Call number
Collections
Genres
Publication
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: The White Lady introduces yet another extraordinary heroine from Jacqueline Winspear, creator of the best-selling Maisie Dobbs series. This heart-stopping novel, set in Post WWII Britain in 1947, follows the coming of age and maturity of former wartime operative Elinor Whiteâ??veteran of two wars, trained killer, protective of her anonymityâ??when she is drawn back into the world of menace she has been desperate to leave behind. A reluctant ex-spy with demons of her own, Elinor finds herself facing down one of the most dangerous organized crime gangs in London, ultimately exposing corruption from Scotland Yard to the highest levels of government. The private, quiet "Miss White" as Elinor is known, lives in a village in rural Kent, England, and to her fellow villagers seems something of an enigma. Well she might, as Elinor occupies a "grace and favor" property, a rare privilege offered to faithful servants of the Crown for services to the nation. But the residents of Shacklehurst have no way of knowing how dangerous Elinor's war work had been, or that their mysterious neighbor is haunted by her past. It will take Susie, the child of a young farmworker, Jim Mackie and his wife, Rose, to break through Miss White's icy demeanorâ??but Jim has something in common with Elinor. He, too, is desperate to escape his past. When the powerful Mackie crime family demands a return of their prodigal son for an important job, Elinor assumes the task of protecting her neighbors, especially the bright-eyed Susie. Yet in her quest to uncover the truth behind the family's pursuit of Jim, Elinor unwittingly sets out on a treacherous pathâ??yet it is one that leads to her f… (more)
Media reviews
User reviews
Readers see
Elinor carries a lot of guilt for the things she had to do during both wars, and she believes that saving the Mackies from being dragged back into the criminal ways of their family is her chance for redemption. How she goes about saving them uncovers corruption in surprising places.
The White Lady is a strong story with much to say about survival, guilt, and redemption, and Elinor White is a character I wanted to embrace wholeheartedly. However, I always felt as though she never opened the door of her cottage to me, and it was that lack of emotional resonance that spoiled my reading a bit. Your mileage could definitely vary.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
This is set just after the Second World War and we are introduced to Elinor White who lives a solitary life who becomes involved in
As the story develops we learn more about Elinor’s past and her involvement in both world wars even though she was only a child during the first one, and we also find out about a trauma that is affecting her, even in 1947.
I felt this book took a long time to get going and for me to feel fully involved in it but once it did I really enjoyed this story about an impressive woman and her actions during both the wars. I actually enjoyed the sections about her past more than the 1947 strand. There were certainly some great characters we met along the way as well as some not so great characters.
Overall I really enjoyed the story and am happy to recommend the book, although I did feel the end to the initial story from 1947 felt a bit too easy, but it did reveal more about Elinor’s life. Whilst good it didn’t feel it was in the same league as the excellent Maisie Dobbs books. I also felt it was left open to produce a sequel to the book or even possibly a series and I would be happy to read more.
Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher an author for a review copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Her back story is that she was recruited into the Belgian Resistance
The narrative moves back and forth between her resistance activities and her current postwar situation. The narrative is much like the Maisie Dobbs stories in style, but is darker.
Post WW11, Elinor lives in small cottage in the Kent countryside. She lives a fairly content, but quiet life, ever vigilant and somewhat of a recluse. When a young family moves into a small cottage close by, Elinor is drawn into the Mackie family as she witnesses violence against them. Jim Mackie, his wife and their young daughter have escaped London to be free of Jim's criminal family
Told in three timelines , this makes for a fascinating read, and Elinor discovers that people are not always who they seem , and even trusted colleagues keep secrets.
I am a big fan the Maisie Dobb's series , and I really enjoyed this new stand along novel. I'm eager to read whatever Jacquline Winspear writes next
4 stars
I did like it, quite a bit. I hope that the author sticks to her plan to make this a standalone book though. I don’t want another series. I feel as though
Most of the chapters in this book were really long and that made it harder for me to pick up the book to read the next one. Almost every chapter required a significant time commitment.
What I liked about this book: The characters and settings are wonderful. The research seems good. It feels like an epic going through two wars with a fair amount of aging of the main character but it never dragged for me. The storytelling and writing are excellent. I don’t generally like mob stories but this was a different sort of mob store and I thoroughly enjoyed Elsie and also liked Jim & his family and even Jim’s father in a way.
What I didn’t like about this book: There were too many toward the end of the book reveals. Just a bit too much happened to the main character. It wasn’t so much that things were unbelievable (though they are improbable) but it was an exhausting reading experience for me and so much of what goes on seemed unnecessary. (I won’t give details, not even in spoiler tags, but it was just too much and I’m thinking the story might have been better without at least a quarter of it.
3-1/2 stars
The historical immersion is brilliantly done in all of the time frames involved, and our protagonist is a fascinating character - prickly, strong, intelligent, aloof, and tortured by something she'd had to do in the war. Other characters are also wonderfully developed, including a woman in the crime family who is overlooked but smarter than she's given credit for. The plot is woven together effectively, and the past is vividly evoked. Altogether, this is an immersive, intelligent, and compelling novel. Immensely enjoyable.
I could have done without the detailed activities and relationships of the Mackie crime family members, but their relationship with the police was important to the plot and realistically portrayed. As usual in spy stories, there is a betrayal and sacrifice which leaves me with mixed feelings at the end. I would like to know what Elinor's future holds.
A young couple disembarks from a train in a small English town looking for a new life. Thankfully, a local farmer needs help and offers
Elinor follows the men and seems to know a great deal about taking care of herself. Upon arriving in London, Elinor goes to an old friend who works with the police. Our young husband is from an infamous family, and they want him back for a job. Elinor vows to help this couple get away from the corrupt family. While working through this endeavour, the reader has many flashbacks revealing Elinor's past and how she became so capable around such rough people.
I so enjoyed the novel. Elinor has had a difficult life and has had to defend herself and others. At what point does one have faith that leave violence behind and choose peace? This is Elinor's journey.
The writing was not only cliché bingo but also seemed to aimed at children, explaining simple terms that most people know or could be deduced from the context. Switching back and forth between both world wars and the late 1940s only dragged out the inevitable rather than building tension or developing the characters, but at least Elinor's childhood in Belgium was emotional and evocative - the SOE backstory was just ridiculous. I have no idea what the Mackie mafia subplot was supposed to be, apart from a very tenuous bridge between past and present.
I'm just disappointed. I expected a historical novel based on the real life brave men and women of the SOE and got a Hallmark aga saga.
Now, in post-war London, she meets a young family in turmoil. Elinor calls upon her old friends to inquire about this family and their business. She uncovers a crime family, but wonders how far into the government they infiltrated. She tries to save the family, while also redeeming herself from her past.
Good story, an enjoyable and interesting read.