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pixelited's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Overall an inspiring story and an easy read. I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed that the author herself read it, it felt much more genuine and like she was recounting her life to you personally.
Growing up low-income, I could relate to some of the problems that Stephanie Land dealt with, and it has made me appreciate the efforts that my parents must have went through for my brother and I. The way that Land described her experiences made it easy to be in her shoes and feel what she was feeling in that moment. It made you feel much more connected with her and her story.
I am happy that she has found success after all of the hardships she endured, and I certainly would recommend this novel to anyone!
Growing up low-income, I could relate to some of the problems that Stephanie Land dealt with, and it has made me appreciate the efforts that my parents must have went through for my brother and I. The way that Land described her experiences made it easy to be in her shoes and feel what she was feeling in that moment. It made you feel much more connected with her and her story.
I am happy that she has found success after all of the hardships she endured, and I certainly would recommend this novel to anyone!
cactuswildflower's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
I borrowed this memoir from the library having previously watched the Netflix miniseries of the same name. I knew what to expect and felt the miniseries followed the book reasonably closely. Stephanie writes at times with loathing about her life as a cleaner but she never gives up; she doesn’t have that choice. Whilst the book could be triggering for those living in poverty and having to navigate the welfare system, sadly Stephanie's story is not unique. I liked the way chapters revolved around the occupants of different houses and some of the stories she shared about them. In some cases I wanted to learn more about these people, but the book was not about them. Stephanie is a strong, determined and resilient person and reading this has reminded me to practice gratitude and appreciation, and of the benefit of taking risks and never giving up on your dreams.
Content Warnings
Could be triggering content for those struggling with their own welfare/mental health issues.
zinelib's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
4.25
I read these books out of order, having started with Class and followed up with Maid. In Class, Land talks about a professor calling her writing relentless, and I can see why. Maid shows how inescapable poverty is. Land is always one car accident or daughter's illness away from homelessness. In fact, when the book starts, she is transitioning out of a homeless shelter, and her middle class safety net, her mother is being a total dick to her. The mom and stepdad go out to lunch with Stephanie and expect her to pay. When she says she can't, that all she can cover is her own hamburger, they take her last $10 for it.
I hire a housecleaner sometimes, and after listening to Land talk about the work, I'm going to seriously reconsider the work I ask them to do and consider giving exorbitant tips.
I hire a housecleaner sometimes, and after listening to Land talk about the work, I'm going to seriously reconsider the work I ask them to do and consider giving exorbitant tips.
emmyslovelylibrary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
ashleykritzer's review against another edition
5.0
“Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive” is a memoir of the time writer Stephanie Land spent as a housecleaner in Washington State, barely eking out a living in exchange for backbreaking work.
Land’s story is an important one, giving readers a glimpse of the true physical, mental and emotional strain of living in poverty. Land is a gifted writer and storyteller, and there are many poignant moments in the book — like when a private client pays her $100 in cash and she’s joyfully able to buy her daughter a Happy Meal. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring, and gives a voice to so many millions of people fighting the same battles, unable to break free from the hamster wheel of poverty.
I highly recommend this to everyone, from those who’ve been there to those who don’t have a clue about the precarious balance so many “invisible” workers like Land must strike every day just to continue to exist.
“Maid” will be released on Jan. 22.
Thank you to Hachette Books for providing an advanced reader copy of “Maid.” Opinions are my own.
Land’s story is an important one, giving readers a glimpse of the true physical, mental and emotional strain of living in poverty. Land is a gifted writer and storyteller, and there are many poignant moments in the book — like when a private client pays her $100 in cash and she’s joyfully able to buy her daughter a Happy Meal. Her story is heartbreaking and inspiring, and gives a voice to so many millions of people fighting the same battles, unable to break free from the hamster wheel of poverty.
I highly recommend this to everyone, from those who’ve been there to those who don’t have a clue about the precarious balance so many “invisible” workers like Land must strike every day just to continue to exist.
“Maid” will be released on Jan. 22.
Thank you to Hachette Books for providing an advanced reader copy of “Maid.” Opinions are my own.
bsmith27's review against another edition
3.0
A good story of a woman who finds herself pregnant and single. To make ends meet she becomes a cleaner. It is a story of overcoming trauma. The author doesn't acknowledge some of the positives in her life like the man she lives with and helps her out several times after their relationship ends.
lovelykd's review against another edition
This book took forever to finish because 1) the tone often came across as bitter, whiny, and defeatist, and 2) Land’s continual practice of making very bad decisions, typically in the name of creating a family unit, even in the face of common sense and facts, was more than I could stomach.
How do you cheer for a woman who’s so obsessed with finding a husband she feels okay accepting less for herself?
Both Jamie (her daughter’s father) and Travis (her longtime “boyfriend”) treat her like garbage, and yet, she’s willing to overlook their abusive behavior if it means she’ll have a chance to “look” respectable in the eyes of society.
She constantly laments over how sad it made her to see other family units; how their very presence made her feel like a failure—or grossly inferior. How she longed for anything approaching a relationship because of how it would, potentially, legitimize her motherhood and make her more acceptable to those around her.
I cringed when she spoke about how she was so lonely during one particular birthday she asked her abusive ex to spend the night—just so she’d have a warm body to snuggle up with and hold on to.
Ugh. Seriously??
Then there’s the unnecessarily detailed explanations of the houses she cleaned.
Perhaps others long to know the details of her encounters with vomit-stained toilets, blood-stained unmentionables, and crap-stained carpets, but it was a no for me.
There’s a small amount of attention given to the poverty aspect, but it comes mostly in the form of how it made her feel to know she was dependent on the government to live and provide; it was also delivered in the same whiny, woe is me, tone that made me want to skim to the end/stop reading altogether.
I swear I spent the majority of this book wanting her to just do something other than sit at the table with her pity hat on. Especially since so much of what plagued her progress was self-inflicted.
For a lot of reasons, some of which are personal (I grew up around single moms and am the product of a single parent home), this book infuriated, more than, inspired me.
Thank you to Edelweiss for an Advanced eGalley of this book.
How do you cheer for a woman who’s so obsessed with finding a husband she feels okay accepting less for herself?
Both Jamie (her daughter’s father) and Travis (her longtime “boyfriend”) treat her like garbage, and yet, she’s willing to overlook their abusive behavior if it means she’ll have a chance to “look” respectable in the eyes of society.
She constantly laments over how sad it made her to see other family units; how their very presence made her feel like a failure—or grossly inferior. How she longed for anything approaching a relationship because of how it would, potentially, legitimize her motherhood and make her more acceptable to those around her.
I cringed when she spoke about how she was so lonely during one particular birthday she asked her abusive ex to spend the night—just so she’d have a warm body to snuggle up with and hold on to.
Ugh. Seriously??
Then there’s the unnecessarily detailed explanations of the houses she cleaned.
Perhaps others long to know the details of her encounters with vomit-stained toilets, blood-stained unmentionables, and crap-stained carpets, but it was a no for me.
There’s a small amount of attention given to the poverty aspect, but it comes mostly in the form of how it made her feel to know she was dependent on the government to live and provide; it was also delivered in the same whiny, woe is me, tone that made me want to skim to the end/stop reading altogether.
I swear I spent the majority of this book wanting her to just do something other than sit at the table with her pity hat on. Especially since so much of what plagued her progress was self-inflicted.
For a lot of reasons, some of which are personal (I grew up around single moms and am the product of a single parent home), this book infuriated, more than, inspired me.
Thank you to Edelweiss for an Advanced eGalley of this book.