Maisie Dobbs (2003) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Maisie Dobbs: Tall slender woman...she has 'bearing.' A way of walking, with shoulder back and head held high. A brave, brilliant young woman who rises from her working-class origins to study at Cambridge and earn a place as a respected detective. Maisie lives on these pages not only as a detective, but as a subtle master of psychology whose every word and gesture seem calculated to lead to the revelation of truth.
• Billy Beale: Caretaker of the building where Maisie keeps her office. Former soldier fighting in France. He received a leg wound and was operated on by Dr, Simon Lynch who was assisted by Maisie.
• Maurice Blanche: Maisie's enigmatic mentor...who shapes Maisie's growing mind in his own image, has been friends with Lady Rowan
• Enid: A red-haired servant-girl whose fiery spirit and romantic dreams risk being crushed by class prejudice, Maisie's first roommate
• Simon Lynch: The idealistic young doctor whose sense of humane duty draws him toward an unimaginable fate, friends with Pris
• Lady Rowan: Sponsor of Maisie Dobbs. A Maggie Smith-style character.
• Adam Jenkins: Known as "Major" to the residents of The Retreat.
• Vincent Weathershaw: Add a description of this character.
• Mrs. Crawford: the cook at lady Rowan's, called Mrs. Crawford and Cook
• Master James: Lady Rowan's son
• Mr. Carter
• Celia Davenham: the wife of her first client
• Priscilla: friend and roommate at college
• Iris: friend while she was a nurse
• Julian
• Frankie Dobbs: Maisie's father, who yearns for his daughter to rise and flourish but fears losing her to a social and intellectual world he cannot comprehend.
• Chelstone
• Persephone: Frankie Dobbs's old mare.
• Khan: aka Basil Khan, blind, friends with Dr. Blanche
• Archie
• Christopher Davenham: Celia's husband, and Maisie's first client
• George: Celia's brother
• Lady Compton
• Girton
• Donald Holden
• Dottie
• James Compton

Quotes edit see section history

• “"Goodness, woman, how can anyone be that cold and not be dead?"”

  Simon Lynch

• “I never want to learn that you 'don't know,' Maisie, I want to know what you <i>think</> the answer is to the question. And once more, a word of advice: Stay with the question. The more it troubles you, the more it has to teach you.”

  Maurice

• “The extraordinary hides behind the camouflage of the ordinary.”

  Maurice Blanche

• “She spoke to him of intuition, abbreviating the teaching she had received from Maurice and Khan many years before. "You must listen to the voice inside, Billy." said Maisie, placing her hand to her middle. "Remember even the smallest sensation fo unease, for it could well be significant."”

• “"I had a feeling, here." Maisie touched the place between her ribs, at the base of her breastbone. "There was something wrong from the beginning" . . . . "And what else?" asked Billy, waving a hand to disperse the smoke from Maurice's pipe. "A mistrust—on my part—of someone who wields so much power. The inspiration for The Retreat was admirable. Such places have worked well in France. But, for the most part, those places were set up for soldiers with disfiguring wounds to go to on holiday, not to be there forever."”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• France
• London Hospital
• Cambridge
• England
• Belgravia
• Canada
• The Retreat
• Rouen
• Nether Green
• Tonbridge
• Lambeth

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• trug: a mainly flat, slightly curved woven basket with a handle used in gardening

Errata edit see section history

-Grammatical mistake: "And what about mixing with the type of folk at a place like that" Should have question mark, but instead has nothing. (Page 105)
-In the summary on the back, it says that Maisie attends Cambridge, when, in fact, she attends Girton.
-Girton College is one of the "31constituent colleges of The University of Cambridge". Established 1869 as a women's college and so is described as 1 of 15 "new" colleges.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by Birds of a Feather.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Jacqueline Winspear (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Macavity Awards (2004: Best First Mystery Novel, #1)
• Agatha Award (2003: Best First Novel, #1)
• Anthony Award (Finalist, 2004: Best First Novel)
• Anthony Award (Finalist, 2004: Best Historical Mystery)
• Barry Award (Finalist, 2004: Best First Novel)
• Edgar Allan Poe Award (Finalist, 2004: Best Novel)
• Alex Awards (2004)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 823.92

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Add a note to help parents select a book for a child.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › British › Historical
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery › Women Sleuths
• Books › Mystery & Thrillers › Mystery › Historical
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Historical

More Books Like This edit see section history