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Maisie Dobbs #2
Birds of a Feather
Praise for Maisie "Maisie Dobbs is a quirky literary creation. If you cross-pollinated Vera Brittain’s classic World War I memoir, Testament of Youth, with Dorothy Sayers’s Harriet Vane mysteries and a dash of the old PBS series ‘Upstairs, Downstairs,’ you’d approximate the peculiar range of topics and tones within this novel. . . . Its intelligent eccentricity offers relief."—Maureen Corrigan, "Fresh Air" on NPR "Deft. . . . Prepare to be astonished at the sensitivity and wisdom with which Maisie resolves her first professional assignment. . . . Winspear takes her through her ordeal with great compassion."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "Surprisingly fresh. . . . Winspear does a fine job with the ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ aspects of the story, depicting the class tensions that inevitably arise as Dobbs climbs to a new station in life. Her progression from domestic staff to college student to wartime nurse to private investigator is both believable and compelling."—San Francisco Chronicle Maisie Dobbs is back and this time she has been hired to find a wealthy grocery magnate’s daughter who has fled from home. What seems a simple case at first becomes complicated when Maisie learns of the recent violent deaths of three of the heiress’s old friends. Is there a connection between her mysterious disappearance and the murders? Who would kill such charming young women? As Maisie investigates, she discovers that the answers to all her questions lie in the unforgettable agony of The Great War. Jacqueline Winspear was born and raised in England and later worked in publishing and as a marketing communications consultant in the U.K. before emigrating to the United States. She now lives in California and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom. Birds of a Feather is her second novel featuring Maisie Dobbs.From the Hardcover edition.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2004
2966 people are currently reading
10345 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Winspear
61 books8,327 followersJacqueline Winspear was born and raised in the county of Kent, England. Following higher education at the University of London’s Institute of Education, Jacqueline worked in academic publishing, in higher education and in marketing communications in the UK.
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,
and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times
Notable Book.
Series:
* Maisie Dobbs
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jacque...
She emigrated to the United States in 1990, and while working in business and as a personal / professional coach, Jacqueline embarked upon a life-long dream to be a writer.
A regular contributor to journals covering international education, Jacqueline has published articles in women's magazines and has also recorded her essays for KQED radio in San Francisco. She currently divides her time between Ojai and the San Francisco Bay Area and is a regular visitor to the United Kingdom and Europe.
Jacqueline is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death, Among the Mad, and An Incomplete Revenge, and other nationally bestselling Maisie Dobbs novels. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Agatha, Alex,
and Macavity awards for the first book in the series, Maisie Dobbs, which was also nominated for the Edgar Award for best novel and was a New York Times
Notable Book.
Series:
* Maisie Dobbs
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jacque...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,152 reviews
April 2, 2009
I'm giving up on this series. I want to like it, but I just don't. I'd like reasons behind her solving cases instead of mystic hunches. The set-up is great. The character not at all.
Also this book particularly annoyed me. Throughout, the author kept pointing out how little Maisie ate. All these comments about how she'd forgotten to eat breakfast or how she peeled the batter off her fish. I started wondering if the author wrote this while dieting since it added nothing to the character or the story.
Also this book particularly annoyed me. Throughout, the author kept pointing out how little Maisie ate. All these comments about how she'd forgotten to eat breakfast or how she peeled the batter off her fish. I started wondering if the author wrote this while dieting since it added nothing to the character or the story.
February 10, 2017
Have you ever stayed up late to finish a book not because you're enjoying it but because you want to put yourself out of some misery? That's this novel. This was a real struggle to finish. It's not awful, but it shows none of the command of characters, plot, action, really - everything that matters in a great novel - that the first Maisie Dobbs book I encountered possessed. I read Leaving Everything Most Loved last year and enjoyed it immensely, snatching up this one for my to-read list and got around it to it a couple of weeks ago. Based on LEML, I was expecting Maisie to be the same interesting and different from the usual-British-PI character other authors have created, and I was expecting a mystery that made sense, and was neither too difficult nor too easy to figure out, and supporting characters that were authentic. Silly me, I thought, if book 10 is good, book 1 must be excellent. Don't make the same mistake. Some writers don't hit their stride for awhile, whether due to editing, finding their voice, or whatever, and Winspear is in this camp.
Back to Birds of a Feather. Maisie spends the entire novel traveling from place to place. The emphasis on feeling the vibes in this place or that made her seem quacky and not intelligent, in contrast to the Maisie we encounter in later books in the series. I didn't buy the actions of the target of her investigation, Charlotte, at all, because they seemed to serve only as a plot device and not consistent with how a real person in the same context would behave. The various male characters were not believable - from Maisie's father to Inspector Stratton to Waite, the man who engages Maisie on this investigation. Harumph is all I can say, although I suppose I've said substantially more.
Back to Birds of a Feather. Maisie spends the entire novel traveling from place to place. The emphasis on feeling the vibes in this place or that made her seem quacky and not intelligent, in contrast to the Maisie we encounter in later books in the series. I didn't buy the actions of the target of her investigation, Charlotte, at all, because they seemed to serve only as a plot device and not consistent with how a real person in the same context would behave. The various male characters were not believable - from Maisie's father to Inspector Stratton to Waite, the man who engages Maisie on this investigation. Harumph is all I can say, although I suppose I've said substantially more.
October 19, 2011
While I enjoyed the first in this series, this second book has me wondering if I really want to continue reading about Maisie Dobbs. The mysticism/woo used by Maisie to "sense" things is really becoming wearing and unnecessary--if Maisie is supposed to be so bright, intuitive, and observing of her surroundings, this extra "centering" and feeling the "hand" of a dead person on her shoulder is jarring and silly. There are also subplots with Maisie's father and partner that feel tacked on and, quite frankly, poorly distract from the actual case-solving. The one feels very much like "LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND IN MY RESEARCH, ISN'T THAT INTERESTING?" and does not organically spring from that character.
My larger problem is that I really don't LIKE most of the characters in this series. Maisie often comes off as cold and socially... well, not inept, exactly. More like bizarre. In this book, for instance, someone teases her jokingly and Maisie's response is indignant and almost shocked (and strangely so, even for the time). There is a strength and stubbornness that an investigator needs to possess in order to gain information, but in Maisie that's coupled with an arrogance and condescension that while not yet insufferable, makes me hesitate to continue reading about her. I'm likewise not so thrilled with her partner (often there for Maisie to bounce ideas off of in a condescending way), her father (passive-aggressive), or teacher (dude would be a "Magical Negro" if he were black, my god). Mostly, everyone feels like a 2-dimensional cut-out and not fully-fleshed people.
I have the third in this series on hold at the library and will hesitantly give it a whirl.
My larger problem is that I really don't LIKE most of the characters in this series. Maisie often comes off as cold and socially... well, not inept, exactly. More like bizarre. In this book, for instance, someone teases her jokingly and Maisie's response is indignant and almost shocked (and strangely so, even for the time). There is a strength and stubbornness that an investigator needs to possess in order to gain information, but in Maisie that's coupled with an arrogance and condescension that while not yet insufferable, makes me hesitate to continue reading about her. I'm likewise not so thrilled with her partner (often there for Maisie to bounce ideas off of in a condescending way), her father (passive-aggressive), or teacher (dude would be a "Magical Negro" if he were black, my god). Mostly, everyone feels like a 2-dimensional cut-out and not fully-fleshed people.
I have the third in this series on hold at the library and will hesitantly give it a whirl.
July 5, 2020
I read this aloud to/with a friend who has cancer. We’d read book one and moved on to book two. This series is delightful and clever.It takes us a long time to get through these books but we both love them. They’re so much fun. Great humor. Great pathos. Great psychological insight. Absolutely wonderful, lovable, captivating and memorable characters and interesting relationships. Good mysteries too. This series reminds me a bit of the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths and that is high praise. I do appreciate how all of the recurring characters are basically good and that even the villains are humanized and shown sympathetically. Read 2020/05/25-2020/07/04. The author does a good enough job with her characters that it was rare I got confused despite taking so long to read this book. It’s an enjoyable read aloud book. I know I would like it anyway but it’s even more entertaining to read it aloud/read it with someone else. Very sweet acknowledgments page at the end of the book where her dog and her cat are mentioned. Read a borrowed e-copy from my public library due to the pandemic. 4-1/2 stars
August 17, 2011
I so want to like this series. I feel like I should like this series, that I’m the target audience and there is something wrong with me that I don’t like this series. But I don’t like Maisie Dobbs. At all. She’s a cold, self-centered woman with few redeeming qualities and the good fortune to be fictional and therefore able to ignore her numerous failings due to an author who wants to make her something wonderful. In short, she’s the literary equivalent of a spoiled, lazy, not-at-all bright teenager who gets into Harvard because of a legacy. After finishing this book, I made a list of what I didn’t like about this book (don’t worry, it’s not exhaustive) so that, whenever I start to think I should give this series another chance, I can read this list and remember why that would be a waste of good reading. What follows contains some small spoilers, but since I don’t think the book is worth reading, I don’t feel particularly bad about possibly ruining this book (seriously, don’t read it):
1. I don’t care how many times an author tells me a character is smart. That doesn’t convince me. Show me a character is smart. I can say I’m 6’1” all I want, but that doesn’t make me 6’1”.
2. On a related note, when a character is supposed to be smart, don’t drop massive clues, have said character ignore said clues for one hundred pages, and then suddenly remember them when it’s convenient for the story. That makes the character looks stupid.
3. When an author bases a scene or resolution off what one character says or does, please make sure said action would make a normal person step back and go “yep, understand why that would evoke that reaction.” Having a character go into a murderous rampage because someone gives him a slice of cake doesn’t make sense unless it’s explained, for example, that the government programmed that person to go into a murderous rampage if served cake. As a reader, I want to understand a book. I don’t want to have to create my own explanations to make a plot or scene work.
4. When a murderer snaps several years after an event, it’d be nice to know what set him off.
5. I like suspense - but only if used properly. When used properly, it’s a great addition to a story. When not used correctly (like when the information being withheld ties in directly to the title of the book and in no way reveals the denouement – say, for example, identical feathers found at crime scenes in a book titled Birds of a Feather), it just makes a story tedious. Put another way: Not immediately revealing who owned the knife found at the murder scene and not revealing related information that would give away the mystery? Good use of suspense. Waiting one hundred pages to reveal a knife was the murder weapon (and treating it as super mysterious) when it doesn’t reveal anything and is easy to figure out with the information given? Not a good use of suspense.
6. Love triangles are overused, but, when used correctly, I always forgive the overuse and eagerly lap up the drama. However, crucifying one character to build a triangle, telling the audience why they should like a character without giving any examples as to why, and using the device as a way to put in a cheap, unnecessary cliffhanger are not acceptable uses of a love triangle - and remind me why I’d like them to become the exception rather than the rule in storytelling.
7. Also, if an author must have a love triangle in a story, it’d be nice if the person at the center does not seem like a cold, heartless fish. As a reader, I want to understand why two men are attracted to one woman and both pursue her. Telling me that Betsy is a vicarious, funny woman doesn’t convince me she is (especially when the book contains no examples of that) and doesn’t show me why two men are fighting over her. Said conflict is even more difficult to believe when the author points out (repeatedly) that the story is set in post-WWI England and available women outnumber men by a considerable degree.
8. Using “feelings” to advance a story. Nope. Sorry. Yes, I’m all about rooms giving off a certain vibe and going off gut instincts. But when an author uses meditation and mysticism in place of actual investigating, I don’t like it. It seems cheap.
9. Emotional scenes put in for no reason other than to take up page space and make a character seem deep. Nope. Don’t do it. Especially when an author can’t even let that melodramatic story tell itself – excerpts of brief, meaningless conversations about a problem suddenly invented are not fun to read and do not move me to any emotion other than annoyance.
10. If a character is suffering from a drug addiction and withdrawal, there needs to be some actual consequence. Having them absolutely fine whenever they are needed? Weak. I want consequences! Under this logic, Achilles still had a weak heel but it didn’t matter, and he won anyway. What’s the point of that?
Those are the major points about why I didn’t like this book. To boil it all down (and I could have put this earlier, but certain books just bring out a need to rant): Like the first one, this has all of the pieces of a good mystery but the actual product is not good. I can’t quite believe such a great premise is not only so badly executed but has spanned an (as of 2011) eight-book series. What am I missing? That’s the real mystery. Not recommended.
1. I don’t care how many times an author tells me a character is smart. That doesn’t convince me. Show me a character is smart. I can say I’m 6’1” all I want, but that doesn’t make me 6’1”.
2. On a related note, when a character is supposed to be smart, don’t drop massive clues, have said character ignore said clues for one hundred pages, and then suddenly remember them when it’s convenient for the story. That makes the character looks stupid.
3. When an author bases a scene or resolution off what one character says or does, please make sure said action would make a normal person step back and go “yep, understand why that would evoke that reaction.” Having a character go into a murderous rampage because someone gives him a slice of cake doesn’t make sense unless it’s explained, for example, that the government programmed that person to go into a murderous rampage if served cake. As a reader, I want to understand a book. I don’t want to have to create my own explanations to make a plot or scene work.
4. When a murderer snaps several years after an event, it’d be nice to know what set him off.
5. I like suspense - but only if used properly. When used properly, it’s a great addition to a story. When not used correctly (like when the information being withheld ties in directly to the title of the book and in no way reveals the denouement – say, for example, identical feathers found at crime scenes in a book titled Birds of a Feather), it just makes a story tedious. Put another way: Not immediately revealing who owned the knife found at the murder scene and not revealing related information that would give away the mystery? Good use of suspense. Waiting one hundred pages to reveal a knife was the murder weapon (and treating it as super mysterious) when it doesn’t reveal anything and is easy to figure out with the information given? Not a good use of suspense.
6. Love triangles are overused, but, when used correctly, I always forgive the overuse and eagerly lap up the drama. However, crucifying one character to build a triangle, telling the audience why they should like a character without giving any examples as to why, and using the device as a way to put in a cheap, unnecessary cliffhanger are not acceptable uses of a love triangle - and remind me why I’d like them to become the exception rather than the rule in storytelling.
7. Also, if an author must have a love triangle in a story, it’d be nice if the person at the center does not seem like a cold, heartless fish. As a reader, I want to understand why two men are attracted to one woman and both pursue her. Telling me that Betsy is a vicarious, funny woman doesn’t convince me she is (especially when the book contains no examples of that) and doesn’t show me why two men are fighting over her. Said conflict is even more difficult to believe when the author points out (repeatedly) that the story is set in post-WWI England and available women outnumber men by a considerable degree.
8. Using “feelings” to advance a story. Nope. Sorry. Yes, I’m all about rooms giving off a certain vibe and going off gut instincts. But when an author uses meditation and mysticism in place of actual investigating, I don’t like it. It seems cheap.
9. Emotional scenes put in for no reason other than to take up page space and make a character seem deep. Nope. Don’t do it. Especially when an author can’t even let that melodramatic story tell itself – excerpts of brief, meaningless conversations about a problem suddenly invented are not fun to read and do not move me to any emotion other than annoyance.
10. If a character is suffering from a drug addiction and withdrawal, there needs to be some actual consequence. Having them absolutely fine whenever they are needed? Weak. I want consequences! Under this logic, Achilles still had a weak heel but it didn’t matter, and he won anyway. What’s the point of that?
Those are the major points about why I didn’t like this book. To boil it all down (and I could have put this earlier, but certain books just bring out a need to rant): Like the first one, this has all of the pieces of a good mystery but the actual product is not good. I can’t quite believe such a great premise is not only so badly executed but has spanned an (as of 2011) eight-book series. What am I missing? That’s the real mystery. Not recommended.
August 12, 2018
I was a bit disappointed with this sequel to the introductory Maisie Dobbs novel. It's a good cosy mystery but not great. Maisie is finding her feet as a fledgling private detective in post WWI London and the author seems to be doing the same with this series. Maisie is an interesting character as an independent woman in the 1920s, but she is seemingly without flaws and human weaknesses and always perfectly groomed and turned out. There is also an element of psychic powers creeping in where Maisie closes her eyes and senses what happened before in the room used as a device to move the plot on, which I found not very believable. The story involves a missing heiress, Charlotte Waite, who has run away from home. When Maisie discovers that three of Charlotte's closest friends have died, she must discover what happened in the past to lead to these deaths and send Charlotte into hiding. Overall, a solid but somewhat slow cosy mystery. The series is highly rated so I'll continue with it in the hope of improved plots and character development.
August 1, 2007
the 2nd in a series - always a test to see how well the characters hold up, and I thought these did - actually liked this book better than the first one. the characters were more developed (maybe seemed a bit more "real", not that I was looking for that, but it struck me as a good thing when I was reading) and there seemed to be more of a real mystery this time. more themes about WWI and loss. and I love that Maisie might be ready for a new relationship. I'll definitely read more of the series.
June 2, 2010
Reading a Maisie Dobbs book is like eating comfort food. There are such good supporting roles (Maurice Blanche, Lady Rowan, her father, Billy, and more are being added...) It's nice facing life's challenges with such a crew bouying you up, I imagine.
Reading this story helped me reflect on my own supporters. We are such a result of those whom we love and associate with, even those from whom we seem naturally repelled. Each day we're torn down in new ways, built up in others, morphing into better creatures, we hope.
I had to chuckle at the book's plug for Pilates. Yes, it takes a novel to convince me to finally give it another try. We are taught in our own language, aren't we? Mine seems to be books more than anything. So, to the library Pilates collection, I say: "Here I come."
Winspear adds such beef to my understanding of wartime and its effects. I really loved Lady Rowan's remark about how war isn't really over when it 'ends', but continues on in the living. So true. I'm glad she said it so much better. :)
Reading this story helped me reflect on my own supporters. We are such a result of those whom we love and associate with, even those from whom we seem naturally repelled. Each day we're torn down in new ways, built up in others, morphing into better creatures, we hope.
I had to chuckle at the book's plug for Pilates. Yes, it takes a novel to convince me to finally give it another try. We are taught in our own language, aren't we? Mine seems to be books more than anything. So, to the library Pilates collection, I say: "Here I come."
Winspear adds such beef to my understanding of wartime and its effects. I really loved Lady Rowan's remark about how war isn't really over when it 'ends', but continues on in the living. So true. I'm glad she said it so much better. :)
January 24, 2018
I really enjoyed this! It's a murder mystery set between WWI and WWII in England. Maisie is a self employed PI. She's been hired by a very wealthy man to find his adult daughter, who was single and lived at home. Maisie discovers this woman has had several friends who have been murdered.
Reading this reminded me of watching a Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. It has no bloody violence or gore. Just a good old fashioned murder mystery.
I bought this book many years ago and did not realize it is #2 in a series but the author did fill in a bit that is probably in the first book. I will definitely keep any eye out for the 3rd book.
Reading this reminded me of watching a Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. It has no bloody violence or gore. Just a good old fashioned murder mystery.
I bought this book many years ago and did not realize it is #2 in a series but the author did fill in a bit that is probably in the first book. I will definitely keep any eye out for the 3rd book.
August 11, 2011
I really grew tired of the plot device whereby the author hid essential information from the reader that Maisie had in order to keep me from figuring out the mystery. "Maisie sat down with Mr Jones and began to ask the questions that had been forming since she'd met with Mr Smith. ... When she left the office an hour later, the pieces were finally starting to fall into place." That's just a paraphrase, but it happened over and over. We are never privy to her thought processes, the identification of items she finds at the the crime scene, the reasoning for her hunch that so-and-so is lying, etc. But instead of having that all tumble in at the end deus-ex-machina style, which I don't like either, we get "teased" throughout the book: "Maisie's hand closed around something small under the cushion, but she slipped it quickly into her handkerchief." I guess the "mystery" couldn't hold up to the reader's scrutiny: just as in the first book, if I'd learned of the clues at the same time as Maisie, I could have solved the mystery probably a third of the way through.
February 20, 2011
It is now 1930, and this second installment in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series finds Maisie's detective services requested by the rich grocery chain owner Joseph Waite, whose 30+ year old daughter Charlotte has run away from the family home and her feckless lifestyle. Maisie and her sidekick Billy Beale once again delve into the pain and anguish caused by WWI, and encounter a mystery tinged with loneliness, grief and revenge. In her quest to solve Charlotte's disappearence, Maisie uncovers the murder of 2 of Charlotte's girlhood firends, as well as the suspicious suicide of a third. Might Charlotte make up a fourth death, or is Charlotte a murderess?
While I completely enjoyed this foray back into Maisie's sleuthing world, I found Birds of a Feather did have some problems with it, IMO. Firstly, Maisie comes across as a very cold and unfeeling character, and I don't quite buy into all her intuitiveness (or her appeal to men) as a result. Secondly, I feel that Winspear lays on Maisie's new-agey-zen-like detecting methods with too heavy a hand; it's Tibetan monk meets "The Ghost Whisperer", and it leaves me scratching my head that she could accomplish anything beyond calming her inner detective. That being said, this installment provided another entertaining mystery for the reader who enjoys a more unconventional detective. I will continue reading the Maisie's Dobbs series to see what else Winspear has in store for her creation.
While I completely enjoyed this foray back into Maisie's sleuthing world, I found Birds of a Feather did have some problems with it, IMO. Firstly, Maisie comes across as a very cold and unfeeling character, and I don't quite buy into all her intuitiveness (or her appeal to men) as a result. Secondly, I feel that Winspear lays on Maisie's new-agey-zen-like detecting methods with too heavy a hand; it's Tibetan monk meets "The Ghost Whisperer", and it leaves me scratching my head that she could accomplish anything beyond calming her inner detective. That being said, this installment provided another entertaining mystery for the reader who enjoys a more unconventional detective. I will continue reading the Maisie's Dobbs series to see what else Winspear has in store for her creation.
May 10, 2011
This book combines Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, taking the annoyances of both and the interest of neither.
I practically had to force my way through the book. The writing didn't flow and I felt like I was swimming against a tidal wave while I read it.
Maisie Dobbs is a bland, detached woman. I got so sick of her meditating and communing with the spirits of rooms and people. I think it was somehow supposed to show you her own inner turmoil, but, to be honest, I frankly didn't care about her turmoil or see how it was really anything to be so concerned about. She showed no emotion and any emotion that was inserted was just that...inserted. There's a difference between saying a character is crying and miserable and showing why that character is crying and miserable. Mrs. Winspear tells us that Maisie is sad and thus we are supposed to take it on blind faith, because Maisie herself is not convincingly miserable. Miss Dobbs seemed incapable of showing feeling or extending warmth to anyone.
The plot was thick and almost impenetrable. It focused on everything but the mystery. Maisie was constantly driving here and there and doing this and that but nothing seemed to pertain to anything. There is almost a lack of continuity. I almost had to use a bookmark in this book because I would open the book to a driving scene (of which there are many...) and not even realize it wasn't the one I had left off on.
I also had difficulty remembering the names of characters she introduced and often had to stop reading and recall who was who and what they were.
As for the culprit, it wasn't very ingenious at all. We were hardly introduced to the culprit in the first place (to the point where you practically forgot the person existed) and in the second place every clue as to who it was was cut out of the book. You couldn't figure out who the culprit was until the end of the book because the author practically hid the culprit from view. The person hardly existed. (I did figure it out before the climax, which probably isn't a difficult maneuver). Very ingenious, Mrs. Winspear. Very ingenious.
In a nutshell, this book is heavy, boring and absolutely uninspired.
I practically had to force my way through the book. The writing didn't flow and I felt like I was swimming against a tidal wave while I read it.
Maisie Dobbs is a bland, detached woman. I got so sick of her meditating and communing with the spirits of rooms and people. I think it was somehow supposed to show you her own inner turmoil, but, to be honest, I frankly didn't care about her turmoil or see how it was really anything to be so concerned about. She showed no emotion and any emotion that was inserted was just that...inserted. There's a difference between saying a character is crying and miserable and showing why that character is crying and miserable. Mrs. Winspear tells us that Maisie is sad and thus we are supposed to take it on blind faith, because Maisie herself is not convincingly miserable. Miss Dobbs seemed incapable of showing feeling or extending warmth to anyone.
The plot was thick and almost impenetrable. It focused on everything but the mystery. Maisie was constantly driving here and there and doing this and that but nothing seemed to pertain to anything. There is almost a lack of continuity. I almost had to use a bookmark in this book because I would open the book to a driving scene (of which there are many...) and not even realize it wasn't the one I had left off on.
I also had difficulty remembering the names of characters she introduced and often had to stop reading and recall who was who and what they were.
As for the culprit, it wasn't very ingenious at all. We were hardly introduced to the culprit in the first place (to the point where you practically forgot the person existed) and in the second place every clue as to who it was was cut out of the book. You couldn't figure out who the culprit was until the end of the book because the author practically hid the culprit from view. The person hardly existed. (I did figure it out before the climax, which probably isn't a difficult maneuver). Very ingenious, Mrs. Winspear. Very ingenious.
In a nutshell, this book is heavy, boring and absolutely uninspired.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2010
The subject of Birds of a Feather is pain—the kind of physical, mental, and emotional agony that exists only in real life and in the very best literary fiction. And yet, the story is very beautiful.
I categorize the books of the Maisie Dobbs series as "literary" rather than "mystery" because the focus is not really on the plot. Although they are well structured and provide plenty of suspense, the novels of Jacqueline Winspear are very rich in terms of the other elements of fiction: namely, character, theme, and setting. They provide genuine experience of the human condition—including severe, visceral pain—and psychological growth.
Because of this book, I have much greater insight than before into the effects of war—the wars of our own time as well as the "Great War"—which last for generations and twist the future in unexpected ways.
This author is a terrific master of the narrative, and this book is a time machine.
By this afternoon, I will have the next in the series.
I categorize the books of the Maisie Dobbs series as "literary" rather than "mystery" because the focus is not really on the plot. Although they are well structured and provide plenty of suspense, the novels of Jacqueline Winspear are very rich in terms of the other elements of fiction: namely, character, theme, and setting. They provide genuine experience of the human condition—including severe, visceral pain—and psychological growth.
Because of this book, I have much greater insight than before into the effects of war—the wars of our own time as well as the "Great War"—which last for generations and twist the future in unexpected ways.
This author is a terrific master of the narrative, and this book is a time machine.
By this afternoon, I will have the next in the series.
February 11, 2010
I've decided that Maisie Dobbs and Nancy Drew are very similar characters.
1. They are attractive, tall, independent, and without ties to men (but have their suitors)
2. They have no concerns with money (Maisie did in her childhood but now has a benefactor and works; Nancy had her father)
3. They both love to drive their sporty vehicles fast (although Maisie has yet to wreak her car; Nancy did in nearly every novel)
4. Everything always works out
How they are different:
Maisie is dealing with problems that stem from the WWI aftermath. I find that to be more intriquing that Nancy's setting of mid-west living (obviously, the Nancy Drew series is written for YA readers years ago). In this last novel, Maisie learns about the devestating affects of the "Order of the White Feather." I found that bit of history to be fascinating. Can you imagine such an organization today that allows us to physically label any man who isn't in uniform? Talk about a scarlet letter punishment.
1. They are attractive, tall, independent, and without ties to men (but have their suitors)
2. They have no concerns with money (Maisie did in her childhood but now has a benefactor and works; Nancy had her father)
3. They both love to drive their sporty vehicles fast (although Maisie has yet to wreak her car; Nancy did in nearly every novel)
4. Everything always works out
How they are different:
Maisie is dealing with problems that stem from the WWI aftermath. I find that to be more intriquing that Nancy's setting of mid-west living (obviously, the Nancy Drew series is written for YA readers years ago). In this last novel, Maisie learns about the devestating affects of the "Order of the White Feather." I found that bit of history to be fascinating. Can you imagine such an organization today that allows us to physically label any man who isn't in uniform? Talk about a scarlet letter punishment.
June 16, 2009
When I was recently invited to join a small book club under the auspices of something of a celebrity librarian where I live--she organizes successful events and authors readings, many of which I have attended over the years--I couldn't resist accepting. What kind of books might this small and intimate grouping of admirers of fine literature read? A list of books covering the next few months to come was intriguingly diverse in style, genre, time period. This would be an interesting exploration, no doubt pushing me to read books I might never have otherwise read.
Including the first book on the list: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. Two of this series, in fact. The first one, then a second of our own choosing. I headed for the library, but the first book was off the shelf. Perhaps another book club member. So I chose another in the series, skimming through several. I was not familiar with the author or the series, as mysteries, admittedly, are not a genre I favor. As soon as I opened the book to read, I was reminded why. They all seem painfully alike. The only difference here is that Maisie Dobbs, detective-psychologist, was female rather than the tiresome Bogey-type that seems to keep popping up in other detective novels. And you know that "Girl Friday"? The fawning, too-sexy-for-her-own-good type who is doggedly devoted to Bogey to the point of being codependent? In this book, Maisie's sidekick would be a cockney called Billy Beale, a retired vet with a bum leg. Yes, he's doggedly devoted if blessedly married. I rolled my eyes. I had to wonder, why do readers so enjoy these types of series, alike as a stack of pancakes, with characters all cast from the same mold, predictable as formula? I don't get it.
And then, of course, I got immersed in the book.
It took a while. And I did roll my eyes once more as I read an editorial miss, where a main character, Joseph Waite, a wealthy man who hires Maisie to find and bring home his missing daughter (32 years old! I'd be missing, too!) grinds out his cigar after enjoying his smoke. Grinds? Mind you, as editor-in-chief of a literary ezine called The Smoking Poet, featuring an extensive page on cigars called Cigar Lounge, I know a thing or three about cigars. You never grind out a cigar. Cigarettes, yes, but cigars give out toxic, bitter fumes when so ground. Any cigar smoker worth her ash knows this. Adding insult to cigar injury, Mr. Waite has the seemingly same cigar magically reappear in his fingers a page later as he and Maisie stroll the gardens. Oops.
Yet once the smoke had cleared, I found myself reading the book more and more often, each time for a longer sit. The British author, Jacqueline Winspear, knows her twists and turns. She also does her homework well, if not particularly on the grinding of a stogie, because the story is rich with historical detail and color. It is set in London, spring of 1930. There are scenes in city and outlying areas, flashbacks to The Great War, and doings and ongoings with coppers in Scotland Yard's Murder Squad. Keeping this time period in mind, the accomplishments of Maisie Dobbs are very respectable. Once a battlefield nurse, she has now made her place in a male-dominated field of private investigators, so not only does she need to solve her case, she must solve it with more finesse than any male counterpart.
I'm liking this.
Unlike most detective novels, this detective is also, happily, no womanizer. What a relief. A woman herself, she deals with the opposite sex respectfully, even while demanding respect. Yet, just like a woman, when she is dealing with a heartbroken victim, of whatever gender, she is compassionate and kind, gathering her information even while soothing the broken and setting things right. No damsel in distress she! Indeed, Maisie's great love is a soldier who is so wounded in war that she now visits him regularly in a home, even though he cannot any longer respond to her presence. An under story here is that Maisie is struggling to find the right place for her heart: to remain faithful to her love, a physically and mentally broken man, yet open it to a future possibility of happiness. She is not without her suitors, including a detective inspector at Scotland Yard, who is at times ego-wounded when Maisie solves cases that leave him floundering and accusing an innocent man. And Doctor Dene, a kinder and more considerate sort, who seems to be something of a kindred spirit. Yet these hinting-of-future-romance characters never become more than passing background to the story--a wise choice on the author's part, or this would move too far into another, cheaper genre. (Hurrah for books about women that aren't always centered around romance!)
Maisie pursues her clues with dogged determination yet light touch. Adding to that feminine approach, she seems to use intuition as much as logic to solve her case, and is quite comfortable doing so. Sidekick, Billy Beale, the limping veteran, is a good help to her, but she notices his quiet struggle with an addiction often seen in veterans at that time, too--cocaine. A history lesson woven into the story tells us soldiers were given morphine and other painkillers in unmeasured doses on the battlefield, often leading to addiction. Maisie helps Billy get back on the straight and narrow perhaps a little too easily, and without interrupting her pursuit of the missing heiress, now joined in a tightening circle of two other women, found murdered.
The book title comes from the link between all three women: white feathers. Another fascinating historical sidenote, but one I won't here reveal. Maisie notes this tiny detail and eventually catches the bird, so to speak. It is a pretty remarkable scene when she does. Masterful, even. One very much, I think, requiring a female author.
Judge for yourself. As for me, I'm pleased to have been nudged into reading this detective novel, even as I continue to be less than a fan of the genre, but a fan won over by Maisie Dobbs.
Including the first book on the list: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. Two of this series, in fact. The first one, then a second of our own choosing. I headed for the library, but the first book was off the shelf. Perhaps another book club member. So I chose another in the series, skimming through several. I was not familiar with the author or the series, as mysteries, admittedly, are not a genre I favor. As soon as I opened the book to read, I was reminded why. They all seem painfully alike. The only difference here is that Maisie Dobbs, detective-psychologist, was female rather than the tiresome Bogey-type that seems to keep popping up in other detective novels. And you know that "Girl Friday"? The fawning, too-sexy-for-her-own-good type who is doggedly devoted to Bogey to the point of being codependent? In this book, Maisie's sidekick would be a cockney called Billy Beale, a retired vet with a bum leg. Yes, he's doggedly devoted if blessedly married. I rolled my eyes. I had to wonder, why do readers so enjoy these types of series, alike as a stack of pancakes, with characters all cast from the same mold, predictable as formula? I don't get it.
And then, of course, I got immersed in the book.
It took a while. And I did roll my eyes once more as I read an editorial miss, where a main character, Joseph Waite, a wealthy man who hires Maisie to find and bring home his missing daughter (32 years old! I'd be missing, too!) grinds out his cigar after enjoying his smoke. Grinds? Mind you, as editor-in-chief of a literary ezine called The Smoking Poet, featuring an extensive page on cigars called Cigar Lounge, I know a thing or three about cigars. You never grind out a cigar. Cigarettes, yes, but cigars give out toxic, bitter fumes when so ground. Any cigar smoker worth her ash knows this. Adding insult to cigar injury, Mr. Waite has the seemingly same cigar magically reappear in his fingers a page later as he and Maisie stroll the gardens. Oops.
Yet once the smoke had cleared, I found myself reading the book more and more often, each time for a longer sit. The British author, Jacqueline Winspear, knows her twists and turns. She also does her homework well, if not particularly on the grinding of a stogie, because the story is rich with historical detail and color. It is set in London, spring of 1930. There are scenes in city and outlying areas, flashbacks to The Great War, and doings and ongoings with coppers in Scotland Yard's Murder Squad. Keeping this time period in mind, the accomplishments of Maisie Dobbs are very respectable. Once a battlefield nurse, she has now made her place in a male-dominated field of private investigators, so not only does she need to solve her case, she must solve it with more finesse than any male counterpart.
I'm liking this.
Unlike most detective novels, this detective is also, happily, no womanizer. What a relief. A woman herself, she deals with the opposite sex respectfully, even while demanding respect. Yet, just like a woman, when she is dealing with a heartbroken victim, of whatever gender, she is compassionate and kind, gathering her information even while soothing the broken and setting things right. No damsel in distress she! Indeed, Maisie's great love is a soldier who is so wounded in war that she now visits him regularly in a home, even though he cannot any longer respond to her presence. An under story here is that Maisie is struggling to find the right place for her heart: to remain faithful to her love, a physically and mentally broken man, yet open it to a future possibility of happiness. She is not without her suitors, including a detective inspector at Scotland Yard, who is at times ego-wounded when Maisie solves cases that leave him floundering and accusing an innocent man. And Doctor Dene, a kinder and more considerate sort, who seems to be something of a kindred spirit. Yet these hinting-of-future-romance characters never become more than passing background to the story--a wise choice on the author's part, or this would move too far into another, cheaper genre. (Hurrah for books about women that aren't always centered around romance!)
Maisie pursues her clues with dogged determination yet light touch. Adding to that feminine approach, she seems to use intuition as much as logic to solve her case, and is quite comfortable doing so. Sidekick, Billy Beale, the limping veteran, is a good help to her, but she notices his quiet struggle with an addiction often seen in veterans at that time, too--cocaine. A history lesson woven into the story tells us soldiers were given morphine and other painkillers in unmeasured doses on the battlefield, often leading to addiction. Maisie helps Billy get back on the straight and narrow perhaps a little too easily, and without interrupting her pursuit of the missing heiress, now joined in a tightening circle of two other women, found murdered.
The book title comes from the link between all three women: white feathers. Another fascinating historical sidenote, but one I won't here reveal. Maisie notes this tiny detail and eventually catches the bird, so to speak. It is a pretty remarkable scene when she does. Masterful, even. One very much, I think, requiring a female author.
Judge for yourself. As for me, I'm pleased to have been nudged into reading this detective novel, even as I continue to be less than a fan of the genre, but a fan won over by Maisie Dobbs.
September 20, 2025
I am really enjoying this series, especially listening to it. The setting is London post WWI with visits to the countryside and the characters are still feeling the aftereffects of the war. Maisie and her assistant, Billy have a new case. A wealthy and respected businessman asks that they find his daughter. What they find is so much more as three of the young lady's friends have died. Maisie is a wonderful character with her smart, thoughtful ways and her calm, empathetic ways. I did not figure this one out until the very end. The narrator, Kim Hicks, does a lovely job with Maisie's voice as well as those of other characters. I borrowed the audio book from Libby.
October 24, 2025
Birds of a Feather, the second outing of the Maisie Dobbs series, is a good as the first, but for different reasons. In the debut novel, we have two stories—a mystery, but also a flashback to Maisie’s history from a child to the present, which comprises half the story. Now, in this second novel, with her background established, we get a fuller, more detailed mystery, and the author takes her time with laying it out piece by piece. And Ms. Winspear’s knowledge of post-WWI era is superb. From Bill’s Cockney accent to the descriptions of automobiles to the sights and sounds of London and the countryside. Both stories are instant classics! Can’t wait to read the entire series!
June 13, 2023
Read pre- GR.
October 29, 2018
3.5 stars
Book #2 in the Maisie Dobbs series
I liked this second book better than I did the first book of the series. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect, or maybe because I understood Maisie better, or possibly due to the plot. I did however pretty much have this mystery figured out well ahead of the ending.
Maisie Dobbs, a female sleuth in the early 1900's, England, has recently opened her own detective business, and brought on a war injured vet as her side kick, Billy. In this book as Maisie starts to clear up the murder of 3 women and the disappearance of another, we find two eligible professional men that have their sights on Maisie.
Once you are used to the cockney language in these books, you find Winspear creates a clean, non-violent mystery. She does a good job of tying her books together, although so far it appears that each book can also stand alone, as the mystery is cleared up within that book, while other issues are carried over. Next book in the series is book # 3 - "Pardonable Lies".
Book #2 in the Maisie Dobbs series
I liked this second book better than I did the first book of the series. Maybe it was because I knew what to expect, or maybe because I understood Maisie better, or possibly due to the plot. I did however pretty much have this mystery figured out well ahead of the ending.
Maisie Dobbs, a female sleuth in the early 1900's, England, has recently opened her own detective business, and brought on a war injured vet as her side kick, Billy. In this book as Maisie starts to clear up the murder of 3 women and the disappearance of another, we find two eligible professional men that have their sights on Maisie.
Once you are used to the cockney language in these books, you find Winspear creates a clean, non-violent mystery. She does a good job of tying her books together, although so far it appears that each book can also stand alone, as the mystery is cleared up within that book, while other issues are carried over. Next book in the series is book # 3 - "Pardonable Lies".
September 8, 2024
I am definitely late to this series but I am loving it! Her main characters are so well written, and the realities of the effects of WW1 on both the country and the people add so much to the stories.
October 1, 2012
Second in the Maisie Dobbs historical mystery series which takes place in England just after World War I.
My Take
It's fascinating to watch Dr. Blanche's psych techniques in action. Mimicking body postures and movements to understand the underlying thoughts of another. The playacting in character roles. A bit of introspection, an understanding of human nature, and a knowledge of a person's back history is enough to yield many ideas.
How Maisie uses open areas and walks, body positions and movements to open up any person or know when questioning is futile. She opens her mind to sense the atmosphere, spirits, tension left behind at crime scenes.
You can't help but like Maisie Dobbs—the character and the concept. As a detective, her use of a more spiritual and observant approach is a fascinating twist on the usual. As the character, she is beautifully strong-willed and compassionate.
Winspear takes you back in time as she captures the nuances of that era. Its manners, its dress, and the interactions of the different classes whether in the heights, the gutters, or the pub.
Be warned, you will cry.
The Story
Maisie's detective agency is doing well and, at first glance, the commission from Mr. Waite doesn't appear all that out of the ordinary. It's that notation on the card from Maurice that has her wondering. When she and Billie meet with Mr. Waite in his home, interact with the staff, and sees Charlotte's bedroom is when the first whiff of curiosity arises.
It's the small things that lead to bigger that causes Maisie to begin to see strands tying together seemingly disparate deaths that leads to the truth behind Miss Waite's running, running, and running.
She has cause. Both good and bad. A father's preference over another can result in very bad reactions.
The Characters
We meet Maisie Dobbs living in a second floor suite at Ebury Place and using yoga. She rose above her working class roots, starting as a thirteen-year-old tweeny, and gained a formal education at Cambridge. Her practical psychological education was with Dr. Blanche and Khan. Successful at a time when most of the world is in breadlines, she's on her own now as a detective with Billie Beale as her faithful sidekick (Doreen is his very worried wife—Billie's leg is acting up and he's taking cocaine). She's now moved her office to Fitzroy Square and she still has Lady Rowan's little MG; Lady Rowan's fall during a hunt precludes her driving herself.
Maisie is welcome upstairs and downstairs but is having trouble connecting with her dad Frankie who is running the stables down in Kent for Lord and Lady Compton. It takes a nasty accident to pull father and daughter back together. Frankie and Lady Rowan have plans to raise Derby winners. Mrs. Crawford, the cook, keeps saying one more year.
Dr. Maurice Blanche has retired and bought the Dower House from the Comptons. Khan is a blind Ceylonese mystic who taught Maisie to see without her eyes. Detective Inspector Stratton is more interested in Maisie as a woman than as a detective. Sergeant Caldwell is a pricker in Stratton's backside.
Joseph Waite is a self-made man who rose up from being the sole support of his mother and siblings as a butcher's boy to a man with a string of successful grocery stores—Waite's International Stores. He's generous with those he feels deserve it and he must be in control at all times. Mr. Harris is his butler; Mrs. Willis is the housekeeper with her own burden; Miss Arthur is his secretary; and, every one of his employees respects him. It doesn't mean that they like him.
Charlotte Waite is Joseph's daughter with her own shameful secrets. Ones she won't face. Perkins acts as Charlotte's maid. Gerald Bartrup is Charlotte's former fiancé and happy to be out of it. Joe, Junior died in 1916 in the war along with a lot of Waite's Boys. Mr. Jempson at Waite's warehouse remembers all the boys from there who enlisted. As well as the why.
Lydia Fisher drinks and Magnum married her for her money. Phillipa Sedgewick seeks solace in her garden and her poor hubbie John is distraught. Maisie suggests opening windows and walking in Phillipa's garden. Dame Constance Charteris is a Benedictine nun whom Maisie knew at college. She is now the abbess at Camden Abbey in Romney Marsh.
Rosamunde Thorpe reads to battered vets. Mrs. Hicks was Mrs. Thorpe's housekeeper. She doesn't believe it was suicide. It also seems that Mr. Waite paid Mrs. Thorpe a visit. Dr. Andrew Dene is a Bermondsey boy and a student of Dr. Blanche's and attracted to Maisie. He's the physician in charge at All Saints' Convalescent Hospital in Hastings and he knew Rosie Thorpe from her visits there. He doesn't believe it was suicide either. Maisie consults him regarding Billie's problem and later her father's.
Gideon Brown, formerly Günther Brown, uses exercises devised by an American, Joseph Pilates, to help the wounded. I just thought this was an interesting bit of trivia.
For the past six months, Maisie has been visiting Simon at the nursing home.
The Cover
A very 1920s cover with the style of the design, Maisie's hat and coat, and the grille of the car behind her. The greyed-out colors are perfect for the depressing times along with the idle cranes. White birds flit through the sky. Just another reminder.
The title is so appropriate for Birds of a Feather did once hang together. And they die together.
My Take
It's fascinating to watch Dr. Blanche's psych techniques in action. Mimicking body postures and movements to understand the underlying thoughts of another. The playacting in character roles. A bit of introspection, an understanding of human nature, and a knowledge of a person's back history is enough to yield many ideas.
How Maisie uses open areas and walks, body positions and movements to open up any person or know when questioning is futile. She opens her mind to sense the atmosphere, spirits, tension left behind at crime scenes.
You can't help but like Maisie Dobbs—the character and the concept. As a detective, her use of a more spiritual and observant approach is a fascinating twist on the usual. As the character, she is beautifully strong-willed and compassionate.
Winspear takes you back in time as she captures the nuances of that era. Its manners, its dress, and the interactions of the different classes whether in the heights, the gutters, or the pub.
Be warned, you will cry.
The Story
Maisie's detective agency is doing well and, at first glance, the commission from Mr. Waite doesn't appear all that out of the ordinary. It's that notation on the card from Maurice that has her wondering. When she and Billie meet with Mr. Waite in his home, interact with the staff, and sees Charlotte's bedroom is when the first whiff of curiosity arises.
It's the small things that lead to bigger that causes Maisie to begin to see strands tying together seemingly disparate deaths that leads to the truth behind Miss Waite's running, running, and running.
She has cause. Both good and bad. A father's preference over another can result in very bad reactions.
The Characters
We meet Maisie Dobbs living in a second floor suite at Ebury Place and using yoga. She rose above her working class roots, starting as a thirteen-year-old tweeny, and gained a formal education at Cambridge. Her practical psychological education was with Dr. Blanche and Khan. Successful at a time when most of the world is in breadlines, she's on her own now as a detective with Billie Beale as her faithful sidekick (Doreen is his very worried wife—Billie's leg is acting up and he's taking cocaine). She's now moved her office to Fitzroy Square and she still has Lady Rowan's little MG; Lady Rowan's fall during a hunt precludes her driving herself.
Maisie is welcome upstairs and downstairs but is having trouble connecting with her dad Frankie who is running the stables down in Kent for Lord and Lady Compton. It takes a nasty accident to pull father and daughter back together. Frankie and Lady Rowan have plans to raise Derby winners. Mrs. Crawford, the cook, keeps saying one more year.
Dr. Maurice Blanche has retired and bought the Dower House from the Comptons. Khan is a blind Ceylonese mystic who taught Maisie to see without her eyes. Detective Inspector Stratton is more interested in Maisie as a woman than as a detective. Sergeant Caldwell is a pricker in Stratton's backside.
Joseph Waite is a self-made man who rose up from being the sole support of his mother and siblings as a butcher's boy to a man with a string of successful grocery stores—Waite's International Stores. He's generous with those he feels deserve it and he must be in control at all times. Mr. Harris is his butler; Mrs. Willis is the housekeeper with her own burden; Miss Arthur is his secretary; and, every one of his employees respects him. It doesn't mean that they like him.
Charlotte Waite is Joseph's daughter with her own shameful secrets. Ones she won't face. Perkins acts as Charlotte's maid. Gerald Bartrup is Charlotte's former fiancé and happy to be out of it. Joe, Junior died in 1916 in the war along with a lot of Waite's Boys. Mr. Jempson at Waite's warehouse remembers all the boys from there who enlisted. As well as the why.
Lydia Fisher drinks and Magnum married her for her money. Phillipa Sedgewick seeks solace in her garden and her poor hubbie John is distraught. Maisie suggests opening windows and walking in Phillipa's garden. Dame Constance Charteris is a Benedictine nun whom Maisie knew at college. She is now the abbess at Camden Abbey in Romney Marsh.
Rosamunde Thorpe reads to battered vets. Mrs. Hicks was Mrs. Thorpe's housekeeper. She doesn't believe it was suicide. It also seems that Mr. Waite paid Mrs. Thorpe a visit. Dr. Andrew Dene is a Bermondsey boy and a student of Dr. Blanche's and attracted to Maisie. He's the physician in charge at All Saints' Convalescent Hospital in Hastings and he knew Rosie Thorpe from her visits there. He doesn't believe it was suicide either. Maisie consults him regarding Billie's problem and later her father's.
Gideon Brown, formerly Günther Brown, uses exercises devised by an American, Joseph Pilates, to help the wounded. I just thought this was an interesting bit of trivia.
For the past six months, Maisie has been visiting Simon at the nursing home.
The Cover
A very 1920s cover with the style of the design, Maisie's hat and coat, and the grille of the car behind her. The greyed-out colors are perfect for the depressing times along with the idle cranes. White birds flit through the sky. Just another reminder.
The title is so appropriate for Birds of a Feather did once hang together. And they die together.
January 16, 2015
Another good Maisie Dobbs story. Maisie's character develops beautifully in this second installment. She is a strong woman who is determined to put her brokenness behind her. She is compassionate, intelligent, independent, and clearly her own woman at a time in history when women were struggling for a foothold in a man's world. I like Maisie. She reminds me of a British and a little older Nancy Drew. She pushes the envelope to find answers and get the job done. She isn't afraid to do the right thing, even if it means getting her hands dirty or asking difficult questions.
I certainly like the historical aspects of this novel: the White Feather Girls and the mention of Joseph Pilate and his successful physical fitness routines that are still popular today.
Many reviewers are put off by Maisie's methods of "feeling" the crime and using all of her senses. But this is part of Maisie's training with her mentor, Maurice. I actually like the idea of being present in mind and body and not relying on sight alone. It is in no way supernatural or weird. It's refreshing and believable.
This particular story touches on some sensitive and important topics: drug addiction, damaged war heroes and their care, aging parents, and acknowledging and accepting the value of women.
The ending leaves us with a bit of a mystery. Maisie has decided to make changes in her personal life, to move on from her past. I'm interested to find out where she is headed in the next book, Pardonable Lies.
***
"Wisdom comes when we acknowledge what we can never know." ~ chapter 23
I certainly like the historical aspects of this novel: the White Feather Girls and the mention of Joseph Pilate and his successful physical fitness routines that are still popular today.
Many reviewers are put off by Maisie's methods of "feeling" the crime and using all of her senses. But this is part of Maisie's training with her mentor, Maurice. I actually like the idea of being present in mind and body and not relying on sight alone. It is in no way supernatural or weird. It's refreshing and believable.
This particular story touches on some sensitive and important topics: drug addiction, damaged war heroes and their care, aging parents, and acknowledging and accepting the value of women.
The ending leaves us with a bit of a mystery. Maisie has decided to make changes in her personal life, to move on from her past. I'm interested to find out where she is headed in the next book, Pardonable Lies.
***
"Wisdom comes when we acknowledge what we can never know." ~ chapter 23
March 29, 2022
Fun Read
I enjoyed this book and all the characters involved.
Descriptions were certainly delightful holiday travel throughout England, the other touched on fine details
Truly a good book
I enjoyed this book and all the characters involved.
Descriptions were certainly delightful holiday travel throughout England, the other touched on fine details
Truly a good book
December 18, 2016
This is a very good second outing for Maisie Dobbs. There is a much bigger mystery element than in the first book, where a lot of space is taken up on telling Maisie's back story. This book does give a good feel for life after the First World War, and the ramifications this still had. The murders that form the core of the book have their cause rooted in events that happened during the war. Maisie still comes off as quite aloof in this book, but there is evidence as the book progresses of her thawing out and being ready to move on with her life. It will be interesting to see how that develops in the next few books in the series. If you enjoy historical mysteries I would certainly recommend this series.
February 6, 2017
I'm having a bit of a hard time with Maisie's Mary Sue-ness. She seems too good to be true, always knowing just what people need from her and successfully fulfilling those needs. Also, her intuition about cases borders on the supernatural, but is never treated as such. Odd, to say the least. Apart from those gripes, I continue to enjoy learning about WWI in this series and overall do like the recurring characters.
April 21, 2023
I found that some of the things in the first book that were on the edge of believable have slipped into hokey territory with this one, like Maisie’s feelings about spaces. The themes of war trauma re repeated but also further explored. I found the historical aspects interesting, some of which I didn’t know about. However much of this reads like an overly lengthy therapy session. It was just a meh, but I am still interested in seeing where she goes next.
April 20, 2015
3.5 stars
So I am not entirely ready to give up on this series yet. While I am struggling to make a connection to Maisie, I like her enough to keep reading and am curious to see how she pulls herself up from the ashes. I can’t say that I love her as much as other female detectives that I’ve read but I am trying to give her a shot.
I liked this book a little better than the first one. It was a little cliche at times and not really heavy on the mystery, but it was intriguing enough for me to keep reading. I liked the Great War connection and I felt that that piece was what really kept me reading.
I also liked the potential for a romance in her future. In the first book, her first love is damaged beyond repair and Maisie is kind of stuck in limbo, unwilling to move on with her life. In this book it seemed like she was finally willing to consider other potential suitors and I am looking forward to seeing how that plays out in future books.
Part of me felt frustrated by Maisie’s techniques in this book that I don’t remember from the previous book. For example, Maisie would interview someone or would discover a clue and then not reveal to the reader some of the info that was given or what the clue was.
That was frustrating, I felt like I was deliberately being kept in the dark so that I wouldn’t figure out the mystery. In essence I felt like I was not working ‘with’ Maisie on the mystery or being able to try and put things together but rather being told about the mystery.
This book was more about the mystery than in the previous book so I did like that we are kind of moving into the whole mystery part of the story more rather than focusing on Maisie’s personal life.
I would be willing to give this series another book or two before I decide if I will keep reading. It wasn’t ‘bad’, it was definitely an improvement over the first book but still needs a little ‘something’…..hopefully the potential romance will add that little something that I am looking for to hook me in this series!
See my full review here
So I am not entirely ready to give up on this series yet. While I am struggling to make a connection to Maisie, I like her enough to keep reading and am curious to see how she pulls herself up from the ashes. I can’t say that I love her as much as other female detectives that I’ve read but I am trying to give her a shot.
I liked this book a little better than the first one. It was a little cliche at times and not really heavy on the mystery, but it was intriguing enough for me to keep reading. I liked the Great War connection and I felt that that piece was what really kept me reading.
I also liked the potential for a romance in her future. In the first book, her first love is damaged beyond repair and Maisie is kind of stuck in limbo, unwilling to move on with her life. In this book it seemed like she was finally willing to consider other potential suitors and I am looking forward to seeing how that plays out in future books.
Part of me felt frustrated by Maisie’s techniques in this book that I don’t remember from the previous book. For example, Maisie would interview someone or would discover a clue and then not reveal to the reader some of the info that was given or what the clue was.
That was frustrating, I felt like I was deliberately being kept in the dark so that I wouldn’t figure out the mystery. In essence I felt like I was not working ‘with’ Maisie on the mystery or being able to try and put things together but rather being told about the mystery.
This book was more about the mystery than in the previous book so I did like that we are kind of moving into the whole mystery part of the story more rather than focusing on Maisie’s personal life.
I would be willing to give this series another book or two before I decide if I will keep reading. It wasn’t ‘bad’, it was definitely an improvement over the first book but still needs a little ‘something’…..hopefully the potential romance will add that little something that I am looking for to hook me in this series!
See my full review here
August 24, 2021
4.5 stars. I enjoyed this book so much. I just love Maisie. She’s an empath and has an extra dose of intuition, making her perfect to head up her own small detective agency. I wish I could slip into her shoes and into her era. Just for a week or so.
I really enjoy many of the other recurring characters too. Her assistant is a favorite, as well as her dad and a few others. ( I don’t want to throw any spoilers.)
The audiobook performance was also very good, and I enjoy the British setting (as always) and the historical context. This one is set not long after WWI, and I always learn something of historical importance along the way, too. I was genuinely surprised by the resolution, another big plus!
I want to thank Lisa once again for writing such enthusiastic reviews about this series and encouraging me to take it up again. I’ll be reading the third book soon!
I really enjoy many of the other recurring characters too. Her assistant is a favorite, as well as her dad and a few others. ( I don’t want to throw any spoilers.)
The audiobook performance was also very good, and I enjoy the British setting (as always) and the historical context. This one is set not long after WWI, and I always learn something of historical importance along the way, too. I was genuinely surprised by the resolution, another big plus!
I want to thank Lisa once again for writing such enthusiastic reviews about this series and encouraging me to take it up again. I’ll be reading the third book soon!
October 5, 2023
The thing I find so exquisitely done in the Maisie Dobbs books that I have read, is the feeling of collective grief in the years following WWI, as the entire European population comes to terms with the massive losses of their brothers, fathers, sons, and sweethearts.
March 4, 2017
הספר השני הרבה יותר טוב מהספר הראשון. מייזי חוקרת את היעלמותה של שרלוט וייט. שרלוט בתו של סוחר עשיר ושתלטן בורחת מהבית ואביה רוצה שתחזור לביתו עד שתמצא חתן הולם. במהלך חקירת היעלמותה מייזי מגלה קשר בין רציחתן של 3 נשים. אף על פי שהמשטרה לא מעוניינת בעזרתה ואף מתעלמת מהמידע שהיא מעבירה, מייזי ממשיכה בחקירה.
אחת הבעיות בספר היא שיטת החקירה של מייזי המתרכזת בתחושות שהיא מקבלת מהמקום ומהאנשים. סוג של תקשור על טיבעי שממש מגחיך את דמותה של מייזי ואת שיטות החקירה שלה. אומנם מדובר בתחילת המאה ה 20 אבל תחושה של החדר וקבלת מסרים ניסתרים ועל טיבעיים נראים לי קיצוניים גם לאותה תקופה שלא לדבר על כך שהם משדרים שרלטנות וחוסר רצינות.
בעיה אחרת היא עלילת המתח הדי קלושה, ובשליש האחרון כבר ניחשתי מי הרוצח. גם בספר הראשון עלילת המתח היתה קלושה להחריד.
למרות זאת הכתיבה טובה והאווירה התקופתית מצויינת. אנגליה מספר שנים לאחר מלחמת העולם הראשונה. מייזי קצת פחות מוסרנית ופחות מעצבנת והצלחתי להנות מהקריאה וגם ללמוד משהו על מסדר הנוצה הלבנה, סוג של תעמולה מבוססת על פעילות פסיכולוגית שנועדה לשכנע את המשתמטים ואת הבנים שלא רצו להתגייס לצאת למלחמה.
אחת הבעיות בספר היא שיטת החקירה של מייזי המתרכזת בתחושות שהיא מקבלת מהמקום ומהאנשים. סוג של תקשור על טיבעי שממש מגחיך את דמותה של מייזי ואת שיטות החקירה שלה. אומנם מדובר בתחילת המאה ה 20 אבל תחושה של החדר וקבלת מסרים ניסתרים ועל טיבעיים נראים לי קיצוניים גם לאותה תקופה שלא לדבר על כך שהם משדרים שרלטנות וחוסר רצינות.
בעיה אחרת היא עלילת המתח הדי קלושה, ובשליש האחרון כבר ניחשתי מי הרוצח. גם בספר הראשון עלילת המתח היתה קלושה להחריד.
למרות זאת הכתיבה טובה והאווירה התקופתית מצויינת. אנגליה מספר שנים לאחר מלחמת העולם הראשונה. מייזי קצת פחות מוסרנית ופחות מעצבנת והצלחתי להנות מהקריאה וגם ללמוד משהו על מסדר הנוצה הלבנה, סוג של תעמולה מבוססת על פעילות פסיכולוגית שנועדה לשכנע את המשתמטים ואת הבנים שלא רצו להתגייס לצאת למלחמה.
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