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8797999's review against another edition
3.0
Not the strongest I have read up to now. Flowed very nicely but I couldn't enjoy it too much. Aside from Maigret no enjoyable characters.
hazel_amazel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sylviaisme's review
4.0
Mi sono appassionata alle indagini di Maigret grazie a questa collana di audiolibri e sicuramente L'ombra cinese è uno tra i migliori che ho ascoltato.
Simenon è davvero un maestro ad indagare la natura umana, e spesso lo fa nei suoi aspetti più sordidi e miserabili, come in questo romanzo che si apre con il delitto del signor Couchet, un ricco imprenditore che ha fatto fortuna con la produzione di sieri e che viene ritrovato assassinato vicino alla sua cassaforte in uno degli uffici di uno stabile parigino in Place des Vosges. Il palazzo, sede anche del laboratorio di produzione, è il vero protagonista di questo romanzo insieme ai suoi inquilini, e la claustrofobia che deriva da questi spazi e dalle vite stesse di chi li abita rende la ricostruzione del furto e del delitto ancora più fitta, seppur non difficilmente intuibile.
Nella scrittura di Simenon nessun dettaglio è fine a se stesso ed ogni sua interpretazione è magistralmente condotta dall'autore per farci scoprire come anche le situazioni più comuni possano portare al dramma persone altrettanto comuni... Davvero un bel giallo.
Simenon è davvero un maestro ad indagare la natura umana, e spesso lo fa nei suoi aspetti più sordidi e miserabili, come in questo romanzo che si apre con il delitto del signor Couchet, un ricco imprenditore che ha fatto fortuna con la produzione di sieri e che viene ritrovato assassinato vicino alla sua cassaforte in uno degli uffici di uno stabile parigino in Place des Vosges. Il palazzo, sede anche del laboratorio di produzione, è il vero protagonista di questo romanzo insieme ai suoi inquilini, e la claustrofobia che deriva da questi spazi e dalle vite stesse di chi li abita rende la ricostruzione del furto e del delitto ancora più fitta, seppur non difficilmente intuibile.
Nella scrittura di Simenon nessun dettaglio è fine a se stesso ed ogni sua interpretazione è magistralmente condotta dall'autore per farci scoprire come anche le situazioni più comuni possano portare al dramma persone altrettanto comuni... Davvero un bel giallo.
richard1510's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
cruelspirit's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Over the weekend I found a plethora of great old paperbacks for around $10; one of which was this. I have heard the name Georges Simenon for years and I've been meaning to get around to his work at some point. I found a copy of Mairgret Mystified and decided why not start here?
What I didn't know was that Simenon's bibliography is split into two categories his early mystery novels and his later, more heralded, literary works; the book I found was from the former. While I don't think there is anything wrong with this mystery era it isn't exactly what I expected from Simenon when I heard him being talked about.
Now the Mairgret novels have their own acclaim. Many people loved them and they were an essential part of Simenon's career. I don't want to dismiss them but they were described by Simenon as simplistically written and meant for the average person to read in a single sitting. There are also dozens of these books. For this reason I came away from reading one random entry with not much of a positive or negative experience.
The book I read was the 13th in the series. These books are serialized so there isn't much of a need to read them in order but I'd imagine a lot of the character development and investment of the Mairgret character comes from reading many of these books, maybe in order.
This novel in particular centers around a murder mystery in Paris of a wealthy man. Who has killed him. His wife, his ex wife, his mistress, his neighbor? The plot plays out in a pretty typical crime/mystery narrative where the detective goes around interrogating anyone and everyone involved about the case with twists, turns, and surprises happening along the way. It's pretty typical and not much out of the ordinary happens for a novel of this genre.
I should say I am not much of a crime/mystery reader. I don't have anything against it, I'm mainly just inexperienced in the genre but when it comes to books I read many of them have more of a literary element to them than this. I was let down by what was presented to me. I didn't feel much attachment or investment in much of what was going on in terms of the characters or plot. I mildly enjoyed characters like the son and the neighbor sisters but in the grand scheme of things they didn't offer much.
While I don't think there is anything truly wrong with this book, maybe it just isn't the best place to start in the Mairgret novels, it definitely didn't feel like the best introduction to the works of Georges Simenon.
What I didn't know was that Simenon's bibliography is split into two categories his early mystery novels and his later, more heralded, literary works; the book I found was from the former. While I don't think there is anything wrong with this mystery era it isn't exactly what I expected from Simenon when I heard him being talked about.
Now the Mairgret novels have their own acclaim. Many people loved them and they were an essential part of Simenon's career. I don't want to dismiss them but they were described by Simenon as simplistically written and meant for the average person to read in a single sitting. There are also dozens of these books. For this reason I came away from reading one random entry with not much of a positive or negative experience.
The book I read was the 13th in the series. These books are serialized so there isn't much of a need to read them in order but I'd imagine a lot of the character development and investment of the Mairgret character comes from reading many of these books, maybe in order.
This novel in particular centers around a murder mystery in Paris of a wealthy man. Who has killed him. His wife, his ex wife, his mistress, his neighbor? The plot plays out in a pretty typical crime/mystery narrative where the detective goes around interrogating anyone and everyone involved about the case with twists, turns, and surprises happening along the way. It's pretty typical and not much out of the ordinary happens for a novel of this genre.
I should say I am not much of a crime/mystery reader. I don't have anything against it, I'm mainly just inexperienced in the genre but when it comes to books I read many of them have more of a literary element to them than this. I was let down by what was presented to me. I didn't feel much attachment or investment in much of what was going on in terms of the characters or plot. I mildly enjoyed characters like the son and the neighbor sisters but in the grand scheme of things they didn't offer much.
While I don't think there is anything truly wrong with this book, maybe it just isn't the best place to start in the Mairgret novels, it definitely didn't feel like the best introduction to the works of Georges Simenon.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
4.0
A murder mystery which is thin on mystery. What it lacks in machination it replaces with atmosphere and an understated observation of the quotidian life in Paris of the 20's and 30's
staticdisplay's review against another edition
3.0
somber. sometimes the atmosphere in these books is so immediate and such a joy to read. this one was particularly bleak and not something I wanted to be immersed in.
frahorus's review
3.0
Maigret deve indagare sull'assassinio di un imprenditore ucciso da un colpo di pistola al cuore e ben presto si renderà conto che attorno alla sua vita ruotano tre donne: la sua ex moglie, la sua attuale e la sua amante.
Anche stavolta ho azzeccato il colpevole e anche per questo ho scelto tre stelle invece di quattro, ma per il resto l'intreccio resta appassionante e pieno di colpi di scena (alcuni un po' telefonati). Si può uccidere per soldi o per odio, in questo caso per entrambe le cose.
Anche stavolta ho azzeccato il colpevole e anche per questo ho scelto tre stelle invece di quattro, ma per il resto l'intreccio resta appassionante e pieno di colpi di scena (alcuni un po' telefonati). Si può uccidere per soldi o per odio, in questo caso per entrambe le cose.