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Maisie Dobbs #1
Maisie Dobbs
Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Investigator, began her working life at the age of thirteen as a servant in a Belgravia mansion, only to be discovered reading in the library by her employer, Lady Rowan Compton. Fearing dismissal, Maisie is shocked when she discovers that her thirst for education is to be supported by Lady Rowan and a family friend, Dr. Maurice Blanche. But The Great War intervenes in Maisie’s plans, and soon after commencement of her studies at Girton College, Cambridge, Maisie enlists for nursing service overseas.
Years later, in 1929, having apprenticed to the renowned Maurice Blanche, a man revered for his work with Scotland Yard, Maisie sets up her own business. Her first assignment, a seemingly tedious inquiry involving a case of suspected infidelity, takes her not only on the trail of a killer, but back to the war she had tried so hard to forget.
Years later, in 1929, having apprenticed to the renowned Maurice Blanche, a man revered for his work with Scotland Yard, Maisie sets up her own business. Her first assignment, a seemingly tedious inquiry involving a case of suspected infidelity, takes her not only on the trail of a killer, but back to the war she had tried so hard to forget.
292 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
About the author
Jacqueline Winspear
57 books7,801 followersJacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,
and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times
Notable Book.
Series:
* Maisie Dobbs
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jacque...
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,
and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times
Notable Book.
Series:
* Maisie Dobbs
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jacque...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,185 reviews
July 17, 2011
In general I prefer to confine the term 'Mary Sue' to fan fiction, where it belongs. But when I tell you that Maisie has purple eyes, rippling black hair, outstanding intelligence, a near-psychic empathy with her clients, and is practically perfect in every possible way & I think I may be allowed an exception. On top of all this, the author researched the First World War background for this very, very thoroughly and, oh, how it shows! Throw in a faithful Cockernee sidekick (wiv an 'eart of gold), a salt-of-the-earth costermonger father (also wiv an 'eart of gold), an eccentric Suffragist and her household (ALL with hearts of gold) and & I can hardly bear to say it, but a denouement that involves our heroine thwarting the bad guy by bursting into song & I'm afraid it's simply dreadful.
Read
July 28, 2017Is there anything more controversial at Goodreads than star rating? I think not (and yes, I think it's more controversial than porn or V-blogs). People have opinions on whether or not one should star books that weren't finished, whether one can star unread books by authors they don't like--or even do like--and then there are those that will actually argue a reviewer's rating based on the reviewer's interpretation, the infamous 'you read it wrong' offense.
Here I am, deciding to stretch my reading boundaries a little by giving Miss Maisie Dobbs a try: I enjoy mysteries, I love a good female lead and--hey--I'm a nurse, so why not? Well, because I am generally bored by historical fiction. But you know--stretch, right? I discovered Maisie Dobbs was both better and worse than I expected. Better, because I generally enjoyed it until the 'worse' part--a deep immersion into Maisie's past from ages thirteen to twenty-ish.
Remember how I mentioned recently that there is a shortage of niceness? Not in Maisie's world. Maisie is Little Women, Nancy Drew and the intuition of Claire DeWitt wrapped up into one self-assured bottle of plucky, industrious kindness. Maisie has a benefactor who has encouraged her to set up a little detective shop, and so she rents a room and makes friends with Billy, veteran and odd-jobsman. A man makes an appointment to ask M. Dobbs to discover if his wife is cheating on him, and much like Claire DeWitt, Maisie tells him that she may not like the answers she finds--and so he must trust her to do what's right. Maise gets close to the wife, discovers the mystery of her visiting the grave of a recently deceased veteran, and uses her skills to 'accidentally' encounter the wife and forge a connection. She discovers the mystery of the veterans' home for the disfigured, coincidentally the same place her benefactor's son is planning to retreat to. Before too much more progress is made, we journey back to Maisie's youth when she first encountered her benefactor.
So here's the deal: I actually liked the absolutely tropey Maisie--intelligent, book-smart, industrious, honest, and attractive--who, much like Nancy Drew, is practically perfect as well as the apple of her daddy's eye. I was vaguely interested in the obvious non-mystery, a home for disfigured veterans where men are mysteriously dying. The writing is decent, with solid character-building. But the transition to the past was awkward and continued for far, far too long to maintain any sense of suspense (perhaps helping the reader forget the solution?) and basically had little to do with anything except to build character background and show Maisie's own role in the war. I almost quit; I loaned the book to my mom in the meantime, until self-flagellation led me to finishing. It remained rather boring, in an insipid, historically romantic kind of way, using one of my absolute, very least favorite excuses for a criminal behavior and laughable denouement (and not in a good way). There was a bonus character twist that really made little to no sense.
On my personal scale of enjoyment, it was a solid 'meh'--I'm just not interested in historical fiction as a rule, so you have to be an ah-maz-ing writer for me to enjoy it (hello, Connie Willis!). In my world, it's about two stars for enjoyment, veering uncomfortably close to a Did Not Finish. Yet the writing skill--if not plotting--is actually much higher. On the niceness scale, it's a solid five, and on the Mom's Scale, it was good enough to warrant checking out the next book from the library. I might even skim the next one, to see if Winspear learned some plotting. So there you go: unrated because of niceness.
Here I am, deciding to stretch my reading boundaries a little by giving Miss Maisie Dobbs a try: I enjoy mysteries, I love a good female lead and--hey--I'm a nurse, so why not? Well, because I am generally bored by historical fiction. But you know--stretch, right? I discovered Maisie Dobbs was both better and worse than I expected. Better, because I generally enjoyed it until the 'worse' part--a deep immersion into Maisie's past from ages thirteen to twenty-ish.
Remember how I mentioned recently that there is a shortage of niceness? Not in Maisie's world. Maisie is Little Women, Nancy Drew and the intuition of Claire DeWitt wrapped up into one self-assured bottle of plucky, industrious kindness. Maisie has a benefactor who has encouraged her to set up a little detective shop, and so she rents a room and makes friends with Billy, veteran and odd-jobsman. A man makes an appointment to ask M. Dobbs to discover if his wife is cheating on him, and much like Claire DeWitt, Maisie tells him that she may not like the answers she finds--and so he must trust her to do what's right. Maise gets close to the wife, discovers the mystery of her visiting the grave of a recently deceased veteran, and uses her skills to 'accidentally' encounter the wife and forge a connection. She discovers the mystery of the veterans' home for the disfigured, coincidentally the same place her benefactor's son is planning to retreat to. Before too much more progress is made, we journey back to Maisie's youth when she first encountered her benefactor.
So here's the deal: I actually liked the absolutely tropey Maisie--intelligent, book-smart, industrious, honest, and attractive--who, much like Nancy Drew, is practically perfect as well as the apple of her daddy's eye. I was vaguely interested in the obvious non-mystery, a home for disfigured veterans where men are mysteriously dying. The writing is decent, with solid character-building. But the transition to the past was awkward and continued for far, far too long to maintain any sense of suspense (perhaps helping the reader forget the solution?) and basically had little to do with anything except to build character background and show Maisie's own role in the war. I almost quit; I loaned the book to my mom in the meantime, until self-flagellation led me to finishing. It remained rather boring, in an insipid, historically romantic kind of way, using one of my absolute, very least favorite excuses for a criminal behavior and laughable denouement (and not in a good way). There was a bonus character twist that really made little to no sense.
On my personal scale of enjoyment, it was a solid 'meh'--I'm just not interested in historical fiction as a rule, so you have to be an ah-maz-ing writer for me to enjoy it (hello, Connie Willis!). In my world, it's about two stars for enjoyment, veering uncomfortably close to a Did Not Finish. Yet the writing skill--if not plotting--is actually much higher. On the niceness scale, it's a solid five, and on the Mom's Scale, it was good enough to warrant checking out the next book from the library. I might even skim the next one, to see if Winspear learned some plotting. So there you go: unrated because of niceness.
February 19, 2013
Well. This was a waste of time. I don't think there was an aspect of this book I did not hate. Starting from the holier-than-thou main character, to the non-existent mystery, to the amazing (not) resolution of the non-mystery, to the abrupt hundred pages worth of tedious flashback in the middle of the mystery; everything bothered me.
So. Maisie Dobbs is a private eye. She was a housemaid once, but it turned out that she was one of nature's rare prodigies, reading Latin by candlelight. Her masters then decide that she ought to be tutored, along with all her work as parlormaid. Enter Master Yoda from stage left, I mean, Maurice Blanche. He fills her mind with such gems as "Rush into conclusions not... In the stillness, wait awhile...", which pop into her mind opportunely in present day when she's talking to clients.
Anyhow. On to the mystery! A ladies infidelity is suspected by her husband, the lady is blameless, and Maisie spends some time giving him shit for suspecting his wife. However it leads Maisie onto a suitably creepy post-war hidey hole for army men affected by the war called The Retreat. Nothing happens. Then, there's someone else talking about the Retreat too, and Maisie decides to investigate. Cut. Flashback into Maisie's early life. Some tedious accounts of class differences. Maisie in college. Maisie as a nurse in WW I France. Maisie with Simon, a brilliant and talented young doctor who worships the ground she walks on. Cut Back. Where were we?
There's hardly a set up for a mystery in this book. The half hearted attempt is cut abruptly so we have pages of Maisie backstory, for no discernable reason. By the time the story comes back to the current time, I lost any inclination of knowing what would happen. I had to finish it though. Maisie herself I thought had a border-line God complex. She instructs her first client to make her a commitment, and to his marriage. She calls herself responsible for the safety of all parties, but she makes friends with and invites confidences (even after the husband has been sent away happy) from her emotionally susceptible mark, by lying about who she is. But let's not call this unprofessional.
She has dodgy methods of problem solving. She may regurgitate the Maurice Blanche homilies to herself, but she the chill down her spine makes her jump into conclusions pretty much from the start. She is never wrong though, so I suppose that doesn't matter either. As for her personal life, she behaves despicably. . The two paragraphs of lame explanations for her actions were the final nail in the coffin of this series for me. I'll re-read Agatha Christie for the nth time instead.
So. Maisie Dobbs is a private eye. She was a housemaid once, but it turned out that she was one of nature's rare prodigies, reading Latin by candlelight. Her masters then decide that she ought to be tutored, along with all her work as parlormaid. Enter Master Yoda from stage left, I mean, Maurice Blanche. He fills her mind with such gems as "Rush into conclusions not... In the stillness, wait awhile...", which pop into her mind opportunely in present day when she's talking to clients.
Anyhow. On to the mystery! A ladies infidelity is suspected by her husband, the lady is blameless, and Maisie spends some time giving him shit for suspecting his wife. However it leads Maisie onto a suitably creepy post-war hidey hole for army men affected by the war called The Retreat. Nothing happens. Then, there's someone else talking about the Retreat too, and Maisie decides to investigate. Cut. Flashback into Maisie's early life. Some tedious accounts of class differences. Maisie in college. Maisie as a nurse in WW I France. Maisie with Simon, a brilliant and talented young doctor who worships the ground she walks on. Cut Back. Where were we?
There's hardly a set up for a mystery in this book. The half hearted attempt is cut abruptly so we have pages of Maisie backstory, for no discernable reason. By the time the story comes back to the current time, I lost any inclination of knowing what would happen. I had to finish it though. Maisie herself I thought had a border-line God complex. She instructs her first client to make her a commitment, and to his marriage. She calls herself responsible for the safety of all parties, but she makes friends with and invites confidences (even after the husband has been sent away happy) from her emotionally susceptible mark, by lying about who she is. But let's not call this unprofessional.
She has dodgy methods of problem solving. She may regurgitate the Maurice Blanche homilies to herself, but she the chill down her spine makes her jump into conclusions pretty much from the start. She is never wrong though, so I suppose that doesn't matter either. As for her personal life, she behaves despicably. . The two paragraphs of lame explanations for her actions were the final nail in the coffin of this series for me. I'll re-read Agatha Christie for the nth time instead.
August 9, 2010
I picked up Maisie Dobbs from the library upon the rec. of my GR friend Carol, and have to say that this initial entry marks what may prove to be one of the cleverest mystery series since Dorothy Gilman brought the retired and intrepid Mrs. Pollifax to life back in the 1960s. (For more on Mrs. Pollifax, see The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax)
Don't go into reading Maisie Dobbs with any preconceived ideas about what you'll find there. Yes, it's a mystery -- somewhat. Yes, it's a historical novel -- somewhat. Yes, it's a exploration of psychological healing -- somewhat. In fact, Maisie Dobbs is one of those books that can't really be pegged and shelved in it's own confined area.
The book starts in 1929, when Maisie sets up her detective practice and receives her first solo case: A man wants Maisie to find out if his wife is having an affair. After solving that, the book abruptly switches gears and goes back 19 years, to 1910, when young Maisie is just a lower class girl living with her widower, costermonger father. While Maisie is decidedly low class in the ridged class structure of pre-War Britian, she is anything but low class in her intellect. Her bankrupt father sends her into service at the home of a wealthy and sympathetic upper crust family. From here, we learn Maisie's backstory - essentially, how she came to "be" Maisie Dobbs, Detective. This portion takes up quite a bit of this 290+ page book, so that by the time it's over, we're back to 1929 and Maisie's intuition leads her on an offshoot of her initial case, and the resolution of some feelings Maisie has been carrying around for quite a long time.
The writing is spare and somewhat simple in places, which initially put me off. However, once I got into its rhythm, I was hooked. I loved the setting (pre-and-post WWI England), and enjoyed Maisie's backstory with all it's information about being "in service". The ending was probably my favorite of all, but I won't tell...
I eagerly await my next installment of Maisie Dobbs:
to see if Winspear can keep up the novelty of her first book in the series.
And oh yeah, the covers on the Penguin editions ROCK. I want them as posters, they are so evocative of the era. Excellent!
Don't go into reading Maisie Dobbs with any preconceived ideas about what you'll find there. Yes, it's a mystery -- somewhat. Yes, it's a historical novel -- somewhat. Yes, it's a exploration of psychological healing -- somewhat. In fact, Maisie Dobbs is one of those books that can't really be pegged and shelved in it's own confined area.
The book starts in 1929, when Maisie sets up her detective practice and receives her first solo case: A man wants Maisie to find out if his wife is having an affair. After solving that, the book abruptly switches gears and goes back 19 years, to 1910, when young Maisie is just a lower class girl living with her widower, costermonger father. While Maisie is decidedly low class in the ridged class structure of pre-War Britian, she is anything but low class in her intellect. Her bankrupt father sends her into service at the home of a wealthy and sympathetic upper crust family. From here, we learn Maisie's backstory - essentially, how she came to "be" Maisie Dobbs, Detective. This portion takes up quite a bit of this 290+ page book, so that by the time it's over, we're back to 1929 and Maisie's intuition leads her on an offshoot of her initial case, and the resolution of some feelings Maisie has been carrying around for quite a long time.
The writing is spare and somewhat simple in places, which initially put me off. However, once I got into its rhythm, I was hooked. I loved the setting (pre-and-post WWI England), and enjoyed Maisie's backstory with all it's information about being "in service". The ending was probably my favorite of all, but I won't tell...
I eagerly await my next installment of Maisie Dobbs:
to see if Winspear can keep up the novelty of her first book in the series.
And oh yeah, the covers on the Penguin editions ROCK. I want them as posters, they are so evocative of the era. Excellent!
March 23, 2020
This book was like a weighted blanket for my brain
May 26, 2020
This is a wonderful book. I’m happy that it’s the first book in a series because I’m eager to continue and read the rest of the books.
Wonderful characters! Maisie and many other characters seem so much like real people. The story was great. There is a lot of absolutely brilliant humor! This book is not even close to being a comedy but it was so funny so many times. Lots of laughing and smiling at many amusing lines!!! There is also psychological sophistication when looking at people and at human nature and at psychological & physical challenges. I like that Maisie and her mentor(s) have so much understanding of the human condition and intuition when it comes to analyzing what’s going on with people.
My friend and I were disappointed that even though the story’s events took place from 1910-1929 that while WWI was covered the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic was not even mentioned. We both wanted to see how these characters and the places where they were coped with that pandemic, especially given our current situation.
I read this over a long period, reading out loud to a close long time (since age seven) friend who has cancer. We’d intended for me to read to her during her chemo treatments but the COVID-19 pandemic changed our plans when they’d no longer allow me to be present, so we read when we could, over a four month long period. It was a fun book to read aloud, though there were a few pages at one point where it was difficult because I was crying too hard. We both loved the book and started book two immediately upon finishing book one. From paperback to an Overdrive e-book edition from the public library given that e-materials are the only ones available to borrow right now. We will try to read book two much more quickly than we did book one.
This series is a great find. I’d had a couple of friends highly recommend it to me over the years so this first book had been on my to read shelf for a while. I’m glad that it is no longer languishing there!
4-1/2 stars
Wonderful characters! Maisie and many other characters seem so much like real people. The story was great. There is a lot of absolutely brilliant humor! This book is not even close to being a comedy but it was so funny so many times. Lots of laughing and smiling at many amusing lines!!! There is also psychological sophistication when looking at people and at human nature and at psychological & physical challenges. I like that Maisie and her mentor(s) have so much understanding of the human condition and intuition when it comes to analyzing what’s going on with people.
My friend and I were disappointed that even though the story’s events took place from 1910-1929 that while WWI was covered the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic was not even mentioned. We both wanted to see how these characters and the places where they were coped with that pandemic, especially given our current situation.
I read this over a long period, reading out loud to a close long time (since age seven) friend who has cancer. We’d intended for me to read to her during her chemo treatments but the COVID-19 pandemic changed our plans when they’d no longer allow me to be present, so we read when we could, over a four month long period. It was a fun book to read aloud, though there were a few pages at one point where it was difficult because I was crying too hard. We both loved the book and started book two immediately upon finishing book one. From paperback to an Overdrive e-book edition from the public library given that e-materials are the only ones available to borrow right now. We will try to read book two much more quickly than we did book one.
This series is a great find. I’d had a couple of friends highly recommend it to me over the years so this first book had been on my to read shelf for a while. I’m glad that it is no longer languishing there!
4-1/2 stars
March 12, 2008
A neighbor recommended Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs as one of the best books she’s read. The book cover boasts quotes from The New York Times (“Be prepared to be astonished”), NPR (“A quirky literary creation”), and Alexander McCall Smith (“[A:] real gift”). Naturally, I had high expectations.
Maisie Dobbs is a detective and self-proclaimed psychologist in post-WWI London, and the novel splits its time between a case and detailing Maisie’s background. Only half the book is a mystery as Maisie investigates “The Retreat” where injured soldiers escape the stares of society.
In the other half, Winspear recounts Maisie’s past. She moves from being a greengrocer’s daughter to an aristocrat’s protégé to a WWI nurse to a private investigator. Maisie Dobbs is almost too good to be true: brilliant and dedicated, moving seamlessly between all ranks in society.
The book is well written, but the split-nature of its format backfires. Maisie is too perfect to be an appealing heroine (although a disturbing scene at the end of the book belies Maisie’s perfection). And Winspear does not fully develop the mystery, so its climax borders on the ridiculous.
Winspear has written several more books in the Maisie Dobbs series. Though I haven’t read them, they are apparently more consistent with the genre and concentrate more on mysteries and less on Maisie’s history. I will have to invest in the second novel before dismissing the series completely.
Maisie Dobbs is a detective and self-proclaimed psychologist in post-WWI London, and the novel splits its time between a case and detailing Maisie’s background. Only half the book is a mystery as Maisie investigates “The Retreat” where injured soldiers escape the stares of society.
In the other half, Winspear recounts Maisie’s past. She moves from being a greengrocer’s daughter to an aristocrat’s protégé to a WWI nurse to a private investigator. Maisie Dobbs is almost too good to be true: brilliant and dedicated, moving seamlessly between all ranks in society.
The book is well written, but the split-nature of its format backfires. Maisie is too perfect to be an appealing heroine (although a disturbing scene at the end of the book belies Maisie’s perfection). And Winspear does not fully develop the mystery, so its climax borders on the ridiculous.
Winspear has written several more books in the Maisie Dobbs series. Though I haven’t read them, they are apparently more consistent with the genre and concentrate more on mysteries and less on Maisie’s history. I will have to invest in the second novel before dismissing the series completely.
July 27, 2022
A university scholar, a nurse, a psychologist, a private investigator, a survivor, a romantic, but even so a very classy feminist
Jacqueline Winspear’s historical mystery series MAISIE DOBBS opens with a whimsical search for the wording and location of the sign that Ms Dobbs will use to advertise her new business to potential clients. The winning entrant proves to be a brass plate with the words “M Dobbs. Trade and Personal Investigations” situated at eye level to the right of the door. The reader is then treated to Ms Dobb’s inquiry into what ultimately proves to be a fraudulent scam perpetrated against veterans from WW I, seriously wounded and suffering from what we now call PTSD. This succulent literary treat reaches right back to Maisie Dobb’s childhood and traces her personal history from service below stairs to a wealthy but exceptionally open-minded and generous family to a university education, military service, romance, and the opening of her investigation business.
Like television’s long-running popular series UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS and DOWNTON ABBEY, Winspears treats her readers to a brilliant and completely compelling portrayal of class distinctions and daily life in post-Victorian life in England and Europe during and immediately following WW I. MAISIE DOBBS, in effect, is two stories for the price of one. The first is the story of Maisie’s childhood and growth to a business woman and professional private investigator. The second, of course, is her puzzling out of the solution to her first case and the novel, considered in its entirety, is thoroughly enjoyable from first page to last.
The second in the series, BIRDS OF A FEATHER, awaits my attention and I must say I’m looking forward to it.
Paul Weiss
Jacqueline Winspear’s historical mystery series MAISIE DOBBS opens with a whimsical search for the wording and location of the sign that Ms Dobbs will use to advertise her new business to potential clients. The winning entrant proves to be a brass plate with the words “M Dobbs. Trade and Personal Investigations” situated at eye level to the right of the door. The reader is then treated to Ms Dobb’s inquiry into what ultimately proves to be a fraudulent scam perpetrated against veterans from WW I, seriously wounded and suffering from what we now call PTSD. This succulent literary treat reaches right back to Maisie Dobb’s childhood and traces her personal history from service below stairs to a wealthy but exceptionally open-minded and generous family to a university education, military service, romance, and the opening of her investigation business.
Like television’s long-running popular series UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS and DOWNTON ABBEY, Winspears treats her readers to a brilliant and completely compelling portrayal of class distinctions and daily life in post-Victorian life in England and Europe during and immediately following WW I. MAISIE DOBBS, in effect, is two stories for the price of one. The first is the story of Maisie’s childhood and growth to a business woman and professional private investigator. The second, of course, is her puzzling out of the solution to her first case and the novel, considered in its entirety, is thoroughly enjoyable from first page to last.
The second in the series, BIRDS OF A FEATHER, awaits my attention and I must say I’m looking forward to it.
Paul Weiss
August 9, 2020
2.5 stars, rounded down
I went into this thinking it was a story about a female PI. It is and it isn’t. It’s really about how Maisie became a PI. Taking place in the early 20th century, we follow Maisie from maid to college freshman to nurse during WWI to 1929 when she’s attempting to set up her PI agency.
This moved much too slowly for my taste and bordered on being boring. And I never engaged with Maisie. In the old days, I guess she would have been called plucky. But she just never seemed real to me. In fact, the characters as a whole came off as two dimensional. I won’t be going further with this series.
I didn’t really care for Rita Barrington, the narrator. I found several of her voices grating.
I went into this thinking it was a story about a female PI. It is and it isn’t. It’s really about how Maisie became a PI. Taking place in the early 20th century, we follow Maisie from maid to college freshman to nurse during WWI to 1929 when she’s attempting to set up her PI agency.
This moved much too slowly for my taste and bordered on being boring. And I never engaged with Maisie. In the old days, I guess she would have been called plucky. But she just never seemed real to me. In fact, the characters as a whole came off as two dimensional. I won’t be going further with this series.
I didn’t really care for Rita Barrington, the narrator. I found several of her voices grating.
April 25, 2015
This is a story about a cute, clever, and plucky young woman named Maisie Dobbs. Maisie is setting up her own private investigation practice in London. The year is 1929, and everyone we meet is still coping with the effects of the world war, including Maisie.
Maisie has a cute and charming way of talking with people and getting them to share their stories. Her first client is a man who thinks his wife is cheating on him. Maisie follows the woman, befriends her and learns her sad tale about a loved one who was wounded in the war. Later, the man died of suspicious circumstances, so Maisie investigates a farm called The Retreat, using her charm and wits to get an inside look.
The middle section of the book is a flashback to how Maisie got to be so plucky and sweet and charming. Her mother died at a young age, and Maisie had to go into service to help her father pay the bills. Luckily, Maisie's master was a kind woman who observed the girl's cleverness, and encouraged her to study and take lessons from a tutor. Eventually, Maisie earned the chance to go to college, although the war intervened. in the end, Maisie shares her own sad story of what happened to her during the war.
Did I mention that Maisie is cute and charming and sweet and plucky and charming?
A few friends recommended this book to me, knowing how much I enjoy charming British novels. But an odd thing happened — I thought this novel was TOO charming and precious. Maisie was TOO cute and plucky. The story was TOO predictable and bittersweet.
I felt like the author was hitting me over the head with a pile of those big books that Maisie liked to study in order to emphasize how cute and plucky she was.
This book is the first in a series about Maisie, and I'm not sure if I will read any more. I'm glad I finally checked out this one to see what the fuss was about, but my curiosity has been satisfied.
Maisie has a cute and charming way of talking with people and getting them to share their stories. Her first client is a man who thinks his wife is cheating on him. Maisie follows the woman, befriends her and learns her sad tale about a loved one who was wounded in the war. Later, the man died of suspicious circumstances, so Maisie investigates a farm called The Retreat, using her charm and wits to get an inside look.
The middle section of the book is a flashback to how Maisie got to be so plucky and sweet and charming. Her mother died at a young age, and Maisie had to go into service to help her father pay the bills. Luckily, Maisie's master was a kind woman who observed the girl's cleverness, and encouraged her to study and take lessons from a tutor. Eventually, Maisie earned the chance to go to college, although the war intervened. in the end, Maisie shares her own sad story of what happened to her during the war.
Did I mention that Maisie is cute and charming and sweet and plucky and charming?
A few friends recommended this book to me, knowing how much I enjoy charming British novels. But an odd thing happened — I thought this novel was TOO charming and precious. Maisie was TOO cute and plucky. The story was TOO predictable and bittersweet.
I felt like the author was hitting me over the head with a pile of those big books that Maisie liked to study in order to emphasize how cute and plucky she was.
This book is the first in a series about Maisie, and I'm not sure if I will read any more. I'm glad I finally checked out this one to see what the fuss was about, but my curiosity has been satisfied.
May 11, 2019
A beautifully written story of a young girl's rise from household servant to her own successful career as a private investigator during WWI-era England. This novel is so much more than just an historical mystery with a clever female sleuth. Winspear creates Maisie's story of her first professional case in such a way that with flashbacks we understand the physical and psychological scars of those who served during wartime...the sacrifices of the body, mind and heart....which has made Maisie develop a sense of purpose in life that goes beyond just solving mysteries. She has empathy for those who suffer or are in need, and this first installment of Maisie Dobbs will reveal the path that has brought her from servant to beginning her own professional business. A great beginning to a series that I can't wait to continue.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
May 29, 2016
I love this book. I listened to the audiobook. It's beautifully done. I am going right into book 2. I'm already attached to the characters.
September 18, 2015
This book just didn't work for me. Maisie Dobbs was mostly annoying and a very boring character and the story was very bland.I liked the ending, but probably not enough to want to read more books about Miss Dobbs unless anyone can convince me that they will get better.
June 30, 2019
PERFECT AS GUNS OF AUGUST
The first chapter of this book is perfect, just as the first paragraph of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is considered by some the finest in the English language.
CAME IN A DAYDREAM
The rest of Maisie Dobbs is magical too. Unlike anything I had ever read, and I was already a veteran of historical fiction reads when I opened the first pages, which came to the author in a daydream when she was sitting at a stoplight in a storm in California.
NONPAREIL
The unique characterization of Maisie, Winspear’s gorgeous writing and the emotional access to WWI through fiction make this a cherished read. I’ve read the entire series, yet nothing will match the wonder of meeting Maisie for the first time.
MERCI!
Thank you, Jacqueline Winspear, for writing that daydream down!
The first chapter of this book is perfect, just as the first paragraph of Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is considered by some the finest in the English language.
CAME IN A DAYDREAM
The rest of Maisie Dobbs is magical too. Unlike anything I had ever read, and I was already a veteran of historical fiction reads when I opened the first pages, which came to the author in a daydream when she was sitting at a stoplight in a storm in California.
NONPAREIL
The unique characterization of Maisie, Winspear’s gorgeous writing and the emotional access to WWI through fiction make this a cherished read. I’ve read the entire series, yet nothing will match the wonder of meeting Maisie for the first time.
MERCI!
Thank you, Jacqueline Winspear, for writing that daydream down!
November 9, 2019
The book description led me to believe the Maisie Dobbs character was a female Poirot or Holmes. There is not much mystery here at all. This really is a WW1 1920s historical fiction. This just is not what I thought it would be. Plus, at only 259 pages, it is highly descriptive and needlessly wordy and rambling, to the point of being aggravating.
February 14, 2017
I wanted to like this, because I found the premise and the setting very interesting. These mysteries feature a female private detective, a veteran WWI nurse working in London in 1929. This first book is heavily concerned with the first World War and its veterans.
But the writing, while I can't point to any specific problem, left me a bit cold. The protagonist Maisie also rubbed me the wrong way. I don't like that she feels it mandatory to provide psychological counseling to her clients, or the way she repeatedly recalls precious bits of wisdom from her mentor ("Allow grief room to air itself... be judicious in using the body to comfort another, for you may extinguish the freedom that the person feels to be able to share a sadness"). I also didn't buy the way Maisie can figure out what another person is feeling by mimicking his body posture.
I didn't find this compelling enough to continue with the series.
But the writing, while I can't point to any specific problem, left me a bit cold. The protagonist Maisie also rubbed me the wrong way. I don't like that she feels it mandatory to provide psychological counseling to her clients, or the way she repeatedly recalls precious bits of wisdom from her mentor ("Allow grief room to air itself... be judicious in using the body to comfort another, for you may extinguish the freedom that the person feels to be able to share a sadness"). I also didn't buy the way Maisie can figure out what another person is feeling by mimicking his body posture.
I didn't find this compelling enough to continue with the series.
April 18, 2015
I really enjoyed this introduction to Maisie Dobbs, one of the most interesting female PIs I've come across to date.
Born into a working class family where her father has a fruit and vegetable delivery business, Maisie dreams of becoming a teacher. However after her mother dies her father reluctantly sends her into service as a housemaid with Lord and Lady Compton. After discovering Maisie reading in the library in the middle of the night, Lady Comptom takes Maisie under her wing and arranges tutoring for her in her spare time with her good friend Dr Maurice Blanche, who amongst other things is a private detective.
The novel is set in 1929 when Maisie is setting up her own detective agency after taking over from Maurice and embarking on solving her first mystery. It also tells us the story of Maisie's journey to become a detective, from before the war when she became a student at Cambridge to her enlistment as a WWI nurse. Maisie's first case leads her to a mystery involving returned soldiers suffering from hideous facial damage, something she saw too much of during her time as a nurse at a clearing station.
Part romance, part mystery, part social commentary this was a very satisfying start to this series.
Born into a working class family where her father has a fruit and vegetable delivery business, Maisie dreams of becoming a teacher. However after her mother dies her father reluctantly sends her into service as a housemaid with Lord and Lady Compton. After discovering Maisie reading in the library in the middle of the night, Lady Comptom takes Maisie under her wing and arranges tutoring for her in her spare time with her good friend Dr Maurice Blanche, who amongst other things is a private detective.
The novel is set in 1929 when Maisie is setting up her own detective agency after taking over from Maurice and embarking on solving her first mystery. It also tells us the story of Maisie's journey to become a detective, from before the war when she became a student at Cambridge to her enlistment as a WWI nurse. Maisie's first case leads her to a mystery involving returned soldiers suffering from hideous facial damage, something she saw too much of during her time as a nurse at a clearing station.
Part romance, part mystery, part social commentary this was a very satisfying start to this series.
February 27, 2021
This was just the sort of book I needed to read at the moment. Struggling to get into several books I have tried, finding it hard to concentrate or finding them too depressing, this book was easy to get into and although it deals with many sad facts about WWI, I found this good escapism.
I generally don’t like stories that skip back and forth in time but this one was easy to follow and I enjoyed glimpses into the past that helped make sense of the future. I particularly enjoyed reading about Maisie as a child. I was in awe of her enthusiasm to fit in extra learning time by getting up at 3am, not many teenagers do that these days. I must tell my daughter about that bit.
The mystery was interesting and I learnt some facts about WWI I had no idea about. Although there are sad elements, nothing is too distressing or graphic. It’s a book that could produce a tear but not one that will have you sobbing or leave you feeling down. I did enjoy the characters and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
I generally don’t like stories that skip back and forth in time but this one was easy to follow and I enjoyed glimpses into the past that helped make sense of the future. I particularly enjoyed reading about Maisie as a child. I was in awe of her enthusiasm to fit in extra learning time by getting up at 3am, not many teenagers do that these days. I must tell my daughter about that bit.
The mystery was interesting and I learnt some facts about WWI I had no idea about. Although there are sad elements, nothing is too distressing or graphic. It’s a book that could produce a tear but not one that will have you sobbing or leave you feeling down. I did enjoy the characters and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
December 14, 2022
So, full disclosure: I did not finish this one. I tried, I really did - I checked this out from the library twice, and I got about 3/4 of the way through it on the final try. But the second due date is rapidly approaching, and I officially give up.
Even though most mystery series are specifically written so that a reader can pick up any installment and jump right in without needing a ton of backstory, I always like to start a new detective series with Book One, because it's nice to get the lay of the land and see how the author introduces the recurring characters.
And Maisie Dobbs starts out very nicely, introducing our detective as she's in the early days of establishing herself as a private investigator in post-WWI London (Winspear fills the opening chapters with lots of nice little details, like how Maisie has to walk everywhere because sometimes Tube fare isn't in her budget for that day). The investigation kicks off when a man comes to Maisie's office with a simple assignment: he thinks his wife is having an affair, and he wants to hire Maisie to follow her and find out for sure.
Maisie accepts the job, giving the standard private-eye warning that her client may not like what she finds, and then she gets to work following the wife - and quickly learns that, rather than visiting a lover, the wife is visiting a gravestone once a week. Maisie starts investigating the identity of the buried person, and then Winspear takes a break from the action to bring the reader back to Maisie's childhood, and fill us in on her backstory.
This is the point where the plot comes to a screeching halt, and what might as well be a completely new novel starts. Maisie got a job in service for a rich lady, who happened to be friends with a private investigator, and the rich lady and the investigator encouraged young Maisie's interests in reading and studying, and then Maisie got a scholarship to Oxford but then WWI breaks out and Maisie decides to drop out of college and become a nurse, and...sorry, weren't we supposed to be solving a mystery?
This digression, in which we learn basically Maisie's entire life story, takes up twelve chapters. It's not a flashback, it's half the book! Yes, I fully admit I didn't finish the book, but I refuse to believe that all this information becomes relevant to the eventual solution to the mystery! Around the fifth time Maisie sits down for a cozy tea and chat with her father, I was so bored I'd forgotten what present-day Maisie was supposed to be investigating. The backstory chapters don't even really show Maisie learning how to be a detective - it just amounts to the same boring WWI romance you've read a thousand times: Maisie drops out of college to become a nurse because she feels it's her civic duty, and promptly has a doomed and chaste romance with a hot doctor. SNORE.
By the time Winspear takes us back into the present-day investigation, I no longer cared. This isn't a detective story, this is a boring wartime romance.
The only good news is that I think I'll still try another Maisie Dobbs mystery in the future - since Jacqueline Winspear spent the majority of this book telling us Maisie's entire backstory, that means that she'll have to spend the sequels actually, you know, writing a mystery novel. Can't wait.
Even though most mystery series are specifically written so that a reader can pick up any installment and jump right in without needing a ton of backstory, I always like to start a new detective series with Book One, because it's nice to get the lay of the land and see how the author introduces the recurring characters.
And Maisie Dobbs starts out very nicely, introducing our detective as she's in the early days of establishing herself as a private investigator in post-WWI London (Winspear fills the opening chapters with lots of nice little details, like how Maisie has to walk everywhere because sometimes Tube fare isn't in her budget for that day). The investigation kicks off when a man comes to Maisie's office with a simple assignment: he thinks his wife is having an affair, and he wants to hire Maisie to follow her and find out for sure.
Maisie accepts the job, giving the standard private-eye warning that her client may not like what she finds, and then she gets to work following the wife - and quickly learns that, rather than visiting a lover, the wife is visiting a gravestone once a week. Maisie starts investigating the identity of the buried person, and then Winspear takes a break from the action to bring the reader back to Maisie's childhood, and fill us in on her backstory.
This is the point where the plot comes to a screeching halt, and what might as well be a completely new novel starts. Maisie got a job in service for a rich lady, who happened to be friends with a private investigator, and the rich lady and the investigator encouraged young Maisie's interests in reading and studying, and then Maisie got a scholarship to Oxford but then WWI breaks out and Maisie decides to drop out of college and become a nurse, and...sorry, weren't we supposed to be solving a mystery?
This digression, in which we learn basically Maisie's entire life story, takes up twelve chapters. It's not a flashback, it's half the book! Yes, I fully admit I didn't finish the book, but I refuse to believe that all this information becomes relevant to the eventual solution to the mystery! Around the fifth time Maisie sits down for a cozy tea and chat with her father, I was so bored I'd forgotten what present-day Maisie was supposed to be investigating. The backstory chapters don't even really show Maisie learning how to be a detective - it just amounts to the same boring WWI romance you've read a thousand times: Maisie drops out of college to become a nurse because she feels it's her civic duty, and promptly has a doomed and chaste romance with a hot doctor. SNORE.
By the time Winspear takes us back into the present-day investigation, I no longer cared. This isn't a detective story, this is a boring wartime romance.
The only good news is that I think I'll still try another Maisie Dobbs mystery in the future - since Jacqueline Winspear spent the majority of this book telling us Maisie's entire backstory, that means that she'll have to spend the sequels actually, you know, writing a mystery novel. Can't wait.
August 9, 2016
I recall reading this book when it was first released but, like so many other series I start, somehow this fell by the wayside. So, I decided to give it another try and really enjoyed getting re-aquainted with Miss Dobbs. In this first novel we learn about her setting up her own private detective agency, but we also learn about her back story.
This novel is set during 1929 and also before, and during, WWI. The echoes of that conflict hang over this book, and the characters within its pages, as though it were yesterday. Maisie’s first client in the book is Christopher Davenham, who suspects that his wife, Celia, is having an affair. On investigation, Maisie discovers that she is mourning a man she loved. However, he did not die in the trenches, but in a retreat, run by an ex-army officer who offers a place for the injured and scarred to live without being stared at.
As the book progresses, this storyline intersects with Maisie’s own back story. We discover that she started life as a servant at the house of Lady Rowan; whose only son James is intending to relinquish both title and wealth to go to the same retreat. Gradually, we learn how Maisie’s intelligence was recognised by Lady Rowan, who encouraged her to gain an education; how the war intervened and how Maisie has reached the point in her life that she has by the time we meet her. With Maisie feeling something is really wrong at the Retreat, she sets out to investigate, with Lady Rowan’s approval.
This really does set the scene for what became a long running series. I look forward to continuing these books and am really glad I gave this another try. Maisie is an interesting character and this novel covers so much – from a touching love story, to life below stairs, early university education for women, nursing during the first world war and more. Somehow, the author holds all the threads of the storyline together and you are left with a satisfying novel and a main character you have come to care about.
This novel is set during 1929 and also before, and during, WWI. The echoes of that conflict hang over this book, and the characters within its pages, as though it were yesterday. Maisie’s first client in the book is Christopher Davenham, who suspects that his wife, Celia, is having an affair. On investigation, Maisie discovers that she is mourning a man she loved. However, he did not die in the trenches, but in a retreat, run by an ex-army officer who offers a place for the injured and scarred to live without being stared at.
As the book progresses, this storyline intersects with Maisie’s own back story. We discover that she started life as a servant at the house of Lady Rowan; whose only son James is intending to relinquish both title and wealth to go to the same retreat. Gradually, we learn how Maisie’s intelligence was recognised by Lady Rowan, who encouraged her to gain an education; how the war intervened and how Maisie has reached the point in her life that she has by the time we meet her. With Maisie feeling something is really wrong at the Retreat, she sets out to investigate, with Lady Rowan’s approval.
This really does set the scene for what became a long running series. I look forward to continuing these books and am really glad I gave this another try. Maisie is an interesting character and this novel covers so much – from a touching love story, to life below stairs, early university education for women, nursing during the first world war and more. Somehow, the author holds all the threads of the storyline together and you are left with a satisfying novel and a main character you have come to care about.
November 19, 2012
It took me a few tries to start this book. Probably the only reason I finally read it was because I'm trying to read the books I already have, instead of adding to my ever growing pile of books to read.
Maisie Dobbs is a new private eye in post WWI London, setting up shop and trying to earn a good client base in a world still getting used to the working woman outside of service. With a cunning mind, great determination, and a bit of luck and help along the way (from a supportive father and a liberal and open minded employer) Maisie has been able to go from a young girl in service to studying at a University to making her own way in the world. With the outbreak of WWI, and the sudden death of a friend, she is moved to put her dreams on hold to join up as a field nurse to help the boys at war. The first book in the Maisie Dobbs series; it sheds some light on what happened to Maisie in the passed during the war, while also following along as she uses everything her mentor Maurice Blanch taught her to solve the mysteries brought to her by clients or ones she discovers along the way.
I found this book a bit hard to get into. A number of parts felt like filler, constantly having the character going back over what had just occurred. That is not a bad tool to use, but I felt it was used far too often. Many of the characters I felt were more of a caricature, few of them felt real, or had any real depth to them.
The book starts off in 1929 as Maisie is just setting up her detective agency after her mentor retires. It shows her close relationship with her once employer Lady Rowan, and her admiration for her mentor Maurice. She is portrayed as very careful with her finances and meticulous with her work. She gets her first clients with help from Lady Rowan, and along the way of investigating she uncovered a much bigger mystery. The book then jumps back to 1910, just after Maisie has lost her mother, it follows Maisie through having to go into service to help her now savings-less father, to University and to the outbreak of WWI. It speeds through time from when she decides to leave school to help the cause as a nurse to the time she ends up on the battlefields in France.
I found this portion of the book, where Maisie's background is revealed, to be very dry. It hols all of the major events in Maisie's life but didn't feel like a huge impact. Maisie felt like a robot during this time period. Except for when she herself decides use the great library without permission, she goes along doing as she is told with little emotion. Nose to the grindstone yes, but since it offered little colour to Maisie's character I lack feeling towards her.
It wasn't until things really start rolling and being revealed towards the later half of the book, after it jumps back to 1929, that I actually am finally really turning pages. I found the the conclusion very interesting and did enjoy how it was all finally revealed and the path taken to get to it.
It took a sleepless night to finally finish this book, and I'm not sure when or if I will be starting the second book in the Maisie Dobbs story.
Maisie Dobbs is a new private eye in post WWI London, setting up shop and trying to earn a good client base in a world still getting used to the working woman outside of service. With a cunning mind, great determination, and a bit of luck and help along the way (from a supportive father and a liberal and open minded employer) Maisie has been able to go from a young girl in service to studying at a University to making her own way in the world. With the outbreak of WWI, and the sudden death of a friend, she is moved to put her dreams on hold to join up as a field nurse to help the boys at war. The first book in the Maisie Dobbs series; it sheds some light on what happened to Maisie in the passed during the war, while also following along as she uses everything her mentor Maurice Blanch taught her to solve the mysteries brought to her by clients or ones she discovers along the way.
I found this book a bit hard to get into. A number of parts felt like filler, constantly having the character going back over what had just occurred. That is not a bad tool to use, but I felt it was used far too often. Many of the characters I felt were more of a caricature, few of them felt real, or had any real depth to them.
The book starts off in 1929 as Maisie is just setting up her detective agency after her mentor retires. It shows her close relationship with her once employer Lady Rowan, and her admiration for her mentor Maurice. She is portrayed as very careful with her finances and meticulous with her work. She gets her first clients with help from Lady Rowan, and along the way of investigating she uncovered a much bigger mystery. The book then jumps back to 1910, just after Maisie has lost her mother, it follows Maisie through having to go into service to help her now savings-less father, to University and to the outbreak of WWI. It speeds through time from when she decides to leave school to help the cause as a nurse to the time she ends up on the battlefields in France.
I found this portion of the book, where Maisie's background is revealed, to be very dry. It hols all of the major events in Maisie's life but didn't feel like a huge impact. Maisie felt like a robot during this time period. Except for when she herself decides use the great library without permission, she goes along doing as she is told with little emotion. Nose to the grindstone yes, but since it offered little colour to Maisie's character I lack feeling towards her.
It wasn't until things really start rolling and being revealed towards the later half of the book, after it jumps back to 1929, that I actually am finally really turning pages. I found the the conclusion very interesting and did enjoy how it was all finally revealed and the path taken to get to it.
It took a sleepless night to finally finish this book, and I'm not sure when or if I will be starting the second book in the Maisie Dobbs story.
December 18, 2020
1st read
Read 4.5 - 4.9.2018
Kindle [OverDrive]
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I have book hangover. M A S S I V E book hangover.
I loved this book so very much - even the parts that made me cry [I have such a problem with books that deal with war in general {as anyone with a soul would}, but books that deal with WW1 in particular are very distressing to me]. I loved the characters and I adored Maisie and all she was determined to do regardless of the fact that she was a woman. This was a lovely story - a full on mystery with no murder [to speak of] and genuine intrigue. I am so looking forward to the second one.
***The Narrator was simply delightful - it is so lovely to finally have a fantastic narrator after so many bad ones of late***
-----------------------------------------------------------
2nd read
12.14 - 12.18.2020
Paperback
WOW. It is odd to go back and revisit the first book in a large series. Even though I thought I remembered the story, there was stuff I didn't remember and I probably cried just as much the second time around as I did the first time. The end of this book is just heartbreaking. It just stays in my heart for a long time.
Read 4.5 - 4.9.2018
Kindle [OverDrive]
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I have book hangover. M A S S I V E book hangover.
I loved this book so very much - even the parts that made me cry [I have such a problem with books that deal with war in general {as anyone with a soul would}, but books that deal with WW1 in particular are very distressing to me]. I loved the characters and I adored Maisie and all she was determined to do regardless of the fact that she was a woman. This was a lovely story - a full on mystery with no murder [to speak of] and genuine intrigue. I am so looking forward to the second one.
***The Narrator was simply delightful - it is so lovely to finally have a fantastic narrator after so many bad ones of late***
-----------------------------------------------------------
2nd read
12.14 - 12.18.2020
Paperback
WOW. It is odd to go back and revisit the first book in a large series. Even though I thought I remembered the story, there was stuff I didn't remember and I probably cried just as much the second time around as I did the first time. The end of this book is just heartbreaking. It just stays in my heart for a long time.
September 30, 2018
I think this book is good enough to re-read. I will then provide a proper review while I drink a nice cuppa!!
I have finished for the second time... I hope I don't disappoint; I am drinking a cuppa wine, not tea!!
I have many favorite male heroes. Maisie Dobbs is my first female heroine... at least in recent memory **. Jacqueline Winspear has crafted a character, who, when she dies, will go to heaven and be declared a saint. As you can tell, I LOVE Maisie Dobbs. Her mentor, Maurice Blanche, comes in a very close second.
The story starts with Maisie as an adult. We don't know much about her background yet, but she is opening an office to be a private detective, of sorts. She has been taught the trade by Maurice, who is giving up his business. Her first client is a man who thinks his wife is cheating on him. I'll let you read how this story unfolds and what the real story is.
We then revert to Maisie's childhood. Her mother dies young, and Frankie her father, sends her to a home to be a maid. Kind of an upstairs/downstairs situation. Her mistress finds Maisie reading one day and sees how bright she is. Enter Maurice who teaches her and prepares her for an education at Cambridge.
There are so many elements of this story: love, compassion, and pure unadulterated SMARTS.
There are 14 books in the Maisie Dobbs series. Over the next 13 months I will continue to read one per month with the group Retro Chapter Chicks.
Loved, loved, loved this book.
5 stars
** OK, I have to say before Maisie, I revered one female heroine: Jane Eyre.
I have finished for the second time... I hope I don't disappoint; I am drinking a cuppa wine, not tea!!
I have many favorite male heroes. Maisie Dobbs is my first female heroine... at least in recent memory **. Jacqueline Winspear has crafted a character, who, when she dies, will go to heaven and be declared a saint. As you can tell, I LOVE Maisie Dobbs. Her mentor, Maurice Blanche, comes in a very close second.
The story starts with Maisie as an adult. We don't know much about her background yet, but she is opening an office to be a private detective, of sorts. She has been taught the trade by Maurice, who is giving up his business. Her first client is a man who thinks his wife is cheating on him. I'll let you read how this story unfolds and what the real story is.
We then revert to Maisie's childhood. Her mother dies young, and Frankie her father, sends her to a home to be a maid. Kind of an upstairs/downstairs situation. Her mistress finds Maisie reading one day and sees how bright she is. Enter Maurice who teaches her and prepares her for an education at Cambridge.
There are so many elements of this story: love, compassion, and pure unadulterated SMARTS.
There are 14 books in the Maisie Dobbs series. Over the next 13 months I will continue to read one per month with the group Retro Chapter Chicks.
Loved, loved, loved this book.
5 stars
** OK, I have to say before Maisie, I revered one female heroine: Jane Eyre.
October 30, 2023
I remember reading this years ago with my library book discussion group.
It was...
A great discussion for a mystery group - especially since we are talking pre-DNA crime-solving strategies.
So...
We have Maisie, a young woman, in 1929 as a private investigator using her intuitive thinking in a man's world attempting to be taken seriously.
And...
Maisie is curious, she is intellectual, who can easily get herself in trouble and does quite frequently.
Thus...
A wonderful historical series.
At least...
This first book is a great entrance to Maisie's world.
It was...
A great discussion for a mystery group - especially since we are talking pre-DNA crime-solving strategies.
So...
We have Maisie, a young woman, in 1929 as a private investigator using her intuitive thinking in a man's world attempting to be taken seriously.
And...
Maisie is curious, she is intellectual, who can easily get herself in trouble and does quite frequently.
Thus...
A wonderful historical series.
At least...
This first book is a great entrance to Maisie's world.
September 3, 2017
I enjoyed this so much I barely care about some of the faults it has. Excellent experience.
March 3, 2017
Maisie Dobbs starts out in the late 1920s, with Maisie just setting up her investigation business. It gets into the first real case, then takes a significant detour into the past to give Maisie’s backstory - I’d say probably half the book shows her childhood up through WWI nursing experiences. So although there’s a mystery, it really felt like a WWI historical novel much of the time, along with the horrors and sadness it left behind. Once Maisie’s character is fully established, it comes back to the original mystery and wraps it up quickly. The story of the past does end up being related to the mystery, so it all ties together in the end.
I found the story absorbing. I really liked Maisie - she’s smart and manages to work her way out of servitude using her brains and her connections. But once WWI comes into her life, the story takes a tragic turn. For some time after finishing it, I felt haunted by it. It was so sad! Usually, this would have stopped me from enjoying it, but the surrounding narrative of Maisie’s life in the 1920s made me feel that this is just the beginning of Maisie’s story. I have hope that she will find her way out of the grief and pain of what’s behind her and be able to forge a new life. I’m guessing that future installments will also focus less on her personal story and more on whatever mysteries she’s investigating.
One thing I found kind of weird is the way that Maisie conducts her investigations. I would have thought her brains would come into it more, but she relies on some sort of sixth sense. For example, she puts herself in the physical position of the person she’s studying, and that allows her to feel what they are feeling. She uses that intuition to help her solve her cases. She also has premonitions and there’s more emphasis on general intuition than facts and clues. I don’t know if this will bother me going forward or not. Her mind is sharp, so I’d like to see her use it as well as her hunches.
For now, I know that her story affected me, and I want to see what’s in store for her.
Original Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this, even though it was really sad in places. Review to come...
I found the story absorbing. I really liked Maisie - she’s smart and manages to work her way out of servitude using her brains and her connections. But once WWI comes into her life, the story takes a tragic turn. For some time after finishing it, I felt haunted by it. It was so sad! Usually, this would have stopped me from enjoying it, but the surrounding narrative of Maisie’s life in the 1920s made me feel that this is just the beginning of Maisie’s story. I have hope that she will find her way out of the grief and pain of what’s behind her and be able to forge a new life. I’m guessing that future installments will also focus less on her personal story and more on whatever mysteries she’s investigating.
One thing I found kind of weird is the way that Maisie conducts her investigations. I would have thought her brains would come into it more, but she relies on some sort of sixth sense. For example, she puts herself in the physical position of the person she’s studying, and that allows her to feel what they are feeling. She uses that intuition to help her solve her cases. She also has premonitions and there’s more emphasis on general intuition than facts and clues. I don’t know if this will bother me going forward or not. Her mind is sharp, so I’d like to see her use it as well as her hunches.
For now, I know that her story affected me, and I want to see what’s in store for her.
Original Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this, even though it was really sad in places. Review to come...
June 24, 2008
I really enjoyed this first book in Winspear's mystery series. Maisie Dobbs is a very intriguing and sympathetic heroine full of admirable traits.
At age 13, after her mother's death, her father sends her to be a servant in the home of a kindly aristocratic family. The family sees much promise in the smart Maisie and offers to fund her education. WWI breaks out and Maisie feels called to volunteer. She goes to France as a nurse and her experiences impact her in a way that changes her life forever. When she arrives home after the war, Maisie continues her education and ultimately opens a private investigation firm. One of her first jobs appears to be a routine infidelity case but ends up being much more and causes Maisie to revisit many of her traumatic memories of the Great War.
The mystery and plot are excellently written and exciting. I like the way that the author weaves in history and flashbacks to bring interest to the plot. I am a big fan of the WWI time period, as well. Winspear's strength lies in her characters...right up my alley!
At age 13, after her mother's death, her father sends her to be a servant in the home of a kindly aristocratic family. The family sees much promise in the smart Maisie and offers to fund her education. WWI breaks out and Maisie feels called to volunteer. She goes to France as a nurse and her experiences impact her in a way that changes her life forever. When she arrives home after the war, Maisie continues her education and ultimately opens a private investigation firm. One of her first jobs appears to be a routine infidelity case but ends up being much more and causes Maisie to revisit many of her traumatic memories of the Great War.
The mystery and plot are excellently written and exciting. I like the way that the author weaves in history and flashbacks to bring interest to the plot. I am a big fan of the WWI time period, as well. Winspear's strength lies in her characters...right up my alley!
September 6, 2007
MAISIE DOBBS (Historical Novel/Mystery) – Okay
Jacqueline Winspear – 1st book
Penguin Books, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Set in England between 1910 and 1929 is the story of Maisie who goes from being the daughter of a fruit-and-vegetable man, to the in-between maid of wealthy aristocrats where she receives special tutoring, on to college and then serving as a Nurse in France during WWI and, finally, setting up an investigative service where she is asked to find out about “The Retreat,” a home for young men severely injured during the War.
*** This is primarily a background novel about Maisie who is, by the way, precognitive. She is also very taken with herself and, to me, cruel to one she says she loves. The far more interesting character is Billy, who plays a secondary role. The story of the men who fought in WWI is, by far, the strongest and most poignant part of the story. The actual mystery is almost incidental to the story and relies on information you are unaware she obtained through Billy’s willingness to be the legman, and Maisie’s intuitive powers. Although there were parts of the book by which I was moved, I was disappointed overall. I’ve ordered the next book but It will need to be significantly stronger for me to continue with this series.
Jacqueline Winspear – 1st book
Penguin Books, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Set in England between 1910 and 1929 is the story of Maisie who goes from being the daughter of a fruit-and-vegetable man, to the in-between maid of wealthy aristocrats where she receives special tutoring, on to college and then serving as a Nurse in France during WWI and, finally, setting up an investigative service where she is asked to find out about “The Retreat,” a home for young men severely injured during the War.
*** This is primarily a background novel about Maisie who is, by the way, precognitive. She is also very taken with herself and, to me, cruel to one she says she loves. The far more interesting character is Billy, who plays a secondary role. The story of the men who fought in WWI is, by far, the strongest and most poignant part of the story. The actual mystery is almost incidental to the story and relies on information you are unaware she obtained through Billy’s willingness to be the legman, and Maisie’s intuitive powers. Although there were parts of the book by which I was moved, I was disappointed overall. I’ve ordered the next book but It will need to be significantly stronger for me to continue with this series.
September 23, 2019
DNF @ p. 63
I know, I have issues with historical fiction. I fully acknowledge this and I give books quite a bit of the benefit of my doubt for that exact reason.
However, let's take a look at a paragraph from Maisie Dobbs that has impressed me particularly:
Once across the bridge, Maisie descended into the depths of Westminster underground railway station and took the District Line to Charing Cross station. The station had changed names back and forth so many times, she wondered what it would be called next. First it was Embankment, then Charing Cross Embankment, and now just Charing Cross, depending upon which line you were traveling. At Charing Cross she changed trains, and took the Northern Line to Goodge Street station, where she left the underground, coming back up into the sharp morning air at Tottenham Court Road. She crossed the road, then set off along Chenies Street toward Russell Square. Once across the square, she entered Guilford Street, where she stopped to look at the mess the powers that be had made of Coram’s Fields. The old foundling hospital, built by Sir Thomas Coram almost two hundred years before, had been demolished in 1926, and now it was just an empty space with nothing to speak of happening to it. “Shame,” whispered Maisie, as she walked another few yards and entered Mecklenburg Square.
Named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became queen consort upon her marriage to George III of England, the gracious Georgian houses of the square were set around a garden protected by a wrought-iron fence secured with a locked gate. Doubtless a key to the lock was on a designated hook downstairs at the Davenham residence, in the butler’s safekeeping. In common with many London squares, only residents had access to the garden.
Maisie jotted a few more lines in her notebook, taking care to reflect that she had been to the square once before, accompanying Maurice Blanche during a visit to his colleague, Richard Tawney, the political writer who spoke of social equality in a way that both excited and embarrassed Maisie. At the time it seemed just as well that he and Maurice were deep in lively conversation, so that Maisie’s lack of ease could go unnoticed.
While waiting at the corner and surveying the square, Maisie wondered if Davenham had inherited his property. He seemed quite out of place in Mecklenburg Square, where social reformers lived alongside university professors, poets, and scholars from overseas. She considered his possible discomfort, not only in his marriage but in his home environment. As Maisie set her gaze on one house in particular, a man emerged from a neighboring house and walked in her direction. She quickly feigned interest in a window box filled with crocus buds peeking through moist soil. Their purple shoots seemed to test the air to see if it was conducive to a full-fledged flowering. The man passed. Maisie still had her head inclined toward the flowers when she heard another door close with a thud, and looked up.
The impression is not a good one. You see, the reason this section particularly stuck with me is that I have a particular soft spot for Mecklenburgh Square. It's where Sayers lived when she penned the first Wimsey novel. It's also where Sayers establishes her other main character, Harriet Vane. Apart from Sayers, there are numerous other writers of note that lived in this area. So, when I was in London earlier this year, I made a point of visiting the place.
Not only is it "Mecklenburgh", with an "h", rather than "Mecklenburg" (unless you're referring to Sayers' fictionalised "Mecklenburg Sq."), but most of the houses have a gap between the windows and the pavement, which is fenced off.
The buildings don't really have windowsills wide enough to hold window boxes - and this is the usual style all around the square from what I remember. As the buildings wound be the same as described in Maisie Dobbs' setting, I doubt this has changed since 1929.
There are window boxes, but if a person is standing near one, the person would be standing at an entrance. And staring at a window box standing at the front door of a house without seeming to want to enter or knock...Well, I'm sorry but I can't think of many things that look even more suspicious.
Also, why do we need the lessons in London tube stations and the history of the square itself? What has any of this to do with the story?
This sort of Oh-look-how-much-research-I've-done-info-dumping has happened throughout the book so far, and of course we also have the dreaded descriptions of fashion. I can't stand descriptions of fashion details that have no relevance to the scene.
Like this one:
“I see. Mr. Davenham, this is a delicate situation. Before I proceed, I must ask for you to make a commitment to me—”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“A commitment to your marriage, actually. A commitment, perhaps, to your wife’s well-being and to your future.”
Christopher Davenham stirred uneasily in his chair and folded his arms.
“Mr. Davenham,” said Maisie, looking out of the window, “it’s a very fine day now, don’t you think? Let’s walk around Fitzroy Square. We will be at liberty to speak freely and also enjoy something of the day.”
Without waiting for an answer, Maisie rose from her chair, took her coat from the stand, and passed it to Christopher Davenham who, being a gentleman, stifled his annoyance, took the coat, and held it out for Maisie. Placing her hat upon her head and securing it with a pearl hatpin, Maisie smiled up at him. “A walk will be lovely.”
So, here is a client with a tricky problem, and we switch the focus from the conversation to a hat pin? WTF?
And don't get me started on Maisie's trying to fix the man's marriage...how well would this have gone down in 1929...unless you're Parker Pyne, Agatha Christie's famous "detective of the heart"?
So, yeah, this book so far lacks all credibility for me and the over-indulgence in pointless detail is distracting from any of the interesting aspects of the novel such as how people dealt with war wounds - physical and mental. There was much promise in this, but little has been made of it so far.
In short, this is an example of why I prefer non-fiction history or, particularly with respect to book set between 1900 and 1945, books written at the actual time.
I know, I have issues with historical fiction. I fully acknowledge this and I give books quite a bit of the benefit of my doubt for that exact reason.
However, let's take a look at a paragraph from Maisie Dobbs that has impressed me particularly:
Once across the bridge, Maisie descended into the depths of Westminster underground railway station and took the District Line to Charing Cross station. The station had changed names back and forth so many times, she wondered what it would be called next. First it was Embankment, then Charing Cross Embankment, and now just Charing Cross, depending upon which line you were traveling. At Charing Cross she changed trains, and took the Northern Line to Goodge Street station, where she left the underground, coming back up into the sharp morning air at Tottenham Court Road. She crossed the road, then set off along Chenies Street toward Russell Square. Once across the square, she entered Guilford Street, where she stopped to look at the mess the powers that be had made of Coram’s Fields. The old foundling hospital, built by Sir Thomas Coram almost two hundred years before, had been demolished in 1926, and now it was just an empty space with nothing to speak of happening to it. “Shame,” whispered Maisie, as she walked another few yards and entered Mecklenburg Square.
Named in honor of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who became queen consort upon her marriage to George III of England, the gracious Georgian houses of the square were set around a garden protected by a wrought-iron fence secured with a locked gate. Doubtless a key to the lock was on a designated hook downstairs at the Davenham residence, in the butler’s safekeeping. In common with many London squares, only residents had access to the garden.
Maisie jotted a few more lines in her notebook, taking care to reflect that she had been to the square once before, accompanying Maurice Blanche during a visit to his colleague, Richard Tawney, the political writer who spoke of social equality in a way that both excited and embarrassed Maisie. At the time it seemed just as well that he and Maurice were deep in lively conversation, so that Maisie’s lack of ease could go unnoticed.
While waiting at the corner and surveying the square, Maisie wondered if Davenham had inherited his property. He seemed quite out of place in Mecklenburg Square, where social reformers lived alongside university professors, poets, and scholars from overseas. She considered his possible discomfort, not only in his marriage but in his home environment. As Maisie set her gaze on one house in particular, a man emerged from a neighboring house and walked in her direction. She quickly feigned interest in a window box filled with crocus buds peeking through moist soil. Their purple shoots seemed to test the air to see if it was conducive to a full-fledged flowering. The man passed. Maisie still had her head inclined toward the flowers when she heard another door close with a thud, and looked up.
The impression is not a good one. You see, the reason this section particularly stuck with me is that I have a particular soft spot for Mecklenburgh Square. It's where Sayers lived when she penned the first Wimsey novel. It's also where Sayers establishes her other main character, Harriet Vane. Apart from Sayers, there are numerous other writers of note that lived in this area. So, when I was in London earlier this year, I made a point of visiting the place.
Not only is it "Mecklenburgh", with an "h", rather than "Mecklenburg" (unless you're referring to Sayers' fictionalised "Mecklenburg Sq."), but most of the houses have a gap between the windows and the pavement, which is fenced off.
The buildings don't really have windowsills wide enough to hold window boxes - and this is the usual style all around the square from what I remember. As the buildings wound be the same as described in Maisie Dobbs' setting, I doubt this has changed since 1929.
There are window boxes, but if a person is standing near one, the person would be standing at an entrance. And staring at a window box standing at the front door of a house without seeming to want to enter or knock...Well, I'm sorry but I can't think of many things that look even more suspicious.
Also, why do we need the lessons in London tube stations and the history of the square itself? What has any of this to do with the story?
This sort of Oh-look-how-much-research-I've-done-info-dumping has happened throughout the book so far, and of course we also have the dreaded descriptions of fashion. I can't stand descriptions of fashion details that have no relevance to the scene.
Like this one:
“I see. Mr. Davenham, this is a delicate situation. Before I proceed, I must ask for you to make a commitment to me—”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“A commitment to your marriage, actually. A commitment, perhaps, to your wife’s well-being and to your future.”
Christopher Davenham stirred uneasily in his chair and folded his arms.
“Mr. Davenham,” said Maisie, looking out of the window, “it’s a very fine day now, don’t you think? Let’s walk around Fitzroy Square. We will be at liberty to speak freely and also enjoy something of the day.”
Without waiting for an answer, Maisie rose from her chair, took her coat from the stand, and passed it to Christopher Davenham who, being a gentleman, stifled his annoyance, took the coat, and held it out for Maisie. Placing her hat upon her head and securing it with a pearl hatpin, Maisie smiled up at him. “A walk will be lovely.”
So, here is a client with a tricky problem, and we switch the focus from the conversation to a hat pin? WTF?
And don't get me started on Maisie's trying to fix the man's marriage...how well would this have gone down in 1929...unless you're Parker Pyne, Agatha Christie's famous "detective of the heart"?
So, yeah, this book so far lacks all credibility for me and the over-indulgence in pointless detail is distracting from any of the interesting aspects of the novel such as how people dealt with war wounds - physical and mental. There was much promise in this, but little has been made of it so far.
In short, this is an example of why I prefer non-fiction history or, particularly with respect to book set between 1900 and 1945, books written at the actual time.
June 6, 2023
Съвсем тънка и незначителна спрямо цялостната идея криминална интрижка, в която бившата военна сестра и настоящ детектив Мейзи Добс разследва смъртта на млад мъж, обезобразен от войната. Следата води до дом за уединение, в който тежко ранените на бойните полета в Първата световна война намират подслон, далеч от очите на обществото, което предпочита героите му да са физически и психически непокътнати.
По-различен ъгъл към следвоенната действителност в Англия – наличието на огромен брой инвалидизирани и психически травматизирани млади мъже, което се превръща в тежък социален проблем за тях и техните семейства. Оттук до вкарването на криминален елемент в историята пътят е кратък.
Интересният замисъл и прелюбопитният исторически контекст са май единствените плюсове на книгата. На другия полюс са слабите диалози, натъпкани с клишета („погледни навътре в себе си“, „време е да свалиш маската си“), което удря и по убедителността на образите. Парадоксално обаче, прекарах си няколко отморяващи часа с книгата, без да се подразня прекалено, и дори бих продължила с поредицата като пауза между две тежки книги, например.
По-различен ъгъл към следвоенната действителност в Англия – наличието на огромен брой инвалидизирани и психически травматизирани млади мъже, което се превръща в тежък социален проблем за тях и техните семейства. Оттук до вкарването на криминален елемент в историята пътят е кратък.
Интересният замисъл и прелюбопитният исторически контекст са май единствените плюсове на книгата. На другия полюс са слабите диалози, натъпкани с клишета („погледни навътре в себе си“, „време е да свалиш маската си“), което удря и по убедителността на образите. Парадоксално обаче, прекарах си няколко отморяващи часа с книгата, без да се подразня прекалено, и дори бих продължила с поредицата като пауза между две тежки книги, например.
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