A review by aaareading
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

3.0

Maisie Dobbs came to me highly recommended, and while I did enjoy it eventually there were parts that were a little hard to get through. The book is split into three parts. First we meet Maisie as an independent woman, setting up her investigative office in post WWI London. She works her first case and is sent directly into another, with both personal and professional directives. Just as you get invested in that storyline, we are sent back to the past and learn about Maisie’s upbringing and education, as well as her time as a nurse at the front in WWI. Her relationships are mostly developed in this part, but it felt like a bit of a slog for me. Maybe just because it bucks convention, but the insertion of a full section of backstory in the midst of the novel made the book feel a bit choppy. This section could almost be its own novel, it’s not like it was a quick flashback. Finally we get back to the action, which is the most fascinating part of the story. There’s a bit of suspense although the big moment at the end was a bit far fetched and unbelievable to me. Maisie is a bit of a perfect character, and she is almost flawless which makes her one big regret a little shocking and out of character. I’d have liked it better if she was a bit more imperfect the whole way through I guess.