Elegy for Eddie audiobook

I’ve loved this series and the last two books in particular and from the description I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy this book as much as the others. I had nothing to fear. I was drawn into this book as much as I was to the others. There were so many things about it that I loved. It might be another one of my favorites. This series keeps getting better and better, overall. I’m glad that there are several more already published series books for me to readIf someone has a horse/horses shelf this book should be on it. One thing I liked about this book is that I didn’t guess that much about the mysteries and I often do. The solutions here were all plausible.I’m liking that it’s obvious we’re heading toward WWII and that in this book there was virtually nothing about WWI. I’ve had enough of WWI though I realize that there is likely to be more and as long as it’s not the main focus I’m okay with that. I like how Maisie’s life and circumstances continue to develop. I’m finding that I don’t laugh the way I did when I read the first books with a friend though I do still “get” what humor is included. 4-1/2 stars

If you are a fan of Jacqueline Winspear’s mysteries set in London between the World Wars, when you read her last book (A Lesson in Secrets), you might have thought Maisie Dobb’s life was getting all neatly bundled up—love interest, check, financial well-being, check, good mental state, check, clear career goals, check. Perhaps overly settled. I almost thought things were getting a bit too comfy for Maisie, Winspear’s sleuth. Where’s the excitement in that? I shouldn’t have worried. Jacqueline Winspear has written Elegy for Eddie. Without any soap opera antics, just Winspear’s impeccable, nuanced character development, Maisie is at sea again in a variety of ways—all those comfortable expectations you were left with at the end of Lesson are unraveling—and she’s solving a mystery of a completely new sort. The Eddie of the title was an unusual man. Most people thought he was “slow,” but those who knew him well saw a lot more to him. He had remarkable talents, both obvious and hidden. He was best known for his mystical ability to quiet horses. That he was born in a stable doesn’t quite explain this skill, although that’s what the gossips say. When he dies in an "accident," the cockney costermongers of Maisie's childhood feel justice hasn't been done and they come to see her. Winspear’s own love for horses comes out beautifully in this novel. And her elegy for a man who today might be labeled “special needs” is sensitive and deeply moving. Winspear never slips into clichéd ideas. That her idea for Eddie arose from the story of a real man, or the little fragment she heard about him, makes this even more touching.I was struck in the first part of the book by the absence of the shadow of World War II—or so I thought. A Lesson in Secrets focused largely on this looming threat. But here again in Elegy, Winspear shows the insidious influence of both the World Wars, the one behind these characters and the one they will soon face. She draws with a sure hand the web of disaster closing in on England and America, and the corrupting effect of war’s threat, even on men of good intentions. Here are “villains” whose crimes you may have to overlook and “heroes” whose secrets you may grow to despise. Winspear has tied together a page-turning mystery with a level of moral complexity rarely seen in the genre.

I purposely did not read my review of Winspear’s previous Maisie Dobbs novel, A Lesson in Secrets, because I didn’t want the disappointment I felt in that book to cloud my judgement of Elegy for Eddie. I have invested a lot of time into this series and want nothing more than for my love affair with Maisie and her world to continue for a long, long time. After A Lesson in Secrets, I had serious doubts. Thankfully, Winspear addressed my biggest complaint in Elegy for Eddie, focusing almost exclusively on Maisie’s development as a character.The mystery Maisie is tasked with solving involves a man from her childhood in Lambeth, Eddie Pettit, a simple-minded man (who might be considered autistic in the 21st century) who has a way with horses. It takes her back to her humble Lambeth roots and throws her newfound life as a rich woman in an affair with a Viscount into sharp relief. Maisie is uncomfortable with the legacy Maurice left her, as well as uncomfortable with the position she holds as James’ lover. To all appearances, she has everything she should ever want but realizes that this life, especially that part with James, suffocates her. As a result, her relationship, the one that Winspear has failed to develop, goes from off the page bliss in the previous two books to on the page tension in this one.The reviews on Amazon have been positive, with the one recurring caveat that Maisie spends an inordinate amount of time navel gazing. In comparison to previous books where inner thoughts about her personal life were restricted to a few sentences sprinkled throughout the book, the amount of introspection in the novel is shocking. It is, however, long overdue. All the self-reflection and conflict with Billy and his wife and James moves her forward as a character in a way that hasn’t happened since she had her breakdown in book three.What does this mean for the Maisie? She and James have settled into a relationship that is basically a placeholder for each until they find the person they fall in love with. To paraphrase a comment Maisie made to Priscilla regarding their affair, she and James have shown each other they can love again. Maisie was confronted, by a few different instances, the most notable being the attack on Billy and the repercussions, by the fact that, in the guise of helping, she tries too hard to order everyone elses’ life. Her aid truly comes from an empathetic, caring heart, but the inheritance from Maurice has enabled her to go overboard (buying a house for the Beales; paying for Sandra’s college) and has put her friends in the position to never be able to repay her. Finally, her insistence on walking a “narrow path” and trying to account for every eventuality before it happens, as well as her lack of experience in the wider world made her realize her life is lacking in spontaneity, fun and travel. Hopefully, all of this introspection will allow Maisie to spread her wings a bit more.Ironic that I have not addressed the central mystery in the mystery novel. In the end, it is less about the simple horse whisperer from Maisie’s past, but instead is about one man’s plan, through his media empire, to increase patriotism and remind the British people all they have to lose if it comes to war with Hitler. The man, Otterburn, is in cahoots with Winston Churchill, who at this point in British history was a political outcast, spending his time writing essays about I don’t now what, and if Winspear is to be believed, preparing the British people, mentally, for the war some were sure was on the horizon. James Compton is even involved in Ottoburn’s long-term plan. It seems far-fetched at first glance, but upon reflection, I admire the way that Winspear was able to weave characters we’ve been familiar with for a while (James, Priscilla’s husband) into the long road to war storyline.As far as I’m concerned, The Mapping of Love and Death is an anomaly in the series, though I admit that it might improve on a re-read, especially with the knowledge of where Maisie is going. I feel that, with Elegy for Eddie, Winspear has finally committed to looking forward instead of back, with Maisie as well as with the world she lives in.Other Thoughts: This is the first mystery that has nothing to do with the Great War. Maisie only mentions her work as a nurse once in the book. And Billy’s communication skills from the war play no part at all. Progress! One of my favorite books is Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. It’s always entertaining to count the number of times people have tea. I found myself doing the same thing in Elegy for Eddie. Seriously, what is it with the Brits and drinking tea? I do hope that Maisie moves forward with the times, soon, and has Sandra and Billy start calling her by her Christian name. If Maisie does go abroad, I predict she goes to Germany. I hope we go with her. I’m still holding out hope for the drawing-room mystery I suggested in last year’s review. Well, I read the book in a day and now I have to wait another year for the next book. That makes me a sad panda.

As I first worked my way through this novel, I thought it struck some discordant notes -- most particularly in the characterization of James Compton, who seemed to go from a highly supportive, independent partner for Maisie to a more controlling and elitist figure. However, after reading it through to the ending, I realize how many of the elements that I thought rang false are instead clues. Maisie keeps feeling as though she's "suffocating" in this book and cannot share this with James; yet it turns out she's not the only one who leaves things unspoken, or who can keep secrets for the best of reasons. The most I think about this book, the more I like it. All the story elements serve and support one another, whether it's the common-law wife of the dead journalist making Maisie question her own role in James' life; the political elements of union-busting and pro-Nazi feeling that come out in the case and shadow Maisie's private world; how most of the problems she and James face come not from each other but from their attempts to fit into roles defined by society; and most tellingly, the way Maisie's do-gooder energies can backfire on both herself and those she most wants to help. It's woven together delicately but very strongly. If I have any criticism, it's that I feel Billy and Doreen's story needs to take a definite turn before too long. Their many hardships are all believable individually, but it's starting to feel like they just get punished again and again. As much as I like the character of Billy, it would be okay with me if the family finally takes up that long-dreamed-of emigration to Canada. Sandra's new role in the investigations business would allow for some fresher plot developments.Still, one of my favorites in a very beloved series.

I know that I keep giving these stories five star ratings, but that is really the way I feel. I really enjoy the characters and the story lines. I love how Maisie is growing and trying to do her best in her life and even when nothing goes right, she never gives up. I absolutely love the narration by Orlagh Cassidy. Her voice and the quietly passionate way she reads the text is so wonderful. This was a very sad story, endearing in a way, but foreshadowing things to come. It is set in 1933 London.

The BBC's Downton Abbey caused quite a stir (I myself was late to the party, watching both seasons on two marathon weekends), and increased interest in the post-WWI world in Great Britain. But readers have for years been immersing themselves in the same era with author Jacqueline Winspear's fascinating Maisie Dobbs' novels, set in London at the same time.Maisie was a young maid in Lord and Lady Compton's home (think Anna from Downton) who was caught by Lady Rowan in the library late at night reading. Lady Rowan realized Maisie's intelligence and potential and arranged for her to be schooled by Dr. Maurice Blanche, a well-renowned psychologist and private investigator.Maurice became Maisie's mentor, and Maisie was able to rise above her station and eventually became a nurse serving in France during WWI. Maisie was severely wounded and returned home to recuperate, and eventually take over Maurice's private investigation business.After Maurice died, he left his home and much of his fortune to Maisie. Overnight, she became a wealthy woman. She also fell in love with Lady Rowan's son and heir, James Compton. Maisie is a woman who owns her own business, has enough wealth to own a home and an apartment in London, and is able to financially help her friends and colleagues.In the newest novel, Elegy For Eddie, Maisie is visited by men she knew as a child, fruit peddlers from Lambeth. They ask her to investigate the death of Eddie, a forty-six-year-old man with the mind of a child. Eddie had a job running errands for workers in a newspaper plant and was killed when a bolt of paper crushed him.Maisie knew Eddie and the single mother who raised him. She took the case, and it brought forth many feelings to the surface for her. The class system in England was fairly rigid, and it was unusual for anyone, particularly a woman on her own, to move up. Maisie was living a life about which she felt increasingly uncomfortable.When she stays at James' family estate, she doesn't like the staff waiting on her. Ringing a bell for the next course of dinner feels unnatural to her. While she loves James, she begins to feel that the life he leads is not one she wants.Now that Maisie has money, she uses it to help her employees. She purchases a home in a good neighborhood and rents it to her loyal assistant Billy and his family after they lost a daughter to illness. She hired Sandra, who lost her husband, and let her move in with her. She also paid for Sandra to further her education.When Billy is seriously injured investigating Eddie's death, Billy's wife blames Maisie for putting her husband in danger. Maisie feels guilty, arranges for Sandra to help care for Billy's children, and gets him the best medical care.A doctor confronts Maisie about her 'helping' her employees. She asks Maisie to consider whether her help is "affecting their lives, making decisions on their behalf that they might not have made for themselves, or might come to at a different time." She suggest that Maisie may have been trying to get others conform to Maisie's view of the world.Maisie's best friend Priscilla tells her that by coming to the rescue of everyone, she could be causing people to resent her, as Billy's wife does. She explains that people don't like being beholden to someone, and that Maisie is depriving her friends of the "opportunity for them to be proud of something they've achieved.''This book in the series doesn't have much action, it is much more introspective. We see Maisie coming to a fork in the road of her life. She has to decide whether she wants to move forward with her relationship with James, and how to deal with her new station in life and her control issues.Maisie is an independent woman living in a turbulent time. This story is set in 1933, and England, weary from the losses of so many men in WWI, is now facing the possibility of another war. Hitler is causing problems in Europe, and Eddie's death may be tied to a newspaper publisher who is using his power to drum up war propaganda to get the people of England ready for confrontation.I love being immersed in Maisie's world. Winspear does meticulous research, which is available on her website.( If you want to know more about that time in history, click on the link.) Maisie is a strong woman, but she has her doubts about her abilities and where she is going in life. She feels so real and I think many women today can relate to her.I always look forward to catching up with Maisie, and if you are a fan of Downton Abbey and are suffering from withdrawal, the Maisie Dobbs series are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in that time.

I loved this book in the series. I thought every part of it was believable even if as one reviewer noted there are people who really aren't brought to justice satisfactorily. The reasons for this are made clear though, and from what we know of the incredible complexities of war, I found the outcome to be completely believable. Especially when we are talking about England slowly but surely having to come to terms with the possibility of another war more insidious and frightening they could have ever imagined, and the possibility of so soon after the first world war, once again having to send another generation of their young men to die. I also loved the fact as another reviewer noted, Maisies life is certainly no means certain in any department like you might have expected from the precious novel. I found this much more believable since if you have followed Maisie from the beginning you know from the complexities of her character, upbringing, crossing of a great social divide, becoming wounded in the great war, tragic loss of one she deeply loved in that same war, to finally losing her deeply valued mentor and friend while inheriting a fortune(!), that life can ever be anything but simple for her That is what makes her so much fun to read though and also relatable. I would never recommend anyone to not read this series in order. Though they can stand alone as novels, you will just lose too much in the labored, complex and joyful development of story and character Winspear has so faithfully given us. You will just miss out on too much.

No 9 of Maisie Dobbs completed!! When I read the first in the series in 2018, Maisie Dobbs, there were 14 books in the series. Now we are up to 17. Will I ever finish?I had stopped reading the series for about a year and a half. Now that I am out and about again, I have resumed the series with the audio version which I listen to while I drive. Maisie and her adventures are the perfect companions on my journeys.Eddie Pettit is the Eddie of the title. We are with his mother the day he is born. He is much loved by his mother; he is a 'special' child. He has a way with horses. Did I mention he was born in a stable?Eddie dies in a tragic accident. Maisie has known Eddie and his mother since his childhood. Eddie also has many friends (costers), who fear that Eddie was murdered and wants Maisie to 'sleuthe'. And 'sleuthe' she does!! There are other suspicious deaths that Maisie 'sleuthes' as well. Add to that the background of her romance with James.Typical Maisie Dobbs and I love her.4 stars

Thank you to Goodreads and Harper for providing me with a review copy of this novel.I am a huge fan of this series and have read all of the books published to date thanks to Book Girl Jen's Mad for Maisie reading challenge last year. In this outing we see that WWII looms ever closer on the horizon and we get an inkling as to what it will mean to the beloved characters in this series. When a man from Maisie's youth dies under somewhat mysterious circumstances she is called on to investigate the death by her father's friends. As Maisie has known the man personally she feels a particular responsibility to discover the truth. The case soon becomes complicated and Maisie learns that there is a lot more at stake than the death of just one man. Although I love the mystery aspect of each story I often find myself frustrated with Maisie's actions in her personal life. I was just getting over the shabby way she treated her former suitor Dr. Andrew, who even though she gave him the brush off, doesn't seem mind using him whenever she has a need of his medical expertise. Now she is reverting back to the same pattern with her new love James. I wanted to throw the book when she was contemplating encouraging him to move to Canada and take up farming without her. When Maisie's assistant is almost killed, she seems to take offense when James shows concern for her safety. The hinted at parting of James and Maisie at the end of the book did not leave me hopeful for their future.I will keep reading the series because I love the world and characters Winspear has created. I just wish that there could be a novel where Maisie could find a little peace happiness in her love life but I see that it is not to be. With the onset of another war the future looks more bleak than ever for Winspear's characters. It will be interesting to see where Maisie's planned travels will take her in the next novel.