Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

author's website

A friend told me she thought I'd enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series, and she was right. There are 8 in the series, so far. It's good to know that there are, I hope, more to come!

Maisie Dobbs is a young woman who started out in life as a poor girl working as a housemaid. Her employers discovered her curiosity for learning and decided to encourage her to get an education. Her life starts before WWI, but the setting of the first book is right after WWI, when she is beginning her career as an "investigator and psychologist" in London. The book goes back to describe her life story and introduce the readers to several important characters in her life and the books.

During WWI Maisie became a nurse. She goes back to finish her education after the war and then takes up her career. The books are mysteries, but they're more than just a who-done-it. You get to know Maisie deeply, and care about her and the people around her.

One thing I especially like about these books is the fact that they are set during that time right after WWI. You (or at least I) don't hear that much about that time. I've read lots of books set during or after WWII that include references to that war and its effects, but not so much with WWI.

I was talking to another friend who's read these books and she said the same thing. I told her I had heard about WWI and how a whole generation of young men was lost, the terrible trench warfare, the gassing and so on. But I had not read a book like this where you were living during the aftermath of that -- with many single women because there just were not men available for marriage.

I bought the first two books to see if I liked them, then purchased all the other 6. I read them all straight through and now am trying to be patient for the next one. I would not call them sophisticated literature or anything, but they are very well written. The fact that they aren't super deep is a point in their favor, I think. They're a fun read while still being more than just a lightweight, nothing kind of book. I highly recommend them!