Another moment where things are looking up in their relationship is when Paul gets an invitation to the Foxy Cats Club. On this date, they're the only colored people in the theatre, but other than some odd looks, they manage to have a great time. There are moments of happiness in their marriage, such as a date they go on to a playhouse. These promises never come true as Paul constantly disappoints Maud in their marriage as a provider and romantic partner. Paul assures Maud that will live a swanky lifestyle that they will entertain guests and dress well. Paul is a light-skinned man whom Maud eventually ends up marrying. Despite this, Maud develops a short relationship with a boy named Russell before she meets Paul Phillips. Helen constantly teases Maud about not being able to find a boyfriend because of the books she reads. Maud is jealous of Helen because of the attention she receives and her lighter skin tone. On the other hand, her sister Helen does not find her father to be a good provider despite this, she is still his favorite child. Despite the family's struggles, Maud still views her father as a good provider for the family. The family is scraping by financially, and an early chapter shows a moment where they could lose their home if their father doesn't get approved for a homeowner's loan. These early vignettes introduce Maud's family: Her father, Abraham, her mother, Belva, her sister Helen, and her brother Harry. She loves flowers because they prove to her that something ordinary can be beautiful too. The novel opens with a description of Maud Martha at age seven: a dark-skinned African American girl who loves flowers. Critic GerShun Avilez describes it, as a 'fragmentary poetic narrative.' Other critics focus on its artistic connection to Brooks's poetry Asali Solomon highlights the language of the novel saying that it is good at 'gracefully evoking the nastiness of life.' Writing for the Poetry Foundation, Sandra Jackson-Opoku disagreed with the assertion that the narrative of the novel is nonlinear. Structurally, the novel has a nonlinear narrative, that also is explained in poetic language unusual to novels.

Elements of African American culture and themes of race, class and gender are explored throughout the novel. The novel follows Maud from childhood to adulthood through experiences in lower, middle- and upper-class settings in Chicago.

Structured as a series of thirty-four vignettes, it follows the titular character Maud Martha a young Black girl growing up in late 1920's Chicago. Maud Martha is a 1953 Novel written by Pulitzer Prize winning African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks.

Maud martha by gwendolyn brooks