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merv_d's review against another edition
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
purpleberryblue's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
soupcocoon's review against another edition
2.0
sexist + bad writing. good mystery tho i guess. it dragged on.
william1349's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent, despite it being very obvious who then killer was from early on. Extra points for being insanely racist to the Dutch and having a higher than usual breast obsession.
batbones's review against another edition
4.0
Reading Maigret is a different experience from reading Holmes, de Luce, or Whimsy. This might in part be because the story is a translation, which leads to the feeling that some things or odd phrases don't obtain somehow in the English language. Unlike his famous multi-series counterparts, Maigret is a relatively ordinary man with an unassuming intelligence, and only the smallest of quirks (pipe-smoking, his liking to put on grumpy appearances) to distinguish him. The mystery is also slower-paced, more thoughtful, analytical and...emotionally distant, the characters serving at some level as archetypes or sketches rather than whole people. Simenon does some strange things with his writing style that are hard to take to at first but one gradually gets used to it; for instance, he mostly follows Maigret's perspective but abruptly turns away whenever Maigret assumes his more solemn and indifferent countenance, much to the bewilderment of other characters seeking to get a response out of him. It's quite frequent and startling, and I'm not always sure why Simenon does this.
bookeared's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5
8797999's review against another edition
3.0
I did enjoy this one but not a favourite of the ones I have read so far. Features Maigret helping a French citizen accused of a crime in a chocolate box Dutch town.
Some good characters but not as strong or interesting as some of the previous ones I have read.
Some good characters but not as strong or interesting as some of the previous ones I have read.
staticdisplay's review against another edition
2.0
my least favorite Maigret so far. none of the characters in the mystery are compelling; there's a suggestion that a woman would join a feminist group when she's "too ugly" to have any other interests; no particular atmosphere is cultivated, etc etc.