Confessions of a Deathmaiden

by Ruth Francisco

Book Overview

In the heart of modern-day Los Angeles, Frances Oliver practices the arts and skills of the deathmaiden. Four years of intensive training at the Institute for Eternal Living and membership in the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446614394
• ISBN13: 9780446614399
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Warner Books (NY)
• Length: 408 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.6" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Lyrical and poetic

I won't rehash the plot again, such as it was, as it has been done through several of the reviews. What I was impressed by was Ms. Francisco's "voice" - her writing style is absolutely amazing. It is very difficult to explain unless someone has read it, other than to say it is almost like reading a poem written as a novel, or having the book sung to you as in some ancient traditions of learning oral histories. Admittedly I can certainly agree that the main character spent way too much time running around the world and by the end of the book I wasn't exactly sure what, if anything, she had managed to accomplish; but reading the book was pleasurable just for the sheer beauty of its words, and in my opinion, that's plenty good enough for me.

I like Death and this Maiden

Tomas, a little boy, dies under the care of Frances Oliver, a deathmaiden. She is a member of the fictional Society of Deathmaidens, a hospice-like Dr. Kevorkian-esque group that acts as midwives to the dying, helping them transition with dignity. But Frances starts asking questions into Tomas' death. From the start, this unusual computer-and-TV-spurning heroine with friends such as the eccentric artist and deathmaiden would-have-been Pepper, gets tangled into an intriguing plot that takes a long time to reach its conclusion and uncover the evidence, but offers twists and turns; there has to be some suspense in this mystery, after all, but it's Frances' soul reflections and inner struggle that drive the book, as well as an exploration of the meaning of medicine and the value of death.

A well written clever debut

Francis Oliver is a death maiden in LA. This is a person who helps the dying cross over into the next world. (It is a fictional.) After witnessing the death of a young boy with the subsequent dispersal of his organs to recipients, she begins to suspect foul play. Her investigation into the matter proves her correct and now she must figure out just who is responsible and why. The premise of the story is quite clever. The creation of the death maiden works quite well within the context of the well paced plot. However, the author did not know when to pull in the reins and wrap it up thereby rendering the conclusion a bit too drawn out and complex. However, it is a well written debut worthy of a reader's time.

Great new character, "movie-like" plot.

I hope Ruth Francisco carries on her title character in more books. Francisco draws a compelling character in Frances Oliver, who has trained in the art of helping the dying into death within a hospice setting. However, the book's plot gets away from this intriguing premise by setting the character in a rather workman-like plot, employing the age-old villains of big-business and shady medical experiments. I can just see Ashley Judd or Angelina Jolie trooping through the Mexican mountains in designer duds after the "bad-guys" in the movie version of the book.I'd love to see Francisco put her character in smaller, more intimate stories. Laura Lipmann and Carol O'Connell do this with their Tess Monaghan and Kathy Mallory characters.Ms Francisco, please keep writing about Frances Oliver.

Stunning new talent

This is a captivating and unique story, with a heroine who has a unique profession - that of deathmaiden, someone who eases the passage into the next world. You will believe that Frances Oliver and the Society of Deathmaidens actually exists (who knows? Maybe it does). Also unique is the author's strong voice and lyrical prose. I can't remember the last time I actually enjoyed reading descriptive passages, but Ruth Francisco can really make you feel like you can see, hear and smell the story as it unfolds. I can't speak too highly of this book! Not only is this an absorbing story, but finally it is a mystery that is actually about something, a novel of ideas and not just another whodunit or police procedural. I highly recommend this book.