The Maid's Version in Bookmarks Subscribers

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The Maid's Version

Daniel Woodrell

Start date: December 1, 2013

Finish date: January 31, 2014

Why we're reading this: Winner of Nov/Dec 2013 Bookmarks Selection Poll
[close] Winner of Nov/Dec 2013 Bookmarks Selection Poll

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Aug 01, 2013 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-books

Daniel Woodrell writes beautiful novels about sad situations. This time he has written about a dance hall fire which actually happened in 1939 in Missouri and made national news. He has moved it back to 1929 and set it in the fictional small town of West Table. West Table is like other small towns with both wealthy and poor living near each other, but separately. The fire and explosion bridges the gap between the wealthy and poor as the Saturday evening dance was attended by many townspeople reg ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Amanda rated it liked it

This was my first Woodrell book, and now I think I really have to go back and read Winter鈥檚 Bone. I still have to see the movie, but my inability to ever see movies is another story. Clearly this was not a happy book, I think you have to be in a mood for a dark story to read this. This is definitely the choppiest story that I have read in a really long time. I really enjoy multi-narrator books but this took me a while to get used to. Alma鈥檚 grandson, Alek, begins the story reminiscing of his sum This was my first Woodrell book, and now I think I really have to go back and read Winter鈥檚 Bone. I still have to see the movie, but my inability to ever see movies is another story. Clearly this was not a happy book, I think you have to be in a mood for a dark story to read this. This is definitely the choppiest story that I have read in a really long time. I really enjoy multi-narrator books but this took me a while to get used to. Alma鈥檚 grandson, Alek, begins the story reminiscing of his summer spent with his grandmother Alma and alluding to a rift between Alma and his father. The story follows Alek talking about his time with Alma; the town at the time of the explosion and the aftermath; and then focuses from Alma to her son, Alek鈥檚 father. Interspersed with the story are very brief chapters focusing on the other victims of the explosion. Other reviewers complained that these stories were just depressing, but I thought they really humanized the story and made it much more than a story of one family. Oddly though I think I would have liked more of those snap shot stories as there were so many victims and most were unknown.

This is a story of the haves vs the have-nots in a small town in the Depression. The dance hall that explodes is one place where everyone was able to be despite their position in town and so victims came from all classes, but those in power in the town were able to move on in a way the powerless were not. The gypsies, the family of the St. Louis mobster were all sent out of town, while the others involved in the explosion lived on relatively undisturbed which was disturbing as an observer. I was afraid reading this that there would be no definitive story of what happened, so I was glad that Woodrell did not leave the mystery unsolved. On the other hand, I felt like the story just ended. You know what happened, but that鈥檚 it. I wanted some resolution in the end, maybe the word to spread, I don鈥檛 quite know. I guess I will have to be satisfied that there was an ending at least!
3 Stars

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Feb 01, 2014 Kirsten rated it liked it

Had high hopes for this one so I was disappointed. I only found the main character, Alma, interesting. I loved the writing though. Alma's grandson Alek interviews her (present day) about an explosion in a dance hall in 1929 that killed many people in the town. Who might be to blame. Interesting flashbacks. Most of the characters and overall story, meh. ...more

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Aug 21, 2013 Nancy Motto rated it really liked it

Read this over the week end. I'm giving it four stars because the author really gives you a sense of place and the hardscrabble lives these people live. I'm not sure how I feel about the different characters itself because it was over in only 167 pages and it usually takes more pages/story for me to form my opinion.
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