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A review by minimicropup
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Atmosphere ๐ง: Mostly set at Cambridge University in the UK. Can't quite figure out why, but it wasn't immersive or atmospheric for me.
-Writing suffered from "the" syndrome, but instead of "the living room" "the house" "the car", we get "The (name of Cambridge building)", "the courtyard", "the main arch".
-The atmosphere and plot are driven by nostalgia, but we are seeing the University solely through the MCs eyes as alumni, so there is a lot of updating the reader about why certain buildings or characters are meaningful after the fact.
Main POVs:
-A Greek-born, Cambridge University educated psychotherapist specializing in group therapy. They are grieving the accidental death of their spouse while on vacation. They had an emotionally neglectful childhood, experienced a series of tragic losses of loved ones, and the only family left is their niece (who is currently studying at Cambridge University).
-Introspective-style journal entry or letter of an unknown character describing their life.
Cred Rating ๐: Nonsensical to outlandish. This is not an absurdist/bizarre/speculative fiction, and it's not over-the-top/campy/satirical fiction. Yet somehow the writing manages to tip toe back and forth between those directions while aiming for realistic tragedy. It felt inconsistent and erratic, which kept pulling me out of the story and diluting the plot.
Growls and Howls ๐บ (many...but I didn't dislike this book)
-A lot of the memory lane tellings didn't seem relevant to the plot, just something the reader had to know to explain the camaraderie (or lack thereof) between the MC and various characters. I wish we had another POV. Maybe from one of the 'Maidens' or the niece.
-I don't know much about Greek tragedy but the way it was presented felt more like explaining a religion? There is explanation given but it disrupted the dialog (almost like the MC had to turn to us to explain things to readers like me mid-sentence). Academic discussions went on for awhile, leaving me feeling lost. That's 100% on me for being ignorant, but I got the feeling that even if you were knowledgeable on the topic it may still feel forced into the plot sometimes?
-Lack of depth for the MC and their quirks. Why don't they lock doors?! Why do they put themselves so obviously in danger? Why are they so overconfident and skeptical and other times so blindly trusting? Were they always this way? Did this start after their spouse died? Why?
-The whodunnit may range from reveal to twist for you, but that wouldn't ruin the book. The whydunnit does though. It's a well done ๐คฏ unpredictable twist ruined by ๐คจ "wait, whut? that makes no sense" motivation.
Reading Journey ๐ซ : Friend wants to take you somewhere via their scenic nostalgic route, but their memories are long-winded and totally lost on you. A lot of polite smiling to hide the "are we done yet?" thoughts.
Possible match if you like:
-Mysteries in academic settings
-Metaphors, similes, and archetypes from Greek literature
-Hyperbolic characters
-Descriptive, "telling"/exposition type narratives
-Incompetent police, pathologists, security
-Whodunnits and amateur sleuthing
Content Heads-Up: Death of a spouse and fertility issues.
Format: Library Digital via Libby
-Writing suffered from "the" syndrome, but instead of "the living room" "the house" "the car", we get "The (name of Cambridge building)", "the courtyard", "the main arch".
-The atmosphere and plot are driven by nostalgia, but we are seeing the University solely through the MCs eyes as alumni, so there is a lot of updating the reader about why certain buildings or characters are meaningful after the fact.
Main POVs:
-A Greek-born, Cambridge University educated psychotherapist specializing in group therapy. They are grieving the accidental death of their spouse while on vacation. They had an emotionally neglectful childhood, experienced a series of tragic losses of loved ones, and the only family left is their niece (who is currently studying at Cambridge University).
-Introspective-style journal entry or letter of an unknown character describing their life.
Cred Rating ๐: Nonsensical to outlandish. This is not an absurdist/bizarre/speculative fiction, and it's not over-the-top/campy/satirical fiction. Yet somehow the writing manages to tip toe back and forth between those directions while aiming for realistic tragedy. It felt inconsistent and erratic, which kept pulling me out of the story and diluting the plot.
Growls and Howls ๐บ (many...but I didn't dislike this book)
-A lot of the memory lane tellings didn't seem relevant to the plot, just something the reader had to know to explain the camaraderie (or lack thereof) between the MC and various characters. I wish we had another POV. Maybe from one of the 'Maidens' or the niece.
-I don't know much about Greek tragedy but the way it was presented felt more like explaining a religion? There is explanation given but it disrupted the dialog (almost like the MC had to turn to us to explain things to readers like me mid-sentence). Academic discussions went on for awhile, leaving me feeling lost. That's 100% on me for being ignorant, but I got the feeling that even if you were knowledgeable on the topic it may still feel forced into the plot sometimes?
-Lack of depth for the MC and their quirks. Why don't they lock doors?! Why do they put themselves so obviously in danger? Why are they so overconfident and skeptical and other times so blindly trusting? Were they always this way? Did this start after their spouse died? Why?
-The whodunnit may range from reveal to twist for you, but that wouldn't ruin the book. The whydunnit does though. It's a well done ๐คฏ unpredictable twist ruined by ๐คจ "wait, whut? that makes no sense" motivation.
Reading Journey ๐ซ : Friend wants to take you somewhere via their scenic nostalgic route, but their memories are long-winded and totally lost on you. A lot of polite smiling to hide the "are we done yet?" thoughts.
Possible match if you like:
-Mysteries in academic settings
-Metaphors, similes, and archetypes from Greek literature
-Hyperbolic characters
-Descriptive, "telling"/exposition type narratives
-Incompetent police, pathologists, security
-Whodunnits and amateur sleuthing
Content Heads-Up: Death of a spouse and fertility issues.
Format: Library Digital via Libby
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Infertility, and Stalking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content