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liakeller's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable and gentle mystery. Interesting characters and a historical touch, but one that didn't weigh it down. I might read some more of the series just to see what becomes of Maisie (love that name too).
a_morsereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
whatmayisha's review against another edition
4.0
This has been on my to read list for a very long time, and I've finally committed to reading it, and I'm very glad I did. I believe that this book is considered under the genre of historical fiction (it relies heavily upon the time before/during/after World War I and builds a very realistic picture of the world at that time), but it definitely encompasses a lot more than that. It is a mystery, but also a very character driven story, which I always enjoy. Which now brings me to my feelings about the titular character, Maisie Dobbs.
Maisie, for her whole life, has apparently always been considered "different" in perhaps a subtle way. She is highly intelligent, hard working, and, what I think is very important, honest. She looks deeper than what is at the surface level, in every interaction she has, from the ones with Enid to the ones with Maurice. What I really appreciate is that she is not a very rash character, she thinks about her actions and ideas before embarking on them, except for her very spontaneous decision to become a nurse in the war (which even then was not something out of character). You learn a lot more about her beyond her intelligence, especially about her capability to love and depth of compassion, which drives a lot of choices she makes. I really, really liked her as a character. Besides Maisie, the whole cast of characters is great, they are funny and charming, and I love reading the interactions they have.
Overall, a really lovely read, and I'm looking forward to getting off the hold list for the next one in the series!
Maisie, for her whole life, has apparently always been considered "different" in perhaps a subtle way. She is highly intelligent, hard working, and, what I think is very important, honest. She looks deeper than what is at the surface level, in every interaction she has, from the ones with Enid to the ones with Maurice. What I really appreciate is that she is not a very rash character, she thinks about her actions and ideas before embarking on them, except for her very spontaneous decision to become a nurse in the war (which even then was not something out of character). You learn a lot more about her beyond her intelligence, especially about her capability to love and depth of compassion, which drives a lot of choices she makes. I really, really liked her as a character. Besides Maisie, the whole cast of characters is great, they are funny and charming, and I love reading the interactions they have.
Overall, a really lovely read, and I'm looking forward to getting off the hold list for the next one in the series!
sineadc's review against another edition
3.25
| Character | 7 – I really like some of the characters
| Atmosphere | 6 – Nothing special, a few cool things
| Writing | 7 – I liked it
| Plot | 6 – I liked about half of the plot points
| Intrigue | 6 – A few surprises
| Logic | 6 – Mostly explained but a few holes
| Enjoyment | 7 – I’m glad I picked it up
nooneyouknow's review against another edition
3.0
Golly! Maisie is so very nice and sweet that she approaches being treacly, but I like the setting between WWI and WWII so I’ll probably give her another chance.
winemakerssister's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting book to review. It's the first volume in an historical mystery series, but there's not much of a mystery. It probably should be billed as a prequel because it's primarily a book of world-building - of telling Maisie's background story. But honestly that wasn't a problem for me because I enjoyed reading about Maisie's earlier life.
The premise is quite interesting and I am looking forward to continuing with the series. Maisie was a servant girl who was discovered to be highly intelligent and intuitive. As a teenager, she was tutored while she continued to do her work as a maid, and later attended the ladies' college at Cambridge. She left Cambridge to serve as a nurse in France during the Great War. Ten years after the war, Maisie sets up an Investigation/Psychology practice which will, of course, lead to lots of detecting. Her method of detecting was taught to her by her tutor/mentor and includes some Zen and psychological techniques. I really like the groundwork that has been laid in this book and look forward to the next in the series.
PIFM - July 2021 (3)
The premise is quite interesting and I am looking forward to continuing with the series. Maisie was a servant girl who was discovered to be highly intelligent and intuitive. As a teenager, she was tutored while she continued to do her work as a maid, and later attended the ladies' college at Cambridge. She left Cambridge to serve as a nurse in France during the Great War. Ten years after the war, Maisie sets up an Investigation/Psychology practice which will, of course, lead to lots of detecting. Her method of detecting was taught to her by her tutor/mentor and includes some Zen and psychological techniques. I really like the groundwork that has been laid in this book and look forward to the next in the series.
PIFM - July 2021 (3)
slklein325's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
leareads90's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
soliteyah's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Overall the book held my attention, though I thought there was some extraneous detail that could've been cut in a few places. I liked the compassion with which Maisie treated all the characters, even the villain.