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8797999's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't warm to this one, as is always the characters were very well done and charming but the plot I couldn't care much about.
I think I will get up to #35 and then have a break for a little while from Maigret. For a few weeks at least...
I think I will get up to #35 and then have a break for a little while from Maigret. For a few weeks at least...
readymadereader's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bluestarfish's review
3.0
The death of the maid, Rose, summons Inspector Maigret to the seaside to help solve this murder. Although the Inspector is too absorbed in the mystery to sink into nostalgic enjoyment of the surroundings even though he's been too busy to manage a summer holiday that year. Madame Besson comes asking for help and so it all begins.
sylviaisme's review against another edition
3.0
Un nuovo caso da risolvere porta Maigret a Étretat, in Normandia, e questa volta la vittima è la giovane domestica di Valentine Besson, la vecchia signora del titolo, che chiede aiuto al celebre commissario. Rose Trochu è morta per avvelenamento da cianuro dopo aver assunto la medicina che era destinata alla sua padrona e, come i gialli di Agatha Christie insegnano, quando c'è di mezzo il veleno di solito ci sono di mezzo anche le donne ;) I sospetti sin dall'inizio si concentrano sui componenti della famiglia Besson che Maigret conoscerà uno per uno, ma Rose non sarà l'unica vittima di questo caso...
Ammetto di non essere riuscita ad indovinare l'assassino neanche questa volta, ma la soluzione dell'omicidio mi ha piacevolmente intrattenuta anche se non reputo questo Maigret tra i migliori. Rimane comunque un buon giallo di intrattenimento.
Ammetto di non essere riuscita ad indovinare l'assassino neanche questa volta, ma la soluzione dell'omicidio mi ha piacevolmente intrattenuta anche se non reputo questo Maigret tra i migliori. Rimane comunque un buon giallo di intrattenimento.
frahorus's review against another edition
2.0
Stavolta il commissario Maigret si trasferisce in Normandia dove deve indagare sulla morte della domestica di un'anziana, che ha proprio chiesto il suo aiuto. Ben presto si scoprirà che la ragazza è stata avvelenata, ma il bicchiere conteneva la medicina per la signora. Un errore fatale che vi ha bevuto la sua domestica?
Ritroviamo l'ambientazione che piace di più a Simenon, tra barche e pub spruzzati dallo iodio marino, tra pescatori e paesani che chiacchierano e nessuno sembra aver visto nulla.
Ritroviamo l'ambientazione che piace di più a Simenon, tra barche e pub spruzzati dallo iodio marino, tra pescatori e paesani che chiacchierano e nessuno sembra aver visto nulla.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
Beside the seaside…
Valentine Besson is the old lady of the title, a still charming widow who lives in a small seaside town in Normandy. She comes to Paris to ask Maigret to investigate the death of her maid, Rose Trochu. Lest we should think this is because she cares about the girl’s death, Mme Besson makes it very clear that her real concern is that she believes the poison that killed Rose was meant for herself. Coincidentally, Mme Besson’s stepson has also approached Maigret’s boss to request that Maigret should help in the investigation, since he believes it’s beyond the abilities of the local force. So Maigret finds himself off to spend a few days at the seaside, trying to unravel the complicated family dynamics that seem to underlie the murder…
Valentine’s husband had been a rich man for a while, having developed a popular skincare lotion. But he had lost most of his money on wild speculations before he died, leaving Valentine comfortably provided for, but not wealthy. He also left two sons from his first marriage and a daughter from his second marriage to Valentine. Had Valentine been rich, suspicion would naturally have fallen on these three, but they would gain little financially from her death so Maigret must look for another motive, and that proves elusive.
The setting of the small seaside town is done well, with Maigret reminiscing over holidays he has spent in similar places with his wife. The plot is also interesting, with the search for a motive being the major part of the mystery – once it is solved, the rest falls into place. Simenon shows the rather careless attitude of the Besson family to Rose, with the casual assumption that she was so unimportant that no one could have deliberately intended to kill her. It’s a strange kind of snobbery that suggests one must be a certain class to even be worthy of murder, or at least to have that murder be worthy of investigation by someone of the stature of Maigret. Even Maigret spends a good deal of time with the Bessons before he bothers to visit Rose’s family, which I must say didn’t endear him to me. The Trochus are conscious and resentful of this kind of dismissal of Rose’s death as merely being a fortuitous accident that got in the way of the more important intended murder of Valentine. Simenon shows this kind of class distinction quite subtly and the only characters who really come over sympathetically are Rose’s bereaved family.
However, even more than usual Maigret spends his time going from bar to bar drinking, or sitting with the old lady drinking. Everywhere he goes the thing that seems most on his mind is whether he’ll be offered a drink or not. At one point he actually falls asleep while talking to Valentine, not altogether surprising given that he’d already put away enough alcohol that day to sink the entire French fleet. This wouldn’t have been quite so annoying had it seemed as if he was getting anywhere with the investigation, or even trying. But he really just chats to people in an aimless way and allows events to unfold until the solution becomes unavoidably obvious. He does spot one or two things the local force had missed, but he doesn’t do anything with them – I’m being vague to avoid spoilers. I felt that when the local police detective questioned whether the great man was worthy of his reputation, he had a point! I certainly wouldn’t put this case down as a success, but Maigret seemed quite satisfied with his own performance.
So I have rather mixed feelings about this one. There’s enough in it to make it interesting, but I felt Simenon was to some extent simply going through the motions, keeping Maigret wandering around drinking and doing not much else till Simenon felt he could reasonably reveal the solution and bring the book to an end. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gareth Armstrong who as usual did a fine job.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Valentine Besson is the old lady of the title, a still charming widow who lives in a small seaside town in Normandy. She comes to Paris to ask Maigret to investigate the death of her maid, Rose Trochu. Lest we should think this is because she cares about the girl’s death, Mme Besson makes it very clear that her real concern is that she believes the poison that killed Rose was meant for herself. Coincidentally, Mme Besson’s stepson has also approached Maigret’s boss to request that Maigret should help in the investigation, since he believes it’s beyond the abilities of the local force. So Maigret finds himself off to spend a few days at the seaside, trying to unravel the complicated family dynamics that seem to underlie the murder…
Valentine’s husband had been a rich man for a while, having developed a popular skincare lotion. But he had lost most of his money on wild speculations before he died, leaving Valentine comfortably provided for, but not wealthy. He also left two sons from his first marriage and a daughter from his second marriage to Valentine. Had Valentine been rich, suspicion would naturally have fallen on these three, but they would gain little financially from her death so Maigret must look for another motive, and that proves elusive.
The setting of the small seaside town is done well, with Maigret reminiscing over holidays he has spent in similar places with his wife. The plot is also interesting, with the search for a motive being the major part of the mystery – once it is solved, the rest falls into place. Simenon shows the rather careless attitude of the Besson family to Rose, with the casual assumption that she was so unimportant that no one could have deliberately intended to kill her. It’s a strange kind of snobbery that suggests one must be a certain class to even be worthy of murder, or at least to have that murder be worthy of investigation by someone of the stature of Maigret. Even Maigret spends a good deal of time with the Bessons before he bothers to visit Rose’s family, which I must say didn’t endear him to me. The Trochus are conscious and resentful of this kind of dismissal of Rose’s death as merely being a fortuitous accident that got in the way of the more important intended murder of Valentine. Simenon shows this kind of class distinction quite subtly and the only characters who really come over sympathetically are Rose’s bereaved family.
However, even more than usual Maigret spends his time going from bar to bar drinking, or sitting with the old lady drinking. Everywhere he goes the thing that seems most on his mind is whether he’ll be offered a drink or not. At one point he actually falls asleep while talking to Valentine, not altogether surprising given that he’d already put away enough alcohol that day to sink the entire French fleet. This wouldn’t have been quite so annoying had it seemed as if he was getting anywhere with the investigation, or even trying. But he really just chats to people in an aimless way and allows events to unfold until the solution becomes unavoidably obvious. He does spot one or two things the local force had missed, but he doesn’t do anything with them – I’m being vague to avoid spoilers. I felt that when the local police detective questioned whether the great man was worthy of his reputation, he had a point! I certainly wouldn’t put this case down as a success, but Maigret seemed quite satisfied with his own performance.
So I have rather mixed feelings about this one. There’s enough in it to make it interesting, but I felt Simenon was to some extent simply going through the motions, keeping Maigret wandering around drinking and doing not much else till Simenon felt he could reasonably reveal the solution and bring the book to an end. 3½ stars for me, so rounded up.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Gareth Armstrong who as usual did a fine job.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
clocktrotter's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5