Will Maisie Dobbs Become the Next Downton Abbey?

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Written by Katie Schmierbach.  Media by Stephen Hillrich.

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With over a million copies sold, the Maisie Dobbs Series has captured the hearts of historians and espionage enthusiasts alike. This post World War One detective has captivated audiences with her diverse series of novels, but will she be able to gain popularity on the silver screen?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is rumored to be in the process of turning the book series into a television show. Author Jacqueline Winspear [blog] [Facebook] has covered the lifespan of detective Maisie Dobbs through ten gripping novels with an eleventh to be released on March 17th of this year.

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When Maisie Dobbs was thirteen, she was forced to quit school and became a maid after the tragic death of her mother. Maisie worked for London aristocracy with a mysterious employer, Lady Rowan. They become close friends and Lady Rowan comes to realize Maisie’s acute intelligence and keen observation skills.  Lady Rowan relieved Maisie of her maid duties and sent her away to the finest academies in Europe in order to further her education. She eventually became a psychologist and one of the very first female detectives, whose sleuthing skills are comparable to that of Sherlock Holmes. In the series, Maisie Dobbs solves some of the world’s most thrilling mysteries, while maintaining a ladylike appearance of class and poise.

After becoming a detective, the British involvement of World War One began and Maisie felt called to help with the cause. She began as a nurse in the war and fell in love with a young man in the midst of battle. Their love story expands throughout the entire series, leaving readers wanting to find more about her mysterious lover. After World War One, Maisie continues to take on clients who have a variety of cases that only she can solve.  Her clients reside all around the world, leaving Maisie to find all sorts of new adventures throughout her travels.

Jacqueline Winspear
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This historical fiction series accurately depicts the time of London during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Winspear does a wonderful job of explaining how World War One affected the nation of both soldiers and noncombatants alike. Maisie encounters soldiers, grieving lovers, and nurses who have all lost someone in the War or have been emotionally scarred by the sights. She is able to empathize with these people because she too has been damaged by her involvement in the war. Throughout the series, Maisie tries to conceal her past with little luck.

This cozy British novel series would make a wonderful TV show with heartbreak, suspense, and intrigue. The British show Downtown Abbey [Facebook] can be juxtaposed to the stories of Maisie Dobbs. Both shows start prior to World War One and depict the hardships on the home front, including the loss of loved ones. Author Jacqueline Winspear is a fan of Downton and believes that her books and the television show emphasize the struggles and changing roles of women in the early 1900’s. If produced, Winspear hopes that the Maisie Dobbs Series will draw in the equivalent or even more than the 8 million viewers of Downton Abbey, but only time will tell.  

10 COMMENTS

  1. Yes! Yes! Yes!!!! We need Mazie on BBC!! We LOVE her. She is such a fine person and her story is compelling. Let us have her. PLEASE!

  2. Please, please make these bks into another wonderful series on PBS. We will miss Downtown Abbey but looking forward to Maisie Dobbs is a light at the end of a dark Sunday evening in my area. I have loved these bks for so long & reccommend them to all my friends & family. Another series I especially love is my author Jennifr Chiaverini called the Elm Creek Quilting series. Great bks with great stories.

  3. great idea, love maisie and do hope they would give such careful attention as they did Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife. You may wish to scrap that poor excuse for a trailer though….Demi Moore from a few good men 20 years ago, are you serious? Get a clue and ditch that until you have one that is proper.

  4. I do hope the BBC produces this series(Maisie Dobbs) I have not read them all,but am well caught up in the story line!! Delightful, refreshing, intriguing, anxiously awaiting the next!! By the by another great series is “In the Land Of The Long White Cloud” by Sara Lark I just finished this…three books about settling in New Zealand ,sheep ranching,mail order bride and a whole lot of great characters!!

  5. Yes, I agree with the above comments for Maisie to have BBC put them on the TV. Let us know when the great event will take place for the series… BBC does such great work on their historical series that I am looking forward to it.

    Much needed on the TV…..

  6. Yes. I am now reading Book #8 in her series. Want to see Maisie in a quality series! Is this still “in process”? Making progress?

  7. Did Katie Schmierbach even read the books? First Lady Rowan was never a mysterious employer. 2. Maisie was never sent away after her acute intelligence and keen observation skills were discovered. She studied with Dr Blanche, and was still expected to do her job duties, until she passed her exams and was excepted at the Girton College. 3. She was NOT a detective before the war started. She was still a student at the Girton College. Maisie did not become a full blown detective until Dr. Blanche retired some time later. 4. Maisie never had a mysterious lover during the war. She met (and fell in love with) Simon at a party with her friend Priscilla Partridge before she even volunteered for the war. She did end up working at the same casualty clearing field hospital as Simon, and their love did grow, but there was nothing mysterious. Also, their love does not expand throughout the entire series. I hope this woman is not writing for the TV series, she would fucking ruin it!!!!!!!

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