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beccadavison's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
lupines0944's review against another edition
Soft dnf - will return to this in a few weeks.
onetrooluff's review against another edition
3.0
Finally picked this one up. It was ok, and I liked Maisie alright, but the odd "woo-woo" elements like determining someone's mental state/feelings by mimicking their posture were just.... weird. The setting, both during the Great War and in the late '20s, was interesting. I have three other books in this series and I will try to get through those, but I may not hunt down the others.
kristin_roemer's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable enough but v. distracting to have the Cockney accent phonetically spelled out so often. I think I’m more a contemporary fiction than historical type gal.
mebreimhurst310's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
An introduction to a lovely detective. Not a complicated mystery, but engaging enough to provide a nice backdrop for meeting Maisie Dobbs as a protagonist. Excited to see where future adventures take ger
caitibeth's review against another edition
3.0
I'm torn on this book. The pacing and structure didn't work for me - the extended flashbacks in particular - and I very nearly quit the book when it became clear that the central mystery was going to be derailed by a meandering backstory, complete with Tragic Romance. I can put up with a chapter of backstory, but when it's half the novel, that's just too much. A mystery the teenage Maisie solved might have been a better choice to more organically bring her origin story into the series (and leave this Retreat mystery for the second book).
Still, despite the structural drawbacks and a consequently weak central mystery, this book was a quick, atmospheric read. I liked Maisie (despite her tendency to be both precocious and perfect, which can become annoying), and am hoping that future books in the series will focus less on backstory and flashbacks, and more on developing a compelling central case. I liked the book well enough to continue the series.
Still, despite the structural drawbacks and a consequently weak central mystery, this book was a quick, atmospheric read. I liked Maisie (despite her tendency to be both precocious and perfect, which can become annoying), and am hoping that future books in the series will focus less on backstory and flashbacks, and more on developing a compelling central case. I liked the book well enough to continue the series.
bambiann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
fem71's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0