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A Drowned Maiden's Hair
"People throw the word 'classic' about a lot, but A Drowned Maiden's Hair genuinely deserves to become one." — Wall Street Journal
Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience -- until a shocking betrayal makes clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with tantalizing details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively historical novel features a winning heroine whom readers will not soon forget.
Maud Flynn is known at the orphanage for her impertinence, so when the charming Miss Hyacinth and her sister choose Maud to take home with them, the girl is as baffled as anyone. It seems the sisters need Maud to help stage elaborate séances for bereaved, wealthy patrons. As Maud is drawn deeper into the deception, playing her role as a "secret child," she is torn between her need to please and her growing conscience -- until a shocking betrayal makes clear just how heartless her so-called guardians are. Filled with tantalizing details of turn-of-the-century spiritualism and page-turning suspense, this lively historical novel features a winning heroine whom readers will not soon forget.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
87 people are currently reading
3438 people want to read
About the author
Laura Amy Schlitz
20 books517 followersLaura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at The Park School in Brooklandville, Maryland.
She received the 2008 Newbery Medal for her children's book entitled Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village,[1] and the 2013 Newbery Honor for her children's book, Splendors and Glooms.[2] She also won the 2016 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the 2016 National Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Book Award for her young adult book, The Hired Girl. Her other published books are The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug For Troy (2006), A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama (2006), which won a Cybils Award that year, The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm (2007), The Night Fairy (2010).
Schlitz attended Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, and graduated in 1977.
She received the 2008 Newbery Medal for her children's book entitled Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village,[1] and the 2013 Newbery Honor for her children's book, Splendors and Glooms.[2] She also won the 2016 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the 2016 National Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Book Award for her young adult book, The Hired Girl. Her other published books are The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug For Troy (2006), A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama (2006), which won a Cybils Award that year, The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm (2007), The Night Fairy (2010).
Schlitz attended Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, and graduated in 1977.
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October 1, 2023This book is one of my favorites because of its unique subject matter and uncommon story.
After Maud is adopted by three sisters who perform séances and earn income as mediums, she quickly realizes they want more from her than a little girl might be prepared to give. Left with the choice of participating in the séances or returning to the orphanage, Maud delves into the world of spirits where things are not always what they appear to be. - Lisanne E.
After Maud is adopted by three sisters who perform séances and earn income as mediums, she quickly realizes they want more from her than a little girl might be prepared to give. Left with the choice of participating in the séances or returning to the orphanage, Maud delves into the world of spirits where things are not always what they appear to be. - Lisanne E.
April 10, 2012
I enjoyed this book a lot. I read it in one sitting. Our heroine is an orphan named Maud. We meet her singing a battle anthem in the outhouse. She'd been unruly all day and infuriating her teachers. We are introduced right away to the fact that Maud is honest with herself. She admits when she's been bad or frustrating to the teachers. This characteristic sticks with the main character throughout the book.
She's no saint but she's honest to herself and to the reader. When she is dishonest though from her desperate desire to be loved we still get glimpses into their real characters and from a characters actual age appropriate view. It was refreshing to read from a non precocious lead despite her being quite well read for her age. She is no little Lord Fauntleroy.
Maud is also no unreliable narrator. Everything unfolds realistically the way people in real life might reveal their true nature. We want to see the best in people. The heart of this book is that lonely people are particularly open to being preyed upon by sharks for their trustfulness and desire to be loved. The villain in this store is quite a real figure.
Maud is not only an orphan but has the added pain that her two siblings were adopted together without her. Her brother was useful at chores and her younger sister is pretty.
Maud is always told at the orphanage that she is plain, bad and dumb.
She is quite the contrary of course but no one encourages her good traits such as creativity and resourcefulness until Hyacinth comes along.
This book reminds me a wee bit of Iva Ibbotson's Star of Kazaam except that our heroine is more honest that not all people are good. She even remarks early on in the book adults unwillingness to ever side with a child against another grownup.
Good people don't have to be walked on all the time. Mrs. Hampton is still more generous than the Hawthorne sisters might deserve but she's no carpet rug to be walked on either.
She's no saint but she's honest to herself and to the reader. When she is dishonest though from her desperate desire to be loved we still get glimpses into their real characters and from a characters actual age appropriate view. It was refreshing to read from a non precocious lead despite her being quite well read for her age. She is no little Lord Fauntleroy.
Maud is also no unreliable narrator. Everything unfolds realistically the way people in real life might reveal their true nature. We want to see the best in people. The heart of this book is that lonely people are particularly open to being preyed upon by sharks for their trustfulness and desire to be loved. The villain in this store is quite a real figure.
Maud is not only an orphan but has the added pain that her two siblings were adopted together without her. Her brother was useful at chores and her younger sister is pretty.
Maud is always told at the orphanage that she is plain, bad and dumb.
She is quite the contrary of course but no one encourages her good traits such as creativity and resourcefulness until Hyacinth comes along.
This book reminds me a wee bit of Iva Ibbotson's Star of Kazaam except that our heroine is more honest that not all people are good. She even remarks early on in the book adults unwillingness to ever side with a child against another grownup.
Good people don't have to be walked on all the time. Mrs. Hampton is still more generous than the Hawthorne sisters might deserve but she's no carpet rug to be walked on either.
July 20, 2009
At the Barbary Asylum, every child was strictly classified: a girl was pretty or plain, clever or stupid, good or bad. Maud knew quite well that she was plain, clever and bad.
Maud Flynn, growing up in the Barbary Asylum, knows exactly how much she's worth: not much. She's willful and plain, and gets into too much trouble to be ever considered for adoption. So when Hyacinth and Judith Hawthorne waltz into Barbary Asylum looking for a child and insist on leaving with Maud, it's hard to tell who is more surprised--the headmistress or Maud herself.
At first, life with the Hawthorne sisters is a dream come true. They buy her new clothes and books, and feed her delicious food. But after the novelty of life outside the Asylum wears off, Maud begins to question the strangeness of her situation--because she is a secret child. The Hawthornes keep her confined to the third floor, and don't let anyone know that they had adopted a child.
Soon, Maud discovers the truth. The Hawthornes are mediums, and they need a child in order to bilk a wealthy woman out of her money as she tries to contact her dead daughter. Maud is willing to do anything to keep her new home and make the Hawthornes love her--but how far is too far?
There is a great idea for a story here, but the thing that really makes this book is Maud. She is just so genuine--she leaps off the page and feels like a real little girl. She's tough and proud and fiesty, but also broken inside. She rarely lets it show, but there are moments when I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her. Maud broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces.
This book also has a chillingly deceptive villain, and what's so impressive is that you only see her through Maud's adoring eyes. Maud is not stupid, but she is desperate for love and desperate to be wanted, so the picture we see of the Hawthornes is colored by what she wants so badly--and yet we still have a very complete, well-rounded picture of the Hawthornes.
That's another thing I love about this book. No one--including Maud's enemies in the Barbary Asylum--is one dimensional. They are all so well-rounded and three dimensional--the villainous characters have their good moments, and the good characters sometimes have a temper and make hasty unfortunate decisions. Everyone is real.
This is the second time I'm reading this book, and the second time it has made me tear up at the end. It's a quiet book, but it's the kind of book that burrows into your heart and finds a permanant home there.
Maud Flynn, growing up in the Barbary Asylum, knows exactly how much she's worth: not much. She's willful and plain, and gets into too much trouble to be ever considered for adoption. So when Hyacinth and Judith Hawthorne waltz into Barbary Asylum looking for a child and insist on leaving with Maud, it's hard to tell who is more surprised--the headmistress or Maud herself.
At first, life with the Hawthorne sisters is a dream come true. They buy her new clothes and books, and feed her delicious food. But after the novelty of life outside the Asylum wears off, Maud begins to question the strangeness of her situation--because she is a secret child. The Hawthornes keep her confined to the third floor, and don't let anyone know that they had adopted a child.
Soon, Maud discovers the truth. The Hawthornes are mediums, and they need a child in order to bilk a wealthy woman out of her money as she tries to contact her dead daughter. Maud is willing to do anything to keep her new home and make the Hawthornes love her--but how far is too far?
There is a great idea for a story here, but the thing that really makes this book is Maud. She is just so genuine--she leaps off the page and feels like a real little girl. She's tough and proud and fiesty, but also broken inside. She rarely lets it show, but there are moments when I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and hold her. Maud broke my heart into teeny tiny pieces.
This book also has a chillingly deceptive villain, and what's so impressive is that you only see her through Maud's adoring eyes. Maud is not stupid, but she is desperate for love and desperate to be wanted, so the picture we see of the Hawthornes is colored by what she wants so badly--and yet we still have a very complete, well-rounded picture of the Hawthornes.
That's another thing I love about this book. No one--including Maud's enemies in the Barbary Asylum--is one dimensional. They are all so well-rounded and three dimensional--the villainous characters have their good moments, and the good characters sometimes have a temper and make hasty unfortunate decisions. Everyone is real.
This is the second time I'm reading this book, and the second time it has made me tear up at the end. It's a quiet book, but it's the kind of book that burrows into your heart and finds a permanant home there.
November 29, 2009
The full title of this book is actually "A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama." The subtitle led me to expect that this wouldn't be a very serious read -- that, indeed, it was a book that didn't even take itself seriously.
Despite billing itself rather lightly, this book manages to tackle some big questions about integrity, spirituality, and the need to belong. Laura Amy Schlitz uses a common convention in children's literature: her protagonist, Maud, is an orphan. Although she's unpopular with the head of the orphanage, she's adopted by three spinster sisters, and then kept as their "secret" child. I won't give away why she had to be kept secret, but it didn't end up being as sinister as I thought it might be -- still, I wasn't disappointed.
The characters in this book are all richly and complexly drawn; it's absolutely appropriate for kids, but has a depth that will appeal to adults. It also claims a unique niche in the field of historical fiction for its exploration of Spiritualism in the Victorian era. The audio version, which I listened to, is especially good -- the narrator does old women's voices just right.
Despite billing itself rather lightly, this book manages to tackle some big questions about integrity, spirituality, and the need to belong. Laura Amy Schlitz uses a common convention in children's literature: her protagonist, Maud, is an orphan. Although she's unpopular with the head of the orphanage, she's adopted by three spinster sisters, and then kept as their "secret" child. I won't give away why she had to be kept secret, but it didn't end up being as sinister as I thought it might be -- still, I wasn't disappointed.
The characters in this book are all richly and complexly drawn; it's absolutely appropriate for kids, but has a depth that will appeal to adults. It also claims a unique niche in the field of historical fiction for its exploration of Spiritualism in the Victorian era. The audio version, which I listened to, is especially good -- the narrator does old women's voices just right.
March 6, 2008
How far would you go, to be loved?
In spite of the name and cover art, this isn’t historical fantasy; it’s really a straight historical fiction with a little mystery thrown in. In fact, it reminded me a bit of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Maud is an orphan, “plain, clever and bad” at the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, when suddenly to everyone’s surprise 3 elderly sisters adopt her. Maud is determined to leave behind her bad ways and behave like a lady for the three sisters, one of whom she completely adores at first sight.
Even as it becomes apparent that the sisters aren’t what they seem to be, Maud is so happy to have a home and family, that she’s happy to be a “secret child” and will do whatever the sisters want of her….or will she?
This was a good read, Maud is enchanting and realistic and the writing was very good and the plot moved right along. It was interesting to revisit that time period in American history. I’ll be looking for more novels from this author.
In spite of the name and cover art, this isn’t historical fantasy; it’s really a straight historical fiction with a little mystery thrown in. In fact, it reminded me a bit of A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Maud is an orphan, “plain, clever and bad” at the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans, when suddenly to everyone’s surprise 3 elderly sisters adopt her. Maud is determined to leave behind her bad ways and behave like a lady for the three sisters, one of whom she completely adores at first sight.
Even as it becomes apparent that the sisters aren’t what they seem to be, Maud is so happy to have a home and family, that she’s happy to be a “secret child” and will do whatever the sisters want of her….or will she?
This was a good read, Maud is enchanting and realistic and the writing was very good and the plot moved right along. It was interesting to revisit that time period in American history. I’ll be looking for more novels from this author.
July 3, 2016
An Edwardian orphan of Irish ancestry, plus two old ladies who pretend to be mediums and a third who actually did dream about the dead, plus a deaf servant and a very sad lady whose daughter drowned. It's quite well-written, and I think one of the false mediums is a sociopath.
Content: PG
Content: PG
February 11, 2018
A historical children's book set in the 19th-century with just a bit of stuff not mundane.
It opens on Maud being punished by being locked in the lavatory of the orphanage. She is singing defiantly, and the voice of a strange woman asks after her. She is let out by a Miss Hyacinth Hawthorne, and brought to the office where Miss Judith Hawthorne is waiting: the women she knew were coming to the orphanage to adopt a girl a few years younger than her -- but Hyacinth thinks she's perfect and sweeps off with her.
On the train, they tell her she has to be a secret, and hide in their house, so that no one knows she's there.
At their house, she has new clothes, and all she can eat for meals, and books and education, but she starts to learn things about them, and their third sister. For one they are not so rich as they look.
What weaves onward from their involves making a crocodile out of sand, Maud's taking a train journey alone, a carousal, a drowned little girl, a man who wants permission to remarry, a glockenspiel, a deaf maidservant and the difference between lower-class and upper-class letters, the jetty at the shore, and much more in a dramatic tale.
It opens on Maud being punished by being locked in the lavatory of the orphanage. She is singing defiantly, and the voice of a strange woman asks after her. She is let out by a Miss Hyacinth Hawthorne, and brought to the office where Miss Judith Hawthorne is waiting: the women she knew were coming to the orphanage to adopt a girl a few years younger than her -- but Hyacinth thinks she's perfect and sweeps off with her.
On the train, they tell her she has to be a secret, and hide in their house, so that no one knows she's there.
At their house, she has new clothes, and all she can eat for meals, and books and education, but she starts to learn things about them, and their third sister. For one they are not so rich as they look.
What weaves onward from their involves making a crocodile out of sand, Maud's taking a train journey alone, a carousal, a drowned little girl, a man who wants permission to remarry, a glockenspiel, a deaf maidservant and the difference between lower-class and upper-class letters, the jetty at the shore, and much more in a dramatic tale.
April 1, 2017
I am glad I picked this book up. Going to try some of the other titles by this author. Loved the opening scene with Maud belting out the Battle Hymn while enduring a timeout in the orphanage outhouse. With her spirited outlook on life, interesting things are bound to happen and a strong character is under construction.
June 13, 2012
Little orphan Maud Flynn knows that she is most certainly NOT a good girl and she has been told so by many people. Plus her impertinence and her naughtiness have landed her in constant trouble at the orphanage where she lives. This is why, more than anybody else, Maud is surprised when a charming, rich old lady called Miss Hyacinth and her sisters decide to adopt her out of all the children in the orphanage. Given this opportunity to leave that horrid place and to have a better life, Maud vows to be a good girl – as much as a possible. Even if it means not questioning the sisters when they tell her she is to be a “secret child”, hidden from everybody else, never to leave the house. Why would she want to anyway, as she has everything she needs: beautiful new clothes, as many books as she can read, as much food as she wants and the lovely attention of Miss Hyacinth?
Happy to be wanted, enamoured with Miss Hyacinth and eager to please, she even agrees to help out (not that she has any real choice on the matter) the sisters in their Grand Scheme. Hyacinth, Judith and Victoria might look like perfectly upstanding ladies but are in fact, con women who hold fake séances, preying on grief-stricken wealthy patrons. Time passes and Maud gets to know her adopted family better – and realises that her new life is not as perfect as she would like it to be.
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama is a brilliant example of how a very conventional Gothic story, with very traditional tropes can still be a damn good novel. This is an excellent Gothic melodrama, one that knows exactly that it is one and as such it plays to the strengths of the genre (the melodrama! the villainy! the atmosphere!) to the maximum even as it never deviates from a fairly predictable Gothic-inspired pattern. On the surface, there is nothing new about it: it features a Feisty Orphan, Dastardly Villains, Fake-Séances, and a perfect happy ending after a lot of drama and loads of ups and down.
In this particular case, I would say that what makes A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama a perfect case study of how using conventional tropes and sticking to the traditional of a genre is not a bad thing per, is how its characters are lovingly developed, especially Maud. Maud is so much more than a Feisty Orphan. She is feisty, yes and also stubborn, clever and impertinent but it is very clear that mostly, she is just a lonely girl who desperately needs to be loved. It is really interesting really, how Maud has internalised – after so many years of hearing abuse – the idea that she is not good and therefore she cannot possibly be loved. That being good in her mind is equated with prettiness (which she is not) and unquestioning behaviour is quite possibly one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Not being able to trust the adults in her life because they have always failed her, believing that she is indeed less valuable than other children because of that, makes for a really heartbreaking read. Another point of interest is how Maud is an avid reader and the vast majority of books she reads (most of them classics) serve only to reinforce this idea: every single child in those books is extremely beautiful and perfectly good.
Her story arc takes her through some serious heartbreak but also through a lot of growth, especially when it comes to developing not only her own sense of right and wrong but also of self-worth (her love cannot be bought by riches or superficial endearments and promises). There is also a beautiful relationship that develops between her and another character that is better left for the reader to discover. Suffice it to say that because of this relationship I have seen the best use for an Ouija Board ever.
The other characters are superbly developed as well: the three villains of the piece have different layers and motivations and their relationship with Maud develop in different ways. Although they are all very clearly demarked as villains (no black and white there) there is depth to them (which to me, makes them all the more horrifying).
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama also presents an intricate study of child abuse: from obvious neglect and horrid experiences at the orphanage to that kind of abuse that is mostly psychological– what she undergoes with the sisters, who pretend to be kind and give only material attention to her whilst neglecting her thirst for love is just horridly insidious. Every time Maud wished for a hug and had to refrain herself was just gut-wrenching. That she goes through it all with verve and an unbroken spirit is just the cherry on top. Oh little Maud, let ME adopt you.
My review quite possibly makes it sound as though A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama is a dreary, dismally bleak read. It is not – quite the contrary. There are fun parts as well as really heart-warming ones. And I really don’t mean to sound melodramatic but the ending almost made me drown in my own tears of joy. True fact.
Happy to be wanted, enamoured with Miss Hyacinth and eager to please, she even agrees to help out (not that she has any real choice on the matter) the sisters in their Grand Scheme. Hyacinth, Judith and Victoria might look like perfectly upstanding ladies but are in fact, con women who hold fake séances, preying on grief-stricken wealthy patrons. Time passes and Maud gets to know her adopted family better – and realises that her new life is not as perfect as she would like it to be.
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama is a brilliant example of how a very conventional Gothic story, with very traditional tropes can still be a damn good novel. This is an excellent Gothic melodrama, one that knows exactly that it is one and as such it plays to the strengths of the genre (the melodrama! the villainy! the atmosphere!) to the maximum even as it never deviates from a fairly predictable Gothic-inspired pattern. On the surface, there is nothing new about it: it features a Feisty Orphan, Dastardly Villains, Fake-Séances, and a perfect happy ending after a lot of drama and loads of ups and down.
In this particular case, I would say that what makes A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama a perfect case study of how using conventional tropes and sticking to the traditional of a genre is not a bad thing per, is how its characters are lovingly developed, especially Maud. Maud is so much more than a Feisty Orphan. She is feisty, yes and also stubborn, clever and impertinent but it is very clear that mostly, she is just a lonely girl who desperately needs to be loved. It is really interesting really, how Maud has internalised – after so many years of hearing abuse – the idea that she is not good and therefore she cannot possibly be loved. That being good in her mind is equated with prettiness (which she is not) and unquestioning behaviour is quite possibly one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Not being able to trust the adults in her life because they have always failed her, believing that she is indeed less valuable than other children because of that, makes for a really heartbreaking read. Another point of interest is how Maud is an avid reader and the vast majority of books she reads (most of them classics) serve only to reinforce this idea: every single child in those books is extremely beautiful and perfectly good.
Her story arc takes her through some serious heartbreak but also through a lot of growth, especially when it comes to developing not only her own sense of right and wrong but also of self-worth (her love cannot be bought by riches or superficial endearments and promises). There is also a beautiful relationship that develops between her and another character that is better left for the reader to discover. Suffice it to say that because of this relationship I have seen the best use for an Ouija Board ever.
The other characters are superbly developed as well: the three villains of the piece have different layers and motivations and their relationship with Maud develop in different ways. Although they are all very clearly demarked as villains (no black and white there) there is depth to them (which to me, makes them all the more horrifying).
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama also presents an intricate study of child abuse: from obvious neglect and horrid experiences at the orphanage to that kind of abuse that is mostly psychological– what she undergoes with the sisters, who pretend to be kind and give only material attention to her whilst neglecting her thirst for love is just horridly insidious. Every time Maud wished for a hug and had to refrain herself was just gut-wrenching. That she goes through it all with verve and an unbroken spirit is just the cherry on top. Oh little Maud, let ME adopt you.
My review quite possibly makes it sound as though A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama is a dreary, dismally bleak read. It is not – quite the contrary. There are fun parts as well as really heart-warming ones. And I really don’t mean to sound melodramatic but the ending almost made me drown in my own tears of joy. True fact.
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February 8, 2014It feels weird to read a book about a surly, neglected orphan adopted by fraudulent mediums who only want her because she's small enough to dress up as the ghost of a dead child and call that book "cozy." But "cozy" is honestly how I felt reading this book. Yes, some very sad things happen, but this story hits all the expected beats of a historical middle-grade novel about a surly, neglected orphan, and it hits them in a way that is perhaps a little predictable, but also very satisfying. I enjoyed it.
September 17, 2007
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.
March 1, 2015
This is a charming melodrama with an orphan, an old manor, spiritualists, maiden aunties ranging from sweetly ineffectual to cloyingly evil, a secret, and a hefty dose of Victorian bathing costumes and brisk sea air. This YA-middle school book manages to tackle some big questions about integrity, spirituality, and the need to belong. Audio version well done.
August 28, 2017
A Drowned Maiden's Hair is a wonderfully fun, fast-paced, pulpy Victorian Sensation novel. Its main character, Maud, is a great portrait of an eleven year old: in some ways old before her time, but still believably a child. She's neither overly sentimentalised, nor unrepentantly bratty.
Laura Amy Schlitz also has a great eye for character, and a gift for a great first line:
Finally, this is ultimately a hopeful book about good things happening to good people, and sometimes that's just what you need.
Laura Amy Schlitz also has a great eye for character, and a gift for a great first line:
On the morning of the best day of her life, Maud Flynn was locked in the outhouse, singing 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'Doesn't that just make you want to read more?
Finally, this is ultimately a hopeful book about good things happening to good people, and sometimes that's just what you need.
July 2, 2022
I don’t know what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. So, so good and also heartbreaking. As soon as I finished it I handed it to my oldest daughter for her to read.
July 16, 2008
Maud (11)adores Hyacinth Hawthorn--who, along with her sisters, adopts her--so much that she doesn't question when asked to hid in the attic nor does she object to playing a role"family business." Participation may have it's costs.
Brisk, fun, and absorbing. A Gothic novel deserving of the subtitle.
Folks, we've got ourselves a Melodrama and a delightful one at that: A plucky kid-lit orphan, haughty "aunts," a need for Maud to be hidden in the attic, feigned seances, a rich client, and so forth. I absolutely loved the first 100 pages. While seances are far from my cup of tea, the book is light enough to carry them off without delving too far into spiritual dilemmas
Readers will love Maud from the start. Who couldn't after her entrance singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic" while locked in an outhouse?
Schlitz writes:
"Maud was not pretty; her manners were pert and displeasing; even her posture suggested what Miss Clarke called "sauce."
Brisk, fun, and absorbing. A Gothic novel deserving of the subtitle.
Folks, we've got ourselves a Melodrama and a delightful one at that: A plucky kid-lit orphan, haughty "aunts," a need for Maud to be hidden in the attic, feigned seances, a rich client, and so forth. I absolutely loved the first 100 pages. While seances are far from my cup of tea, the book is light enough to carry them off without delving too far into spiritual dilemmas
Readers will love Maud from the start. Who couldn't after her entrance singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic" while locked in an outhouse?
Schlitz writes:
"Maud was not pretty; her manners were pert and displeasing; even her posture suggested what Miss Clarke called "sauce."
August 8, 2017
A really beautiful book that evokes a world in all detail and emotion. There's something so charming, kind and warm, despite being a novel of con artists, frauds and a very sad death at the heart of the narrative. The characters are well and swiftly drawn, and through these characters we see that people aren't what they seem, and love, though hard to come by, is possible to find. The voice of the narrative is by turns humorous, insightful and rich in heartbreak. So good. I have read it because my daughter took an interest in it, and then we picked it up on audio, after reading it once. For some reason it holds up as an audio book, for my pre-teen, on repeat, so I have read it, then listened to it more than once. So glad to discover this author.
March 6, 2009
Maud is a not-so-well-behaved orphan. In 1909 two elderly sisters come to the orphanage looking for a little girl to adopt. They choose Maud, not for her looks, manners, or virtues, but because she is small for her age and can sing. As soon as they have taken her away from the orphanage the sisters tell her she will not be going to school but will be their "secret child" and must hide upstairs and let no one know she lives with them. Maud is desperate to have a home, and hopes that if she is good and obedient they will and come to love her.
July 19, 2014
I enjoyed this book very much. It had many exciting parts and at times I could not stop reading. The book was detailed and I understood every part of it. This book has a wonderful, exciting and heartwarming story. Having some sad and many joyous parts made it a wonderful book. The author used many descriptive words which made me feel like I was in the book and also the author put in many characters with interesting personalities. I loved this book.
February 7, 2015
"Maud was not pretty; her manners were pert and displeasing; even her posture suggested what Miss Clarke called "sauce."
Loved Maud, loved the plot, loved the setting. How can you beat a orphan and turn-of-the-century seances to pull you into a story? Schlitz is a fabulous story teller and this was the perfect read to kick off my summer!
Loved Maud, loved the plot, loved the setting. How can you beat a orphan and turn-of-the-century seances to pull you into a story? Schlitz is a fabulous story teller and this was the perfect read to kick off my summer!
June 28, 2013
I really loved this book. Our main character, is an orphan age 11. She is adopted by three sisters who make their living doing fake seances. I love the author's writing and this story just flowed. A fast read and touching.
June 2, 2019
Ever try to explain to a ten-year-old what "melodrama" is? I think I succeeded. If she likes it, I'll probably read it too.
***
She wouldn't read it without a firm thumbs up from me, so I had to read it first. I quite liked it, but she still hasn't read it.
Library copy
***
She wouldn't read it without a firm thumbs up from me, so I had to read it first. I quite liked it, but she still hasn't read it.
Library copy
April 19, 2025
I first read this when I was in 6th grade and it was a Rebecca Caudill book, and it stuck with me so much that, years later, I looked up the list from that year and went through it until I found it again. I'm so glad I finally went ahead and reread it.
While this was considered a middle grades book, it never treated the reader like one. It had some serious themes and trusted you to be able to handle them. It took place in the early 1900s but never held your hand and explained what every term was - and it has some pretty big words! It was also my first memorable exposure to deafness and sign language which is funny considering I'm now a deaf educator.
All the characters are interesting in their own way, and it really is such a unique plot. I'm probably going to end up buying a copy to keep in my house!
While this was considered a middle grades book, it never treated the reader like one. It had some serious themes and trusted you to be able to handle them. It took place in the early 1900s but never held your hand and explained what every term was - and it has some pretty big words! It was also my first memorable exposure to deafness and sign language which is funny considering I'm now a deaf educator.
All the characters are interesting in their own way, and it really is such a unique plot. I'm probably going to end up buying a copy to keep in my house!
October 28, 2008
I liked this book, and I thought it was a nice little contribution to the age group for which it's intended. It's wholesome (unless you're the type who worries about seances and mediums influencing young minds, but the book makes it pretty clear that it's all a sham). It passed the test of making me want to read to the end.
A few things bothered me, though. The biggest was that I was unsatisfied by the ending. I wanted Schlitz to be daring and find a way that Maud could live with Muffet, rather than Mrs. Lambert. Even though we've met Mrs. Lambert early-ish in the book, I felt as if Mrs. Lambert was a sort of device (deus ex machina). She was a way for Maud to be comfortable as well as happy; a way for her to live a privileged life and still get to live with Muffet. How much more interesting would it have been if Maud and Muffet made a life together, however difficult? I want to know Mrs. Lambert better. She was a grief-stricken, illogical woman who obsessively wanted to speak with her dead daughter through most of the book, and then she has a sensible turnaround so that we'll like her?
I also thought that the response the sisters had to the fire was a bit too calculated on Schlitz's part, to make the sisters seem out of the question as potential parents. The world does not have to be black and white. There can be gray areas, and gray characters. Her characters seem like they'll be gray throughout, and then all at once Schlitz chooses up sides for them -- black and white.
And finally, I thought it was unnecessary to introduce the brother. I think in retrospect that she was using that as a device to show how deeply abandoned Maud was, to explain her rebellious character and distrust, but while I was reading it I thought he would come to bear in the plot later on. I'm fine with hearing the story of how she wasn't chosen, but we don't need to meet the brother in the flesh. It just leaves a loose end when the book concludes. Likewise, I thought the letter in the bible that Muffet's mom wrote was going to be more important than it was. I wanted to have Muffet's loose ends tied up as well.
Overall, not a book I was racing to get back to every time I set it down.
A few things bothered me, though. The biggest was that I was unsatisfied by the ending. I wanted Schlitz to be daring and find a way that Maud could live with Muffet, rather than Mrs. Lambert. Even though we've met Mrs. Lambert early-ish in the book, I felt as if Mrs. Lambert was a sort of device (deus ex machina). She was a way for Maud to be comfortable as well as happy; a way for her to live a privileged life and still get to live with Muffet. How much more interesting would it have been if Maud and Muffet made a life together, however difficult? I want to know Mrs. Lambert better. She was a grief-stricken, illogical woman who obsessively wanted to speak with her dead daughter through most of the book, and then she has a sensible turnaround so that we'll like her?
I also thought that the response the sisters had to the fire was a bit too calculated on Schlitz's part, to make the sisters seem out of the question as potential parents. The world does not have to be black and white. There can be gray areas, and gray characters. Her characters seem like they'll be gray throughout, and then all at once Schlitz chooses up sides for them -- black and white.
And finally, I thought it was unnecessary to introduce the brother. I think in retrospect that she was using that as a device to show how deeply abandoned Maud was, to explain her rebellious character and distrust, but while I was reading it I thought he would come to bear in the plot later on. I'm fine with hearing the story of how she wasn't chosen, but we don't need to meet the brother in the flesh. It just leaves a loose end when the book concludes. Likewise, I thought the letter in the bible that Muffet's mom wrote was going to be more important than it was. I wanted to have Muffet's loose ends tied up as well.
Overall, not a book I was racing to get back to every time I set it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2010
Adopted from an orphanage by the three elderly Hawthorne sisters, Maud believes that all of her dreams have come true. But when the sisters that Maud must remain hidden in the house and reveal that they have a use for her, Maud discovers that she has not quite found the perfect family that she was looking for. A Drowned Maiden's Hair is swift but not simple: the easy prose and mysterious plot draw the reader in, but it's thorny questions of honesty and searches for love that keep him thinking and feeling throughout the book. With transparent infodumps and a too-perfect resolution, the book isn't perfectbut it's addictive, enjoyable, and surprisingly tender. I recommend it.
I devoured A Drowned Maiden's Hair in one afternoon of quiet, contented reading. Schiltz's voice is unremarkable but incredibly easy to read, letting the read slip straight into the heart of the story. The plot begins as a mystery to hook the reader; once that mystery is revealed, it tends towards predictablebut spirited, bright Maud is beyond prediction, and her inner struggles are the true heart of the book. The conflict between her suspicions and her desire for love never tends towards maudlin; instead, it is believable and character-driven, bringing nuance to the morality-tale aspects and making Maud both empathetic and empowering.
The book is dragged down a bit by that predictable plot, and also by transparent infodumps (where characters relay their entire backstory) and by a too-swift, too-simple resolution. But these weaknesses are never prominent enough to become irritating, and Maud and some of the better supporting characters are strong enough to support the book despite them. A Drowned Maiden's Hair is a quick and enjoyable read filled unexpected but lovely emotion. Gently heartbreaking, empowering, and always clever, Maud and her personal journeys are not the most advanced, but they are still tender and true. Though not a book I need to read again, A Drowned Maiden's Hair is truly enjoyableI recommend it.
I devoured A Drowned Maiden's Hair in one afternoon of quiet, contented reading. Schiltz's voice is unremarkable but incredibly easy to read, letting the read slip straight into the heart of the story. The plot begins as a mystery to hook the reader; once that mystery is revealed, it tends towards predictablebut spirited, bright Maud is beyond prediction, and her inner struggles are the true heart of the book. The conflict between her suspicions and her desire for love never tends towards maudlin; instead, it is believable and character-driven, bringing nuance to the morality-tale aspects and making Maud both empathetic and empowering.
The book is dragged down a bit by that predictable plot, and also by transparent infodumps (where characters relay their entire backstory) and by a too-swift, too-simple resolution. But these weaknesses are never prominent enough to become irritating, and Maud and some of the better supporting characters are strong enough to support the book despite them. A Drowned Maiden's Hair is a quick and enjoyable read filled unexpected but lovely emotion. Gently heartbreaking, empowering, and always clever, Maud and her personal journeys are not the most advanced, but they are still tender and true. Though not a book I need to read again, A Drowned Maiden's Hair is truly enjoyableI recommend it.
April 29, 2017
I loved A Drowned Maiden's Hair so much that I bought it after I read a copy owned by my public library. But then, after I had my own copy, I resisted rereading it, because.... Because what if it wasn't really as good the second time? Plus it was super sad in some ways. Did I really want to purchase the genuine aesthetic pleasure it would give me if the price was being really bummed about how unhappy many of the characters' lives had been?
And then, in April 2017, I read ( The Summer Before the War ), and it was such a nasty disappointment that I needed something really good to cleanse my palate. My standard palate-cleanser is The Hunger Games, but at this point I've read The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset so many times (eight? nine?) that I have parts of it memorized; I needed to read something not only satisfying, but not completely familiar; I needed to be surprised. So I pulled my copy of A Drowned Maiden's Hair off my shelf.
And it was every bit as good as it was the first time I read it, so inventive and original. The characters are all such complex and interesting people, even the villains. The story is surprising and never boring--there's nothing extraneous or superfluous; every bit counts. It's satisfyingly creepy, without being outright threatening. It deals with difficult subject matter--death, deceit, loss, and being unloved--with such sensitivity and wisdom that it should appeal to adults as much as children.
In short, if you like a good novel, you should read this, no matter how old you are. It's really good!
And then, in April 2017, I read ( The Summer Before the War ), and it was such a nasty disappointment that I needed something really good to cleanse my palate. My standard palate-cleanser is The Hunger Games, but at this point I've read The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset so many times (eight? nine?) that I have parts of it memorized; I needed to read something not only satisfying, but not completely familiar; I needed to be surprised. So I pulled my copy of A Drowned Maiden's Hair off my shelf.
And it was every bit as good as it was the first time I read it, so inventive and original. The characters are all such complex and interesting people, even the villains. The story is surprising and never boring--there's nothing extraneous or superfluous; every bit counts. It's satisfyingly creepy, without being outright threatening. It deals with difficult subject matter--death, deceit, loss, and being unloved--with such sensitivity and wisdom that it should appeal to adults as much as children.
In short, if you like a good novel, you should read this, no matter how old you are. It's really good!
May 5, 2021
Orphan stories have been done a lot, right? Especially orphan stories about girls. We've all read some of them and many of them are considered classics. So what could Laura Amy Schlitz hope to add to the scores of books about orphan girls by writing one herself?
Well, I think I can pretty much guarantee that you've never read an orphan story quite like A Drowned Maiden's Hair.
Maud Flynn knows she is not the most well behaved, prettiest or smartest girl at the Barbary Asylum so even she is surprised when Hyacinth Hawthorne decides to adopt her. Maud is swept away from the orphanage by Hyacinth and her sister to start a brand new life where she will be pampered and cherished. Or so she thinks. Instead Maud is relegated to a third story room and not permitted to leave the house because for some reason no one is to know she is there. In time Maud begins to learn about the secret role she is to play in the sisters family business. Maud remains eager to please and goes along with her secret role in hopes that her dream of being pampered and cherished will come true.
A Drowned Maiden's Hair is a highly original, intelligent, and character driven story that does not leave the plot behind (my favorite kind of book.)
The story is told through Maud's point of view but even when she can't or won't see the treachery and villainy of those around her, you as the reader are coming to some chilling realizations.
The pacing was perfect for a book that is almost 400 pages long. The story unfolded smoothly and steadily and never once slowed down or made me impatient in my reading.
Wonderful writing, complex characters, treachery and mystery. I highly recommend this book.
Well, I think I can pretty much guarantee that you've never read an orphan story quite like A Drowned Maiden's Hair.
Maud Flynn knows she is not the most well behaved, prettiest or smartest girl at the Barbary Asylum so even she is surprised when Hyacinth Hawthorne decides to adopt her. Maud is swept away from the orphanage by Hyacinth and her sister to start a brand new life where she will be pampered and cherished. Or so she thinks. Instead Maud is relegated to a third story room and not permitted to leave the house because for some reason no one is to know she is there. In time Maud begins to learn about the secret role she is to play in the sisters family business. Maud remains eager to please and goes along with her secret role in hopes that her dream of being pampered and cherished will come true.
A Drowned Maiden's Hair is a highly original, intelligent, and character driven story that does not leave the plot behind (my favorite kind of book.)
The story is told through Maud's point of view but even when she can't or won't see the treachery and villainy of those around her, you as the reader are coming to some chilling realizations.
The pacing was perfect for a book that is almost 400 pages long. The story unfolded smoothly and steadily and never once slowed down or made me impatient in my reading.
Wonderful writing, complex characters, treachery and mystery. I highly recommend this book.
April 18, 2009
Maud Flynn, an orphan, is small for her age, plain, not very well-behaved, and smart. Much to her surprise, these qualities make her attractive to Hyacinth Hawthorne, one of two strange and elderly visitors to the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans. Hyacinth and her sister, Judith, have come to the orphanage to find an eight-year-old girl child, but on Hyacinth's whim, they take 11-year-old Maud instead.
Before she quite knows what has hit her, Maud is spirited away to live with the Hawthornes, whose household includes a third sister, Victoria, and a deaf maid called Muffet. Though Maud is given new clothes to wear, books to read, and good food to eat, she also learns that she must be a "secret" child. No one must know that she lives with the Hawthornes so that she can help with the "family" business. Hyacinth Hawthorne is a "medium," conducting seances for (and fleecing) wealthy clientele grieving for lost family members. Maud is torn between the need to please the mercurial Hyacinth and a growing sensation of unease at what her guardians are doing to pay their mortgage.
Set in the early 20th century, this novel has echoes of Dickens and maybe Joan Aiken (someone on the back cover compares it to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) and I found it a fun, complex, smart, and ultimately satisfying read. I would have liked this a lot at 11 years old too.
Before she quite knows what has hit her, Maud is spirited away to live with the Hawthornes, whose household includes a third sister, Victoria, and a deaf maid called Muffet. Though Maud is given new clothes to wear, books to read, and good food to eat, she also learns that she must be a "secret" child. No one must know that she lives with the Hawthornes so that she can help with the "family" business. Hyacinth Hawthorne is a "medium," conducting seances for (and fleecing) wealthy clientele grieving for lost family members. Maud is torn between the need to please the mercurial Hyacinth and a growing sensation of unease at what her guardians are doing to pay their mortgage.
Set in the early 20th century, this novel has echoes of Dickens and maybe Joan Aiken (someone on the back cover compares it to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase) and I found it a fun, complex, smart, and ultimately satisfying read. I would have liked this a lot at 11 years old too.
August 1, 2016
At first when I took this book to read for a school challenge, I can frankly say that I was very reluctant to even touch this book, it just seemed quite uninteresting... However, I strongly advise you to read this book for it is simply fabulous! I won't be a spoiler by saying what this book is about but if you want to spend the evening enchantingly then this book will help you. At first it might be a pain to someone like me, especially if you're forced to read it but somehow after only a few chapters this book will surely attract your attention as it attracted mine. Afterwards you will be able to read it again and again with out getting bored or tired of it! Just don't go on the size of the book but think about the deep thoughts of the author when she was writing it! It is a story similar to non other I have read, it surely is one of its kind. Sometimes you can just imagine yourself in the story and clearly see what is happening. I recommend this book to everyone because its a classic book which you can clearly understand. For although it is simple it is fascinating. Its on the borderline of classic and modern with such twists and turns which will make you unable to put it down before discovering what happens next!
November 3, 2011
Wow! I really loved this book! Maud is an orphan who's pretty convinced that she's never going to be adopted since she is clever, not pretty, and not a good, obedient girl. When Hyacinth, hears Maud singing from her solitary confinement in the outhouse, she chooses to adopt Maud and bring her to Hyacinth's home that she shares with her two sisters.
The story then spirals into what appears to be a happily ever after tale. Maud is given nice clothes and offered as many books as she desires. She idolizes Hyacinth and decides to become good in order to make Hyacinth love her. Then things start to get odd and it becomes clear that things are not what they seem and the adoption of the little girl becomes questionable.
The story is so well written. I flew through this book in pretty much three sittings. I was hooked into the story line and constantly worried for Maud. The book really dealt with emotional issues of abandonment and loss without being cheesy and a part in the book made me almost tear up. Maud is a truly loveable character who is spunky and smart and just got placed in a terrible life. I spent the whole book rooting for her.
The story then spirals into what appears to be a happily ever after tale. Maud is given nice clothes and offered as many books as she desires. She idolizes Hyacinth and decides to become good in order to make Hyacinth love her. Then things start to get odd and it becomes clear that things are not what they seem and the adoption of the little girl becomes questionable.
The story is so well written. I flew through this book in pretty much three sittings. I was hooked into the story line and constantly worried for Maud. The book really dealt with emotional issues of abandonment and loss without being cheesy and a part in the book made me almost tear up. Maud is a truly loveable character who is spunky and smart and just got placed in a terrible life. I spent the whole book rooting for her.
April 10, 2007
All Maud wants is to be adopted and to have a real family again. When the elderly Hawthorne sisters take her home, Maud is overjoyed. She has nice clothes, good food, and indoor plumbing. What Maud doesn’t have is any friends—she’s not allowed to go to school or see visitors. Maud is a secret, and when she finds out why, she has some very tough decisions to make about what’s important.
This was a very moving story about the compelling need for love and a home, versus doing what is right. At the same time, we get a good dose of spirituality and mediums and ghosts. It was wonderfully spooky without being scary.
I loved the way Maud's friendship developed with Muffet, the Hawthorne's deaf servant. I also liked the way that Maud really struggled with her decisions about what to do-- she didn't always want to do the right thing, and how Schlitz handles this conflict makes Maud so much more real and likeable.
It was getting a lot of well-deserved Newberry buzz and even though it didn't win and wasn't honored, you should still check it out
This was a very moving story about the compelling need for love and a home, versus doing what is right. At the same time, we get a good dose of spirituality and mediums and ghosts. It was wonderfully spooky without being scary.
I loved the way Maud's friendship developed with Muffet, the Hawthorne's deaf servant. I also liked the way that Maud really struggled with her decisions about what to do-- she didn't always want to do the right thing, and how Schlitz handles this conflict makes Maud so much more real and likeable.
It was getting a lot of well-deserved Newberry buzz and even though it didn't win and wasn't honored, you should still check it out
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