Beware of some spoilers but also I’m only halfway into the book so please dont bring up any pivotal plot moments (if there are any).
I loved the netflix series Maid and I decided I would read the book because of it. I thought it was alright, kind of an average and redundant writing style but I admired her story. When I found out the sequel – Class – was coming out I grabbed it as soon as I could and I have been reading it for a couple days now. I cant even explain how big of a disappointment it is. The amount of vulgarity in her language when it adds absolutely nothing to the plot almost enrages me (the soaking brought up for absolutely no reason, the random romantic flings that she refers to as fuck buddies, the amount of fucks and dicks when it isnt warranted). Dont get me wrong, I’m 22 I have absolutely nothing against that sort of language but it genuinely does nothing for the book and adds no value nor emphasis.
Another thing I cant stand is the repetition. If I have to read something along the lines of “my torn dirty nasty muddy carhartt pants” and “I’m not like the other moms cause I have tattoos” I’ll go insane. Like why does she need to add carhartt in front of every clothing she describes ? To further prove shes not like the other moms and girls? In the first book, Maid, I really enjoyed the insight she brought in with the different houses she cleaned and the invisible nature of her work. It made up for the repetitive writing. So far, halfway through Class, there is no insight or reflection or any critical thought.
Lastly, some random thoughts that are not real criticisms but just me being nosy – why does she not talk to her brother? I know her family has a really disconnected relationship but why not reach out to your only sibling if only for some conversation once in a while? And why does she only refer to her daughter as Emilia now? In the first book she made such a point to call her Mia and said her dad to only called her Emilia cause Mia was a nickname given by Stephanie. She tells doctors and teachers that its actually Mia. The only thing I can think of is her daughter now prefers emilia? I just think the book is overall lacking so much substance and its like reading the raw, unfiltered diary of an odd 16 year old rather than a 35 year old mom with a fully developed brain.
Also, I feel like she trusts the most random people to watch Emilia? I can understand the college roommates who would watch her for a few hours when stephanie was in class or working. But trusting your friends to take your 6 year old for a weekend hike without you? And also getting so mad when her abusive dad wouldn’t pick her up for the summer? Like I understand that she wants a break but the dad was always very clear that he did not want nor was he ready for a child.
Anyway, if anyone read this very long post I would love to know your thoughts.
by Dizzy-Garage9258
1 Comment
She made a big deal of her Carhartts in her first book too! I remember because I’d never heard of the brand but she treated it like part of her identity. That, or she has a sponsorship.
Stephanie Land has some issues, and the pity for her books is that she has seemingly no self awareness about them. Her first book explored *some* aspects of poverty well, but she’s also not a particularly good person to tell these stories imo because it’s not generational poverty, or the result of disability* or teen pregnancy or something, it seems to be more that she squandered the late teens/early 20s years when she could’ve been getting an education and work experience before having kids, *and* burned bridges with her family, *and* consistently made bad decisions around men that made her life much harder. An introspective memoir that examines why she did all that could be great but she writes these furiously defensive pieces about how everything wrong in her life is someone else’s fault. Or at least that’s my take from Maid (which did at least have its moments), and a couple of her articles, so I’m not gonna read Class, which seems to have gotten a worse reception.
/* Based on some things she’s published elsewhere and her decision making I think she definitely has some mental health struggles, but if so they go unacknowledged in everything I’ve read from her.