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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I read the Maisie Dobbs novels because I enjoy them and they are nice easy reads and this addition to the series was no exception. I like that this series is set in the inter-war years because not many books are and Winspear makes the late 1920s and early 1930s very compelling.
I do have some criticisms with this book; I think that Maisie’s foray into academia makes a lot of her questioning seem very transparent and unbelievable and as a reader, I had a hard time believing that all these people would pour their hearts out to an university lecturer. I also feel Winspear painted the culprit in a very sympathetic light-sympathetic enough that I was quite displeased with their fate and feel that the author should have finished the book differently. All in all, fans of the series are liable not to be disappointed with the new installation.
I do have some criticisms with this book; I think that Maisie’s foray into academia makes a lot of her questioning seem very transparent and unbelievable and as a reader, I had a hard time believing that all these people would pour their hearts out to an university lecturer. I also feel Winspear painted the culprit in a very sympathetic light-sympathetic enough that I was quite displeased with their fate and feel that the author should have finished the book differently. All in all, fans of the series are liable not to be disappointed with the new installation.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story was, for me, quite a page-turner, especially in comparison with some of the more recent entries into the Maisie Dobbs series. Its also interesting to note that the series seems to be turning a corner from dealing with mysteries tied mainly to the Great War to ones prefacing WWII. A minor negative point, I felt the interplay between the two plots of Maisie monitoring the goings-on at the college and investigating the murder to be a bit awkward, for lack of a better term. Still, I very much enjoyed this installment. Ms. Winspear never fails to amaze me with her ability to write a story that is set 80 years in the past and yet still seems so relevant in many of its elements. Divisive rhetoric, rancorous debate, fear of the unfamiliar, and scorn for peaceful negotiation are always present, but sometimes seem to loom larger than life these days, as they did in the 1930s.
Like plum pudding. Without any plums. And no custard either.
Stodgy, prissy, uninvolving, dull.
I finished it but it was a slog, picking up only in the last 20 percent (and dying away again in the last 10 percent with the hideous anticlimax of Maisie plodding round her obligatory revisit of the scenes of the crime.
Stodgy, prissy, uninvolving, dull.
I finished it but it was a slog, picking up only in the last 20 percent (and dying away again in the last 10 percent with the hideous anticlimax of Maisie plodding round her obligatory revisit of the scenes of the crime.
Another good one. I am attached to the characters now--Maisie, Billy, Priscilla, Frankie, James, Doreen, Sandra. A well written series, with multiple plots, very British.
Another great Maisie Dobbs mystery. Maisie is a private detective; this book takes place in 1932. She takes a temporary leave of her PI business to take up a position as a professor at a private college in Cambridge. She is working for the secret service to identify anyone acting out of the interest of the crown. However, things take a turn when the head of the college is found murdered. Maisie takes it upon herself to figure out exactly what happened.
My only complaint about this book was that the "regulars" were missing. Her faithful sidekick, Billy, does not have a prominent role in this book, as he stays behind in London to keep their business running. We don't see much of Maisie's father either.
My only complaint about this book was that the "regulars" were missing. Her faithful sidekick, Billy, does not have a prominent role in this book, as he stays behind in London to keep their business running. We don't see much of Maisie's father either.
One of my favorite Maisie Dobbs novels yet! It made me want to learn more about cartography and WWI, and it took me right up until the final moment to figure out the murderer—no higher praise from me!
The mysteries were much less complex here and focused more on story, which is fine but left out the spark of Maisie working through a complex problem.
I had forgotten how deeply depressing the Maisie Dobbs stories are. This one was very well written, but the subjects were so terribly sad that I've resolved not to read any more of them. Life is tough enough.