10th Anniversary Edition with a special Afterword by the author
Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when she was 13. Her employer, suffragette Lady Rowan Compton, soon became her patron, taking the remarkably bright youngster under her wing. Lady Rowan’s friend, Maurice Blanche, often retained as an investigator by the European elite, recognized Maisie’s … elite, recognized Maisie’s intuitive gifts and helped her earn admission to the prestigious Girton College in Cambridge, where Maisie planned to complete her education.
The outbreak of war changed everything. Maisie trained as a nurse, then left for France to serve at the Front, where she found — and lost — an important part of herself. Ten years after the Armistice, in the spring of 1929, Maisie sets out on her own as a private investigator, one who has learned that coincidences are meaningful, and truth elusive. Her very first case involves suspected infidelity but reveals something very different.
In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat, which acts as a convalescent refuge for ex-soldiers too shattered to resume normal life. When Fate brings Maisie a second case involving The Retreat, she must finally confront the ghost that has haunted her for over a decade.
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I love this series so far. The characters and the WW1 era are so finally drawn that they come to life for the reader. I highly recommend it!
I want to read the entire series; I’m hooked on Maisie Dobbs.
Winspear’s world of Maisie Dobbs has joined forces with Kinsey Milhone, Spencer, and Armand Gamache to create a social environment where mystery and intrigue are vital aspects of their character’s lives. Jacqueline Winspear has created a society which places her in the ranks of Galsworthy, Proust, Davies, and Powell.
This book introduces Maisie Dobbs and introduces a series that begins with World War1 and continues through WW2. Maisie is a private eye in London so each book includes a mystery but it’s the characters created by the author that cause me to look forward to each new volume of Maisie’s story and to buy them all.
Early 20th century mystery without sex or profanity. Strong Female protagonist with a sharp mind.
I have been reading the novels for a while now and I am about 2/3 of the way through the series. I have been really enjoying this series.
Jacqueline Winspear’s first novel in the Maisie Dobbs series is a witty tour-de-force with characters that are impossible to forget. I cheered for Maisie throughout, but I especially loved how Winspear brought everything together with a beautiful but. completely unexpected ending. After reading this one, I knew I would have to binge the entire …
This was a really special book! I loved the characters. And the writing was beautiful. I felt like I learned things about human nature and about how to help others throughout the book. I was inspired by the message that you need to face your past in order to move past it. There were so many heartbreaking things during those World Wars, and this …
I love Maisie.
First in the Maisie Dobbs series, it follows the growth of Maisie from childhood through WW1 when she served as an ambulance driver in France, and then returned to England to set up her office as a private investigate. Once you finish this book, you’ll want to read every book in the series.
Loved this book which introduced me to a new genre: historical fiction. I loved the well drawn characters, the strong female protagonist, her intelligence which enabled her to rise out of the class into which she was born along with the changes wrought by the First World War. I learned a lot about shell shock reading the series this book started, …
I love Ms. Winspear’s true English writing. She does not insert an American term for an English word !
Do not just count on looks. Action, interesting information – a good ,moving story about a different occupation.
Simply a delightful read!
I enjoyed it so much I got hooked into the series.
Love the book! Would highly recommend it!
The first of Winspear’s marvelous series. Don’t miss a one!
Maisie’s dedication and lack of sleep left me feeling exhausted – she seemed super human! I enjoyed the setting and the characters and an event toward the end of the book showed that Maisie was indeed human.
Good escape read after all the serious non fiction.
15 books in this series and would recommend reading them in order. Maisie Dobbs is a wonderful, inspiring character.