Engaging characters, good plotlines ( )

I would really like to give this book 3.5 stars. It kept my interest and the writing was enjoyable, but a bit slow. I think one Maisie Dobbs book will be enough for me. I'm glad I gave this series a try. ( )

When I first started reading this, I thought it reminded me a little bit of the Number One Ladies' Detective Agency series, how it is the story of a young woman who decides to start her own little investigation business. And then I noticed that a reviewer is quoted on the back of the book, making that exact comparison. But really, that's pretty much where the similarity ends. This book is set between the World Wars, and Maisie Dobbs is a veteran of WWI. She is described as having a particular gift, for creating an environment where people will confide in her and almost help themselves to the conclusion of whatever woe led them to seek her services. Part of this is her natural personality, and part of it is the training she received from her mentor. The first part of the book describes the "mystery of the week," and is almost inconsequential, except that is leads Maisie to a much bigger and more sinister issue, and opens the door for the reader to understand Maisie's personal story. The second part of the narrative is that story. The last part of the book concludes the mystery and sets up the future of the series. It felt very much like the first episode of a police procedural television series, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The writing is good and the characters are likable. I'll definitely go back and read more of Maisie's exploits. I have no doubt that WWII will become a character as the series continues (no spoilers here, just speculation), since it is hinted at in the last few paragraphs. I'm happy to have a new mystery series to pick away at. ( )

What a beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful, amazing book. I have had it on my shelves for a number of years and many times I looked at it, thought about it, then put it back. Until now. And zowie! I am completely blown away by this book. The story covers the post-war years in England, then zips back with stunning clarity into the years just before the outbreak of the Great War, and wraps everything up in stunning fashion.

Maisie Dobbs has begun her own private investigation firm. Her first client is a gentleman of the upper classes who suspects his wife is having an affair, so hires Maisie to follow her. Which she does with great detail to present to her new client. And through the interactions Maisie has with this husband, and the caretaker of her building, and her internal conversations about her ever-cold feet, we begin to see that she has been impacted by the Great War.

When Maisie follows the young wife to a soldier's graveyard, the first hint that this book is different comes fully to light. Here we are in 1929, what America sees as the Roaring Twenties, watching two women tending the graves of the fallen soldiers in England. One no longer has a surname on his grave, and this leads to revelations about The Farm, where wounded and disfigured soldiers can go live in peace. To contemplate a situation wherein the shells were so powerful, faces were mutilated but the soldiers lived only to be shunned or receive "those" looks from their beloveds is heart-wrenching. And told with such compassion as the after-effects of the Great War.

The middle section details Maisie's growing up as a maid in service to a wealthy suffragette who thinks that maybe, just maybe, she can change the life of one person, even if she can't change the world. Well, she does. She recognizes the need Maisie has to read, to study, and enriches her mind by providing her with a tutor as well as the time she needs to study. And added to this idyllic reading time is the prevalent class consciousness of Britain that causes Maisie to doubt her own calling to education.

We do get to the War, and Maisie's service in Britain before finally being called to France, where she deepens her relationship with Simon, a gifted wartime doctor. And her life as a battlefield nurse, with the mud, the sleepless nights, the close quarters, the endless wounded, are so very well described. When they abruptly end and we are back in the modern era, there is still a mystery unfolding about The Farm and the repercussions of the battlefields, at home and abroad. ( )

This was a re-read and I got a lot more from it this time. I will continue with the series ( )