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10th out of 738 books
—
1,610 voters
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs #1)
by
Jacqueline Winspear (Goodreads Author)
Maisie Dobbs, junior housemaid, is found reading in the library, assigned tutor Maurice Blanche who trains her in psychological investigative techniques and prepares her for Cambridge. After spending World War I nursing in France, she sets up as a private investigator. But her very first assignment, seemingly an ordinary infidelity case, soon reveals a much deeper, darker...more
Paperback, 309 pages
Published
May 25th 2004
by Penguin
(first published June 1st 2003)
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I picked up Maisie Dobbs from the library upon the rec. of my GR friend Carol, and have to say that this initial entry marks what may prove to be one of the cleverest mystery series since Dorothy Gilman brought the retired and intrepid Mrs. Pollifax to life back in the 1960s. (For more on Mrs. Pollifax, see The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax)
Don't go into reading Maisie Dobbs with any preconceived ideas about what you'll find there. Yes, it's a mystery -- somewhat. Yes, it's a historical novel -- some...more
Don't go into reading Maisie Dobbs with any preconceived ideas about what you'll find there. Yes, it's a mystery -- somewhat. Yes, it's a historical novel -- some...more
ETA Jan 2013: quick re-read before I start the rest in the series.
A little better the second time round. Clearer head, or something. But my original opinion, below, still holds. 3.5 stars
I liked this, very much; I just didn't love it. I wanted to be more connected to Maisie, but felt that she slipped away before I could learn to love her. I liked the story and the back story and the way they intertwined, although I found the switching back and forth in time was handled a little awkwardly.
I will...more
A little better the second time round. Clearer head, or something. But my original opinion, below, still holds. 3.5 stars
I liked this, very much; I just didn't love it. I wanted to be more connected to Maisie, but felt that she slipped away before I could learn to love her. I liked the story and the back story and the way they intertwined, although I found the switching back and forth in time was handled a little awkwardly.
I will...more
14 likes · like · see review
Really enjoyable - this is the first installment in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series, whose heroine is a smart young woman who owns a private detective business in early 1930s London. The shadow of the Great War hangs over the book, and Winspear does a great job of evoking the impact that the war had on British culture and society. Maisie is a terrific heroine, and the second book in the series (Birds of a Feather) starts to explore her character in greater depth.
16 likes · like · see review
A beautifully written story of a young girl's rise from household servant to wartime field nurse to her own successful career as a private investigator during WWI-era England. This novel is so much more than just an historical mystery with a clever female sleuth. Winspear creates Maisie's story of her first professional case in such a way that with flashbacks we understand the physical and psychological scars of those who served during wartime...the sacrifices of the body, mind and heart....whic...more
8 likes · like · see review
I've enjoyed all four books to date in the Maisie Dobbs series. Winspear is meticulous about doing her homework about the period in question (World War I and its aftermath), and the heroine, Maisie is muy simpática.
That said, not all four books are of equal quality. For my taste, this one (#1) is the best of the bunch, with #4 (Messenger of Truth) close on its heels. The plot to #2 was a bit too predictable, while #3 suffers from the opposite flaw - too many convoluted subplots, with a little to...more
That said, not all four books are of equal quality. For my taste, this one (#1) is the best of the bunch, with #4 (Messenger of Truth) close on its heels. The plot to #2 was a bit too predictable, while #3 suffers from the opposite flaw - too many convoluted subplots, with a little to...more
I really enjoyed this first book in Winspear's mystery series. Maisie Dobbs is a very intriguing and sympathetic heroine full of admirable traits.
At age 13, after her mother's death, her father sends her to be a servant in the home of a kindly aristocratic family. The family sees much promise in the smart Maisie and offers to fund her education. WWI breaks out and Maisie feels called to volunteer. She goes to France as a nurse and her experiences impact her in a way that changes her life foreve...more
At age 13, after her mother's death, her father sends her to be a servant in the home of a kindly aristocratic family. The family sees much promise in the smart Maisie and offers to fund her education. WWI breaks out and Maisie feels called to volunteer. She goes to France as a nurse and her experiences impact her in a way that changes her life foreve...more
A neighbor recommended Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs as one of the best books she’s read. The book cover boasts quotes from The New York Times (“Be prepared to be astonished”), NPR (“A quirky literary creation”), and Alexander McCall Smith (“[A:] real gift”). Naturally, I had high expectations.
Maisie Dobbs is a detective and self-proclaimed psychologist in post-WWI London, and the novel splits its time between a case and detailing Maisie’s background. Only half the book is a mystery as Mais...more
Maisie Dobbs is a detective and self-proclaimed psychologist in post-WWI London, and the novel splits its time between a case and detailing Maisie’s background. Only half the book is a mystery as Mais...more
15 likes · like · see review
MAISIE DOBBS (Historical Novel/Mystery) – Okay
Jacqueline Winspear – 1st book
Penguin Books, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Set in England between 1910 and 1929 is the story of Maisie who goes from being the daughter of a fruit-and-vegetable man, to the in-between maid of wealthy aristocrats where she receives special tutoring, on to college and then serving as a Nurse in France during WWI and, finally, setting up an investigative service where she is asked to find out about “The Retreat,” a home for young...more
Jacqueline Winspear – 1st book
Penguin Books, 2003 – Trade Paperback
Set in England between 1910 and 1929 is the story of Maisie who goes from being the daughter of a fruit-and-vegetable man, to the in-between maid of wealthy aristocrats where she receives special tutoring, on to college and then serving as a Nurse in France during WWI and, finally, setting up an investigative service where she is asked to find out about “The Retreat,” a home for young...more
3 likes · like · see review
Nov 26, 2008
Karen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those interested in WWI; fans of Alexander McCall Smith.
Gee, I have to respectfully disagree with Bethany on this one! I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and kept me reading to find out what would happen next. I found the WWI detail fascinating, especially since I had never read anything about that era from the point of view of a nurse before. I did think the long middle "flashback" section about Maisie's war experiences went on a bit too long (I had almost forgotten what the mystery was by the time we got back to the present day),...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I enjoyed this book's setting (both 1920's England and World War I) and the main character. Maisie is an amazingly smart and independent woman for her time. There is a lot of character development here, which actually takes more time than the mystery itself. I'd be curious as to how the rest of the books in the series go--I imagine they'd be more centered on the mysteries now that we really know Maisie pretty well. Some day I'm sure I'll continue the series.
The only thing I didn't care for with this book is that Winspear started with the mystery, then gave Maisie's back story for the second third of the book, then went back to the mystery. I loved the setting (England and France during and just after World War I) and the odd little insightful observations on the psychology of the mind. The character of Maisie Dobbs completely won me over. An intelligent woman from the lower class making her mark on the world. Winspear didn't allow Maisie to be a ma...more
This was so refreshing to read!
The characters were very endearing. Masie, Mrs. Crawford, Mr. Carter, Billy, and of course her WWI friends.
I like the WWI time setting. What an unfair thing war is. So many lives are ruined by it. I appreciated how she didn't glorify it, yet maintained the glorious tribute deserving to those who served and sacrificed.
I appreciated the ending very much. I found this book to be just true-to-life to not be 'hoakey' like the other mysteries I've tried lately, yet it w...more
The characters were very endearing. Masie, Mrs. Crawford, Mr. Carter, Billy, and of course her WWI friends.
I like the WWI time setting. What an unfair thing war is. So many lives are ruined by it. I appreciated how she didn't glorify it, yet maintained the glorious tribute deserving to those who served and sacrificed.
I appreciated the ending very much. I found this book to be just true-to-life to not be 'hoakey' like the other mysteries I've tried lately, yet it w...more
2 likes · like · see review
A friend turned me on to the Maisie Dobbs series. I recommend that you read them in sequence. I enjoyed the historical references about World War I, which is a war that many of us today could not understand the horrific conditions that soldiers and nurses, in particular, endured in the trenches. Talk about post traumatic stress!
The mysteries are interesting as they involve the human pysche. A must read.
The mysteries are interesting as they involve the human pysche. A must read.
I wish Goodreads let me give half stars because I would give this book more like 3.5 stars. It was good but I was expecting more of a mystery and instead I got a novel with bits of mystery and sleuthing. But that's not to say I didn't like it....I did like the first book of the series but I am more excited to see how it progresses in future books. I get the feeling that the next books will be more mystery than the story of Maisie Dobbs. See my full review here
A friend highly recommended that I read this, and I'm so glad I did! I'm so impressed with Winspear's writing style. I was completely caught up and swept away by both the characters and plot. The author has an ability to create characters with real depth - even the ones you don't spend much time with in the story. The writing is well crafted in a way that will feel comfortable to folks who tend towards literary fiction, making this a great novel to give to folks who don't normally read genre fic...more
5 likes · like · see review
This was recommended by a friend and I have to say that I am loving it. I cry in all the wrong places - it's the happy parts of the book that make me cry. It makes me realize that I live an easy life.
5 likes · like · see review
I got about 2/3 of the way through this audiobook and just couldn't take it anymore. Maisie is the flattest character I have read in a long time, and in fact I can't even think of a flatter character. She is a one-dimensional, and oh too good to be true, character doing all the "right" things, I just couldn't listen to it anymore. Some of the book's critics have compared her to Nancy Drew; well I read all of the Nancy Drew books and Maisie Dobbs is no Nancy Drew, she could only hope to have 1/2...more
Jan 30, 2009
E
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Phyllis, Mackay
Shelves:
mystery-detective-fiction,
historical-fiction
This first book in the series isn't so much a mystery novel per se --unless you want to count the unfolding of Maisie's past as a mystery -- as it is a foundation for the future. Although set in 1929 when Maisie first establishes herself as an investigator, a large portion of the book takes place during WWI and before - or harks back to it in investigation of her current case. Reminiscent in tone and setting of the Charles Todd Ian Rutledge series, especially in its presentation of a world perma...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
There is a period of history in Britain between the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II that is rich matter for weeping. A generation had been decimated -- literally and figuratively -- and, as one voice in this novel puts it, no longer has "the freedom to think hopefully of the future." That is a freedom that has never been recovered, and it never will be.
Such novels as this one transcend genre; it is nominally a book about solving a mystery, but it is far more a deep and movi...more
Such novels as this one transcend genre; it is nominally a book about solving a mystery, but it is far more a deep and movi...more
I've heard a lot about this book from library patrons, and I was intrigued enough to pick it up at the beginning of the series. (I also read about it on Dooce.com.) It's an enjoyable read that I think would appeal to readers of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie, a British mystery steeped in WWI and the postwar era.
Maisie worked her way up through service, attracting the attention of her employers when they caught her using their library at night. Instead of the sack, she gets an education (of...more
Maisie worked her way up through service, attracting the attention of her employers when they caught her using their library at night. Instead of the sack, she gets an education (of...more
I read a friend's review of this book and wanted to read it. Here's her review: (Thanks Bekka!)
"This is a very different kind of mystery. The mystery is peripheral to the novel, allowing us to see the talents of Ms. Dobbs, and giving a purpose for her own coming to terms with her past. Set in the late 20s, the book is dominated by the after effects of WWI, and the injuries sustained in both mind and body. A good portion of the book is a long flashback, explaining Maisie's childhood and growing u...more
"This is a very different kind of mystery. The mystery is peripheral to the novel, allowing us to see the talents of Ms. Dobbs, and giving a purpose for her own coming to terms with her past. Set in the late 20s, the book is dominated by the after effects of WWI, and the injuries sustained in both mind and body. A good portion of the book is a long flashback, explaining Maisie's childhood and growing u...more
Up front, this book has a lot of the appeal elements I enjoy. Being an Anglophile, you really only need to throw in phrases like “Charing Cross Road” or “the lady of the manor” every once in a while and I’m a happy camper. Maybe that’s why I liked the story of Maisie’s growing up years more than I did the story of Vincent and Celia. There were more old-time British references in it.
As for the mystery plotline, I felt like it was good and solid, if a little bland until the last few pages. I liked...more
As for the mystery plotline, I felt like it was good and solid, if a little bland until the last few pages. I liked...more
At first I mixed this title up with another series, also historical mysteries, sort of crossed with cozies, by Robin Paige. It's taken me forever to look that up; I couldn't for the life of me remember the author or any titles. ANYWAY, this is at least better than those, which were the worst sort of treacly sort-of-historical cozy mysteries. The blurbs for these books by Jacqueline Winspear boast that they are a mash-up of Upstairs, Downstairs (or Downton Abbey, these days) and Dorothy Sayers/Ag...more
Having never read Jacqueline Winspear before, I came to this book with no expectations, but having read it, I can see why it won various Best First Novel awards, and I look forward to reading more in the Maisie Dobbs series, altho I'm not sure the others can hold the emotional impact of this one. This was not a happy book, but like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, it has that 'rising-above-what-life-dealt you' aspect. Maisie was a poor girl in service who caught the attention of Lady Rowan and Maurice...more
Oct 02, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes historical fiction
Recommended to Jennifer by:
Shana & Cathy
Shelves:
read-2012,
bad-ass-bookclub
A number of my friends have been singing the praises of this series so I'm a bit late to the party. However, my friend, Cathy, loaned me her copy of the first book and after getting it back from my mom (who read it in like 2 days), I got a chance to dive in. The best adjective I can use to describe this book and Maisie herself is charming. The year is 1929 and Maisie is setting up her own investigation business, after being mentored for many years by a man named Maurice Blanche. Her first case c...more
3 likes · like · see review
I was really looking forward to tucking into the first of the Maisie Dobbs series. This one felt rather like an unusually long prologue rather than a solid instalment as we are very quickly taken back from the mystery itself to set the scene in terms of Maisie's own background which is rather unusual and this really took up most of the book, interesting though it was. I found the idea of a housemaid being coached and sponsored - and accepting it - all the way to Girton College pre-WWI a little h...more
I recently discovered Jacqueline Winspear at my local library, and what a fortunate meeting it has been! The character of Maisie Dobbs makes me actually appreciate the history she lives through (WWI, which never particularly interested me). Usually I avoid books about wars, they are mostly just depressing, and not in a good way. However, the adventures of Maisie's life are only enhanced by descriptions of the war and its aftermath.
Often in historical fiction, there are slow times, where nothing...more
Often in historical fiction, there are slow times, where nothing...more
This book was OK, but for most of the time I found it hard to like Maisie Dobbs, even though I really wanted to. I felt that the novel largely served to introduce the character as the protagonist of what will be a series, with a thin, predictable mystery wrapped around it.
I would have preferred a bit more real detective work and a bit less sitting cross-legged on cushions meditating or relying on prophetic cold chills and shivers to solve the mysteries. It was also hard to decide whether Maisie...more
I would have preferred a bit more real detective work and a bit less sitting cross-legged on cushions meditating or relying on prophetic cold chills and shivers to solve the mysteries. It was also hard to decide whether Maisie...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| melancholy | 5 | 30 | Apr 19, 2013 01:25pm | |
| Do you think Maisie will progress beyond post-WWI London? | 2 | 38 | Mar 27, 2013 07:46pm |
Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a li...more
More about Jacqueline Winspear...
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a li...more
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“Truth walks toward us on the paths of our questions...as soon as you think you have the answer, you have closed the path and may miss vital new information. Wait awhile in the stillness, and do not rush to conclusions, no matter how uncomfortable the unknowing.”
—
27 people liked it
“Shame, isn’t it? That we only like our heroes out in the street when they are looking their best and their uniforms are ‘spit and polished,’ and not when they’re showing us the wounds they suffered on our behalf.”
—
19 people liked it
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They're not. #1 was the best of the series so far. T...more
Jul 30, 2012 08:00am
updated Sep 05, 2012 02:21am