Lindy MacLaine asked Jacqueline Winspear:

I'm a huge Maisie Hobbs fan—I have so much respect for you as the author! When I talk about the books to others, I tell them what attracts me most; what I consider the "spiritual nature" of the books. I mean the way Maisie's cases always have an aspect that teaches her about her own life and how she needs to grow. I never see this mentioned in other reviews. I wonder if you would identify the quality that way, or not?

Jacqueline Winspear Thank you for your question, Lindy. Oh boy, not an easy one to answer though. I just think we all learn from experience - some of us can sit and think about it and identify how what has come to pass has impacted us, has become part of who we are. And some of us just get on with it and don't even try to understand - one way of being in the world is no better than the other. But Maisie is the sort of person who has spent a lot of time alone in her life, she has seen the very worst of humanity in wartime, and she has had a mentor who has encouraged introspection. It's not always to her advantage (as Priscilla would point out!). The spiritual nature of the books reflects the character of Maisie Dobbs and how she sees the world, how she interprets it for herself - to grow in her work and in her understanding of the human condition. Someone in her position needs that inner life.

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