Sixteen-year-old Katya Spivak is out for a walk on the gracious streets of Bayhead Harbor with her two summer babysitting charges when shes classic...
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Jan 28, 2012
Anne
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I read some of the other reviews before writing mine. I haven't read many of JCO's previous novels or short stories so I didn't know what to expect from this book. I read it as an adult fairy tale. I felt for Katya, a girl who had so little experience of beauty for its own sake that she had no context in which to place Mr. Kidder or his world, hence her amabivalence and the rolling of the dice theme. Certainly she had no experience of being loved or appreciated simply for the fact that she w
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Dec 11, 2011
When I told a stranger in a cafe' my inner qualms about reading almost exclusively male fiction writers and my unsuccessful quest to read more women, the stranger suggested I read Joyce Carol Oates. It turns out the public library here has quite a selection of Oates. I chose A Fair Maiden rather randomly, and read it in just a few days. The suspense is grabbing. The writing, though... rather than relish the telling of the story, I found myself mostly just wanting to know what happened. That's an
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Aug 08, 2010
Bleak! But what'd I expect? After all, Joyce Carol Oates is not Maeve Binchy. She sure knows her way around invoking an atmosphere, though. The themes here are pretty worn around the edges, for Oates and for literature in general. Nevertheless, you find yourself rooting for Katya, and genuinely grieving for her, and hoping that everything will be all right-- although, this being JCO, you know that's not bloody likely. The end becomes pretty predictable pretty quickly. It's just as well that this
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Apr 08, 2010
Laurie
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A strange story by an author who has made thousands of fans by writing about strange things.
Katya Spivek, 16, is from a low class family. She is spending the summer in a high class beach enclave, working as a live-in nanny for a rich couple. Her employers seem to regard Katya as a possession -albeit a disposable one. One day, window shopping on the way to taking the children to the park, she meets Marcus Kidder, a long time resident who considers himself far above the new people lik More...
Katya Spivek, 16, is from a low class family. She is spending the summer in a high class beach enclave, working as a live-in nanny for a rich couple. Her employers seem to regard Katya as a possession -albeit a disposable one. One day, window shopping on the way to taking the children to the park, she meets Marcus Kidder, a long time resident who considers himself far above the new people lik More...
Mar 15, 2010
Valerie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 23, 2010
RNOCEAN
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Sixteen-year-old Katya Spivak is out for a walk on the gracious streets of Bayhead Harbor with her two summer babysitting charges when she’s approached by silver-haired, elegant Marcus Kidder. At first his interest in her seems harmless, even pleasant; like his name, a sort of gentle joke. His beautiful home, the children’s books he’s written, his classical music, the marvelous art in his study, his lavish presents to her — Mr. Kidder’s life couldn’t be more different from Katya’s drab working-c
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Feb 23, 2010
Karen
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It's been awhile since I've updated my goodreads and I am pleased to start with JCO's newest (slim) novel, A Fair Maiden which I liked all the way up to the very last chapter, which confused me. Despite the sense of uncertainty I got from that last chapter, the rest of this book was smooth sailing--beautiful writing, near perfect characterization (almost said "characters" but the word "perfect" wouldn't fit them), a building dread as the plot unfolds a. . . friendship? lov
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May 17, 2010
Andrea
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As with all of the Joyce Carol Oates novels I have read, I must say she is a fabulous, gifted writer - you can actually see her characters and feel the atmosphere she writes of.
This is the story of a 16 year old nanny - she is from a poor family of swindelers and is happy to be working and living with a wealthy family on the Jersey shore for the summer. She is caring for he young children and feeding the ducks one day when she is approached by an elderly gentleman who invites them More...
This is the story of a 16 year old nanny - she is from a poor family of swindelers and is happy to be working and living with a wealthy family on the Jersey shore for the summer. She is caring for he young children and feeding the ducks one day when she is approached by an elderly gentleman who invites them More...
Jan 14, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
I tore through this novella in about three days, unable to put it down, dying to see "what happens". JCO drew me in, made me uncomfortable and edgy all the way, and then left me disappointed at the end. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of A Fair Maiden. It doesn't help that I read it fast on the heels of seeing Catherine Breillat's controversial film Fat Girl (A Ma Soeur), which deals with a similar theme, although with far less subtlety.
From the very start, Oate More...
From the very start, Oate More...
Jan 30, 2011
Salma
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At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I think Joyce Carol Oates had Little Red Riding Hood in mind when she wrote this. Fairy tale references are scattered throughout the book like breadcrumbs. We meet sixteen-year-old blond, tan-legged Katya (aka Cinderella or Snow White), who is working as a nanny for the rich Engelhardts on a New Jersey beach. She doesn't have an evil stepmother, but she does have a mother who prefers gambling and drinking to paying attention to her children. Enter Marcus Kid
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Apr 20, 2011
Kasandra
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This is well-written in terms of the language and description and the steadily increasing creepiness and power dynamic coming to light. However, I found much of the story unbelievable by so far a margin that it was hard to surrender completely to the tale (the housekeeper & chauffeur both behave so fantastically.... the parents hiring the nanny are sketchily drawn and unbelievably oblivious.... the mother is intriguing but never really painted fully... the cousin disappears too neatly.... the ol
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Oct 14, 2010
Penelope
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An intriguing story, although sometimes pretty horrific. I found Katya kind of perplexing at times...but I guess that's how teenagers are anyway. I thought she was an interesting character although I'm not sure I felt much sympathy for her. I felt more sympathy for Mr. Kidder, until it was revealed that he was also somewhat sinister and manipulative himself. Both were pitiful in their own ways and constantly battled for control while hiding their own vulnerability...I found the power-play th
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Jun 29, 2011
tinne
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I found this book in an Italian bookshop and did not buy it. Mistake: I regretted it the minute I left the shop. So when I returned home, I tracked it down and it turned out as chilling as I thought it was. A thrilling read indeed.
The reasons to go out and buy this book now are ample: the characters, Katya and Mr Kidder are poignantly sketched and it is impossible not to get drawn into Katya's inner world and empathize with her. And when she becomes more acquainted with Mr Kidder, y More...
The reasons to go out and buy this book now are ample: the characters, Katya and Mr Kidder are poignantly sketched and it is impossible not to get drawn into Katya's inner world and empathize with her. And when she becomes more acquainted with Mr Kidder, y More...
May 26, 2010
Lisa
rated it:
I'm pretty sure that whatever JCO wanted to say with this novel was not what I heard. If it was, that's even worse. Elaborating on this would be disclosing too much... Both Katya and Marcus Kidder were pretty unsympathetic characters in my opinion. Their relationship was disturbing, based soley on manipulation. But the novel was really interesting. I thought the book was really well written. JCO is a really good writer; this is far from my first meeting with Oates. I find that with Oates i
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Feb 09, 2010
Laura
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I've heard so much about this author, I can't believe I waited this long to try out some Oates! She did an incredible job of writing the female protagonist, Katya; very effortlessly describing the angst, selfishness, and general vanity of a teenage girl. I certainly wasn't expecting this novel to turn into what it did; I was expecting a more modernized Lolita. Oates drops those breadcrumbs to distract you from Mr. Kidder's slightly more sinister intentions. Even if that had been the only directi
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Mar 16, 2011
Charlotte
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An interesting examination of the psychology of a girl on the cusp of adulthood, yet so far from a true understanding of adult choices and thoughts and their ramifications. Abused in various ways since childhood, the heroine also lost her father early on. She is unknowingly on a quest, interacting with men, attempting to evaluate and measure their reactions and actions toward her, allowing them to define her and her identification with the world. She seeks answers to these questions: what is abu
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Nov 14, 2011
Sunny
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I usually love everything Joyce Carol Oates writes, but this was one of her lesser efforts. She is such a prolific writer....she pretty much lands on the bullseye with most books....but with such a large body of work, she's bound to miss once in awhile. I listened to the 5 CDs of this sad tale of a Jersey teen who gets in over her head with an old rich man, while being a nanny for a family at the Jersey shore. It's all been done before and we hear every thought in Katia's pretty little mind, wh
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Apr 14, 2010
Felicity
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This might be a good book, but I really didn't like it. Joyce Carol Oates can certainly write which is a lot more than can be said about a number of both the good and bad books I've read in the past year. But reading about female victimization, framed in the manner that it is in this book, brings me no joy. Yes, Katya does use her sexuality as a tool of exploitation too. But that's because it's all she knows how to do. And, she's fifteen. It's the responsibility of the adults around Katya
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Mar 11, 2010
Debs
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Oates is always a bit hit or miss for me; I've always preferred her short stories to her novels/novellas. That being said, if you handed me this book without any form of identification and asked me to name the author, I would probably have gotten it in one or two guesses. Oates has a very particular style and the same themes of gender, sexuality and power run through all of her works that I've read.
More than anything, Oates' observations regarding female/male relationships and cul More...
More than anything, Oates' observations regarding female/male relationships and cul More...
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Sep 30, 2010
Cathy
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I read the reviews of this book before posting my own, and I'm surprised by how negative they are. I mean, it's not a perfect book. If Goodreads had a 1/2 star system, I would have given it 4 1/2. The story is engrossing. The people are horrible and freaky. Katya is self-serving and manipulative, and so emotionally immature. Marcus Kidder is a creepy old man. But oh, how they are portrayed. I know if I met these people on the street, I would see them the way they are, but their inability
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Jan 11, 2010
Renee
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Sixteen-year-old Katya Spivak and elderly (grand father-age) Marcus Kidder share a bizarre romance in Oates's derivative and unpolished new novel.Katya comes from a dysfunctional family thus the kind attention Kidder shows is initially a refreshing welcoming. Their odd courting is slow at first, but after Katya accepts Mr. Kidder's money to help her mother pay off a debt, things accelerate. Katya and Mr. Kidder's final meeting reveals Mr. Kidder's true intention for Katya, but the revelation is
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Jan 24, 2010
Carol
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This is a compelling and seductive read about a teenage girl and an older man. A relatively short novel, I was drawn into the story, dragging dread and impending doom along with each chapter. Having met this persistent and cultured older man, it is apparent from the beginning that this young woman is headed for trouble, but she senses that and then excuses it over and over again. But what will happen and who is yet to be harmed or ruined? The driving force of the book is the suspense riding
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May 19, 2010
Chris
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After half a dozen short stories and three of her novels, I'm still not sure what I think of Joyce Carol Oates. Part of me thinks she is brilliant, and part of me thinks she is lazy for trodding over and over the heightened violence so many are capable of. Granted, all stories involve characters in the midst of a crap heap, yet Oates tends to pile it on, thick and brutally--so much so that it can grow tiresome.
On the other hand, she has yet to loose my interest. I never drift from h More...
On the other hand, she has yet to loose my interest. I never drift from h More...
Jan 13, 2012
Kelly Jo
rated it:
Sometimes it's so hard to like stories by Joyce Carol Oates. They are so well written, so engaging, but so sick and twisted. I gave this book three stars, but it deserves more. A GR friend said she felt it was a Red Riding Hood like story, but I find it more like Beauty and the Beast (the real one, not the Disney version). Either way, it's a disgusting predatory male story that left me slightly nauseated. This one will remain on my list of most disturbing books, and so I just can't rate it high
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Jul 15, 2010
Vivienne
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Beautifully written, disturbing, compelling, heart-breaking.
This is my second work by Oates and I found it a fascinating character study. There was much to meditate upon in the relationship between Katya and Marcus and a certain fairy-tale like quality throughout.
It touched on memories of my own relationship with a powerful, creative older man when I was in my 20s. I wasn't a minor but there still were some strange dynamics as he considered me his soulmate and I fel More...
Mar 24, 2010
Alecia
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I am giving this 3 stars over 2 stars because of JCO's always terrific prose. This novella is definitely weird and creepy. The pairing of the grandfatherly rich guy and 16 year old summer nanny is off-putting. But once again, as in most of her work, you are drawn in by the power of her writing. The story itself is not a terrific success, but it was a good read. I cannot believe how much work this prolific writer puts out, as it just seems to pour out of her. Astounding, even though some works ar
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Jul 03, 2010
Katie
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This book made me understand why some people hate Joyce Carol Oates. While the story was pretty interesting - until her "deus ex machina" at the end, she might want to recognize that she alienates some readers by using the phrase "her flat, nasal south jersey accent sounded accusing" no less than 12 times in 244 pages. Oh, and I don't know where she got it in her head that vineland and glassboro are the scum of the earth, but I'm pretty sure there not. All in all, this book j
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Jun 06, 2010
Jessie
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Oates captures the heart of being adrift as a young female in a world of predators who feed off of neediness and romanticism as it gets caught up in the sexualization of the girl child. All of her characters are complex and real. Katya is every girl who has been without the right kind of love, trying to prove her worth and hoping ferevently that her instincts are wrong all the while using her gritty wits to take what she can from her own exploitation.
Jan 16, 2012
Marilynn
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This is my first time reading Joyce Carol Oates. Based on this book alone, I won't read any others by her. "Fair Maiden" reads like a pedophiles favorite. Even reading just the first one or two pages of each chapter did nothing to improve the book. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Sadly, my library listed this book as 'Mystery'. Only reason I started to read it. Now I will go find a real Mystery to take away the bad feeling this book caused.
Jul 17, 2011
Michaelangelo
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Oh I got this book on audio CD and I actually live close to Vineland, NJ, South Jersey Coast, and Atlantic City so it was wonderful to see this area as a backdrop for "A Fair Maiden." I like the poetic flow of this tale and the fictional characters who oftentimes cross into the realm of "I know people who are like this." I'm reminded of Nabokov's "Lolita" of wily young girl/lecherous old man. I always enjoy Oates' poetic writing.
