Leaving Everything Most Loved
Ratings20
Average rating3.7
I enjoyed this one, too. It was a nice continuation from the previous book, and I appreciated the opportunity to read Indian characters. It left me eager to get to the next book.
First of all, this book should have been the end of the Maisie Dobbs series instead of jettisoning our heroine off to various international locales (who also jettisoned her entire life's work, employees, boyfriend (as boring as he is), friends, family, and responsibilities). The end of this book spends a lot of time doing a “final accounting” of Maisie's life during the first 10 books and would have appeared to be a series end to the average reader. While I totally respect that Jacqueline Winspear probably didn't want to walk away from the publisher's promise of more money for continuing this series, I also wish this was the bow on the box.
I mean, is the current-as-of-book-10 Maisie Dobbs the same as the character we met in the first book? This one chastises her Dad to hurry up and get married so she can attend before shipping off to wherever! There is also about 5 minutes spent on her beloved Dad's wedding and far more time spent on getting onto the ship at the end of the book!
This particular mystery was kind of interesting, but I also felt it dragged on way too long. I knew who the killer was about 30% of the way in.
I've complained during the past few installments' reviews about the insufferable boring James Compton. And my complaints do not stop because he's become even more milquetoast and bland. Just chuck him already, Maisie!
Will I keep on with Maisie? Well, I have to because we have the same last name (no relation haha)! I also want to see if she gets any less flaky and remembers that she is a strong/smart person.
LEML is another good book in the Maisie Dobbs series.
Maisie has the mystery of a murder most foul to solve. Also, she contemplates BIG changes in her life.
Solid four stars.
Get ready for a fresh and fantastic adventure that will keep you engaged through the entire book!
Maisie Dobbs is a woman who is not afraid to buck convention. As she and her team work through different cases, each one builds upon the other, in ways of information and reputation. When Maisie is approached about a murder that happened a few months earlier, she is eager to learn more, but dismayed to find that the police do not have much to go on. As she begins to dig into the young woman's past, she finds a picture that is disturbing. At the same time, they are trying to solve the disappearance of a young boy who is believed to have run away from home.
Usha Pramal is a young Indian woman who had been working as a governess. After leaving the employ of the Allison's she took rooms at an Ayah hotel, where she began to keep houses to earn money to pay for her passage back to India. Before she can realize her dream of returning home and opening a school for young girls, she is murdered and her body found floating in a canal close to where she lived. As Maisie begins to prod into the young woman's life, she finds a few surprises along the way. But this is no open and shut case. As she begins to make headway with a few of the people who knew Usha, another young woman is killed. Maisie believes that she was killed to keep her from telling what she knew. Knowing that there is something deeper going on, Maisie and her team keep looking for answers.
As the cases unfold, and the two merge into one, Maisie is determined to close them both, once and for all. But while she follows leads and clues, she is considering her own future and what it holds. James Compton wants her to marry him and settle down, but giving up her independence is not something that Maisie is sure that she can do. While she knows that she cannot string him along forever, she is not sure she is ready to give him an answer. He finally gives her an ultimatum, and a date for her to give her response. But just when the case seems to be over, there are still a few surprises yet to come...
This book is a fantastic read! Beware that you may suffer from a book hangover, because you will be unable to set it down until you finish it! You will be drawn in from page one, but this is one adventure that you will not want to miss! Join Maisie and her team as they work to solve the murder of Usha Pramel and bring some closure to her family. Not only will you be enthralled with this delightful story, you might just learn a few new facts about a culture that many of us are unfamiliar with! Grab your favorite beverage and settle down for a delightful and enchanting book!
First time listening to one of this series on audiobook. Also first time I didn't really enjoy a Maisie Dobbs book. Sometimes I just wanted to reach into the book and smack her for being meddlesome and indecisive.
