Unfortunately I had to DNF this one. I really struggled to get into it and struggled with the format.

Somehow the most impressive books are the hardest to write a review about. Indeed, this book was about people's sense of human worth in many ways, however... the ending wasn't to my liking. The happy ending was undermining the rest of the story, no matter how well written.

I liked this book. It was an interesting read.
The author's note at back of the book gave the reasoning behind the storyline.
I liked the main characters very much and felt sorry for the not so nice characters as everyone has a story.
Thanks to NetGalley, Fiona Mitchell and the publisher's for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Maid’s Room

I loved this book so much! A beautiful mix of humour and heartbreak; of the horrific treatment of these women but their tremendous strength through adversity.

Highly recommended read and five shiny stars from purplebookstand.

The opening lines; “This is where she sleeps. A cupboard. A bedroom. A windowless box.”

“Oh No!” was my first thought. “We’ve read this before in The Help.” My mistake. It is 2017, the maids have left their children at home, either in the Philippines or Indonesia, to work for the “Ma’ams”, tending to their every whim while they live the expats’ life in Singapore.

The towering blocks of flats where this story takes place, are architectural masterpieces, with everything to ensure that the residents not only have beautifully designed layouts to call home, but they also have the added luxury of swimming pools to use in the intense heat of Singapore. What these apartments do not have is special accommodation for their domestic workers, so more often than not, these workers must sleep in the bomb shelter, the room with no windows which was never designed to be a bedroom.

Jules and her husband, David, have only recently arrived in Singapore. They decided to take up a job offer made to David, leave England and get themselves out of the rut of repeated IVF treatments that have only brought heartache.

Jules first meets Dolly, a woman from the Philippines, the full-time domestic worker for Amber and Tor, neighbours of Jules and David, when they attend a party there. It’s one of many that seem to take place to keep the expats entertained. Jules is immediately struck by Dolly’s beauty and her ability to glide around the room making sure glasses are filled and the food is served.

Dolly arrived to take up fulltime employment with Amber and Tor after the birth of their second son, Sam. Both Sam and his older brother, Colby, are closer to Dolly than to their parents.

The story unfolds around Jules’ empathic observations and her attempts to treat people fairly. Dolly, who left her little girl behind when she was just a couple of months old, was forced to work to ensure that the child gets an education. Tala, Dolly’s sister who had persuaded her to come to Singapore to work, is a wonderfully extravagant character who discovers that someone called “Vanda” is writing a blog for the Ma’ams on how to treat their domestic workers (“Confiscate their passports. Check their rooms for items they may have stolen. Make sure they never use your bathroom”). She decides to take up the cudgels for all domestic workers, using the name “Maidhacker”. Her popularity grows very quickly. When she is kicked out by her landlord over a minor incident it is Jules who comes to her rescue, inviting her to stay with her and David.

It takes a tragic accident to teach some of the employers just how draconian and reprehensible their behaviour is towards their domestic staff.

Fiona Mitchell has crafted a beautiful novel with many of the characters being people I would love to have as friends. Jules; who turns her heartbreak into something positive. Dolly; a dignified lady who has so much courage and Tala! The world needs people like Tala who will fight to change conditions and the blinkered notions of the people employing domestic workers.

Technology has moved on from what we encountered in “The Help.” These women, who have left their homes and families behind to earn a wage, now at least have Wi-Fi and Skype to communicate with their families. Other than that, has anything changed for these workers? Sadly, not really. It does not really matter what era it is as people who are bullies will always want to control their domestic workers.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I loved this book! It's a poignant tribute to underpaid and ill treated maids around the world. This book is set in Singapore in the stifling heat. A beautifully written debut by Fiona Mitchell , it introduces us to two Filipina sisters, Dolly and Tala, who leave their home and their children to work for ex-pat families in order t send money back to their families. The back story weaved in also introduces us to the lives of their employers and what the maids are up against whilst trying to make ends meet. Thankfully, not all employers treat the maids badly, but Jules, a newly arrived ex-pat midwife from the Uk, is one character to keep your eye on throughout this wonderful book.

The unbearable heat of Singapore itself permeates, especially when we discover that maids are often left to sleep in stuffy, windowless boxes. Not only do they live in constant fear of messing up which could lead to their deportation but they also have to deal with life estranged from their loved ones. Particularly haunting and evocative is the writing around those maids who have left children behind. The story accelerates when one of the maids — Maidhacker — writes a blog exposing the truth about life as a maid. Stand back and watch all hell break loose! It's a really entertaining read.
The novel, whist dealing with serious issues, is also enlightening, funny and uplifting. As I reader, I was totally won over by Dolly and Tala, and cheered from the sidelines willing them to overcome the numerous obstacles put in their way by Mitchell. The poignancy of this book reminds us just how many women all over the world still suffer humiliation and degradation at the hands of ruthless employers. Many thanks to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Fiona Mitchell for the opportunity to read and review The Maid's Room. And yes, I would totally recommend it as a brilliant holiday read or one to curl up with in front of the fire this winter.

I think that I enjoyed this book, although I wasn't entirely sure sometimes if it was a novel or more in the vein of the 'Hotel Babylon' book - mostly true but written more like prose. It was shocking to read of the slave like conditions that the maids working in Singapore suffer and I think that I would actually have liked this more as a non fiction book. It was still reasonably enjoyable but as a novel it loses a lot of the message - especially with the heavy handed referenced to The Help.

I loved The Maid's Room: a moving tribute to underpaid and ill treated maids everywhere - in this case in Singapore. A beautifully written debut by Fiona Mitchell it tells the story of two Filipina sisters, Dolly and Tala, who leave their home and their children to work for expat families. Interwoven are the stories of the women they work for and what the maids do to survive. Not all employers treat the maids badly but those like Jules, a newly arrived ex-pat midwife from the UK, are the exception to the rule.

The unbearable heat of Singapore itself permeates, especially when we discover that maids are often left to sleep in windowless bomb shelters. They live in constant fear of committing any misdemeanor which could lead to their deportation. This is highlighted when one of the maids, under the name Maidhacker, decides to write a blog telling the truth about their lives in response to one written by a woman detailing how to keep their maids under control eg: a rare day off should be only between certain hours so that the maids wouldn't be at risk of recovering from a hangover the following day and unable to fulfil their duties. The Handmaids Tale eat your heart out.

The novel, while hard hitting in the issues it covers, is also amusing and uplifting. The reader cannot fail to be won over by Dolly and Tala as they overcome numerous obstacles in their daily lives and the saddest part is that many women all over the world still suffer humiliation and degradation at the hands of their employers. Many thanks to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Fiona Mitchell for the opportunity to read and review The Maid's Room.

This book was such an enjoyable read, it was hard to believe it is about real life, not in the to distant past, and still happening now. These stories/truths do need to be told. This is written in a storey format, and the tale unwinds. The characters are loveable and you want them to succeed and to have better lives. No mother wants to be separated from her children. The woman are to be admired, for making such unselfish discisions.