LITERARY GLOBAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST - Historical Fiction
AMERICAN WRITING BOOK AWARDS FINALIST - Fiction & Women’s Fiction
LITERARY TITAN BOOK AWARD WINNER - Literary Fiction
READERS’ FAVORITE BOOK AWARDS WINNER - Fiction & Literary Fiction _____________________________________________________________________
THE LANDLADY OF MAPLE AVENUE
Author: Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis
Debut Novel, Family, Literary, Epic & Saga, Women's Interest, Drama, Elderly & Aging, Historical (After 1950 A.D.), Humor, Women's Chick Lit
"With her dreams of homeownership stripped away from the aging immigrant mother of seven, a disgraced and diminished Marceline Gillis plots her way back to chief family matriarch claiming her rightful ownership of a three-family Victorian house purchased for her to live in while caring for alcoholic husband and disabled WWII veteran son, in this delightfully entertaining family saga."
The author's brief summary: THE LANDLADY OF MAPLE AVENUE is based on true stories about my father's immigrant family from Nova Scotia, Canada and centers around my grandmother Marceline Gillis who immigrated to Cambridge Massachusetts with her large family in the 1920s.
FIVE STARS - LITERARY TITAN REVIEW AWARDS
Thomas Anderson, Editor In Chief, Literary Titan
After reading The Landlady of Maple Avenue, I’m left with a mix of admiration and empathy for the complex family tapestry the book presents. It tells the story of Marceline Gillis and her family, taking us through decades of emotional highs and lows in their lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Marceline, a stubborn yet caring matriarch, navigates the trials of raising her children, managing her properties, and dealing with losses that force her to reckon with her past. The book touches on family loyalty, the bittersweet passage of time, and the undercurrents of pride and generational conflict within a family that can be both loving and tumultuous.
The writing shines when it captures Marceline’s fierce and unbending personality. There’s a scene where she argues with her bank manager about an overdraft, refusing to admit her error until the last minute. Her interactions with the bank manager and her stubbornness felt all too real, showing her pride and aversion to appearing vulnerable or mistaken. But these moments of rigidity are balanced by glimpses of her care for her family, though expressed in non-traditional ways. Marceline’s relationship with her children, especially Bernie and Johnny, is complicated by her own personal struggles and regrets, making her both an imposing figure and a woman weighed down by her choices.
The family dynamics are as rich as they are fraught. Marceline’s interactions with her daughters-in-law, particularly Julie, show an interesting but tense familial push and pull. Julie’s efforts to teach her mother-in-law how to manage checks and the bank registry reveal the gap between their generations. Marceline’s resistance to the “modern” way of banking is both humorous and frustrating, and it speaks to her desire to hold on to some sense of control. The struggle between Marceline’s need for autonomy and her sons’ well-meaning attempts to support her adds another layer of realism to the story, as it reveals the tensions of caregiving that many families experience.
A surprisingly touching part of the book is the unexpected Florida trip. Marceline’s “reluctant” journey with her son Tommy to see alligators adds humor and warmth to the story and provides a rare moment of levity in their otherwise serious lives. Marceline’s confusion about being on a plane and her eventual confrontation with a misbehaving child in flight are memorable for the way they capture her no-nonsense nature in unfamiliar settings. This scene allowed me to see her vulnerabilities in a new light, and I felt both amused and touched by her innocence mixed with her strong demeanor.
The Landlady of Maple Avenue is a heartfelt and thought-provoking family fiction novel that would appeal to readers who enjoy family dramas with intricate but flawed characters. While Marceline’s sternness can be off-putting, her journey through motherhood, loss, and self-reflection creates a powerful story that will resonate with readers.
WINNER OF READERS FAVORITE AWARD FIVE STARS
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Landlady of Maple Avenue by Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis is a poignant and humorous literary family saga inspired by true events. Set in the 1950s, it follows the aging Marceline Gillis, an immigrant mother of seven, as she plots to reclaim her position as the matriarch and rightful landlady of a Victorian house on Maple Avenue. Battling family tensions, disappointments, and the grief of losing loved ones, Marceline navigates the complexities of power, ownership, and legacy within her tight-knit Catholic family. Her journey is filled with heartache and determination as she seeks validation after a lifetime of hardship.
Gillis demonstrates remarkable skill in bringing the complex dynamics of a mid-20th century immigrant family to life in a way that modern readers can easily connect with. Her sharp wit shines through in the dialogue between family members, creating moments of levity that balance perfectly with the more poignant aspects of the story, and every character felt so real like they'd jumped straight out of a time machine.
I was particularly drawn to the rich development of Marceline's character, finding myself deeply invested in her struggle for dignity and recognition within her family. The attention to historical detail is layered into every scene with great detail, but never an overwhelming amount and it creates an immersive experience that transports readers back to the 1950s, while the exploration of family power dynamics and personal validation will speak to anyone with lived experiences of tense or difficult family relationships.
What truly sets this book apart is how Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis weaves together themes of the immigrant experience in such a relevant way, creating a tapestry of human emotion and cultural issues that feel both deeply personal and universally relevant. Overall, The Landlady of Maple Avenue is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted family saga that tackles complex emotional terrain with both humor and heart, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it!
WINNER OF READERS FAVORITE AWARD FIVE STARS
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Landlady of Maple Avenue by Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis is a poignant and humorous literary family saga inspired by true events. Set in the 1950s, it follows the aging Marceline Gillis, an immigrant mother of seven, as she plots to reclaim her position as the matriarch and rightful landlady of a Victorian house on Maple Avenue. Battling family tensions, disappointments, and the grief of losing loved ones, Marceline navigates the complexities of power, ownership, and legacy within her tight-knit Catholic family. Her journey is filled with heartache and determination as she seeks validation after a lifetime of hardship.
Gillis demonstrates remarkable skill in bringing the complex dynamics of a mid-20th century immigrant family to life in a way that modern readers can easily connect with. Her sharp wit shines through in the dialogue between family members, creating moments of levity that balance perfectly with the more poignant aspects of the story, and every character felt so real like they'd jumped straight out of a time machine.
I was particularly drawn to the rich development of Marceline's character, finding myself deeply invested in her struggle for dignity and recognition within her family. The attention to historical detail is layered into every scene with great detail, but never an overwhelming amount and it creates an immersive experience that transports readers back to the 1950s, while the exploration of family power dynamics and personal validation will speak to anyone with lived experiences of tense or difficult family relationships. What truly sets this book apart is how Suzanne Elizabeth Gillis weaves together themes of the immigrant experience in such a relevant way, creating a tapestry of human emotion and cultural issues that feel both deeply personal and universally relevant. Overall, The Landlady of Maple Avenue is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted family saga that tackles complex emotional terrain with both humor and heart, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.