As a brilliant child artist, Maud Calhoun put Round Corners on the map with paintings that covered every inch of her house. Now, pressured to paint a mural for her small Vermont hometown, Maud searches for the inspiration that has eluded her for ten years. With humor and warmth, Maud struggles to reclaim herself and her art as her tightly-knit community's tale unfolds. "A reflective madcap comedy".--Orson Scott Card, author of The Lost Boys.
Maud's House: A Novel
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Maud Calhoun, narrator of this appealing debut novel, was the wunderkind of Round Corners, Vt. From childhood, her remarkable artwork began gradually to cover her homestead, so that "it was a canvas, a roadside attraction." On the day Maud buries her supportive father, she meets George, her future husband and a control freak who, over the years, saps her talent, paints over her house and is then killed in an automobile accident. Through Maud's eyes, readers meet various townsfolk, each undergoing some sort of artistic crisis. Her best friend Wynn, renowned for her knitting, loses her lucky needles; dairy farmer Jacques Leon "T-Bone" Thibeault can no longer tap-dance for his herd. All comes right in the end, as conflicts and creative blocks are resolved. Initially, Roberts's premise and characters charm, but the prose soon suffers from awkward imagery; while Maud's homespun wisdom grows forced and precious. Despite the lack of a strong regional voice, the novel's quirky details (amusing chapter headings include "Cows Juggling Pine Cones") and unusual situations bode well for more mature work from this new talent. $20,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Set in the fictional town of Round Corners, Vermont, this first novel by short story writer Roberts is replete with quirky characters, including Maud, the narrator, who holds one-way conversations with her late husband, George. As a child artist, Maud created paintings on the surfaces of her home, both inside and out, which made Round Corners a tourist attraction. She has been unable to paint since she married George, who whitewashed her house, and she is resistant to entreaties from her neighbors to produce a town mural. Her love life becomes complicated when her friend, T-Bone, a philosopher farmer who tap dances, meets with a disabling accident and Thomas, an attractive drifter, becomes a houseguest. Roberts's easy style and comic sense are engaging, but an excess of eccentrics who are pure at heart bog down the plot.
- Harriet Gottfried, NYPL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Harriet Gottfried, NYPL
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Above and beyond,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Maud's House: A Novel (Kindle Edition)
I grabbed this book when it was free. Because you never know. I like to root for the underdog. What I found was very surprising. This author kept me on my mental toes at all times. I kept reading not to find out what the characters did, but to see how she would phrase it. And she phrased the hades out of it! Not one trite line. Not one old, tired description. A truly unique and gifted voice.
A little language that I would be fine without, but nothing gratuitous or painful. I gave this five stars not for the plot(it was interesting), but for the words. The kind of book you will go back and read because it wakes your brain up. It makes other writers look like they are not really trying hard enough. My congratulations to the author.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great First Novel - I Will Read More!,
By
This review is from: Maud's House: A Novel (Kindle Edition)
This story grabbed me right away with its quirky but very likeable characters, humorous writing style and vivid imagery. I studied English and writing in college only to spend several years as a technical writer/editor and end up in a great but not terribly creative career in IT -- so I know what it's like to lose one's muse. I usually read in bed for an hour or so before going to sleep, and I found myself staying up later to keep reading "Maud's House." I look forward to reading Roberts' second novel, "Book of Mercy" as well as anything else she writes. Great first novel!
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book about losing ones muse.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Maud's House (Paperback)
I enjoyed this amusing story of a town that has lost their muse. Not only has Maude lost her muse to paint but other members of the town have lost their muse to do creative endeavors like building birdhouses, writing poetry, knitting,playing the sax,loving and dancing. I loved the characters and the wonderful resolution.
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