Fran T. (knittingfran) reviewed An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs, Bk 5) on + 13 more book reviews
I really like her writing - the way she develops her characters as well as the plot. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Jennifer J. (jennifer-in-paradise) reviewed An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs, Bk 5) on + 13 more book reviews
I truly love Ms. Winspear's books. As the title suggests, it is about loss, revenge and prejudice. It really makes you think and Maisie's character makes me want to be a better person. The backdrop is wonderful -- the sights and sounds introduced me to another aspect of British life during the 30s that I didn't know about. This book is inspiring and welled up so many emotions in me!
Good next book in the series. Mystery was good and reveiw of time period 1931. I recommend you read the other books first.
Alice
Alice
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
While I still enjoyed reading this book, it was not as much of a 'mystery' as others in this series have been. I pretty much knew why the village had such a 'dark feeling' for Maisie even before reaching the middle of the book.
The story reminded me of the Spencer Tracy movie "Bad Day at Black Rock." If you intend to read this book, do not look at any plot outlines for the 1955 movie.
Some other aspects of the book were semi-obvious too. The only 'real shocker' was a minor point at the end of the book.
And as for the reintroduction of James Compton, I have a pretty good idea why he is now back in the story line.
The story reminded me of the Spencer Tracy movie "Bad Day at Black Rock." If you intend to read this book, do not look at any plot outlines for the 1955 movie.
Some other aspects of the book were semi-obvious too. The only 'real shocker' was a minor point at the end of the book.
And as for the reintroduction of James Compton, I have a pretty good idea why he is now back in the story line.
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed An Incomplete Revenge (Maisie Dobbs, Bk 5) on + 1451 more book reviews
I find that this is the least interesting of the novels in the series. I felt that the character of Maisie Dobbs is going backward rather than developing as I thought she would. It almost seems as if this should be the first novel in the series rather than one in the middle. Dobbs does not seem to have learned much from her past experiences. I do like the series but was quite disappointed in this one and how the author depicted Maisie Dobbs.
In Edgar-finalist Winspear's enjoyable fifth installment in her Maisie Dobbs series (after 2006's Messenger of Truth), the psychologist/investigator digs deep into a village's long-buried secrets. Maisie's benefactor, tycoon James Compton, wants to buy an estate in the bucolic hamlet of Heronsdene, but is wary after a string of mysterious fires. Maisie soon proves Compton's suspicions correct when she encounters the shady current landowner and a vaguely menacing band of Gypsies in town for the seasonal harvest. The locals are also curiously tight-lipped about Heronsdene's wartime tragedy, when a zeppelin raid wiped out a family. Teasing out Heronsdene's secrets will take all the intrepid former nurse's psychological skills and test her ability to navigate between the Gypsy and gorja (non-Gypsy) worlds. Winspear vividly evokes England between the wars, when the old order crumbled and new horizons beckoned working women like her appealing heroine. Even if a few of the plot twists prove predictable, this jaunt back to a bygone era is as satisfying as a spin in Maisie's MG.
