The Maisie Dobbs Series

Goodreads has drawings for advanced readers copies of books. I won The Mapping of Love and Death in March. It's the 7th and latest in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I love this series so getting a free copy of the most recent book was great and saved me the money of buying it!

If you are on goodreads and didn't know about the giveaways, definitely check them out. They are under the explore tab. If you aren't on goodreads, why not?!

The Maisie Dobbs series is set in post WWI England. They need to be read in order, so if you haven't started the series, pick up Maisie Dobbs first. Birds of a Feather is second, followed by Pardonable Lies, Messenger of Truth, An Incomplete Revenge, and Among the Mad in that order. One of the things that originally attracted me to the series was the cool covers. They are so retro-y beautiful.

I loved this latest episode in the series. It and the first book are probably my favorites in the series. The books are set in the late 20s and early 30s. It has always seemed surprising to me how much the Great War lingers in the characters' lives even 10-15 years after it ended. It will be really interesting to see how the coming WWII plays a role. There are already brief mentions of events and people you as the reader, looking back in time, know are important.

I highly recommend this series if you enjoy historical fiction. The period detail is fabulous, from the shell shock the veterans face as well as the real-life people like Oswald (Tom) Mosley who pop up in the stories. Winspear also does a good job touching on socio-economic and gender issues of the day. The mysteries are entertaining, but it's really the historical fiction aspect that makes it one of my favorite series. These books make me feel smarter for having read them.