"The Maidens" is about Mariana, a psychotherapist still grieving the loss of her husband, who gets involved in a murder mystery. Her niece calls her one night to tell her her best friend's been murdered; it happened at Cambridge where she's currently studying, and where Mariana studied over a decade ago.
First thing: this book excels as a gripping mystery thriller. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop.
Second thing: I wasn't able to guess how things would end, at all, and I would be surprised to find out if anyone had.
I'm still a little thrown. The way the book ends recontextualizes the entire thing, so I feel like I need to read it again before forming a concrete opinion. I'll say that I enjoyed it on my first read, despite some plot conveniences that stuck out to me, and despite being a bit let down by the epilogue. I'm also wondering if this story was best served by having Mariana as pretty much the sole perspective in the story, or if there was a better story here overall... Despite the title, the story isn't really about that group of girls, and that was part of the initial draw for me.
One last thing: Michaelides introduced the main character of "The Silent Patient" in this book for basically no reason other than the fact that he would be recognized by the reader. I personally find this sort of thing the height of egotism.
First thing: this book excels as a gripping mystery thriller. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop.
Second thing: I wasn't able to guess how things would end, at all, and I would be surprised to find out if anyone had.
I'm still a little thrown. The way the book ends recontextualizes the entire thing, so I feel like I need to read it again before forming a concrete opinion. I'll say that I enjoyed it on my first read, despite some plot conveniences that stuck out to me, and despite being a bit let down by the epilogue. I'm also wondering if this story was best served by having Mariana as pretty much the sole perspective in the story, or if there was a better story here overall... Despite the title, the story isn't really about that group of girls, and that was part of the initial draw for me.
One last thing: Michaelides introduced the main character of "The Silent Patient" in this book for basically no reason other than the fact that he would be recognized by the reader. I personally find this sort of thing the height of egotism.