Hello everyone!
Happy New Year! I know it has been a while since I updated this blog, but the last half of 2021 was incredibly busy for me, so I hope to get back into the swing of things.
Today I have a book review of The Maid by Nita Prose. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballatine for the eARC of the ebook! This post may include spoilers.
Let’s get into it!
Here are the quick facts:
eBook
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballatine
Publishing Date: January 4, 2022
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers/Women’s Fiction
Rating: 4/5 stars
Length: 304 pages
Molly Gray is odd. She works at the prestigious Regency Grand Hotel. She is a maid and she’s good at it. Completely forgettable, Molly blends into the walls and background of life. She enjoys her hard work but often has a hard time discerning social cues from guests and her coworkers. When Molly accidently stumbles on the dead body of a respected guest of the hotel, her queer behavior lands her as the prime suspect. Molly must then investigate the crime to clear her name.
I found this book to be quite charming. From the beginning, you root for Molly. She is odd, and very obviously written to be on the spectrum. She does not view the world the same way as others, which ultimately leads to her predicament. It is interesting to view the characters from Molly’s point of view. I could tell Rodney was a shifty kind of guy, by Molly missed the cues. I noticed that a lot of the characters had colors in their names that reflected their role in the story. Mr. Black, the murder victim, had a poor reputation as a mean callous man. Mr. Snow, the hotel’s manager, cared very deeply for the hotel’s reputation being pure. Molly’s last name was gray and she was invisible to most people as a maid.
The book only spans the week of the crime, sectioned by Monday through Friday. Even though the timeline is short I found that the first section of the book dragged. Since the premise of the book is a murder mystery, I know that the author had to add in red herrings and create clues. But the lead up to the murder itself and the jumping back and forth at first was so slow. It did pick up speed the second half of the book. I really enjoyed the plot twist at the end of the epilogue. Another thing I found that was a bit of a let down was it was easy to guess who the “villain” was very early on. I know that as the reader you can clearly see why this character would be shady, but because it is from the perspective of Molly, she doesn’t see it as clearly.
It is getting a lot of comparison with Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and while that book is incredibly charming in its own right, I think The Maid is something all its own. I really appreciate that Prose chose to write with a neurodivergent character and empower her.
Again, Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballantine for the advanced copy!
The Maid is out today, January 4, 2022, I will link websites where you can purchase the audiobook.
Until next time!
Links
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-maid-nita-prose/1139190372
Books A Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Maid/Nita-Prose/9780593356159?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-KT_qeGW9QIVZ3xvBB1TxwDDEAQYCyABEgIZ__D_BwE
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Maid-Nita-Prose/9780008435721?ref=grid-view&qid=1641253364729&sr=1-1
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/the-maid-9780735241336/9780593356159?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-KT_qeGW9QIVZ3xvBB1TxwDDEAQYBSABEgLiofD_BwE
Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670251/the-maid-by-nita-prose/