Jacqueline Winspear
Author of Maisie Dobbs
About the Author
Jacqueline Winspear was born in the county of Kent, England. She was educated at the University of London's Institute of Education. After graduation, she worked in academic publishing, in higher education, and in marketing communications in the UK. In 1990, she emigrated to the United States. She show more was working in business and as a personal/professional coach when she decided to try writing. Her first novel, Maisie Dobbs, won the Agatha Award for Best First novel, the Macavity Award for Best First Novel, and the Alex Award. She is the author of the Maisie Dobbs Mystery series. She has also won the Agatha Award for Best Novel, the inaugural Sue Feder/Macavity Award for Best Historical Mystery, and the Bruce Alexander Award for Best Historical Mystery. Her title, A Dangerous Place, made The New York Times High Profile titles list. Journey to Munich, a book in the Maisie Dobbs Series, made the New York Times bestseller list in 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Jacqueline Winspear
Charlie Bright 1 copy
Associated Works
The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them (2006) — Contributor — 411 copies, 18 reviews
Private Investigations: Mystery Writers on the Secrets, Riddles, and Wonders in Their Lives (2020) — Contributor — 29 copies, 4 reviews
Reader's Digest Condensed Books: The Afghan • Sun at Midnight • Echo Park • Messenger of Truth (2007) 8 copies, 1 review
Goed fout : fragmenten uit misdaadverhalen van bekroonde auteurs — Contributor — 2 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1955-04-30
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of London (Institute of Education)
- Occupations
- publisher
teacher
marketing
mystery novelist - Awards and honors
- Agatha Award (2003)
Alex Award (2003) - Agent
- Amy Rennert (The Amy Rennert Agency)
- Short biography
- Jacqueline Winspear is a mystery writer, author of the Maisie Dobbs series of books exploring the aftermath of World War I. She has won several mystery writing awards for books in this popular series.
Winspear was born on April 30, 1955, and raised in Kent. She was educated at the University of London's Institute of Education and then worked in academic publishing, higher education and in marketing communications. She emigrated to the United States in 1990. Winspear stated that her childhood awareness of her grandfather's suffering in World War I led to an interest in that period.
Maisie Dobbs is a private investigator who untangles painful and shameful secrets stemming from war experiences. A gifted working class girl, she received an unusual education thanks to the patronage of her employer. She interrupts her education to work as a nurse in the war, falls in love and suffers her own loss. After the war, again with help from her patron, she sets up as an investigator. Dobbs places emphasis on achieving healing for her clients and insists they comply with her ethical approach. - Nationality
- UK
USA (1990) - Birthplace
- Kent, England, UK
- Places of residence
- Ojai, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Kent, England, UK
Members
Reviews
This is one of my favorite Maisie Dobbs books, because it deals with loss and grief in a very real way. The book opens with a series of letters that catch the reader up on some painful events that have occurred since the last book ended. Although somewhat recovered now, Maisie is not ready to return to England and debarks ship in Gibraltar. Stumbling upon an unresolved murder, Maisie uses work to try and grope her way back into life. Soon she is embroiled in a case involving Sephardic Jews, show more spies, arms smuggling, and the murky motivations of nations involved in the Spanish Civil War. show less
This one had a really excellent premise, I thought, and the reverberations of the war -- this time, the artist first in the trenches and then creating propaganda posters under duress -- and questions about the moral responsibilities of art are very interesting. However. I don't know if I can go on reading these books.
They've always been a bit "woo woo", as people seem to be calling it now. Maisie has always relied upon her intuition, often getting a "feeling" from the rooms where someone show more lived or where an event occurred. She has scarcely solved a mystery without receiving some kind of hint during meditation. With skeptically reserved judgement, I can accept this. Even though it may violate the oath of the Detection Club (Dorothy Sayers wrote the oath, Chesterton was the first president, Agatha Christie et al. were members, *that* Detection Club) to abjure jiggery-pokery, it's still not entirely beyond the pale.
But in this book Maisie goes full on Absent Healer, using visualization to treat a child for life-threatening diphtheria when Maisie is at home meditating in her flat and the toddler is hospitalized. I found it extremely triggering. The process, described in detail, is virtually identical to the treatment my mother employed upon my sister and myself with the aid of absent healing thoughts sent by a Christian Science "Practitioner". The toddler in the book seemed to rally, and then died. The healing thoughts never worked for my sister or me either, and we were never offered other medical care. We were fortunate enough not to contract anything fatal. But our mother died of untreated breast cancer while under Christian Science care when we were still young children. It's very hard to think about this kind of thing and continue to breathe, so I will stop writing this and breathe instead. show less
They've always been a bit "woo woo", as people seem to be calling it now. Maisie has always relied upon her intuition, often getting a "feeling" from the rooms where someone show more lived or where an event occurred. She has scarcely solved a mystery without receiving some kind of hint during meditation. With skeptically reserved judgement, I can accept this. Even though it may violate the oath of the Detection Club (Dorothy Sayers wrote the oath, Chesterton was the first president, Agatha Christie et al. were members, *that* Detection Club) to abjure jiggery-pokery, it's still not entirely beyond the pale.
But in this book Maisie goes full on Absent Healer, using visualization to treat a child for life-threatening diphtheria when Maisie is at home meditating in her flat and the toddler is hospitalized. I found it extremely triggering. The process, described in detail, is virtually identical to the treatment my mother employed upon my sister and myself with the aid of absent healing thoughts sent by a Christian Science "Practitioner".
As Maisie Dobbs and her assistant, Billy Beale, walk down a London street on Christmas Eve, they narrowly escape serious injury when a man commits suicide by blowing himself up. Maisie is soon called upon by Scotland Yard to help with an urgent investigation. The government has received an anonymous threat warning of mass destruction. There is reason to believe that the letter writer is somehow connected to the Christmas Eve suicide bomber. With very few clues to the identity of either the show more suicide bomber or the threatening letter-writer, Scotland Yard needs to find a different approach for this investigation. Maisie describes herself as Psychologist and Investigator, and her psychological skills provide the most hope for the prevention of a great tragedy.
Jacqueline Winspear successfully weaves social commentary into a suspenseful novel. As in all the books in this series, Winspear calls attention to the psychological trauma of war, the failure of society to re-assimilate veterans, and the failure of the government to compensate veterans for their sacrifices and to provide adequate treatment and care for the psychologically wounded. By using Maisie's voice to analyze these issues, she provokes something deeper than a fleeting emotional response. Maisie's character is anything but emotional.
Character is as important as plot in the Maisie Dobbs novels. Maisie's character grows and develops throughout the series, as do the personalities of supporting characters. While it's certainly possible to enjoy this book as a standalone, I would strongly encourage reading all of the books in this series in order. show less
Jacqueline Winspear successfully weaves social commentary into a suspenseful novel. As in all the books in this series, Winspear calls attention to the psychological trauma of war, the failure of society to re-assimilate veterans, and the failure of the government to compensate veterans for their sacrifices and to provide adequate treatment and care for the psychologically wounded. By using Maisie's voice to analyze these issues, she provokes something deeper than a fleeting emotional response. Maisie's character is anything but emotional.
Character is as important as plot in the Maisie Dobbs novels. Maisie's character grows and develops throughout the series, as do the personalities of supporting characters. While it's certainly possible to enjoy this book as a standalone, I would strongly encourage reading all of the books in this series in order. show less
The basics: When Usha Pramal is found dead in London, the police soon run out of clues. When Usha's brother arrives in London two months later, he is dismayed at the lack of progress in the case and enlists the help of Maisie to help solve his sister's murder.
My thoughts: Reading a Maisie Dobbs novel feels like spending time with an old friend. I'm particularly fond of Maisie as a character, and I appreciate how much changes in her life over the course of her books. Leaving Everything Most show more Loved raises the stakes and follows through on numerous storylines in the lives of Maisie and her assistants that have been building for the last several books.
As Maisie investigates Usha's live and death, she struggles to understand Usha's motivations for journeying from India to London and seeks to unlock the secrets of what kept Usha in London so long. Both the mystery at the center of the novel and Maisie's personal life share themes of travel, love, loss and family.
The verdict: In Leaving Everything Most Loved, Maisie shines brightly. Solving Usha Pramal's murder is satisfying, but the heart of this novel are Maisie's internal struggles. Not only is Leaving Everything Most Loved the most emotional Maisie novel yet, it represents a dynamic turning point for the series, and I can't wait to see what Winspear cooks up for Maisie next March. show less
My thoughts: Reading a Maisie Dobbs novel feels like spending time with an old friend. I'm particularly fond of Maisie as a character, and I appreciate how much changes in her life over the course of her books. Leaving Everything Most show more Loved raises the stakes and follows through on numerous storylines in the lives of Maisie and her assistants that have been building for the last several books.
As Maisie investigates Usha's live and death, she struggles to understand Usha's motivations for journeying from India to London and seeks to unlock the secrets of what kept Usha in London so long. Both the mystery at the center of the novel and Maisie's personal life share themes of travel, love, loss and family.
The verdict: In Leaving Everything Most Loved, Maisie shines brightly. Solving Usha Pramal's murder is satisfying, but the heart of this novel are Maisie's internal struggles. Not only is Leaving Everything Most Loved the most emotional Maisie novel yet, it represents a dynamic turning point for the series, and I can't wait to see what Winspear cooks up for Maisie next March. show less
Lists
Best War Stories (1)
Favorite Series (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 33
- Also by
- 8
- Members
- 32,574
- Popularity
- #595
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 1,603
- ISBNs
- 548
- Languages
- 14
- Favorited
- 79
