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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Melodrama indeed. Maud's clever, brave front hides a lot of loneliness and pain.
It's a lyrical exploration of early 20th century and the desire to belong somewhere and to someone. I was so glad to read that resolution. So happy for Maud.
Affecting and poignant. Three and a half stars.
It's a lyrical exploration of early 20th century and the desire to belong somewhere and to someone. I was so glad to read that resolution. So happy for Maud.
Affecting and poignant. Three and a half stars.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
A melodrama is accurate. A really gothic tale for young adults. The cover is a bit clunky but the story is great. Was thoroughly entertained.
What an eerie little story! I loved it. The main character Maud has just the right amount of spunkâshe's no [b:Pippi Longstocking|19302|Pippi Longstocking|Astrid Lindgren|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519300455l/19302._SX50_.jpg|2056462] but she can take care of herself. As a lonely orphan, she starts out thinking that any attention is good attention, but she learns along the way that maybe it's not always worth the trade-off.
fast-paced
This book was so sad I cried several times through it. Little Maud just wants to be loved and she thinks she's unlovable. But it's not all sad and eventually Maud finds the truth and a way to be happy. Great setting and excellent story.
Maud was the resident trouble-maker at Barbary Asylum, a girl's orphanage, when she is miraculously adopted by the Hawthorne sisters, a duo of seemingly wealthy spinsters. It really is too good to be true, though. Upon arrival at her new home, Maud overhears the third Hawthorne sister, who is upset by her arrival, argue that they should not have adopted her at all. Maud is also informed that she is to be their "secret child", and the affection she receives is based not on genuine love, but on the brilliance in which she plays a role in the eerie "family business".
Maud struggles to gain the affections of the capricious Hyacinth Hawthorne, who hides a cruelness behind her charming smile, but the morality of her actions weigh heavily on Maud. Ultimately, Maud must decide whether the possibility of attaining a family's love is worth her moral corruption.
One aspect I really enjoyed about this book is how characters seem very two-dimensional through Maud's eyes, but her role in deceiving grieving mourners forces her to grow up very quickly. In the process, she can finally see people for who they are, not just how they present themselves.
This was a great story. It had me guessing and wasn't as predictable as some of the YA lit out there. In fact, I couldn't put the book down...
Maud struggles to gain the affections of the capricious Hyacinth Hawthorne, who hides a cruelness behind her charming smile, but the morality of her actions weigh heavily on Maud. Ultimately, Maud must decide whether the possibility of attaining a family's love is worth her moral corruption.
One aspect I really enjoyed about this book is how characters seem very two-dimensional through Maud's eyes, but her role in deceiving grieving mourners forces her to grow up very quickly. In the process, she can finally see people for who they are, not just how they present themselves.
This was a great story. It had me guessing and wasn't as predictable as some of the YA lit out there. In fact, I couldn't put the book down...
Not at all what I'd been expecting, and frankly dreading, but rather a charming tale. The main evil character is a bit of a cardboard mock-up, but doesn't spoil the story by being so. Touches on some pretty powerful topics with an evenhandedness that assures one of the fundamental rightness of things.