You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Maud knows that all children at the orphan's asylum are good or bad, clever or stupid, pretty or plain, and that she is bad, clever and plain. When a spinster comes to adopt her, Maud is thrilled.
Then she discovers that the three spinster sisters who have taken her in have done so to help in their seance schemes to part the rich from their money. At the turn of the century at the height of spiritualism, Maud learns the art of deception while trying to sort out other people's.
Schlitz always draws me in to her characters, and there are plenty of people here desperate to belong somewhere. It makes them cruel, generous, empathetic, hurt. In the end, it separates those who are family from those who are not.
Then she discovers that the three spinster sisters who have taken her in have done so to help in their seance schemes to part the rich from their money. At the turn of the century at the height of spiritualism, Maud learns the art of deception while trying to sort out other people's.
Schlitz always draws me in to her characters, and there are plenty of people here desperate to belong somewhere. It makes them cruel, generous, empathetic, hurt. In the end, it separates those who are family from those who are not.
Predictable but an entertaining, quick read worth the diversion
I guess this is somewhat similar to a semi-modern feministic Oliver Twist. Maud is a young girl orphan (sort of obvious). All she wishes for is love and a family, but her chances are dwindling; people don't want to adopt eleven-year-old bad-tempered, rude, and ugly children, they want darling youthful blonde-haired doll-faced girls, and Maud hates that about herself.
On the day some mysterious rich old ladies, the Hawthornes, come to adopt a darling little girl, Maud is finally consumed with jealousy and causes enough trouble to change her life forever.
But there is one thing she hasn't considered: Was it really worth it? Maud begins to ask herself this after a very, very awkward small (very, very small) family reunion with her brother Samuel. He points out things that she had not noticed before of her lovely and adored benefactors that causes Maud to question what love really is.
She must make up her choice before it is too late.
On the day some mysterious rich old ladies, the Hawthornes, come to adopt a darling little girl, Maud is finally consumed with jealousy and causes enough trouble to change her life forever.
But there is one thing she hasn't considered: Was it really worth it? Maud begins to ask herself this after a very, very awkward small (very, very small) family reunion with her brother Samuel. He points out things that she had not noticed before of her lovely and adored benefactors that causes Maud to question what love really is.
She must make up her choice before it is too late.
This book was pretty good. It wasn't a very challenging read, but the circumstances of the story made it very interesting and I definitely enjoyed reading it. The story is about an orphan, Maud, who is adopted by the three elderly Hawothorne sisters to act as the ghosts of children during "seances" that the sisters hold to make money. I learned a lot about seances and how people claim to contact the spiritual world, which I thought was very interesting. Overall, this was a very interesting book, and I enjoyed reading it.
This was a wonderful book — highly recommend!! Interesting characters and a captivating story.
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A brilliant book with a fantastic intriguing introduction that will leave you hooked from the very beginning 4/5 ⭐️
The ending was a little unlikely, but an engaging book overall.
You know what I love? I love reading a story where I know nothing about the story when I pick the book up to start reading.
You know what else I love? Finishing a book. Guess that's why I've been reading a lot of MG and YA recently. I read this book in one day.
I loved that Maud's voice stayed true all through the book.
I loved all the settings and themes of this book. Without lengthy detail, I have very vivid images of all the places that Maud went. And, the themes are some of my favorites.
And, I always love a book where I'm reading the last few pages between tears streaming down my face.
I'm quite curious why this book didn't get more attention and notoriety. Not sure if I like the title. And, to critique the cover layout of the edition I got through Scholastic Book Fair, the title graphics didn't stand out and (as my daughter pointed out) it looked like it may have been similar to an American Girl book---which may read a little younger than this book. I think I picked it up because of the first line of the back cover. "Plain, clever, and bad" is just the voice I was looking for.
You know what else I love? Finishing a book. Guess that's why I've been reading a lot of MG and YA recently. I read this book in one day.
I loved that Maud's voice stayed true all through the book.
I loved all the settings and themes of this book. Without lengthy detail, I have very vivid images of all the places that Maud went. And, the themes are some of my favorites.
And, I always love a book where I'm reading the last few pages between tears streaming down my face.
I'm quite curious why this book didn't get more attention and notoriety. Not sure if I like the title. And, to critique the cover layout of the edition I got through Scholastic Book Fair, the title graphics didn't stand out and (as my daughter pointed out) it looked like it may have been similar to an American Girl book---which may read a little younger than this book. I think I picked it up because of the first line of the back cover. "Plain, clever, and bad" is just the voice I was looking for.