Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by mepresley
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
2.0
In terms of the "mystery" we get in the novel, it's not much of one: Maisie solves the case she's hired to tackle very, very early--and the larger mystery that this case opens is extremely, extremely predictable.
The novel isn't really about the mystery, though. It's about the character of Maisie Dobbs and its about the horrors of WWI and its aftermath. The novel does better here than at the mystery itself and remains readable. Still, Maisie is too perfect, making her a dull character even in the midst of her struggles to overcome her class status, pursue her studies, serve her country, and cope with the loss of her first love. She's not just a good detective: she's an excellent nurse, intuitive to the point of prophecy, a natural at meditation, a counselor, etc etc.
Speaking of the love story, it's ... fine. It shouldn't be necessary and it isn't going to be particularly memorable for me but it does tie in nicely with the novel's heavy emphasis on the unseen scars that persist more than a decade after the end of the war.
The novel isn't really about the mystery, though. It's about the character of Maisie Dobbs and its about the horrors of WWI and its aftermath. The novel does better here than at the mystery itself and remains readable. Still, Maisie is too perfect, making her a dull character even in the midst of her struggles to overcome her class status, pursue her studies, serve her country, and cope with the loss of her first love. She's not just a good detective: she's an excellent nurse, intuitive to the point of prophecy, a natural at meditation, a counselor, etc etc.
Speaking of the love story, it's ... fine. It shouldn't be necessary and it isn't going to be particularly memorable for me but it does tie in nicely with the novel's heavy emphasis on the unseen scars that persist more than a decade after the end of the war.