Melody
HarperCollins | 20 January 2022 | 352 pgs
Source: Library
Where shall I even begin? This book has received lots of hype and glowing reviews and while I enjoyed the book, it wasn't my favourite and I'd some issues with it.
So the book opens featuring 25-year-old Molly Gray working as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She was morally upright given all the advice passed down by her late grandmother; however she'd some difficulties understanding social cues and behaviours at times so she might be autistic, though it was not clearly stated and may be intentionally omitted by the author for the plot directions. Molly was a great worker and she took pride in her job. She cleaned the rooms diligently and given her obsession with cleanliness, it is no wonder the rooms are often left in a state of perfection before the new batch of guests arrived.
Molly had seen all types of people through the nature of her work; and among all is the rich and mighty Blacks couple who's long-term residents of the hotel. Mr Black was a property tycoon so he was always away, leaving his second young wife in the hotel room. Mrs Black became friends with Molly quickly partly due to boredom and Molly's easygoing demeanour, but most of all she finds herself needing someone to talk to. Then one day, Molly found Mr Black dead in his room and ultimately became the prime suspect as she was dragged into all kinds of life complexities - be it her financial woes or her conflicts with her superiors. Added to the plot was her infatuation with a bartender and her acquaintance with a Mexican immigrant who may or may not connected to Mr Black's mysterious death.
I've read several reviews which compare Molly to Eleanor Oliphant but personally I didn't find any similarities there. Molly was an interesting character but there was an inconsistency of her behaviours depending on situations (or the plot?). The secondary characters are one-dimensional and stereotyped; and I didn't know if I should empathise or be annoyed with them. Finally, there's the twist towards the end which come out of nowhere and was featured more as a surprise element in my opinion. This was an interesting case of character study from some aspect, but I felt Molly was wrongfully portrayed to suit the plot directions. Perhaps I was just sensitive but there are some readers who loved this book though, so I'd suggest you give this book a read and find out yourself.
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Hi, Melody! I've got this one on my To Read list. I'm intrigued by Molly. I'll have to let you know what I think of this one when I get a chance to read it. :)
I don't know how or why Molly kept her info to herself. Would have had the crime solved much faster.
Hi Melody, that green cover art is quite different, not sure I like it :) Sorry you did not love this one , I thought it was rather fun.
Lark - Molly was a wonderful character. I'm curious to hear what you'll think of this when you get to it, Lark. :)
Harvee - That's what I thought too, Harvee.
Diane - I didn't like the cover, but at least it's eye-catching. It's always interesting to read other readers' views even though our opinions are different. :)
I thought this sounded interesting at first because yes, I liked the idea of another book like Eleanor Oliphant- the character is intriguing. But the more reviews I read of this one the more I wonder if I would actually like it, as murder mysteries are not my thing!
Jeane - It was a character-driven story, but then it was also a murder mystery though some would classify it more as a cozy mystery.
I enjoyed The Maid but can definitely see your points. For me, I think much of it had to do with the timing and what I was in the mood for when I read it. I love your version of the cover!
Wendy - Yes, absolutely! Our mood and the timing definitely play a part in our book choices and emotions, isn't it.