The Maid Book Club Questions: Perfect for 2023

The Maid Summary

Molly Gray is a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. She loves the order that comes with her job and the anonymity of wearing her maid uniform. Her grandmother died recently and as a result, Molly is having a difficuly time navigating social situations on her own. She has trouble understanding social behavior and had become accustomed to using her grandmother as a sounding board and for guidance with complex social scenarios.

Molly takes a lot of pride in her work so when she arrives to clean the penthouse on the fourth floor and she finds Giselle Black looking very upset, she agrees to come back later and clean the room. When she does, she finds Mr. Black dead on the bed. She immediately calls her boss, Mr. Snow, to tell him about the body.

It turns out the Black family may have been in trouble with fraud. It is clear throughout the book that Molly has trusting and naive which means we are not surprised when Molly becomes the main suspect in the murder. We know that Molly has been inadvertently cleaning the rooms to cover up the shady drug deals of Rodney the bartender.

After Molly is arrested, she calls Mr. Preston who is able to get his daughter Charlotte to help Molly. Charlotte is a lawyer. This is the point in the story when Molly starts to see the people in her life that love and care for her as well as the people who are using and manipulating her.

The Maid by Nita Prose: The Maid book club questions. — The Maid Book Club Questions: Perfect for 2023 9

The Maid Ending (With Small Spoilers)

There are many suspects in the murder of Mr. Black. Giselle is the wife and the usual first suspect in a murder investigation. Rodney, is Giselle’s boyfriend and is very shady with his drug operation. Molly is a suspect because she found the body.

Rodney is arrested and Molly testifies at his trial and afterwards receives a wire transfer from Giselle. We know that the wrong person is going to jail but did you guess who the real murderer is?

Did you guess The Maid ending? What about the twists? I did not put all the information here because if you read it, you know and if you didnt- why are you spoiling the book for yourself?

The Maid Book Club Questions (Small Spoilers)

Molly is socially awkward, has poor social skills, and has a unique way of speaking. The author never explicitly states whether Molly is socially awkward, neurodivergent, or Autistic. What do you think? Do you think these traits are strictly disadvantages or do they give her advantages in some areas?
Molly depended on Gran to help her interpret the world. What changed after Gran died? How did Gran’s rules help Molly?
The book is purposefully vague about the city and country where the story takes place. Why do you think the author did that? Where do you picture the story and why?
Molly becomes the main suspect in the murder investigation. Why? Do you think if she have behaved differently, she would have been the only suspect?
How do you feel about Giselle? Do you think Molly and Giselle were friends or was Giselle pretending?
How did you feel about Molly’s relationship with Juan Manuel? Was there anything that surprised you?
Who did you think was responsible for Mr. Black’s death? Were you surprised?
The Maid by Nita Prose is becoming a movie with the date TBD. Florence Pugh has been cast as Molly. How do you feel about this choice? Who did you see in the role?
SPOILERS BELOW
At the end of the book, there is a hint that Mr. Preston is Molly’s grandfather. What do you think? Why do you think this question was not answered in the book?
In the end, we discover that Molly helped cover up a crime and knew a lot more than she let on. She lied to the police to help a killer go free. Do you agree with her choices? Did these actions change the way you felt about Molly?

Shop for the Maid by Nita Prose

Book Recommendations: What to Read After The Maid by Nita Prose:

The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood

Judith is a 77-year-old crossword puzzle author who enjoys her quiet life with her whiskey in her dilapidated mansion in Marlow. When she is out skinny dipping one nice in the Thames, she hears her neighbor get shot.

The police think nothing is awry so Judith takes to investigating. Soon, there are two more murders and Judith unknowingly brings two more people into the investigation with her- Suzie, the dog walker, and Becks, the vicar’s wife.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It was witty and funny, and I enjoyed every minute. I am looking forward to the next book in this series that is perfect for our list of ultimate beach reads 2023.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this contemporary fiction book initially. Eleanor bugged me in a way that I could not identify. She is not supposed to be likable initially which is why I persevered and I ended up loving the book and Eleanor.

As we get to know Eleanor and understand her profound loneliness, it made me think about what initial judgments I make in other areas. Eleanor is able to find herself and understand herself in this wonderful, feel-good book. If you are looking for books similar to lessons in chemistry, this book is a 5-star pick.

Eleanor has difficulty with social skills and is used to being alone until one day, she saves an elderly man who has fallen with the help of Raymond from her work. The three develop a friendship that is able to help heal Eleanor.

If you loved this book, check out our list of Books Like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine or Books Like A Man Called Ove. We are also so happy to include this on our list of books about Scotland.