This Time Next Year We’ll Be Laughing

This memoir by Winspear (“Maisie Dobbs” series) covers decades of her early life and touches minimally on her writing career and adult life. Winspear explains her own life through the experiences of her grandparents and parents, who lived through the First and Second World Wars, respectively. Both her father and grandfather served in the British military during the wars, and her mother frequently shared stories of her time in London during the Blitz. Growing up in rural England without many creature comforts (no running water or electricity, let alone a radio or television), Winspear and her family entertained themselves through stories. These family stories, along with Winspear’s stories of her own early life, permeate this memoir with incredible detail. Hearing the stories narrated by the author’s gives an even deeper sense of the connection between Winspear and the memorable people in her life. History buffs with an interest in this time period will enjoy the insight into the effects of the wars on families like Winspear’s, including some details about the era that do not appear in history books. Fans of the author will easily see how her early life influenced her work.