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rfister_324's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
taralynn1107's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
I both like and am bored with this series. It’s very vanilla for a murder mystery series but I started and so will finish. I didn’t expect the direction this book started in so that was something. I’m curious to see how Maisie perseveres with hopefully more to raise my interest.
selenajournal's review against another edition
2.0
From book 10 to book 11, we seem to have skipped out on literally all of the joy of Maisie's life (marriage, living in Canada, the joy of pregnancy). We find her in book 11, having suffered a tragic late-term miscarriage, having lost her partner.
And this mystery that circles the book feels off. Book over book, the "solves" are guesses and don't feel like they truly utilize the learnings that Maisie gained in her mentorship with Maurice.
I really like this character and what she stands for, what her skills are. However, as the series runs, we're losing all of that charm, the who-dun-it nature of the books and the actual detective skills that Maisie *has* in favour of guesswork and ~~ intrigue ~~ or whatever.
I understand that we're slowly marching to books about the Nazis and WWII, but these books shouldn't be filler. They should still be able to stand-alone and support Maisie's story. She's the reason I'm reading these - not the eventualities and realities of a war that's all too familiar and too often written about.
But in war there are no real winners - too many lives are lost, too much pain to endure. How can we look b ack at any war and say, "We won'?"
And this mystery that circles the book feels off. Book over book, the "solves" are guesses and don't feel like they truly utilize the learnings that Maisie gained in her mentorship with Maurice.
I really like this character and what she stands for, what her skills are. However, as the series runs, we're losing all of that charm, the who-dun-it nature of the books and the actual detective skills that Maisie *has* in favour of guesswork and ~~ intrigue ~~ or whatever.
I understand that we're slowly marching to books about the Nazis and WWII, but these books shouldn't be filler. They should still be able to stand-alone and support Maisie's story. She's the reason I'm reading these - not the eventualities and realities of a war that's all too familiar and too often written about.
But in war there are no real winners - too many lives are lost, too much pain to endure. How can we look b ack at any war and say, "We won'?"
danaisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Like others, I am disappointed Jacqueline Winspear glossed over a few pages detailing the 4 four years in between [b: Leaving Everything Most Loved|15819025|Leaving Everything Most Loved (Maisie Dobbs #10)|Jacqueline Winspear|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388175902s/15819025.jpg|21547733] and the events in this book. Especially since she went into excruciating detail about Maisie's past in the first book, [b: Maisie Dobbs|462033|Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1)|Jacqueline Winspear|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312066155s/462033.jpg|976403].
It's almost as if Winspear can't bear for Maisie to be happy. Or doesn't know how to write a happy character. Or both. Maisie has been through so much anguish and pain, she deserves some happiness, and we should have been given a greater glimpse into that part of her life. It's as an important part of the story as her investigations are.
It's almost as if Winspear can't bear for Maisie to be happy. Or doesn't know how to write a happy character. Or both.
Spoiler
I would have loved to read how she and James lived in Canada after their marriage, but instead most of the flashback concerns James' death and her miscarriage.jmarchek's review against another edition
3.0
While I feel very attached to this series and Maisy, I am very annoyed with the author. Really - is Maisy only allowed several pages of happiness? This one is so dark and sad and the mystery in the end seems to be such a non event. I feel like this was just a bleak stepping stone to put Maisy where the author wants her to be, back in a war. I'm sure she'll end up in the middle of WW2 as the novels progress. I just felt depressed the whole time I was listening to it. Blah, I should probably rate it lower.
lydiaann's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aklrgr's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kolson687's review against another edition
5.0
I guess I am in the minority of reviewers on this book in the Maisie Dobbs series. When we last saw Maisie she was going off to India on an adventure. James Compton had given her an ultimatum about getting married. How is Winspear going to resolve this? Without going into detail I think she resolved it in the best way she could both for Maisie and the series. I see many who disagree with me but I think it allowed Winspear to take the series back to it's origins. She doesn't gloss over Maisie's losses in the least. I really enjoyed the rich historical context of Gibraltar and the Spanish civil war. The mystery itself helps Maisie work through her grief. I look forward to the next installment.