to bring her supplies and they are her only human contact. 

Alex Rakes works in his family’s custom furniture business, but he doesn’t enjoy the work.  When a couple of customers mention The Minuscule Mansion’s blog, he is instantly intrigued.  The mansion is an exact duplicate of his full-sized mansion, which he lives in alone.  It was his mother’s home, and a home his father despised.  So what is a woman, who lives in the Arizona mountains doing with an exact duplicate of his home?  

My Thoughts: 

I enjoyed this sweet, unique story.  I was intrigued by the dollhouse, and I could see its popularity with Myra’s blog followers.  Myra is a recluse, and I wanted to know why she became that way.  Her best friend Gwen is the powerhouse behind the blog and just a wonderful best friend for Myra.  

This has a few timelines, but the current timeline was the most compelling for me.   The book has flashbacks to Myra’s past and we get to learn more about why she is a recluse, and how she acquired the minuscule mansion.  And there is another timeline that follows the history of the full-sized mansion that Alex lives in.  

Recommendation: 

I highly recommend The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone to anyone who enjoys women’s fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book.  The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About Audrey Burges

Audrey writes novels, humor, short fiction, and essays in Richmond, Virginia. Her presence is tolerated by her two rambunctious children and very patient husband, all of whom have become practiced at making supportive faces when she shouts “listen to this sentence!” She is a frequent contributor to numerous humor outlets, including McSweeney’s, and her stories and essays have appeared in Pithead Chapel, Cease, Cows, and lengthy diatribes in the Notes app on her phone. Audrey was born and raised in Arizona by her linguist parents, which is a lot like being raised by wolves, but with better grammar. She moved to Virginia as an adult but still carries mountains and canyons in her heart, and sometimes, when she closes her eyes, she can still smell ponderosa pines in the sun.

UK Version:

I like the US version a bit better than the UK version. But, I do like the little furniture pieces and the actually dollhouse on this UK version.

Have you read The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone? Which cover to you prefer?

56 responses to “Book Review: The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges

  1. I love dollhouses and miniatures so this would hook me for that alone. The plot on this sounds amazing and I’m so glad to see you enjoyed it!

  2. Excellent review, Wendy. I have not heard of this book, but I do enjoy Women’s Fiction, Thanks for introducing me to this book.

  3. verushka

    This book and this author are new to me, but my goodness, what a lovely unique premise and item linking them together — it sounds magical really.

  4. What an interesting book! Your review makes me want to know the characters, to know their backgrounds, and to discover what the future holds for them.

  5. Great review, Wendy! I’m super intrigued by the different timelines as I love that in any book. I’m always more into timelines that are set in the past so I wonder if this would also be the case with this book since you say you enjoyed the current one the most. Anyways, thanks for sharing as always!

  6. It’s interesting that the current timeline was the most compelling for you because Willa’s story is what intrigued me. I wanted to know more about her magic and immortality- where it came from and what the extent of it is. I guess the speaks to your love of romance and my love of fantasy 😂

  7. Janette

    This one sounds really interesting and I’ve seen several great reviews for it lately. I definitely prefer the US cover though.