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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Maisie is hired by a group of childhood acquaintances to look into the murder of one of their mutual friends. While the actual mystery is pretty thin, the impending horror of WWII makes a terrifying backdrop to this story.
I could not figure out if I was reading a romance novel about James and Maisie with a mystery running in the background or vice-versa. In either case this was the most boring of the series I have read to date.
Once again the character of Maisie Dobbs has brought to me a sense of contentment. She is a strong character with vulnerabilities both obvious and subtle. In each book she continues to grow and learn more about herself. For being the 9th book in the series this series maintains it's characters, mysteries, friendship and love.
*deep sigh*
When I started reading the Maisie Dobbs books, I savored each book and eagerly awaited the next installment. Unfortunately, somewhere around book 5 or 6, this was no longer an immediate "must read". Winspear's prose remains as charming as ever- the London setting and details of everyday life give you a strong sense of place and ground the narrative. The problem is that the narrative has grown stale.
Maisie is eternally guilty, fretful, and indecisive. World War I has seemingly given her a crippling case of PTSD but without at all affecting her ability to function in every day life. Maisie led a fairly charmed life before the war. Her education was sponsored by a rich family, and she had many parental figures step in after her mother's death. After the war she became a successful investigator cum entrepreneur, and her loved ones are generally supportive of her life choices. She lost her first love to the war (as did many thousands of other women), but she's had three eligible bachelors vie for her hand, two of which were actually well-suited. She's been working since she was 16 and is now 32, yet instead of admitting she's afraid of love she insists she doesn't know herself well enough to settle down.
After 8 prior installments, I expect more character development. Billy Beale, Priscilla, and James have all shown more growth, and are therefore more interetesting than the titular character. There are two more books and the reviews indicate that they're more of the same old same old, just in different settings. I think it's time for me to give up.
When I started reading the Maisie Dobbs books, I savored each book and eagerly awaited the next installment. Unfortunately, somewhere around book 5 or 6, this was no longer an immediate "must read". Winspear's prose remains as charming as ever- the London setting and details of everyday life give you a strong sense of place and ground the narrative. The problem is that the narrative has grown stale.
Maisie is eternally guilty, fretful, and indecisive. World War I has seemingly given her a crippling case of PTSD but without at all affecting her ability to function in every day life. Maisie led a fairly charmed life before the war. Her education was sponsored by a rich family, and she had many parental figures step in after her mother's death. After the war she became a successful investigator cum entrepreneur, and her loved ones are generally supportive of her life choices. She lost her first love to the war (as did many thousands of other women), but she's had three eligible bachelors vie for her hand, two of which were actually well-suited. She's been working since she was 16 and is now 32, yet instead of admitting she's afraid of love she insists she doesn't know herself well enough to settle down.
Spoiler
At the end of this book she is contemplating leaving England, and James has given her a deadline to respond to his marriage proposal.After 8 prior installments, I expect more character development. Billy Beale, Priscilla, and James have all shown more growth, and are therefore more interetesting than the titular character. There are two more books and the reviews indicate that they're more of the same old same old, just in different settings. I think it's time for me to give up.
I was just so very bored! I enjoy ready mysteries, I love Agatha Christie, and the Scherlock Holmes stories. This is the second of the Maisie Dobbs series that I have read and I'm over it. I feel the British author really overdoes it with the British stuff, it's so overdone.
I haven’t read the others in this series, and it’s probably more fun if you’re well acquainted with all the players. Still, the detective, Maisie Dobbs, is an interesting character. The mystery is set in London, in the 30s, and the social and political milieu is finely drawn. The mystery itself is not the strong suit in this novel, so it should be read mostly for its atmosphere.
This was the second Maisie Dobbs book I have read - the first one being years ago. Perhaps better to read in order, as I have skipped quite a few books since the first one, but I found this perfectly ok to read as a stand alone. It was interesting enough, particularly with the historical setting and the characters, especially the life going on of Maisie Dobbs. I wouldn't say the muyrder or investigation were massively amazing but it was a well written and enjoyable book.
A good overall story with some lovely character moments, especially with Maisie and Priscilla, her series-long best friend, but it again felt more like a transitional story rather than a solid, standalone entry in the series. Even the mystery itself felt as if it were a set-up for the looming threats of WWII. I found it enjoyable but faintly unsatisfying, though I expect some of the self-realizations Maisie makes in the course of the story will pay off in more satisfying emotional depth in future volumes.