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traffic. From there, Winspear began intensely researching the Great War and 1920s
England. While recovering from an accident that broke her arm and crushed her shoulder, Winspear completed over half of Maisie Dobbs with just one hand on the keyboard. She sent out sample chapters and proposals to thirty literary agents and received several phone calls back within a few weeks. Within a few months she had signed a contract with an
196:. Set in England between 1910 and 1929, it features the title character Maisie Dobbs, a private investigator building her business in the aftermath of the First World War. Generally well received by critics, mostly because of Maisie's quirky character, the novel was nominated for several awards and received the 2003
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Mansion of Lady Rowan
Compton in 1910 at thirteen years old, after her mother dies, and she must help her father make ends meet. Soon after getting caught in Lady Compton's library fulfilling her joy of reading and learning, Maisie is introduced to Maurice Blanche, close friend of the Comptons, and
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with
Blanche in his investigative work. In 1929, after Blanche has retired, Maisie opens her own investigation business. Her first seemingly open-and-shut case involves her in a mystery surrounding something known as The Retreat, a suspicious home for veterans of the war. Maisie must act fast when
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intensifies, and the pressures of war can be felt in Maisie's
England. Deciding that the war efforts are extremely important to her and her country, Maisie volunteers as a nurse at the front, where she meets a young man, with whom she falls in love. Part of the mystery surrounding Maisie is what
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in 1916. At first she did not set out to write a war novel, but her deep interest in history provided a framework for the character of Maisie Dobbs to develop. In what she describes as "a moment of artistic grace", Winspear says the character of Maisie Dobbs developed in her mind while stuck in
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points out that "World War I is a major theme" in the book. Winspear notes that Maisie is "very much a woman of her time" and her interest in the lives of women in Europe during the years surrounding World War I became a backdrop for the story.
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stated: "Winspear rarely attempts to elevate her prose past the common romance, and what might have been a journey through a strata of
England between the wars is instead just simple, convenient and contrived."
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himself, she is able to infiltrate The
Retreat. As Maisie uncovers the mystery of The Retreat she is also confronted with her own ghosts from the war after ten years of holding the memories at bay.
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she learns that Lady
Compton's own son has signed over his fortune to The Retreat and is about to take asylum there. With the help of Billy Beale, a caretaker at her office and veteran of the
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noted that the coincidences in the plot are too "wopping", but commented that the secondary characters are "winning" and Maisie herself is what truly draws readers in as "part
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was mostly well received by critics. The title character was described as strange, clever, and resourceful by
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and sold the book by the next spring. The book was published the following year by Soho Press, Incorporated.
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Susan H. Woodcock characterized Maisie as a strong protagonist. The book received a starred review from
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and its after effects because of her grandfather, who was severely wounded and shell-shocked after the
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and was called an inspired debut. It was also featured as one of the 12 best mystery books of 2003 in
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for Best First Novel. It is the first in the series of Maisie Dobbs novels.
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Susan H. Woodcock, "Review of Maisie Dobbs, by
Jacqueline Winspear",
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597:"Penguin Group" www.us.penguingroup.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
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www.bookreporter.com. August 12, 2005, Retrieved 12 April 2011.
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480:" libraryjournal.com (1 April 2004). Retrieved 13 April 2011.
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In an interview with
Jacqueline Winspear, Andi Schechter of
667:, 49, no. 12 (December 2003): 177. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
625:"Barnes & Noble" www.bn.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
637:"Soho Press" www.sohopress.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
474:"Character is queen: Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs"
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Not everyone was impressed with
Winspear's debut novel.
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Cannon, Peter and Jeff Zaleski. "Maisie Dobbs (Book)".
623:"Meet the Writer-Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Series #1)"
607:"Meet the Writer-Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs Series #1)"
732:, 71, no. 10 (May 2003): 713. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
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Author's official website for the Maisie Dobbs Series
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250, no. 24 (June 2003): 55. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
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s best adult books for high school students in 2003.
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www.mysterybooksellers.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
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326:. In addition, Maisie Dobbs was chosen as one of
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767:www.malicedomestic.org. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
699:, November 17, 2003, accessed April 13, 2011.
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716:, December 1, 2003, accessed April 13, 2011.
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836:www.theedgars.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
815:Independent Mystery Booksellers Association
588:"Book Clubs/Reading Guides (Maisie Dobbs)"
565:"Book Clubs/Reading Guides (Maisie Dobbs)"
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654:, July 20, 2003, accessed March 23, 2011.
539:www.redroom.com. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
516:www.redroom.com. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
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27:2003 mystery novel by Jacqueline Winspear
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213:becomes his pupil. Blanche, a discreet
710:"Adult Books for High School Students"
613:" www.bn.com. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
491:"Julia Interviews Jacqueline Winspear"
786:www.ala.org. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
233:, but threats of war soon intervene.
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748:www.npr.org. accessed 13 April 2011.
708:Susan Woodcock and Jackie Gropman,
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692:"The Year in Books 2003: Mystery"
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846:Mystery Readers International
208:Maisie becomes a maid at the
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44:Front Cover of First Edition
743:"Book Review: Maisie Dobbs"
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408:, Best First Mystery Novel
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303:New York Times Book Review
238:happens to the young man.
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489:Spencer-Fleming, Julia.
176:Birds of a Feather
328:School Library Journal'
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241:After the war, Maisie
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549:"Interview"
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406:Barry Award
350:clairvoyant
278:World War I
243:apprentices
235:World War I
101:1 July 2003
870:Categories
834:The Edgars
461:References
440:Nominated
427:Nominated
414:Nominated
393:Alex Award
219:psychology
188:is a 2003
90:Soho Press
293:Reception
248:Great War
210:Belgravia
192:novel by
128:Audiobook
123:Paperback
119:Hardcover
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514:Red Room
506:Archived
166:51251843
60:Language
648:"Crime"
454:Winner
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373:Result
354:new age
223:science
190:mystery
117:Print (
80:Mystery
63:English
131:E-book
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68:Series
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451:2004
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367:Award
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160:OCLC
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