Thank You, Mrs. M

by Kate Rothwell

Benjamin Evans cares for his younger sister and brother but still finds some time for college. Then he receives an offer of a full scholarship, if he communicates with his anonymous benefactor via voice recording. Dubbing his patron Mrs. Moneybags, he proceeds to share private details of his life ― in addition to the required details about school. Soon Ben's curiosity about his sponsor increases, and he's determined to discover her identity.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Short Stories

85 pages, ebook

First published September 9, 2009

About the author

Also writes as Summer Devon.

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Reviews

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deal's been struck - a mysterious benefactress will sponsor Ben through college, but in return every day he's got to send her an hour's musings on his life and college course. Gradually, like "Mrs Moneybags" (as Ben calls her), we learn about Ben's life (it's not been easy and he's still supporting his younger brother and sister) but he's interested and interesting. The identity of Mrs M doesn't come as much of a surprise (and anyone who's read Daddy-Long-Legs will get it immediately) but the journey is delightful - Ben's voice is just gritty enough to be convincing, and the girl he falls in love with is unusual, with her own secrets that gradually unfold. Most unusually, I sat down and read this all over again when I'd finished - I just wanted MORE!

[willaful · Rating 4 out of 5]

I vaguely remember reading in Kate Rothwell's blog that she got flack for writing a story inspired by the classic young adult romance Daddy Long Legs but with a foul-mouthed former criminal as its protagonist. What an incredibly short-sighted attitude. This is not just Daddy Long Legs gender-reversed and updated for shock value, but a thoughtful and really interesting re-imagining of how the story might play out in today's world.

There are light homages to the original, which add a bit of extra glow to the romance if you're a fan, but what really made the story for me were the differences. It turns out the unknown philanthropist, here dubbed by our narrator Ben as "Mrs. Moneybags," has private, very unexpected motivations for helping orphaned Ben through college. And it was appropriate that Ben, who's described as very smart and thinking outside the box, catches on to what those are.

I don't know if I'd classify this as young adult or not: it's not sexually explicit, but unquestionably rough, particularly Ben's teenage experiences at "helping pay the rent" for a predatory female landlord. On the other hand, Ben is really a great character, and I loved seeing the tough, cynical kid who's trying to hold his family together also be someone who loves learning.

[Lady Lioness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this title in my TBR for ages, dating back to when it was published by Cerridwen Press. I was scrolling through my TBR shelf for things to buy during Fictionwise's 60% coupon sale when I clicked on this title. Lo and behold, it's currently free from Smashwords. And quite frankly, you can't go wrong with free.

Thank You Mrs. M is a retelling of Daddy Long Legs, but this time the narrator is an teenaged Latino male, Ben. I have to say, despite some rough patches, I really enjoyed this. Since the entire story is told by Ben to a tape recorder, it's difficult to get to know the other characters, but I liked the fact that when we meet Ben, he's already determined to change his life. He knows he's at a disadvantage, given where he starts demographically & economically, but he doesn't sit around lamenting the situation.

Given my own demographic & economic level, I can't speak as to how authentic Ben actually is as a character, but, for me, the book had a similar feel to Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry series. As in the original source material, a romantic relationship does develop, and Rothwell gives it an unique twist that led me to wanting to see more. We don't really get to know the heroine that well because we only see her through the lens of Ben's words. I would love to see Rothwell do another take on this story, but from the heroine's POV.

I have this categorized as young adult, but the main characters are in their early twenties. I think I felt it was more young adult because it's very much a coming of age story as Ben fights to get his family and himself to a better position in life. So I would recommend this for high school and above.

[Megan (The Book Babe) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

*ACTUALLY 3.5 STARS*

Thank You, Mrs. M was one of those books that I really wasn't sure about-- to the point of being unsure as I clicked "Buy with one click". But for some reason, it was the first book I picked to read when I got my Kindle. I was hooked from the very first page.

I loved the mystery of Mrs. Moneybags; I spent most of the book guessing about who she could be. But once I figured it out (and only because I was told) I was absolutely shocked! It ends up being a person that I never thought she could be. I didn't see it coming at all.

You know what else I didn't see coming? My kindle magically deleting all my notes. Now I'm left with only my brain for company, and that's really not good for reviews.

I found Ben to be a very good narrator. He was honest, and I liked how true to life he was. He didn't feel flat like most characters with problems do, just like I never found myself annoyed with his decisions or thought processes. I liked reading from his point of view.

Of course, that brings up another thing-- I loved the unique way that Thank You, Mrs. M was written. It was very interesting to only get the story from Ben talking to tapes that he sends to Mrs. Moneybags. It could be called unreliable, but I thought it was neat!

I also enjoyed the slight romance-- Ben just had a way of saying things that made me downright swoon, seriously. I didn't expect this to have romance, and while it wasn't the kind I'm used to, I enjoyed it.

All in all, Thank You, Mrs. M was a unique read.

[Anna Bowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gender-flipped modernized version of Daddy Longlegs is an emotional read, at times raw, at times humorous and always thought-provoking as the male first person narrator pays for his education by dictating daily messages to the mysterious Mrs. M, his unseen (or is she?) benefactor. This is a coming of age story with a subtle bite, and a satisfying romantic angle. Thank you, Ms. R, for a compelling read.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I'm not supposed to rate my own stuff, but Ben was my favorite hero to write.