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Maisie Dobbs Audiobook
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(4.00) - 5,124 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
Maisie Dobbs is one of those girls who beats the odds and prevails under the worst of circumstances. After the death of her mother, Maisie starts working as a servant to help her family financially. She takes this situation and uses it to her advantage by educating herself in her employer's library. When her employer, Lady Rowan, sees her potential, she not only encourages Maisie to learn, but hires a tutor for her to excel, so much so that she is admitted to Cambridge University. After a year, she feels led to help out in the war effort, so Maisie becomes a nurse in the front lines in France.
During her years of nursing, Maisie's experiences teach her a lot about life and love. Despite personal heartbreak and witnessing horrible injuries and deaths, Maisie presses on to reinvent her life. Following the war, she decides to become a private investigator. Her first case involves what appears to be a simple case of infidelity, but as Maisie looks further into it, she uncovers something deeper and more complex than she ever imagined. As she strives to uncover the truth, readers will learn about Maisie's ability to pursue her dream, carry on through difficult times, and the struggles a country goes through in a post-war era.
Author Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in England, and then immigrated to the United States as an adult. Most of her works are set in the 1920's and involve characters that survived the Great War. Her inspiration was her grandfather who was severely wounded in the war in 1916, and her heart for those that had to deal with the struggles of post-war complications.
Maisie Dobbs is the first book in a series about the young private investigator and won a place on The New York Times Notable Book List in 2003.
"She does it again--an excellent episode in the story of Maisie Dobbs, psychologist & investigator. I'm quite curious where the Maisie/Billy dynamic will go--at the moment it's more friends, less just colleagues. No romantic anything at all, thank goodness. Time will tell! Or perhaps book 7..."
— Elizabeth (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Maisie Dobbs got her start as a maid in an aristocratic London household when
she was thirteen. 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 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 different.
In the aftermath of the Great War, a former officer has founded a working farm known as The Retreat, that 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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Maisie Dobbs Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book - yes, the main character is unrealistically perfect, but it makes the story a delightful cozy historical mystery. I would highly recommend for anyone who wants a super simple, relaxing read. "
— Allison, 7/12/2018 -
" If you've been reading this series, keep reading. It's excellent "
— MJ, 2/19/2014 -
" Set in the 1930's this book has an interesting premise. A woman is a psychologist who works with the police. A concept ahead of its time. ?She is an interesting woman, who has to work within her time period. It helps remind us of how far women have come. "
— Carmen, 2/15/2014 -
" Definitely one of the better in the series...second to Birds of a Feather. This one was very exciting :) "
— Heather, 2/14/2014 -
" Set in a unique time period, the early 1930's when the affects of the depression are starting to make their presence felt. Massie is an interesting dectective and the case, dealing in part with the shabby treatment by the government of shell-shocked solders, still has meaning today. "
— Colleen, 2/7/2014 -
" Audiobook...............An excellent book! Even if you haven't read the earlier Maisie Dobbs novels, this one is worth it. Gripping plot, fascinating social commentary, and excellent psychological insights. Couldn't stop until I finished it! "
— Ferris, 2/5/2014 -
" i can't decide if i'm over maisie dobbs or not. i really liked the series when it started out, absolutely hated the books in the middle and have found this one and the last serviceable, if not spectacular. i suspect i'd like them a whole, whole lot more if winspear didn't spend so much time telling me how much i should like her, because she's just so amazing and remarkable and blah, blah, blah. remember writing 101? show don't tell? a little goes a long way, my friend. "
— Jenn, 1/31/2014 -
" Solid entry into the series. "
— Hanna, 1/17/2014 -
" Maisie just gets better and better! Such sad, but interesting stories of the victims of WWI. "
— Chris, 1/16/2014 -
" The best. most complex entry to date in a wonderful series. "
— Barbara, 1/16/2014 -
" I like all Winspear's stories. Maisie Dobbs is a wise, adventurous psychologist/investigator in London during WWI. "
— Pat, 1/10/2014 -
" Still enjoying this series. Her writings of the marginalized disabled veterans sadly echoes how many are still treated today. "
— Glennie, 11/25/2013 -
" The Maisie mysteries always make me want to re-visit England, no matter how desperate Winspear makes London seem. This is another engrossing story. Not my favorite, but still very good. I think Maisie and I are both ready for her to take her next big steps. "
— Susann, 11/24/2013 -
" Great new Maisie Dobbs addition. Not so much of a "who dunnit" as a "how dunnit," more suspense than mystery. A fun read! These just seem to get better and better. "
— Cheryl, 3/20/2013 -
" have liked her other books better. Read last 2 and then started in order. 2 more to go "
— Charleen, 11/11/2012 -
" Normally, I won't give a series fiction book more than 3 stars, but this one was rather better than the others. "
— Amber, 9/6/2012 -
" I'm never fond of mysteries that include segments from the point of view of the madman killer. I generally like the Maisie Dobbs mysteries very much, but this one wasn't quite as much to my liking. "
— JanOMalleycat, 8/27/2012 -
" Still a fan of this series. Liked this one, not as heartfelt as the last two but strong. Will be interesting to see if Maisie continues working with Special Branch. "
— Camille, 8/9/2012 -
" Probably my least favorite Maisie Dobbs, but still a good one. "
— Linda, 5/15/2012 -
" Always enjoyable series. "
— Leslie, 7/19/2011 -
" This is number seven in the series. Currently there are eight books. This is BY FAR the best of the series! I've finished them all and have enjoyed every minute. I can't imagine NOT loving Maisie Dobbs! "
— Helen, 5/18/2011 -
" Listened to it on audio. A lot of violence in the beginning, resulting in lots of murders to solve. It is the second one of the Maisie Dobbs books I have read and I do like them. "
— Suzanne, 5/16/2011 -
" If you have never read a Masie Dobbs mystery, you will love this series! Masie Dobbs was a woman ahead of her time. The books in this series are set during and after WWI and Masie's life is full of adventures, hope, sadness and a kind heartedness heroine. "
— Jen, 5/10/2011 -
" Thoroughly enjoyable. Maisie Dobbs is a unique investigator. She solves a murder quietly, with a lot of intuition and footwork, very little violence. The setting is 1930's England, with lots of memories of WWI. But best to read the books in order, starting with Maisie Dobbs. "
— Nancy, 5/7/2011 -
" Liked this as much as the others in the series. Though Maisie may be "alone" she has a tremendous support group. Can't wait to see what happens next.... "
— Jean, 4/30/2011 -
" A promising, new-to-me mystery series. Who can resist lady detectives in England between the wars? "
— Lynne, 4/27/2011 -
" This was one of my favorite books in the series. It is a fun light mystery read with some great historical background of WW1. "
— Anna, 4/26/2011 -
" When the remains of an American cartographer who worked with British forces during World War I is dug up nearly twenty years later, Maisie is asked by his parents to learn more about how he died and what happened to the young woman whose letters are found with the body. "
— Virginia, 4/24/2011 -
" Maisie Dobbs is one of my favorite characters and this book did not disappoint. I'll be interested to see where they take the next book given some of the major events that happened in this one. "
— Lauri, 4/19/2011 -
" Maisie touches some part of me in every story and this one was no different. "
— Janet, 4/7/2011 -
" A good addition to the series "
— Jill, 3/29/2011
About Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear is the author of several New York Times bestsellers in her historical fiction series featuring Maisie Dobbs. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex, and Macavity awards. She was born and raised in the county of Kent in England. Her grandfather had been severely wounded and shell-shocked in World War I, and learning his story sparked her deep interest in the “war to end all wars” and its aftereffects, which would later form the background of her novels. She studied at the University of London’s Institute of Education and later worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the United Kingdom before emigrating to the United States.
About Orlagh Cassidy
Orlagh Cassidy, an American actress of stage, television, and film, is an audiobook narrator who has twice won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, as well as many AudioFile Earphones Awards. She is a graduate of SUNY at Purchase and a recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation Scholarship. She has been seen on and off Broadway and in films, including Definitely Maybe and Calling It Quits. Her television credits include roles in Law & Order and Sex and the City and as Doris Wolfe on Guiding Light.