I missed something

I did not realize I was downloading the abridged version! OK, so that's my bad, and my review is probably going to reflect problems with the editing rather than problems with the book.

If you've seen the movie "Murder by Death," the various super sleuths who are invited to the mystery dinner all take a stab at solving the murder at the end. Truman Capote's character, Lionel Twain, chides them for creating characters, citing clues that no one else ever had, and inventing situations that enable them to create motives or identify offenders. Well, that's the way I felt about this book. All of a sudden Maisie would "know" something and I had no idea where she got the clue, or how she knew it was a clue, etc. At first I thought maybe I wasn't paying attention, but now I realize I may have missed something you get out of the complete unabridged version.

3 people found this helpful

Abridged version inadequate, unabridged excellent

The abridged version is confusing and hard to make sense of. When I realized I was listening to the abridged version (poorly narrated by the author who acts as if she is reading a story to children), I obtained the full version and not only did it make sense, it is narrated by a wonderful reader who continues to narrate many of the later works in the series, and I began the work all over again. It was worth it! The story is fascinating and the plot very original.

Great book only fair narration

The story is very good I really enjoyed it. I was disappointed in the narration by the author.

Love hearing the author as narrator.

I do wish the pronunciation of names could be constant across audible recordings of different books in the series. Maurice or Morris? Seems a small matter but it is jarring. Even so, love the series.

The Best Maisie Dobbs I've Read So Far

This is the third book in the series that I have read and it is the best so far. The story is compelling and told with a real economy of words. I will read another.

Entertained by Book 1 and 2, Book 3, not so much..

Dull and unfortunate. Why the author elected to narrate Book 3 is beyond me - truly, I am easily entertained, however when an author elects to narrate their own work, in most cases, the life of the story gets lost.

Jacqueline Winspear never disappoints

Would you consider the audio edition of Pardonable Lies to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version, but I love listening to stories. Jacqueline Winspear's narration is quite pleasing to me. So, in this case, I'd rather hear the story than read it. I find her stories to be intriguing as well as the storytelling itself.

What did you like best about this story?

I love her character, Maisie Dobbs. I find her to be credible, likeable, wise, intelligent, and also wounded. I've learned so much about WW1 from these novels. I had no idea of the effect that war had on England until I found this series of books.

What does Jacqueline Winspear bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love hearing some stories more than reading them. I'm sure it has much to do with the narrator. I read as many books as I listen to. I like both formats, but I do prefer narration in some cases.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Oh, I don't know. I have a friend in LA who writes them for a living, but I'm not a tagline person.

Any additional comments?

No, just share with Ms. Winspear that her series is unique and that are characters are really likeable, I just love her books.