The White Lady
by Jacqueline Winspear
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The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor White—veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymity—when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind.A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself show more facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government.
The private, quiet "Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past.
It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanor—but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. Yet in her quest to uncover the truth behind the family's pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous path—yet it is one that leads to her freedom.
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A hyper-vigilant recluse living in rural England in post-War England gradually gets to know the couple with a small child living nearby and can't help but become protective when the man's criminal family members threaten them to induce him to participate in a job he has refused. It's clear she's highly competent and quite capable of violence if necessary - and as the conflict plays out, we learn about her past. As a child in Belgium she aided the British during World War I and, after moving to England and studying languages, she again joins the war effort, aiding resistance fighters. Now she finds ways to infiltrate the criminal family in London while planning ways to protect her peace-loving neighbors.
The historical immersion is show more brilliantly done in all of the time frames involved, and our protagonist is a fascinating character - prickly, strong, intelligent, aloof, and tortured by something she'd had to do in the war. Other characters are also wonderfully developed, including a woman in the crime family who is overlooked but smarter than she's given credit for. The plot is woven together effectively, and the past is vividly evoked. Altogether, this is an immersive, intelligent, and compelling novel. Immensely enjoyable. show less
The historical immersion is show more brilliantly done in all of the time frames involved, and our protagonist is a fascinating character - prickly, strong, intelligent, aloof, and tortured by something she'd had to do in the war. Other characters are also wonderfully developed, including a woman in the crime family who is overlooked but smarter than she's given credit for. The plot is woven together effectively, and the past is vividly evoked. Altogether, this is an immersive, intelligent, and compelling novel. Immensely enjoyable. show less
Well, that was interminably dull. Instruction manuals have faster pacing and a better resolution. I felt like there was a decent plot bubbling under the surface - the introductory chapters were good - but the end result was laughable. Why would a supposedly intelligent and independent woman like Elinor trust a bent copper with her theories? Why would he indulge her obsession with a random family if he were genuine? One World War as background was interesting, two was overkill. And poor Elsie, the best character in the book, was woefully sidelined.
The writing was not only cliché bingo but also seemed to aimed at children, explaining simple terms that most people know or could be deduced from the context. Switching back and forth show more between both world wars and the late 1940s only dragged out the inevitable rather than building tension or developing the characters, but at least Elinor's childhood in Belgium was emotional and evocative - the SOE backstory was just ridiculous. I have no idea what the Mackie mafia subplot was supposed to be, apart from a very tenuous bridge between past and present.
I'm just disappointed. I expected a historical novel based on the real life brave men and women of the SOE and got a Hallmark aga saga. show less
The writing was not only cliché bingo but also seemed to aimed at children, explaining simple terms that most people know or could be deduced from the context. Switching back and forth show more between both world wars and the late 1940s only dragged out the inevitable rather than building tension or developing the characters, but at least Elinor's childhood in Belgium was emotional and evocative - the SOE backstory was just ridiculous. I have no idea what the Mackie mafia subplot was supposed to be, apart from a very tenuous bridge between past and present.
I'm just disappointed. I expected a historical novel based on the real life brave men and women of the SOE and got a Hallmark aga saga. show less
The White Lady -Winspeare
Audio performance by Orlagh Cassidy
4 stars
I’ve been enjoying Winspeare’s Maise Dobbs series for years. I thought I might miss Maisie when I started this book, but I didn’t. The story grabbed me right away. The protagonist of this book, the ex-spy Elinor White, is a grittier, more hard nosed character than Maisie. Elinor began work in war resistance during WW1 as a 12 year old in Belgium. She was naturally recruited for more of the same during WW2. Much of this book is told in flashbacks of her training and war experiences. Winspeare manages to create some edge-of-the-seat suspense in the back story even though it’s clear from the beginning that Elinor survived her war service.
The main plot of this show more book takes place in the years after the war as England struggles to recover. Elinor becomes concerned with the struggles of a young family living near her in the country. The father, Jim, has family ties to a dangerous criminal gang. Elinor’s war experience and training allows her access to a former college in Scotland Yard’s organized crime division. The post war investigation becomes tangled with the tragedy and mystery that ended Elinor’s war service.
The book has a definite feminist slant. Elinor has the assertive edge of a woman playing a man’s game. As she untangles the current mystery and the mangled memories of her past she confronts the misogyny and the class prejudice of the police force and the various branches of the secret service. There’s also a mildly humorous side plot of a successful female criminal.
I’m not sure I believe in Elinor’s intention to walk away from clandestine work at the end of this book. I’d enjoy reading more of this character. show less
Audio performance by Orlagh Cassidy
4 stars
I’ve been enjoying Winspeare’s Maise Dobbs series for years. I thought I might miss Maisie when I started this book, but I didn’t. The story grabbed me right away. The protagonist of this book, the ex-spy Elinor White, is a grittier, more hard nosed character than Maisie. Elinor began work in war resistance during WW1 as a 12 year old in Belgium. She was naturally recruited for more of the same during WW2. Much of this book is told in flashbacks of her training and war experiences. Winspeare manages to create some edge-of-the-seat suspense in the back story even though it’s clear from the beginning that Elinor survived her war service.
The main plot of this show more book takes place in the years after the war as England struggles to recover. Elinor becomes concerned with the struggles of a young family living near her in the country. The father, Jim, has family ties to a dangerous criminal gang. Elinor’s war experience and training allows her access to a former college in Scotland Yard’s organized crime division. The post war investigation becomes tangled with the tragedy and mystery that ended Elinor’s war service.
The book has a definite feminist slant. Elinor has the assertive edge of a woman playing a man’s game. As she untangles the current mystery and the mangled memories of her past she confronts the misogyny and the class prejudice of the police force and the various branches of the secret service. There’s also a mildly humorous side plot of a successful female criminal.
I’m not sure I believe in Elinor’s intention to walk away from clandestine work at the end of this book. I’d enjoy reading more of this character. show less
I’ve long been a fan of the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear so was really pleased to get the chance to read this new standalone by Jacqueline Winspear.
This is set just after the Second World War and we are introduced to Elinor White who lives a solitary life who becomes involved in trying to protect a young family who are threatened by the husband’s hoodlum family.
As the story develops we learn more about Elinor’s past and her involvement in both world wars even though she was only a child during the first one, and we also find out about a trauma that is affecting her, even in 1947.
I felt this book took a long time to get going and for me to feel fully involved in it but once it did I really enjoyed this story about an show more impressive woman and her actions during both the wars. I actually enjoyed the sections about her past more than the 1947 strand. There were certainly some great characters we met along the way as well as some not so great characters.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and am happy to recommend the book, although I did feel the end to the initial story from 1947 felt a bit too easy, but it did reveal more about Elinor’s life. Whilst good it didn’t feel it was in the same league as the excellent Maisie Dobbs books. I also felt it was left open to produce a sequel to the book or even possibly a series and I would be happy to read more.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher an author for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
This is set just after the Second World War and we are introduced to Elinor White who lives a solitary life who becomes involved in trying to protect a young family who are threatened by the husband’s hoodlum family.
As the story develops we learn more about Elinor’s past and her involvement in both world wars even though she was only a child during the first one, and we also find out about a trauma that is affecting her, even in 1947.
I felt this book took a long time to get going and for me to feel fully involved in it but once it did I really enjoyed this story about an show more impressive woman and her actions during both the wars. I actually enjoyed the sections about her past more than the 1947 strand. There were certainly some great characters we met along the way as well as some not so great characters.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and am happy to recommend the book, although I did feel the end to the initial story from 1947 felt a bit too easy, but it did reveal more about Elinor’s life. Whilst good it didn’t feel it was in the same league as the excellent Maisie Dobbs books. I also felt it was left open to produce a sequel to the book or even possibly a series and I would be happy to read more.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher an author for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less
Having been a fan of Jacqueline Winspear's long-running Maisie Dobbs series, I looked forward to seeing how her new heroine, Elinor White, would measure up. I'm happy to say that, in The White Lady, Elinor measures up quite nicely although I didn't grow to care for her as I did Maisie.
Readers see Elinor both in 1947 and as a teenager in Belgium during World War I. Her backstory illuminates Elinor's character and makes us wonder just how many other women were forced to do the same things Elinor did in order to survive. One of the most poignant scenes in The White Lady occurs when the young Elinor is attending class once her family has escaped to England. The teacher tells the girls that almost all the young men they could have been show more expected to marry have been slaughtered in the trenches of World War I, and that means that these girls will have to do well in school and learn how to take care of themselves; there will be no husbands to provide for them, no children to take care of them in their old age.
Elinor carries a lot of guilt for the things she had to do during both wars, and she believes that saving the Mackies from being dragged back into the criminal ways of their family is her chance for redemption. How she goes about saving them uncovers corruption in surprising places.
The White Lady is a strong story with much to say about survival, guilt, and redemption, and Elinor White is a character I wanted to embrace wholeheartedly. However, I always felt as though she never opened the door of her cottage to me, and it was that lack of emotional resonance that spoiled my reading a bit. Your mileage could definitely vary.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less
Readers see Elinor both in 1947 and as a teenager in Belgium during World War I. Her backstory illuminates Elinor's character and makes us wonder just how many other women were forced to do the same things Elinor did in order to survive. One of the most poignant scenes in The White Lady occurs when the young Elinor is attending class once her family has escaped to England. The teacher tells the girls that almost all the young men they could have been show more expected to marry have been slaughtered in the trenches of World War I, and that means that these girls will have to do well in school and learn how to take care of themselves; there will be no husbands to provide for them, no children to take care of them in their old age.
Elinor carries a lot of guilt for the things she had to do during both wars, and she believes that saving the Mackies from being dragged back into the criminal ways of their family is her chance for redemption. How she goes about saving them uncovers corruption in surprising places.
The White Lady is a strong story with much to say about survival, guilt, and redemption, and Elinor White is a character I wanted to embrace wholeheartedly. However, I always felt as though she never opened the door of her cottage to me, and it was that lack of emotional resonance that spoiled my reading a bit. Your mileage could definitely vary.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) show less
When Elinor De Witt was a young girl living in Belgium during World War I, a relative stranger recruits her to commit acts of espionage and sabotage against the Germans. Later, during the Second World War, Elinor, who speaks five languages, becomes an agent of England's SOE—Special Operations Executive. Her instructors teach her how to use a parachute, gather intelligence, kill enemy soldiers stealthily, and handle firearms. Jacqueline Winspear's iconic character, Maisie Dobbs, thrilled legions of devoted fans. The heroine of Winspear's "The White Lady" reminds us of Maisie. Elinor is resolute, daring, and competent at every task she undertakes. She also has a no-nonsense demeanor and a good heart.
In the chapters set in 1947, Elinor show more is a relative recluse who resides in Kent. She decides to intervene when her neighbor, Jim Mackie, his wife, Rose, and their three-year-old daughter, Susie, are threatened. Jim's father, John, is a ruthless hooligan whose family is involved in armed robbery, fraud, gambling, and other illegal activities. Mackie sends his thugs to coerce Jim, who was once incarcerated, into rejoining their criminal enterprise.
This is where the novel becomes particularly muddled. Elinor's conflict with the Mackies does not mesh well with her adventures as an agent of the British government. Although "The White Lady" had promise, most of the characters are thinly drawn; there are too many pages of lengthy exposition; and the frequent shifts in time between chapters disrupt the narrative flow. Had Winspear stuck to Elinor's escapades during World War I and II, this might have been a more satisfying work of historical fiction. On the other hand, Winspear deserves credit for highlighting the exploits of courageous women who, without fanfare, risked and sometimes sacrificed their lives to defeat their country's adversaries. show less
In the chapters set in 1947, Elinor show more is a relative recluse who resides in Kent. She decides to intervene when her neighbor, Jim Mackie, his wife, Rose, and their three-year-old daughter, Susie, are threatened. Jim's father, John, is a ruthless hooligan whose family is involved in armed robbery, fraud, gambling, and other illegal activities. Mackie sends his thugs to coerce Jim, who was once incarcerated, into rejoining their criminal enterprise.
This is where the novel becomes particularly muddled. Elinor's conflict with the Mackies does not mesh well with her adventures as an agent of the British government. Although "The White Lady" had promise, most of the characters are thinly drawn; there are too many pages of lengthy exposition; and the frequent shifts in time between chapters disrupt the narrative flow. Had Winspear stuck to Elinor's escapades during World War I and II, this might have been a more satisfying work of historical fiction. On the other hand, Winspear deserves credit for highlighting the exploits of courageous women who, without fanfare, risked and sometimes sacrificed their lives to defeat their country's adversaries. show less
Elinor White is 13, living in Belgium, when she and her older sister are recruited to be operatives for the Belgian resistance. Elinor and her sister carry out several missions before their luck runs out and Elinor is forced to make a split second decision which will trouble her for the rest of her life .Elinor's skills and courage are once again needed during WW11. Though she is courageous and resourceful, the tragic events of WW11 leave her haunted.
Post WW11, Elinor lives in small cottage in the Kent countryside. She lives a fairly content, but quiet life, ever vigilant and somewhat of a recluse. When a young family moves into a small cottage close by, Elinor is drawn into the Mackie family as she witnesses violence against them. Jim show more Mackie, his wife and their young daughter have escaped London to be free of Jim's criminal family
Told in three timelines , this makes for a fascinating read, and Elinor discovers that people are not always who they seem , and even trusted colleagues keep secrets.
I am a big fan the Maisie Dobb's series , and I really enjoyed this new stand along novel. I'm eager to read whatever Jacquline Winspear writes next
4 stars show less
Post WW11, Elinor lives in small cottage in the Kent countryside. She lives a fairly content, but quiet life, ever vigilant and somewhat of a recluse. When a young family moves into a small cottage close by, Elinor is drawn into the Mackie family as she witnesses violence against them. Jim show more Mackie, his wife and their young daughter have escaped London to be free of Jim's criminal family
Told in three timelines , this makes for a fascinating read, and Elinor discovers that people are not always who they seem , and even trusted colleagues keep secrets.
I am a big fan the Maisie Dobb's series , and I really enjoyed this new stand along novel. I'm eager to read whatever Jacquline Winspear writes next
4 stars show less
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ThingScore 75
The White Lady, although we care about Elinor, her friendships and romances are mostly absent, thus she is a less well-rounded character compared to Maisie.
To compensate for the lack of relationships, Winspear has plunged Elinor into two perilous wars, yet the author could have mined the action for more dramatic richness and extended these scenes. The novel has mysterious elements and some show more suspense, but it doesn’t fall squarely into either genre. Rather, it is a portrait of a redoubtable woman who unexpectedly is drawn into solving mysteries that have surfaced in the present but also have roots in her earlier life....he White Lady is a perfect fit for lovers of historical mysteries featuring intrepid, resourceful women who emerge as equal to their male colleagues and sometimes are more courageous. As a neighbor comments about Elinor, “She’s handy with a gun.” And she’s very clever. This is an excellent outing for Winspear, and if this novel is enjoyed, the first in her series, Maisie Dobbs, is highly recommended. show less
To compensate for the lack of relationships, Winspear has plunged Elinor into two perilous wars, yet the author could have mined the action for more dramatic richness and extended these scenes. The novel has mysterious elements and some show more suspense, but it doesn’t fall squarely into either genre. Rather, it is a portrait of a redoubtable woman who unexpectedly is drawn into solving mysteries that have surfaced in the present but also have roots in her earlier life....he White Lady is a perfect fit for lovers of historical mysteries featuring intrepid, resourceful women who emerge as equal to their male colleagues and sometimes are more courageous. As a neighbor comments about Elinor, “She’s handy with a gun.” And she’s very clever. This is an excellent outing for Winspear, and if this novel is enjoyed, the first in her series, Maisie Dobbs, is highly recommended. show less
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Author Information
32+ Works 32,714 Members
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 was working in business and as a show more 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
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The White Lady
- Original publication date
- 2023
- People/Characters
- Elinor White; Stephen White; Jim Mackie; Charlotte
- Important places
- Antwerp, Belgium; Shacklehurst, Kent, England; London, England
- Important events
- World War I; World War II
- Epigraph
- And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a
few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters
get control. History has proven that.
-- John Alberg-Acton, Lord Acton (1834-1902)
Society prepares the crime; the criminal commits it.
-- Vittori Alfieri (1749-1803)
War is a thug's game. The thug strikes first and harder. He
doesn't go by rules and he isn't afraid of hurting people.
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, The War Within & Without - Dedication
- In memory of the wonderful writer and teacher, Barbara
Abercrombie, who died in 2022. Barbara was a UCLA Writers'
Program Distinguished Instructor, and my dear friend. - First words
- Every morning as Rose Mackie leaned over the bars of the wooden cot and picked up her three-year-old daughter, she gave thanks for the cottage.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She turned and walked away from the lake, her thoughts amounting to very little she rant her fingertips across the very fine point of the sharpened pencil she kept in her pocket.
- Publisher's editor
- Nelson, Sara
- Blurbers
- Penny, Louise; Child, Lee
- Original language
- English UK
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 691
- Popularity
- 41,211
- Reviews
- 33
- Rating
- (3.82)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- ASINs
- 5
