This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing

Digital audiobook read by the author
4****

Jacqueline Winspear, perhaps best known for her Maisie Dobbs cozy mystery series, turns to autobiography / memoir in this wonderful work. With honesty, humor, tenderness and compassion she explores her family background and her own childhood in the English countryside.

Winspear’s paternal grandfather served in “The Great War” and suffered from “shell shock” (today, recognized as PTSD) the remainder of his days, sometimes leading to behavior that others were unable to explain. She explores her parents’ experiences in WWII; her mother was evacuated from London during the Blitz, while her gentle, animal-loving father was assigned to an explosives team during the war. No wonder, then, show more that once married, her parents sought a quieter life outside London, and spent years living among the Romany people in rural Kent. Winspear recounts childhood memories of picking hops and fruit on farms, while she dreamed of being a writer.

I doubt I would have picked up this heartfelt and touching memoir were it not a book-club selection. I’m so glad I read it, and I think knowing Winspear’s own background will give me additional insight into her characters in the Maisie Dobb series.

Winspear read the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job. show less

Pandemic read. Overall, enjoyed this book, for the very different slice of life it brought into my world for someone just a few years older than I am. Also the writing flow was different than Maisie, but you could see the roots of some things in the stories, especially war based stuff. I even shared some stories with Javaczuk, and he was intrigued.

As a stand alone memoir, this is a very good one. As the memoir of Jacqueline Winspear, author of the marvelous Maisie Dobbs series, it is absolutely fascinating. Winspear is a talented storyteller and does not miss a beat in the telling of her own life story. Born into a living and very poor family, her young life was full of hardship and challenges. I was completely rapt as she shared the ups and downs of her family. Talk about resilience!! Do yourself a favor and read this one!

I have read and enjoyed all 15 (so far) of Winspear's Maisie Dobbs novels, so I couldn't wait to read this memoir. It was different than I anticipated, as she spent quite a bit of time describing her parents and their relationship with each other as well as with her. But of course she was shaped by her parents so this actually was a way for the reader to learn about her. After finishing the book, I felt that the memoir was also a therapeutic outlet for Winspear, a form of healing from her mother's cruel treatment of her.

I enjoyed recognizing the references to several of her family's experiences which she has used in her novels. In addition, the descriptions of her large extended family and especially her relationship with her parents show more were revealing in creating this personal self-portrait.

The memoir is not written in a linear format, as it alternates throughout the book in the timeframe of both past and present. But I think this is just the way she wanted to tell her story. At the conclusion she writes, "This memoir is a glimpse at a certain place and a certain time, traveling back and forth across the years before my birth and lingering upon the stopping places of a country childhood that framed who I might become." There were times I felt Winspear could have provided more depth and personal expression, so for that reason I am rating it three stars. show less

Reading about Jacqueline Winspear's memories of growing up in rural England after WWII reminds me of some aspects of my own childhood with regard to living in a rural area without electricity, indoor plumbing telephones, or modern appliances. Balancing that are the deep love for the countryside and life lessons learned through being in close contact with nature in general.
However, her family was deeply affected by experiences in WWI and WWII and through stories told to Jackie as a child, passed secondary PTSD along to her. Parts of the book are disturbing, but her positive attitude and love of family come through.

"This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing" is Jacqueline Winspear's account of her childhood and adolescence in rural England. Fans of the author's "Maisie Dobbs" series will learn why Winspear created an assertive and independent heroine who risks her life to help others, and why war plays a central role in Maisie's adventures. Winspear's grandfather had been wounded and emotionally traumatized during World War I, and her mum, Joyce, who loved to spin yarns, often spoke about events from Second World War that left her with deep emotional scars.

Jacqueline's family struggled financially and once lived in a caravan. The Winspears had to manage without indoor plumbing, electricity, and decent appliances, and they eked out a living picking show more fruit and hops, exhausting labor that did not pay very much. Joyce was a proud and intelligent woman who longed for a fine education, but was denied the opportunities that she felt she deserved. Still, she inspired her daughter to love literature, stand up for herself, and put in the necessary time and effort to achieve her goals. Albert, Jackie's dad, was a role model who transmitted his love of the land and curiosity about plants and wildlife to his adoring "Jack," his nickname for Jacqueline.

Although Winspear is a talented and evocative writer who has a gift for portraying the beauty of the country and the camaraderie that exists between like-minded people, "This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing" falls short in some ways. The book meanders, going back and forth in time, and we are overwhelmed by the sheer number of chums, neighbors, cousins, and teachers who pop up and disappear. In a series of poignant passages, Jackie expresses her longing for a special watch or her desire for a horse. Her mother opens up her empty purse to show her disheartened child that money does not magically appear just because you want it so badly. Joyce had a biting wit and, although Jackie loved and admired her mum, she also resented her sharp tongue and incessant demands. Perhaps writing this memoir was cathartic for Jacqueline Winspear, but "This Time Next Year" lacks the coherence and visceral impact of Winspear's involving and powerful works of historical fiction. show less

Winspear's memoir of a childhood growing up in post-WWII England is marked mostly by how wartime trauma affected two generations of her family, and by just how long it took the English countryside to move into the 20th century after losing two generations to bloody conflict.