Reviews

Maigret and the Black Sheep by Georges Simenon

tessyoung's review against another edition

3.0

A slim volume I came across in a charity shop, I felt that it was about time I read some Simenon. I've seen the TV adaptations with Rowan Atkinson and importantly we have a few in the community library where I volunteer. Here we recommend books to children and young people who come to the after school club so it helps to know our collection. I would recommend this to a young person; nothing too gory or challenging in terms of content and a nice read. It's well written, there's a restraint in the writing and in the characters that really appeals. Also there are a number nice observations re: Parisian mores of the time and observations on social class and structure that, while somewhat dated this sociologist likes books to draw our attention to.

alice_horoshev's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

adamrshields's review against another edition

4.0

Summary: A good man is shot in his home and there does not seem to be any suspects.

I was first turned on to Georges Simeon's Inspector Maigret by John Wilson during a not that long-lived Books and Culture Podcast episode. Simeon is a French mystery novelist that wrote around 500 books, short stories, or novellas. Nearly 150 of them involve Inspector Maigret. Penguin has commissioned new English translations of the whole set and they have been coming out at a very nice clip. I have read several, mostly in order from the start. I have been picking them up as they come on sale for kindle. I decided last week when I picked one up (it is still on sale as I write this) that I would go ahead and read it even if it is theoretically 58th in the series.

There is nothing about the book that really requires you to know the Inspector. And I do not think I missed too much by jumping to the middle of the series. It is brief, I read it in three not too long sittings. This is more of a psychological mystery (think Inspector Gamache rather than a whodunit like Agatha Christy or Sherlock Holmes.)

There is no point in giving the story away, but what I like about Maigret is that his gift is not being intellectually superior to everyone, but that he learns to know people, and he keeps doing the next thing. It was refreshing to read a quick mystery and a reminder that I need to be reading more fiction.

peter7's review against another edition

mysterious sad 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? No

3.75

shannon_b's review

1.0

1.5⭐️

schellenbergk's review against another edition

Pretty typical Simenon crime novel. The beginnings are always great and interesting and interest always seems to fade towards the end.

mariangela's review against another edition

4.0

Il fatto sta tutto nell’omicidio di un uomo perbene dell’alta borghesia parigina; sua moglie è una donna discreta e poco incline ai pettegolezzi, sua figlia è cresciuta coccolata e ha sposato un medico serio. Tutti sospettati, ma nessun è indagato perchè tutti sono personaggi con una vita abitudinaria e trasparente. Non c’è l’assassino da nessuna parte. Ogni buon ragionamento non torna. Intorno all’omicidio solo persone perbene.

Ma Maigret non si persuadeva e rischiava d’impazzire. Arrivò a provare un distinto senso di fastidio perchè chiunque interrogasse gli scatenava addirittura un margine di senso di colpa e nulla sembrava trovare un senso. Sarà giusto interrogarlo? E’ corretto riversare dei sospetti sulla tale persona? Si guardava intorno sentendo pure gli sguardi dubbiosi dei suoi colleghi e una volta, senza che nessuno gli avesse veramente rivolto alcuna domanda, esclamò quasi vergognandosene: “Era necessario!”

Mentre leggevo questo caso di Maigret stavo per lanciare il libro in aria: non mi piaceva. Poi sono arrivata alla scena dove i protagonisti sono usciti dalle pagine, si sono accomodati nel mio salotto e hanno iniziato a recitare lì. Maigret interroga un’insospettabile e l’interrogatorio, in base alle convenzioni e all’etichetta, sembra sconveniente. Mi sono ritrovata a voltare gli occhi da un’altra parte per l’imbarazzo. Sentivo la tensione, guardavo Maigret che voleva risolvere una volta e per tutte, ma non c’era verso di sbrogliare la matassa. Tutti troppo perbene.

Maigret e le persone perbene è una storia quasi senza svolgimento d’azione. Finchè l’azione non genera se stessa. Simenon come un antropologo vorace, un archeologo delle patologie del vivere. Le persone perbene rimangono immobili nella loro condizione perchè il minimo spostamento d’aria genererebbe mostri della memoria.

benju159's review against another edition

3.0

It's wonderful to finally get back to Maigret and reading in general.

A respectable retired man is found dead in his own home with no obvious lead as to who the killer is. When Maigret follows up on a dangling thread produced by the dead man's family, the solution is found.

I may give this three stars, but Simenon is still one of my favourite authors, as he gives a strong sense of humanity to his characters, even those who only appear for the briefest of moments.

furfff's review against another edition

1.0

Starts off as an impenetrable almost locked room kind of thing which just degenerates into a who cares kind of thing. And the focus on everyone being good gets more and more lame once details on the actual culprit emerge.

charlesminus's review against another edition

3.0

Rather than reveal the plot of this book (which seems to be the goal of most of the reviews here in GR) I'll just say that, after reading a half dozen or so, this is probably that last Simenon I'll be reading. Plodding and dull. Someone said Andre Gide said Simenon is one of the best. Well, the French like Jerry Lewis too.