Miss Million's Maid

Two things surprised me with this book. First, there's a lot of class prejudice, aside from the workings of the story. The author tends to sneer at working people and generally makes them less attractive and less intelligent than the upper class characters. Second, she has a real problem with Jews. Her depictions of them are downright ugly. This really detracted from the "fun and froth" aspects of the book.

Silly book, silly plot about those who live life to the fullest and those that don't. Sounds like a yawner, but it has some redeeming features. It is at its best when, sporting a cheeky grin, it thumbs its nose at the pedantic, uptight Paragons of Virtue that so annoy the rest of us. Unless you are an uptight Paragon of Virtue, it will be worth a look. Enjoy!

The book is written from a 1st person POV. The heroine, Beatrice Lovelace, is noble in blood, but impoverished for some reason unmentioned. She thinks her life dull and meaningless, as dictated upon by her aunt.

Their maid, Nellie Million suddenly inherits one million dollars from a recently departed uncle in USA.

In desire for an independent, and self-sufficient life, Beatrice decides to work for Million as her lady-in-waiting.

GOOD: The book is pretty humorous. The grammar seems complicated at first, but it's actually pretty easy to read and understand. The plot is easy enough to follow as well.

The characters are easy to love, esp Jim Burke.

BAD: There were a lot of loopholes in the story. So many issues, questions, and other stuff raised but never actually looked into. And there were also some times when I felt exasperated with the author's trying-to-become-mysterious moments. There were times when she put too much information or detail or so many sentences on such a trivial matter. There were also tons of times when she planted something in our minds and didn't pay it off well. This would've worked had it been a good twist, but unfortunately it didn't do very well.

The characters also lack the feel of realism. Their characteristics and personalities right about change all the time, and sometimes simply don't make sense anymore. I felt love for only the two - Vi Vivacity, and Jim Burke - and even then I felt Jim Burke was like a poor replica of Rhett Butler from Gone with The Wind.

IN THE END, however, I more than liked the book. It was funny, crazy, and it wasn't very stressful to read. It made my heart flutter, made me laugh aloud, and I could barely put it down since so many things were happening all the time.

I recommend downloading this book and reading through it. It's easy enough to finish within a day, and to appreciate in two-three nights of reading.

Delightful! Full of fun . . .