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A Drowned Maiden Hair A Melodrama Laura Amy Schlitz Books

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A Drowned Maiden Hair A Melodrama Laura Amy Schlitz Books

I rarely read children's books or young adult fiction unless I am picking out books for my grandchildren, but the premise of Laura Amy Schlitz's "A Drowned Maiden's Hair" piqued by interest, and I am happy to report that the book more than lived up to its promise. As others have written, the protagonist, Maud Flynn (an 11 year old orphan living in an asylum) is adopted by a trio of sisters to assist in the family business -- conducting seances for the grief-stricken who wish to contact dead relatives on the "other side." (Review contains some spoilers).

Living as she has for the majority of her life in the asylum, Maud has no knowledge of the outside world. Maud is a strong willed girl who rebelled against the restrictions of the asylum, but at heart longs to please anyone who shows her affection. She is ripe for the plucking by the amoral Hyacinth Hawthorne, the only one of the three sisters who has no reservations about fleecing the clients desperate for contact with their loved ones. Maud becomes her eager student until Hyacinth begins to show her true colors in a series of incidents that show that the main object of Hyacinth's affection is Hyacinth herself. Ms Schlitz handles these passages skillfully, as she relates Maud's conflicted feelings as her idol slowly begins to crumble. Each sister is an individual with different outlooks and concerns, but Hyacinth is the most finely drawn of the three, perhaps because she is at heart a monster. And monsters always fascinate.

The journey of Maud from guarded child to caring child unfolds naturally throughout the course of the book. We are privy to her bewilderment over the inconsistent treatment at the hands of Hyacinth, her initial amusement at the desperate clients she helps deceive, her friendship with the deaf cook "Muffet," and, most important to the outcome of the story, her introduction to a woman feeling both grief and guilt over the death of a daughter Maud's age. While the ending of the story can be predicted at least half way through, Ms Schlitz throws in some surprises along the way. The character of Mrs Lambert, the guilt ridden mother, is a particular surprise, as she is not at all what one my expect -- she has a temper for one thing and is not the passive mourner typical of Hyacinth's clients. My main criticism is that the action slowed to a crawl in the middle of the book when the author decided to relate in detail Maud's multiple trips to the shore in the middle of the night. Several of these trips could have been eliminated totally, or mentioned only briefly, as this reader began to do some skipping ahead.

The interest level and reading level for this book is age 10 or Grade 5 on up. In my experience, most children enjoy reading books about children who are slightly older than themselves, but in the case of Maud I think her lively intelligence and her stubborn streak will appeal to older children and adults as well as ten year olds. My edition of the book was the Kindle edition. I appreciate that the buyer was given the cover of the book and not just the title page. There were few transcription errors in the book and I recommend it to other Kindle owners.


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A Drowned Maiden Hair A Melodrama Laura Amy Schlitz Books Reviews

Maud is a classic saucy orphan who jumps from the frying pan of her orphanage literally into a fire before ultimately finding her true home. Even more frightening than the fire is her benefactress, who smiles so sweetly, but is all the more chilling for it.

This is a children's book that is not only worthy of being read by adults, but it is so entertaining I could hardly put it down. It's definitely worth a purchase because I believe you will want to reread it more than once. I am off to look for other books by this author.

The one thing I would say negatively about this book is that the plot is a tad predictable. But it was still very enjoyable for all that. Pick it up, you will soon become a fan.
I accidentally found this book and the description sounded good to me so I decided to read it......so glad I did. It's a great book with interesting characters and period info. The story line grabs you from the beginning and Laura's style of writing is the kind I enjoy since I don't like long, drawn out descriptions when I read a book. I'd rather read a little description and a lot of plot moving along at a nice pace that makes one want to keep reading, hating to put the book down. The relationships between the characters were myriad and touching plus you get a glimpse into how appalling the conditions were for the orphans at that time.....so sad, with no real laws and health regulations in place. All in all, I think this book is totally enjoyable!
Great read to introduce young readers to mystery, suspense, and the supernatural. The main character, a young orphaned girl, is believable and has you rooting for her throughout the story. Lessons learned include the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere and adults cannot all be trusted! Fourth grade and older.
This is the second book I have read by Laura Amy Schlitz. I got "Splendors and Glooms" on a special and was blown away by her ability to draw a scene and create characters that you truly care about. When I finished it, I wrote in my review that it was well worth the price, even if you don't get it on sale. I searched for more of Laura Shlitz's books on and was intrigued by the title of this book. I downloaded a sample and when I finished it, I purchased this book for full price, knowing beforehand that I would not be let down. This is a fantastic story. I am not going to bore you with telling a synopsis of the story, as you can find that elsewhere. Just know, this is an amazing work of art. Download a sample. Try it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
I rarely read children's books or young adult fiction unless I am picking out books for my grandchildren, but the premise of Laura Amy Schlitz's "A Drowned Maiden's Hair" piqued by interest, and I am happy to report that the book more than lived up to its promise. As others have written, the protagonist, Maud Flynn (an 11 year old orphan living in an asylum) is adopted by a trio of sisters to assist in the family business -- conducting seances for the grief-stricken who wish to contact dead relatives on the "other side." (Review contains some spoilers).

Living as she has for the majority of her life in the asylum, Maud has no knowledge of the outside world. Maud is a strong willed girl who rebelled against the restrictions of the asylum, but at heart longs to please anyone who shows her affection. She is ripe for the plucking by the amoral Hyacinth Hawthorne, the only one of the three sisters who has no reservations about fleecing the clients desperate for contact with their loved ones. Maud becomes her eager student until Hyacinth begins to show her true colors in a series of incidents that show that the main object of Hyacinth's affection is Hyacinth herself. Ms Schlitz handles these passages skillfully, as she relates Maud's conflicted feelings as her idol slowly begins to crumble. Each sister is an individual with different outlooks and concerns, but Hyacinth is the most finely drawn of the three, perhaps because she is at heart a monster. And monsters always fascinate.

The journey of Maud from guarded child to caring child unfolds naturally throughout the course of the book. We are privy to her bewilderment over the inconsistent treatment at the hands of Hyacinth, her initial amusement at the desperate clients she helps deceive, her friendship with the deaf cook "Muffet," and, most important to the outcome of the story, her introduction to a woman feeling both grief and guilt over the death of a daughter Maud's age. While the ending of the story can be predicted at least half way through, Ms Schlitz throws in some surprises along the way. The character of Mrs Lambert, the guilt ridden mother, is a particular surprise, as she is not at all what one my expect -- she has a temper for one thing and is not the passive mourner typical of Hyacinth's clients. My main criticism is that the action slowed to a crawl in the middle of the book when the author decided to relate in detail Maud's multiple trips to the shore in the middle of the night. Several of these trips could have been eliminated totally, or mentioned only briefly, as this reader began to do some skipping ahead.

The interest level and reading level for this book is age 10 or Grade 5 on up. In my experience, most children enjoy reading books about children who are slightly older than themselves, but in the case of Maud I think her lively intelligence and her stubborn streak will appeal to older children and adults as well as ten year olds. My edition of the book was the edition. I appreciate that the buyer was given the cover of the book and not just the title page. There were few transcription errors in the book and I recommend it to other owners.