A review by calmlyeatingmuffins
The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear

4.0

Jacqueline Winspear has proven her literary talent in this novel. I've now read all of her books (so far), and I can say that here, she really comes into her own, with her vivid description and use of language. If you read this novel expecting an action-driven plot, you might be disappointed, as you will find that the drama of this novel is--as it is for many women writers, especially in the 19th century--mainly on the inside. One of the things I love most about Winspear is how she gives us an intimate glimpse into women's lives and shows them not to be static figures, but dynamic ones who develop over the course of the novel (or in the case of Maisie Dobbs, over a series of novels). That's no less true here. Here she also shows the power of women and women's stories, and how they have an influence on the world--including the male world--connected to them. She does a great job here, and I'm only giving it 4 stars because I didn't LOVE it (I LIKED it very much!!). Without giving anything away, Winspear plays too much with my heart as a reader, and while that contributes to her realism, I--well, I won't say any more, but that's the main reason it's not 5 stars.