Have you ever regretted reading a book ā which one and why?
There are books I remember loving, books I remember hating, and then there are books where I remember almost nothing except the overwhelming feeling ofĀ why did I finish that?
Alex MichaelidesāĀ The MaidensĀ falls firmly into the third category.
I read this book a few years ago, so this is hardly a fresh reaction. But every now and then, I come across the title and remember that I actually sat through the entire thing. And whatās especially telling is that my entire review at the time consisted of three words:Ā āDisappointing at best.ā
Thatās it. No detailed analysis. No passionate rant. Just disappointment.
But there are a few things I do remember. The writing wasĀ so boring. The protagonist was unbearable, which made spending the entire book in her head feel like a chore. And despite the title,Ā The MaidensĀ themselves were barely characters in the story. Considering theyāre supposed to be central to the entire mystery, I remember being surprised by how little I actually cared about any of them.
And then there was the twist.
I wasnāt shocked. I wasnāt stunned. I wasnāt frantically reconsidering everything I had just read. I was basically sitting there thinking,Ā Okayā¦ and?
The worst part is that I didnāt even DNF it. I stuck with it until the end, presumably hoping that the payoff would redeem everything that came before it.
It didnāt.
Years later, I may not remember every detail ofĀ The Maidens, but apparently I remember enough to know that my original ādisappointing at bestā review was incredibly generous.