Reviews

Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard by Georges Simenon

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alexeysidoruk's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

franklekens's review against another edition

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5.0

Fascinating: it's almost like an anti-detective, in some ways. And the eating, and the drinking...

bookwomble's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Maigret investigates the stabbing in an alley of an unassuming man leading a double life, despised by his wife and family, held in affection by past co-workers and acquaintances. The mystery of how he funded this life forms a principle strand of Maigret's enquiries.

Cold, torrential, late-autumnal rain and humid, overheated rooms infuse the atmosphere, with the inspector brooding ruefully on the "quiet desperation" of the lives he encounters.

8797999's review against another edition

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3.0

Enjoyable but not a favourite. Some fun characters and an intriguing case. Forgettable though.

tessreadslibri's review

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This moved up my to-read list after reading and enjoying The Madman of Bergerac so much, and because I want to donate it to the library for a feature on novels for language learners - Simenon purposefully wrote short books with a limited vocabulary for people with limited schooling in the postwar Europe.

In this novel we meet the corpse of Louis Thouret in the first few pages and spend the rest of the novel working out who he was. His wife identifies the body but believes his shoes and tie had been swapped because she would never allow him to wear light brown shoes and an almost red tie. This is the first insight into the life of our corpse who despite everything we consequently learn about him, comes across as a much more sympathetic character than his living relatives and acquaintances. I enjoyed it as an interesting exploration of aspiration, striving, greed and deception that seems as relevant today as it may have in the 1950s.