The Maid
Ratings429
Average rating3.6
This book is a wonderful and surprising read. It is well worth the hype.
PLOT
The story is about Molly the maid, who is a neurodivergent and she is accused of murder when she finds a frequent guest dead in his room. How will she prove her innocence?
MY OPINION
LIKES
I love the character Molly from the beginning, loved her quirkiness and her absolute truths.
This book is exactly what I needed after reading a lot of dark books. It was a fun, light-hearted murder mystery.
DISLIKES
I just couldn't comprehend the idea of how no one notices that Molly is a neurodivergent
Main character is an NT author's idea of a quirky autistic character and comes off as a very annoying stereotype
I found the prose terrible the present first tense made Mary sound robotic and a caricature of nurodiversity and autism. Mary is either depicted as stupid or she has a perfect memory. Is really direct or so vague the person she speaking to doesn't understand. Regularly says that she finds it hard to understand people and for people to understand her because she's “strange and quirky” but nether asked clarifying questions when it's important for plot reasons
Summary: Molly takes her job as a maid at a high-end hotel very seriously. She is thorough, organized, and hardworking, and she always does her best to do the right thing. She would never have expected to find herself, then, a suspect in the murder of a prominent hotel guest, but that is precisely what happens. In order to clear her name, Molly, alongside friends old and new, works to piece together clues that will demonstrate her innocence.
A refreshingly different kind of heroine who didn't find out the truth because she was witty, but because she had friends who she could trust.
Surprisingly wholesome for a murder mystery with a bullied mc, I look forward to listening to the next story about Molly the Maid.
2.5 stars
I'm honestly surprised I stuck this one out. Molly read like an Amelia Bedelia walking stereotype of an autistic woman. When are we going to stop calling women quirky, off-beat, and unforgettable (all from reviews on the cover) and start naming the neurodiversity? It reinforces the belief that autism is something limited to men and children, and perpetuates ableist beliefs about how autistic women present. We have an entire missed generation of women either misdiagnosed or completely undiagnosed, walking around being labeled as the weirdo and maybe labeling it for what it is would help towards more understanding.
That said, the story kept me going. I appreciated how there were those around Molly who truly came to understand her by the end. It was fairly predictable, but had a couple of twists. As a librarian, I understand why it has a wide readership and has continued as a series. Just not one I'll be continuing.
The mfl, Molly, is awkward and she definitely talks funny, but in a very endearing sort of way. I'm surprised at how invested I felt in Molly's situation, how tense I felt and how badly I wanted her to be free of her worries. I loved her granny's principles that Molly lived by. And the fact that there were so many good people around her to recognise the goodness in her and to help her. A great book. Highly recommend.
“We're all entitled to a bad day now and again, I heard Gran say in my head. But when they are all bad days, with no pleasant ones, then it's time to reconsider things.”
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”
i feel very conflicted. on one hand, it was a pretty entertaining and easy to read book. on the other molly was written in such a cliché way, like you can't be more oblivious.
does nita think neurodivergence means having the social awareness of a 3 yo ? and all that while randomly acting clever and logical out of nowhere
molly is such annoying character to read like god, i don't wanna be offensive but damn girl !!!!! and why did ANYONE treat her accordingly to her psychological state ? why was this bitchass officer so oblivious to the very obvious fact that this molly girlie might be a little special ? matter of fact, why is it never brought up in her defense ? i don't understand
also, how the hell did she keep that “murderer identity” secret for so long ? it makes no sense when you know her personality. why all the lying and random violent thoughts ??
I had high expectations for this book and they weren't met.
The main character came off as neurodivergent, although that wasn't really addressed. I can decide if that was the author's intention, or if they just meant to have a slightly quirky character.
The story was fine. But the characters, main and secondary, didn't sit right with me.
I was almost uncomfortable reading it, and my favorite part was just when people treated Molly with the respect everyone deserves.
DNF'd 40%
I just could not keep reading the inner dialog of the character. It just felt like I was wasting my time reading the book hoping it would get better but got to a point where I just could not keep going.
Ok...let's see. I enjoyed this. I turned the pages happily, wanting to know how things would turn out. And actually, that's the main motivation for turning the pages. It wasn't some sense of wanting to get lost in the world (it's not that kind of book), or needing to spend more time with each character (they're not that kind of characters)...it was really very much about wanting to see how the whole thing would end. And the ending was satisfying...not the MOST satisfying...but satisfying.
So, sure, Molly is written to seem somewhat “on the spectrum” (Autism), but I argue...now after reading the whole thing and spending time with Molly...and knowing a fair bit about autism and how it manifests across a range of people (from my experience as an elementary school teacher and Gifted Ed. specialist with much professional development on the topic and experience with autistic students), I do not believe Molly is necessarily autistic. I believe she is neurodivergent in some ways...most notable socially as it relates to her ability (or lack thereof) to identify non-verbal cues and gauge the climate of a social situation, however there are many things she says, nuances she identifies (when a smile reaches the eyes), pop culture references to which she alludes (not from a place of hyper-fixation, but rather casual awareness), and physical interactions she welcomes and actually yearns for that would not be something a person with autism would welcome. Now, I'm assuming here, based on experience, and Molly would probably remind me about the trouble with ASSuming, but it's these reasons (and several others) that I feel that either Molly is not autistic, but rather severely socially inept and ignorant due to her seemingly sheltered existence or the author missed some key behaviors that are VERY commonly identified in people with autism, incorrectly inserting others (behaviors and situations) that would not be seen in, or welcomed by, people with autism (having a full face of makeup applied rather on the spot, initiating an across-the-table kiss).
So there. My thoughts on that matter. And honestly, I don't feel that the author had any obligation to label Molly's uniqueness. The book is compelling as is and the plot does not rely on her having some specific developmental disability, but rather peculiar idiosyncrasies.
Of course, I may be wrong...
Overall, if you're interested in this book, read it. It's a good time.
Hmm... interesting. A little... on your nose, every now and then, and... uh... “I know I'm different” or what it was. A bit too wobbly on the MC not knowing enough, and knowing more than she reasonably could. And in keeping the reader informed, and not letting us know enough. But I liked it, all in all.
My rating is just based on my enjoyment reading it. I don't think it's a masterpiece or a particularly genius story, and I agree with other reviewers here about the slightly condescending / outdated / not mentioned but obvious (play on?) autism, somewhere on the spectrum. And that the depiction of that feels kind of basic. But who am I to say if there are people who experience it just like Molly does?
There were a few times where Molly's reaction made me think “well, she's not stupid, why is this written like she is?” and then I had to question myself and wonder if that was the intention. If the author was playing with my prejudice and the problem was not the writing, but me. But I don't think so. And that sounds arrogant, but I felt that it was still in line with the rest of the book, but in most cases she didn't seem or wasn't written as if she was stupid, just very literal. And sometimes she got things even though it wasn't literal. So it felt inconsisent, I guess. Like, if she got that part right, she would also have understood the meaning of this part.
Other than that, and sort of taking it for what it is, which I would describe as a warm and light-hearted mystery with human relationships at the center of it, I enjoyed the story. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next, the solution to the mystery, and how the relationships were going to play out. And I think it offered more depth on the relationship and feeling front, than I had expected. So for that reason, I'm giving it 4 stars. I'm generous like that :)
I don't see what people like about this book. The main character is neither lovable nor consistent in her actions. Every plot “twist”/ direction could be seen from a mile away.
Part of it reads like a young adult with a “nothing can go wrong” attitude and the next scene is trying to hit heavier topics.
I don't understand what was tried to achieve with this book.
It's a cozy crime read with a neurodivergent narrator in the guise of 25 year old Molly Gray. She's working as a maid at the Regency Grand, a five star boutique hotel. It's her only respite in an otherwise lonely world since her Gran passed away nine months ago.
Molly's an easy mark who struggles to pick up on social cues and read individual's intent. When she discovers the very much dead body of a boorish millionaire while cleaning his room, things start to unravel. In a life spent as mostly invisible and overlooked, it's clear the odds are stacked against her. Thanks to some found family, a plan is hatched to save her and nab the ne'er do wells.
Total feel-good arc concocted to be made into a heart-warming movie with an unlikely hero satisfyingly prevailing over a cabal of absolute cads with a host of quirky secondary characters. Pure confectionary light reading that doesn't bear too much thinking about, the bookish equivalent of a lazy Sunday afternoon TV movie.
A fun cozy read! I really enjoyed the neurodivergent rep in the book, Molly was such a delight
I just finished The Maid - Molly the Maid book 1 by Nita Prose and here are my thoughts.
Molly Gray is a bit of an outcast. Her struggles with social skills worsens after her Grandmother dies. The woman who helped Molly navigate a world she didn't really understand.
The only thing that feels normal for her, is her job as a maid. Her love of cleaning and need for perfection, makes her the perfect maid.
Her whole world rocks hard the day she finds Mr Black dead in his suite. In a certain state of shock, Molly tries to tell the cops what she knows. Trouble is she has found herself in a web of lies so intricate that she doesn't know what to do.
Molly has so few friends and is far too trusting of the people around her. Will they find the killer before they run out of time?
I have no idea why I waited so long to read this book but when I got a copy of book 2 of this book (review will be coming soon), I knew I had to read book one first and I am so glad I did.
I know the author never says Molly is on the spectrum but I have experience with close family with autism and I really found her sweet and kind. I took a liking to her right away and I love that she is portrayed as being astute even if she is slightly naive. I loved the hotel vibes but I think a little less going over the ins and outs of what Molly was doing with her cleaning as it did get a little repetitive.
I did enjoy the climax of whodunnit in this book literary extravaganza. I felt the writing was unique and stunning and I read the whole book in one sitting. I am so pumped for book 2! I cannot wait to see what is going on with Molly!
4.5 stars!
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Thoroughly enjoyed the book. The narrator was excellent! Storyline dragged a bit at times, but I liked the main character enough to want to read the sequel.