I finished listening to Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs. I liked it as much the second time around, if not more, than the first. I'm only sad to say my memory is terrible, as I had completely forgotten the details surrounding the climactic moment. I hate to think how little I retain over time when it comes to reading. I guess this is where one could make a case for lots of rereading (or listening after reading).
In case you're not already a Maisie Dobbs' fan or aren't familiar with her, this is the first mystery in a series, and Winspear earlier this year published the fifth installment. The series begins in the late 1920s, but the first book flashes back to before WWI when Maisie was a young woman filling in the reader on her background.
Maisie is an unusual sleuth. A Londoner by birth she's raised by her father after the death of her mother. Her father is a costermonger, and after he realizes the difficulties of raising a daughter alone, Maisie goes into service. It's hoped that she'll be able to continue her education with the money she saves, but she catches the eye of her employer first. Lady Rowan Compton is an aristocrat, but also very progressive in her thinking. Lady Rowan becomes Maisie's benefactress when Maisie's thirst for learning is discovered. Under the guidance of Maurice Blanche, a friend of the Comptons, Maisie undertakes a course of study in her free time. She'll eventually earn a place at Girton College.
World War I, however, will interrupt her studies. Although it was a bloody, horrific war, it will change the lives of everyone irrevocably both for good and bad. This is an excellent series and Winspear does a marvelous job filling in the period detail and portraying the many changes that occurred especially for women. In any other previous era it might have been a stretch for Maisie to do what she did, but in the years after WWI so many more doors of opportunity opened for women. A generation of men was lost and women had to continue filling their shoes in so many aspects of life. I mentioned that Maisie is an unusual sleuth. She's not just a detective, but she's also a psychologist. She doesn't just solve crimes, but she's interested in helping people as well.
I didn't mean to go on about Maisie Dobbs in such detail (though I've conveniently left out the mystery aspect of the novel), but she's one of my favorite literary characters. I've followed the series from the first book when it was published in 2003 and eagerly await each new installment. I'm really fascinated with this period in history, and in the years since I read Maisie Dobbs, I've read a slew of other books about this period (both fiction and nonfiction). Listening to the book only reassures me how spot on Winspear is with the historical detail. She obviously does her research. It was an excellent book to listen to and the reader did a great job. She even sang a few songs, which surprised me. She had a lovely voice, so I was very impressed.
Now I'm listening to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. I really liked this book when I read it a few years back for the first time. It's a bit of a jump from Maisie Dobbs, but I think I'll enjoy listening to it. I have several more books ready to go on my MP3 player: Birds of a Feather, again by Jacqueline Winspear (the second mystery in the series--I've read them all, and now I'd like to listen to them), Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford , by Julia Fox (I've yet to listen to any nonfiction--it should be interesting), Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer, Sepulchre, by Kate Mosse (yes, I admit I read her first one, and I know it didn't get very good reviews, but it's summer and as beach books go, I'm thinking this should be entertaining to listen to), Hunting Unicorns, by Bella Pollen, America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation, by Kenneth C. Davis, and Goodbye to All That, by Robert Graves (abridged biography). As I have so many books lined up, I haven't been listening to podcasts, so my player is pretty full right now! And believe it or not, I can only handle listening to one book at a time!