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    A Drowned Maiden's Hair
    A Drowned Maiden's Hair
    A Drowned Maiden's Hair
    Audiobook8 hours

    A Drowned Maiden's Hair

    Written by Laura Amy Schlitz

    Narrated by Alma Cuervo

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Laura Amy Schlitz delivers this Horn Book Fanfare and Cybils Award-winning best-seller that whisks 11-year-old Maud Flynn from a cold New England orphanage and into the stately mansion of three wealthy spinsters. After the Hawthorne sisters adopt her in 1909, they tell her she's their secret child. She must remain indoors at all times and must never stand in front of windows. Since these old ladies treat her so well, Maud doesn't mind their restrictions. But she does wonder what could possibly require such secrecy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 6, 2008
    ISBN9781440799716
    A Drowned Maiden's Hair
    Author

    Laura Amy Schlitz

    Laura Amy Schlitz is a librarian and storyteller in Baltimore County, USA. She has worked as a costumer, actress and playwright, and her plays for young people have been produced in theatres all over the county. She has been awarded the Newbery Medal and numerous other literary awards. She is a New York Times bestselling author.

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    Reviews for A Drowned Maiden's Hair

    4/5

    238 ratings35 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This look into the world of the Victorians and their deep intrest in spiritualism and the supernatural is interensting and a bit creepy. There were times when the story was a bit slow and difficult (first time I've come across the word mucilaginous in my reading) but overall an interesting read.
    • 4/5
      If you loved Frances Hodgson Burnett's _A Little Princess_, you'll find this book even more charming, engrossing, and moving, largely because of its self-aware nods to that sort of Victorian/Edwardian orphan/foundling literature. There are cheeky references to other novels from that genre: Maud, our 11-year-old heroine, notes that Little Lord Fauntleroy "was so perfect that the adults around him spent every spare minute comparing notes on just how perfect he was," while Horatio Alger's Ragged Dick is "so honest and many and cheerful that Maud wanted to slap him." The humor balances a suspenseful tale of Maud's involvement in a spiritualism scam after she's adopted by sisters who claim to be mediums and need a child to reel in a wealthy client. This was a real page-turner, with well-developed characters and emotional depth. Schlitz does a beautiful job of capturing Maud's conflicting feelings as she slowly discovers that her new guardians aren't what they appear to be.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this one. The ending was a bit predictable yes, but it was such an interesting idea and you can't help but cheer poor Maude on.
    • 4/5
      The reading of this book was a true pleasure. The plot was formulaic but not completely predictable, and perfectly satisfying. The characterizations and settings were imaginative and believable. I especially loved Muffet and her relationship with Maud. Flawed, believable, and likable characters, and a fun gothic plot! What more could you ask?
    • 4/5
      Narrated by Alma Cuervo. I put this on expecting an undersea fantasy saga (the audiobook illustration looks nothing like the book) and instead got an orphan saga that was a far better story than I expected! Maud Flynn has lived in a miserable New England orphanage when her singing attracts the attention of an old, sweet lady named Hyacinth who has come with her stern sister Judith to adopt a girl. They end up bringing Maud home with them to their other sister Victoria. Maud loves Hyacinth; she is the one sister who treats her warmly. But Maud doesn't realize she wasn't adopted out of love but out of necessity: Hyacinth heads the sisters' seance business, scamming grieving parents out of their money by "contacting" their dead children, and Maud is needed to help pull off a lucrative scam on the rich Mrs. Lambert. The characters are all intriguing and distinctive including the unpredictable Hyacinth and the deaf Muffet who is the only woman in the house who cares about Maud. We learn along with Maud the different tricks to pulling off a seance, and soon we begin to realize what Maud hasn't detected: a slow-building tension that indicates all is not as it seems with her living situation. Alma Cuervo does a fantastic job as a reader, vividly bringing all the characters to life and feeding us the story with just the right emotional pitch depending on what is going on. Just terrific!
    • 5/5
      Maud Flynn is an orphan in an early 20th century asylum who is abruptly adopted by three spinster sisters, who have some odd rules for their new ward. She is to help them in their work, and to do that, she must be a secret child. Nobody can know that she is in their home. The only other inhabitant of the house is a partially crippled deaf/mute woman who cooks and cleans.The family business turns out to be the business of bilking gullible mourning people out of their money by putting on seances and pretending to contact their deceased loved ones.Maud learns a great deal through the course of the book. Learning that some people who might seem wonderful, are in fact horrors, and others, who might not seem much at all, are the best people in the world. The setting for the tale, America just at the dawn of the industrial age, is beautifully rendered.
    • 5/5
      I don't like ghost stories and I don't like stories where clever people get away with stealing and lying. This book was neither. And it was wonderful.
    • 4/5
      The words from the description, lively, engaging, intriguing, are apt. This is a lot of fun. Terrific orphan story too. Doesn't talk down to its juvenile audience, either. Should be more widely known & loved. Is it a little too long? Are good and bad, black and white, too confusing? I dunno. But if you like old-fashioned stories about girls, whether historical or not, orphan or not, paranormal or not, give this a try.
    • 4/5
      I picked this up at the recommendation of a co-worker when we were shelving returns a couple of weeks ago. Probably wouldn't have looked twice at it otherwise, but I really loved it. Maud was a very interesting, spunky main character. Everything around her came to life thanks to her unique perspective. She was both critical of her surroundings, while also desperate for love, which helped make her conflicted feelings and behaviors make more sense. I honestly didn't know what I was in for when I began the book, knowing nothing about it. As I continued reading though, I really loved getting to know the characters through Maud, and then changing my perspective as hers did. It was a very heartfelt, human story, and I really enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      While slow in places it was a very readable story of a young girl adopted by three eccentric sisters who take her from the world of her orphanage where she's treated badly; to be a secret child, hidden away from the public. Little does she know the plans the women have for her but it will strain her trust in people.It's an interesting story with a lot of twists and turns. Interesting and dream-like.
    • 5/5
      Loved it - read it in one sitting. Highly recommend.
    • 4/5
      Fine literature it was not but I loved this book. Ok so I figured out the plot and the end about halfway through but I still enjoyed every word. The characters really came alive which some of the best authors cannot accomplish. The plot was interesting and the setting was amazingly vibrant. This book whisks your imagination off to turn of the century New England where a group of spiritualists tried to bamboozle rich grieving individuals out of a lot of money. The sister spiritualists enlist the help of an orphan girl promising her a home.
      The plot had some great twists and the climax was a bit unexpected. Great quick read.
    • 4/5
      This was a really great story, classic in the theme and telling, but wholly original in the circumstances: mediums! seances! a secret child!
      I highly recommend.
    • 4/5
      Very enjoyable children's book with non-saccharine characters, especially the engagingly prickly protagonist.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      Maud is an orphan and not a particularly attractive one. Everyone, including Maud, is amazed when she is chosen by three wealthy sisters to be adopted, but it soon becomes obvious that Maud has been chosen for a reason. Schlitz has some amazingly deft turns of phrase and her plotting is tight. I felt a definite chill when a chapter ended with Maud dreaming of Caroline for the first time. This is an engrossing tale which I didn't want to put down.
    • 4/5
      A Drowned Maiden's Hair takes place in the early 1900's. The main character, Maud lives a life of neglect and poverty at an orphanage. At the beginning of the story Maud has been locked in the outhouse for her impertinent behavior. Rather than sulk about her punishment she makes the most of it by belting out the The Battle Hymn of the Republic. The Hawthorne sisters arrive at the orphanage looking to adopt a child and after hearing Maud's singing decide to take her home. This comes as a surprise to everyone including Maud herself. This is a fabulous story with a wonderful cast of characters. It has some of the biggest villains, Hyacinth Hawthorne, as well as some of the greatest heroes, Maud and Muffet.I would highly recommend this book to others.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      This one has all the elements that appeal to middle grade readers: orphans, betrayal, villains, and a few slightly supernatural elements tossed in. The story takes place in 1909, when Maud, a spunky girl living in an orphanage, gets a chance to change her life. The story really is a melodrama, though the villain is perhaps a bit more subtle than in your average melodrama. Even describing the plot of this one seems like a spoiler, so I'll avoid it, except to say that Maud is a resilient girl looking for a place to belong and trying to determine when the price of belonging becomes too high.
    • 3/5
      The story of a turn-of-the-(last)-century orphan who's adopted by three elderly ladies who make their living as fake psychics, and the choices she finds she has to make between loyalty and her conscience. Very well-written and characterised, but I don't know if it'll stay in print or be remembered a few years down the line.
    • 4/5
      This is about an orphan that was adopted by a weird lady. She is sweet to her...but there is something odd about her...what will happen? Something bad could be along with this story.
    • 5/5
      Personal Response:This was a very enjoyable read. The reader immediately identifies and sympathizes with Maud in her misery at the orphanage and her happiness in her new home. The author provides well rounded characters that are each unique and relevant. The readers feel poignantly the grief of Mrs. Hawthorn, the love of Muffet, and the deceit of the Hawthorn sisters. We watch Maud change from a defiant orphan to a conscientious child as she learns that actions have consequences.Curriculum Connections:History of spiritualism and effect on society
    • 3/5
      Nice mystery with a twist. I think it's a good tween, early teen book for girls.
    • 3/5
      At first I picked this book up because of the morbid title for a junior fiction read. Once I started reading - I could not stop. Very exciting and not as grotesque as I thought it would be. Fun story that leaves you with a good feeling at the end.
    • 5/5
      This book reflected into the life of an orphan who is adopted for reasons that she later finds out to be troublesome - she is to help three old spinsters work seances and other such things. Maud is a very wild girl, known to act on her own instincts, but what she really wants is love. THe only person who seems to give her any is the deaf and mute working woman Muffet. This story was well written and I found myself loving the little girl.
    • 4/5
      What an eerie little story! I loved it. The main character Maud has just the right amount of spunk—she's no Pippi Longstocking but she can take care of herself. As a lonely orphan, she starts out thinking that any attention is good attention, but she learns along the way that maybe it's not always worth the trade-off.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      As I often find with the books chosen for Vermont's Dorothy Canfield Fisher book award, I can't quite picture the child or young adult that might pick this book up -- but those who do will find a fascinating story of Spiritualism, willful girls, and what truly comprises love and family. Schlitz writes wonderfully of the time period, its dress, and attractions, and powerfully of how we all long for love and acceptance.
    • 5/5
      Maud is adopted by 3 sisters with an agenda. Very original historical fiction with gothic undertones.
    • 4/5
      Maud was the resident trouble-maker at Barbary Asylum, a girl's orphanage, when she is miraculously adopted by the Hawthorne sisters, a duo of seemingly wealthy spinsters. It really is too good to be true, though. Upon arrival at her new home, Maud overhears the third Hawthorne sister, who is upset by her arrival, argue that they should not have adopted her at all. Maud is also informed that she is to be their "secret child", and the affection she receives is based not on genuine love, but on the brilliance in which she plays a role in the eerie "family business". Maud struggles to gain the affections of the capricious Hyacinth Hawthorne, who hides a cruelness behind her charming smile, but the morality of her actions weigh heavily on Maud. Ultimately, Maud must decide whether the possibility of attaining a family's love is worth her moral corruption. One aspect I really enjoyed about this book is how characters seem very two-dimensional through Maud's eyes, but her role in deceiving grieving mourners forces her to grow up very quickly. In the process, she can finally see people for who they are, not just how they present themselves.This was a great story. It had me guessing and wasn't as predictable as some of the YA lit out there. In fact, I couldn't put the book down...