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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Two interesting tales featuring Maigret. Very much of their time, so writing style may not be for everyone.
I first heard about the Maigret books when I found a check-out slip for The Cellars of the Majestic in a library book a few years book (in a copy of The Maltese Falcon, judging by what I was reading at the time I added it to my to-read list). I'm found of crime fiction, and I was intrigued by this long-running and seemingly popular French detective series, so I added it to my ever-growing to-read list.
It's not exactly what I was expecting. The writing is bit odd - a little disjointed, with a lot more exclamation marks and ellipses than I was expecting. I'm not sure if it's the translation or a feature of the original French, although I suspect it may be perhaps either a stylistic feature of the crime/detective novel genre in France at the time or a way to make Maigret as unpretentious and masculine as possible.
I also felt uncomfortable reading about the way Jewish characters were depicted, especially knowing that the book was published just a few years before the start of the Holocaust.
Despite all the above, I enjoyed reading this, and I think I'll give a few more Maigret novels a try (although I can't say yet whether or not I'll be able to commit to reading all 75(!) Maigret mysteries).
It's not exactly what I was expecting. The writing is bit odd - a little disjointed, with a lot more exclamation marks and ellipses than I was expecting. I'm not sure if it's the translation or a feature of the original French, although I suspect it may be perhaps either a stylistic feature of the crime/detective novel genre in France at the time or a way to make Maigret as unpretentious and masculine as possible.
I also felt uncomfortable reading about the way Jewish characters were depicted, especially knowing that the book was published just a few years before the start of the Holocaust.
Despite all the above, I enjoyed reading this, and I think I'll give a few more Maigret novels a try (although I can't say yet whether or not I'll be able to commit to reading all 75(!) Maigret mysteries).
Good for French practice, but unlike the Arsène Lupin collection it is based more on the drama than action scenes, character development, cunning and intrigue.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Comincio, a tempo perso, la lettura del commissario Maigret.
Mi piacciono i gialli pre-CSI, quelli dove sembra esserci un codice etico tra guardie e ladri e dove c’è poco sangue.
Questa trama coinvolge con un classico gioco delle parti ed identità reinventate. Il commissario è ingombrante al punto giusto, senza sminuire i suoi comprimari. I cattivi si pentono ed espiano le loro colpe. Forse la fine è prevedibile, ma contemporaneamente anche rassicurante.
Mi piacciono i gialli pre-CSI, quelli dove sembra esserci un codice etico tra guardie e ladri e dove c’è poco sangue.
Questa trama coinvolge con un classico gioco delle parti ed identità reinventate. Il commissario è ingombrante al punto giusto, senza sminuire i suoi comprimari. I cattivi si pentono ed espiano le loro colpe. Forse la fine è prevedibile, ma contemporaneamente anche rassicurante.
Short and a reasonably good story, but I think I made a mistake by starting with the very first Maigret before the writer had time to develop the character. All i got was he was a big man who constantly refilled his pipe as he won the day. in retrospect, I think I should have started later in the series. Still worth reading!
A short straightforward detective yarn that does exactly what it says on the tin.
Snappy dialogue and succinct descriptions make for a perfect on-commute read without wasting words.
Snappy dialogue and succinct descriptions make for a perfect on-commute read without wasting words.
Also got this one off another of those NYTimes lists I believe.
My mother loves watching Maigret so I also wanted to read it because of that.
Can't say that I need to read any more Maigret, it was entertaining enough that I wanted to finish the book but didn't do much for me beyond that.
My mother loves watching Maigret so I also wanted to read it because of that.
Can't say that I need to read any more Maigret, it was entertaining enough that I wanted to finish the book but didn't do much for me beyond that.