Mrs. Wiggins
Author
Series
Publisher
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date
2021.
Language
English
Description
From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the classic, captivating, and scandalous Mama Ruby series, comes a church-going matriarch’s rags to riches Depression era story set in the Deep South. The respectable family she has built means everything to her, and she’ll do anything to keep them.The daughter of a prostitute mother and an alcoholic father, Maggie Franklin knew her only way out was to marry someone upstanding and church-going. Someone like Hubert Wiggins, the most eligible man in Lexington, Alabama—and the son of its most revered preacher. Proper and prosperous, Hubert is glad to finally have a wife, even one with Maggie’s background. For Hubert has a secret he desperately needs to stay hidden. And Maggie’s unexpected charm, elegance, and religious devotion makes her the perfect partner in lies . . . Their surprising union makes the Wigginses the town’s most envied couple—complete with a son, Claude, whom Maggie idolizes. Until he falls in love with the worst possible fiancée. Terrified, Maggie won’t let Daisy destroy her son. And when her employer’s brother sexually harasses her, Maggie knows something needs to be done about him as well. In fact, she realizes there are an awful lot of sinning “disruptive” people who should be eliminated from her perfect world . . . But the more Maggie tries to take control, the more obstacles are thrown in her way. And when it seems like the one person she always expected to be there is starting to drift away, Maggie will play one final, merciless game to secure what she’s fought so hard to earn . . . “Her willingness to do anything for her loved ones is relatable, and the emboldening influence of her desperation and the incremental gravity of her deceptiveness heighten the narrative’s mesmerizing effect.” —Booklist
More Details
Contributors
Monroe, Mary Author
ISBN
9781496732583
9781496732606
9781496732606
Similar Series From Novelist
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These atmospheric Christian historical fiction series star Black women who investigate a series of crimes in 1920s Chicago (Annalee Spain) or who navigate personal and family challenges in 1930s Alabama (Lexington). -- CJ Connor
Set a decade apart, these high-drama historical and own voices fiction series with suspenseful elements feature families in 1920s Virginia (Blackberry Days of Summer) and 1930s Alabama (Lexington) dealing with scandals, family secrets, and even murder investigations. -- Andrienne Cruz
These atmospheric historical fiction series center on the relationship drama (Lexington, Alabama) and amateur sleuthing (Darling Dahlias) of resilient women living in Depression-era small towns in Alabama. -- Andrienne Cruz
These series have the appeal factors own voices, and they have the theme "church drama"; the genres "african american fiction" and "christian urban fiction"; the subjects "african americans," "american people," and "north american people"; and include the identity "black."
These series have the appeal factors own voices, and they have the genre "african american fiction"; the subjects "african americans," "american people," and "north american people"; and include the identity "black."
These series have the appeal factors own voices, and they have the theme "life in small towns"; the genre "african american fiction"; the subjects "african americans," "small towns," and "small town life"; and include the identity "black."
These series have the theme "church drama"; the genres "african american fiction" and "christian urban fiction"; the subjects "african americans," "american people," and "north american people"; and include the identities "black" and "christian."
These series have the appeal factors own voices, and they have the theme "church drama"; the genre "african american fiction"; the subjects "african americans," "american people," and "north american people"; and include the identity "black."
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These books have the appeal factors own voices, and they have the theme "life in small towns"; the genre "african american fiction"; the subjects "small towns," "family secrets," and "american people"; and include the identity "black."
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NoveList recommends "Darling Dahlias mysteries" for fans of "Lexington, Alabama series". Check out the first book in the series.
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Till you hear from me - Cleage, Pearl
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Mama - McMillan, Terry
Protective mothers star in these character-driven own voices historical novels with relatable scenarios and compelling familial drama. Mrs. Wiggins is part of a series; Mama is a standalone. -- Andrienne Cruz
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Fans of drama-filled relationship fiction that is propelled by complex characters and is ultimately moving should explore the catalogs of both Mary Monroe and Elin Hilderbrand. Monroe's work sometimes has Christian themes, while Hilderbrand's is more secular. -- Stephen Ashley
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Published Reviews
Booklist Review
Maggie Wiggins seems to have the picture-perfect life, but beneath the neat facade is a mess of secrets and lies. Her husband is the gay son of a beloved local preacher, and their marriage of convenience serves to conceal his sexuality and protect her after she suffered years of sexual abuse. Amid the brutalities of Jim Crow laws in Lexington, Alabama, Maggie persists in hiding her truths to stay safe. But when her only son's life is threatened, she decides that she has had enough and takes matters into her own hands, moving beyond deceitful to deadly. Set from 1917 to 1939, Monroe's latest work of historical fiction, following Across the Way (2020), instantly pulls readers into Maggie's complicated world of danger, identity, and injustice. Her willingness to do anything for her loved ones is relatable, and the emboldening influence of her desperation and the incremental gravity of her deceptiveness heighten the narrative's mesmerizing effect. Although scenes of rape and sexual abuse shape Monroe's unflinching dramatization of difficult but important themes of sexuality, sexual trauma, and survival, they do not weigh down the story, but rather enrich its resonance.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Booklist Reviews
Maggie Wiggins seems to have the picture-perfect life, but beneath the neat facade is a mess of secrets and lies. Her husband is the gay son of a beloved local preacher, and their marriage of convenience serves to conceal his sexuality and protect her after she suffered years of sexual abuse. Amid the brutalities of Jim Crow laws in Lexington, Alabama, Maggie persists in hiding her truths to stay safe. But when her only son's life is threatened, she decides that she has had enough and takes matters into her own hands, moving beyond deceitful to deadly. Set from 1917 to 1939, Monroe's latest work of historical fiction, following Across the Way (2020), instantly pulls readers into Maggie's complicated world of danger, identity, and injustice. Her willingness to do anything for her loved ones is relatable, and the emboldening influence of her desperation and the incremental gravity of her deceptiveness heighten the narrative's mesmerizing effect. Although scenes of rape and sexual abuse shape Monroe's unflinching dramatization of difficult but important themes of sexuality, sexual trauma, and survival, they do not weigh down the story, but rather enrich its resonance. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.
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