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frostbitsky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
This has been in my Audible library since August 2018. It must have been a free giveaway because I didn't pay anything extra for it.
This was such a sad story about WW I veterans, their physical and mental trauma, and their families' grief. As sad as it was, it was good to see a story that addressed those topics. Especially about WW I which is often overlooked by WW II.
The mystery was easy to figure out and solve.A cult taking veterans' money and then they live at a retreat. But if they leave they are considered deserters and are hanged or drowned.
If this book were only about Maisie Dobbs's first P.I. case it would have been a shorter book, but a big chunk of the middle is dedicated to Maisie's backstory.
The part about her childhood and education dragged and I did get bored, but it all ties together at the end.
The prose is beautiful. I wrote down some quotes.
- Memory is a golden chain that binds us till we meet again. (Donald Holden's gravestone.)
- "Never follow a story with a question, Maisie. Not immediately. And remember to acknowledge the storyteller, for in some way even the messenger is effected by the story he brings."
- A grand house that was now a home for the men stranded in time by the Great War. Men trapped in the caverns of their own minds. Never to return.
- "It was as if the memory of you, of us, of the explosion, were encased in fine tissue paper."
- With their damaged faces once so very dear to a mother, father, or sweetheart, they were now reduced to gargoyles by a war that for them never ended.
Overall, good female detective story. I am not hooked enough to continue the series.
3 out of 5 Retreats
This was such a sad story about WW I veterans, their physical and mental trauma, and their families' grief. As sad as it was, it was good to see a story that addressed those topics. Especially about WW I which is often overlooked by WW II.
The mystery was easy to figure out and solve.
If this book were only about Maisie Dobbs's first P.I. case it would have been a shorter book, but a big chunk of the middle is dedicated to Maisie's backstory.
The part about her childhood and education dragged and I did get bored, but it all ties together at the end.
The prose is beautiful. I wrote down some quotes.
- Memory is a golden chain that binds us till we meet again. (Donald Holden's gravestone.)
- "Never follow a story with a question, Maisie. Not immediately. And remember to acknowledge the storyteller, for in some way even the messenger is effected by the story he brings."
- A grand house that was now a home for the men stranded in time by the Great War. Men trapped in the caverns of their own minds. Never to return.
- "It was as if the memory of you, of us, of the explosion, were encased in fine tissue paper."
- With their damaged faces once so very dear to a mother, father, or sweetheart, they were now reduced to gargoyles by a war that for them never ended.
Overall, good female detective story. I am not hooked enough to continue the series.
3 out of 5 Retreats
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lakea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
bergha1998's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.25
The mystery was interesting and the characters were great; I just really didn’t care for the pacing or the way the plot unfolded. Basically, in the beginning of the book the main mystery is all lead up to, but when it finally gets to the thick of it all of a sudden we are going back into Maudie’s backstory. That parts, although interesting, takes up half the book. Then it gets back to the main mystery and it’s like whiplash. If the book had been written in chronological order it would have been far more enjoyable.
Historic Mystery, War Trauma, Good Character Development
Historic Mystery, War Trauma, Good Character Development
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
wordsareworlds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I went into this book with high hopes that were completely dashed. We're introduced to Maisie as she starts her own investigative practice, and after she "solves" one case that leads to further questions, we're suddenly transported back in time to get the entire story of her life. Somewhere between half and 3/4 of the book is this flashback, and then we're just as suddenly in the present again!
The "mystery" is completely flat, as is Maisie's characterization. She has no flaws whatsoever, is loved by all, is the smartest person in the room, and has a psychic sense of impending doom when someone is going to get seriously injured or die. Her "investigative" skills are all tell no show, except when she somehow gets detailed information on someone's mental state by imitating their physicality without them noticing, often despite them looking at her when she's doing it.
It's unfortunate because the premise was interesting, and there could have been a lot more done with the aftermath of the first World War, but that potential was squandered here and I won't be subjecting myself to any more of these books.
The "mystery" is completely flat, as is Maisie's characterization. She has no flaws whatsoever, is loved by all, is the smartest person in the room, and has a psychic sense of impending doom when someone is going to get seriously injured or die. Her "investigative" skills are all tell no show, except when she somehow gets detailed information on someone's mental state by imitating their physicality without them noticing, often despite them looking at her when she's doing it.
It's unfortunate because the premise was interesting, and there could have been a lot more done with the aftermath of the first World War, but that potential was squandered here and I won't be subjecting myself to any more of these books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and War
Moderate: Blood and Grief
Minor: Violence, Medical content, and Classism
knit_the_resistance's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
I'm so glad my mom recommended this series. I think I will enjoy listening to them in order. I thought it was an excellent reflection of the impact of WWI on the lives of young people in Great Britain and made a sad context for the mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
I think Ms. Dobbs will be my go-to detective. I feel like this book combines the mysteries I loved so much when I was younger and the effects and history of trauma that I'm so interested in today. This feels like a good curling-up-in-front-of-the-fireplace read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jeannine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
What a start to a series. Not only do we have a fascinating investigation, there’s 100 pages of backstory that introduces Maisie and all of the relent characters. I didn’t expect to cry my eyes out over the personal part of the story. I’m so dehydrated that I need a glass of water!
The fast pace of the book had my flying through it - I finished in less than a day and am eager to gobble up the next installment.
The fast pace of the book had my flying through it - I finished in less than a day and am eager to gobble up the next installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
rachaelbunny's review
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Well written but poorly edited. The first half of the book dragged so much that I nearly abandoned it. The chapters about how Lady Rowen met Monsieur Blanche or about Maisie’s childhood seemed overly drawn out. I understand why Winspear wrote them, but they should have been significantly trimmed in the editing process or had their information sprinkled throughout the story instead of taking multi-chapter breaks to have flashbacks unrelated to the plot.
I plan on reading the second in the series and I am hoping that it is better paced.
I plan on reading the second in the series and I am hoping that it is better paced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
library_kb's review
informative
mysterious
sad
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
2.0
I listened to this on audiobook, which was really well read. And, I did enjoy it, as long as I thought about parts of the book rather than the whole thing. I am unsure if I will continue on with the series, but I can see that some of my problems with this book will not show up in future books. My main problems with the book had to do with pacing and characterization. The pacing for this book really didn't work for me. I was really interested in the mystery set up at the beginning of the book, but then that was all put on pause for a very extended (like 40% of the book) flashback, which was interesting, but since I was waiting for the mystery to be solved, really slowed down the pace of the book for me. For me, I probably would have preferred the flashbacks to be interspersed with the present mystery. Similarly, I felt like the main character Maisie was kind of set up as a perfect character, brilliant, always knows the right thing to do/say, etc. Sometimes I felt like her perfection was overemphasized, and the depth of her characterization really always came from outside sources like her relationship with Simon. However, I could see that future books, which will need less setup on Maisie's background and can focus more on the mystery aspects. I did really enjoy the mystery (even if it wrapped up very quickly at the end, and used the explaining in retrospect trope that I don't love) and I really did enjoy the WWI historical aspects of the book, especially if I ignored the fact that there was an unsolved mystery still hanging over my head!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, and Medical trauma
supermarioctopus's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt