staticdisplay's review against another edition
3.0
claustrophobic and delirious. Maigret dreams he is a seal (or whale) while convalescing after being shot by someone who was crying in the bunk above him on the train. the entire mystery occurs from the hotel room where Maigret recovers. I enjoyed his wife's presence, just in the sense that it gave her a chance to become more of a person (barely).
I did not enjoy a lot of the language that was used to discuss Jewish people - it was disappointing for Maigret, who is usually so non-judgmental, to suddenly seem antisemitic and I just don't want to read it. maybe should rate this lower as a statement.
I did not enjoy a lot of the language that was used to discuss Jewish people - it was disappointing for Maigret, who is usually so non-judgmental, to suddenly seem antisemitic and I just don't want to read it. maybe should rate this lower as a statement.
frahorus's review against another edition
2.0
Dopo [b:Il cavallante della «Providence»|9678956|Il cavallante della «Providence»|Georges Simenon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1301242847s/9678956.jpg|43519] e [b:Un delitto in Olanda|9678959|Un delitto in Olanda|Georges Simenon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1413577117s/9678959.jpg|43516] ecco il terzo Maigret che, fino ad ora (ne ho letto ben sedici), non mi ha soddisfatto. Stavolta il nostro commissario si ritrova chiuso in una stanza d'ospedale dopo aver avuto un incidente in treno e da lì inizierà ad indagare sul pazzo di Bergerac, un uomo che ha la tendenza di uccidere giovani donne. Interessante trovare sua moglie fargli da consulente e quasi da vice.
Sarò sincero: mi ha annoiato questo Maigret. In questa indagine troveremo scambio di identità, incendi, figli nascosti, amori clandestini e suicidi. La stessa ricostruzione del commissario mi è parsa confusa e debole. Anche in questa storia, come nella maggior parte dei casi di Maigret, vi è al centro una donna o comunque una passione nascosta o una relazione clandestina per la quale i vari protagonisti o il solo amante farebbe di tutto per continuare a credere in essa (o nasconderla), anche se ciò potrebbe portare alla morte di persone anche care.
Questo genere di gialli viene definito The armchair detective, ovvero il tema del detective che risolve il caso in poltrona, senza uscire di casa, rinchiuso fra le mura (come non pensare a Nero Wolf?). A me ha fatto ricordare il film di Hitchcock La finestra sul cortile, dove il protagonista era costretto sulla sedia a rotelle e si metteva a spiare i suoi vicini di casa con un binocolo.
Viene ribadito, anche in questo romanzo, il limite di Maigret rispetto all'onniscenza di detective come Sherlock Holmes o i personaggi di Dupin: la sua umanità (difatti non riesce a prevedere cosa succederà all'assassino alla fine della storia). E Simenon ci vuole far capire che l'animo umano è inconoscibile ed imprevedibile.
Sarò sincero: mi ha annoiato questo Maigret. In questa indagine troveremo scambio di identità, incendi, figli nascosti, amori clandestini e suicidi. La stessa ricostruzione del commissario mi è parsa confusa e debole. Anche in questa storia, come nella maggior parte dei casi di Maigret, vi è al centro una donna o comunque una passione nascosta o una relazione clandestina per la quale i vari protagonisti o il solo amante farebbe di tutto per continuare a credere in essa (o nasconderla), anche se ciò potrebbe portare alla morte di persone anche care.
Questo genere di gialli viene definito The armchair detective, ovvero il tema del detective che risolve il caso in poltrona, senza uscire di casa, rinchiuso fra le mura (come non pensare a Nero Wolf?). A me ha fatto ricordare il film di Hitchcock La finestra sul cortile, dove il protagonista era costretto sulla sedia a rotelle e si metteva a spiare i suoi vicini di casa con un binocolo.
Viene ribadito, anche in questo romanzo, il limite di Maigret rispetto all'onniscenza di detective come Sherlock Holmes o i personaggi di Dupin: la sua umanità (difatti non riesce a prevedere cosa succederà all'assassino alla fine della storia). E Simenon ci vuole far capire che l'animo umano è inconoscibile ed imprevedibile.
armelle's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Une bonne intrigue, mail il faut bien que j'enlève des étoiles pour le sexisme racisme et l'antisémitisme. Le texte vient d'une autre époque maintenant, mais ça m'a quand-même gâché le plaisir.
geoffreyjen's review
5.0
J’adore ces livres mysteres de Simenon, mystère autant dans la façon que c’est écrit que dans le sujet du livre. On sent que Maigret poursuit l’affaire avec sa propre logique habituelle, mais on est completement mystifié sur la nature du probleme qui se pose. Une vraie délice!
I love these Simenon books which wrap a mystery story inside a mysterious telling of the story. One senses that Maigret is progressing in his usual logical way towards a solution, but we have no idea what is going on until we get there. This is writing at its best!
I love these Simenon books which wrap a mystery story inside a mysterious telling of the story. One senses that Maigret is progressing in his usual logical way towards a solution, but we have no idea what is going on until we get there. This is writing at its best!
han_cat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
furfff's review against another edition
4.0
One of the better ones that I’ve read so far. A nice, fresh conceit of a largely immobilized maigret working a case through his wife an colleagues. Great opening sequence too. Dissolves into soap operatic complexity at the end but still fun.
komet2020's review against another edition
4.0
The story begins with Paris on the threshold of spring. It is March, Madame Maigret is away in Alsace to be with her sister who is soon to give birth to her third child, and Maigret finds himself without any urgent cases to mull over. This is unusual for him, because Maigret has a passion for his job which tends to keep him busy almost without letup. On this particular day, he receives in the mail a letter from a former colleague, Leduc, who had retired from the Police Judiciare 2 years previously to live a quiet, contented life in the Dordogne. Leduc tells Maigret: "... if ever a good wind should blow you into this part of the world, I count on you to spend a few days under my roof. My old servant is never so happy as when there's a guest to be made a fuss of... The salmon fishing has begun..." So, as Maigret has no impending case or cases at the moment, he resolves to travel by train to see his old friend in the Dordogne for a few days.
Maigret shares a berth on the train with a rather strange, nervous, fidgety man who closets himself in the upper bunk of the partition. He sleeps fitfully. So on edge is this man that Maigret is denied a good night's rest. Then suddenly, with Maigret laying uncomfortably in bed, he notices the man's lower legs hang over the upper bunk railing as he puts on a pair of woolen socks and leather boots, clambers out of his bunk, walks quickly down the adjoining passage, and jumps off the train. Maigret follows close behind him, wondering at the strangeness of the situation, the train now moving slow enough for him to jump to the ground without injuring himself when there is a sudden flash and a bullet pierces his shoulder. Vainly, Maigret is in pursuit of the man and slips into unconsciousness from a slow and steady loss of blood.
Maigret awakes the next morning in a local hospital, where he is at first put under close surveillance by the local authorities. The locality in which Maigret finds himself is Bergerac, which in recent months had been plagued by a so-called "madman" who would pounce upon unsuspecting women at night amid rustic surroundings, strangle them once he had them firmly in his clutches, and plunge a long needle into their hearts as a calling card. Maigret at first is thought to be this "madman" for he looked rather beat up when he was found, and had no personal ID on him. Thankfully, Leduc lives nearby, learns of Maigret's predicament, and is able to vouch for him to the satisfaction of the doctor, magistrate, and other local authorities.
This marks the beginning of Maigret's quest --- with the help of Leduc and Madame Maigret (who arrives from Alsace to help him get back on his feet, for he is facing a slow recovery) --- to investigate the case of this maniacal murderer who is the terror of this provincial town. At the same time, Maigret has to contend with the "obsessive snobbery and hypocrisy of small-town bourgeoisie" and their mistrust of him as an outsider. Certainly, Maigret's brusque, investigative style does nothing to endear him to Bergerac's denizens.
All in all, "The Madman of Bergerac" reads as an interesting moral, psychological tale with many twists and turns.
Maigret shares a berth on the train with a rather strange, nervous, fidgety man who closets himself in the upper bunk of the partition. He sleeps fitfully. So on edge is this man that Maigret is denied a good night's rest. Then suddenly, with Maigret laying uncomfortably in bed, he notices the man's lower legs hang over the upper bunk railing as he puts on a pair of woolen socks and leather boots, clambers out of his bunk, walks quickly down the adjoining passage, and jumps off the train. Maigret follows close behind him, wondering at the strangeness of the situation, the train now moving slow enough for him to jump to the ground without injuring himself when there is a sudden flash and a bullet pierces his shoulder. Vainly, Maigret is in pursuit of the man and slips into unconsciousness from a slow and steady loss of blood.
Maigret awakes the next morning in a local hospital, where he is at first put under close surveillance by the local authorities. The locality in which Maigret finds himself is Bergerac, which in recent months had been plagued by a so-called "madman" who would pounce upon unsuspecting women at night amid rustic surroundings, strangle them once he had them firmly in his clutches, and plunge a long needle into their hearts as a calling card. Maigret at first is thought to be this "madman" for he looked rather beat up when he was found, and had no personal ID on him. Thankfully, Leduc lives nearby, learns of Maigret's predicament, and is able to vouch for him to the satisfaction of the doctor, magistrate, and other local authorities.
This marks the beginning of Maigret's quest --- with the help of Leduc and Madame Maigret (who arrives from Alsace to help him get back on his feet, for he is facing a slow recovery) --- to investigate the case of this maniacal murderer who is the terror of this provincial town. At the same time, Maigret has to contend with the "obsessive snobbery and hypocrisy of small-town bourgeoisie" and their mistrust of him as an outsider. Certainly, Maigret's brusque, investigative style does nothing to endear him to Bergerac's denizens.
All in all, "The Madman of Bergerac" reads as an interesting moral, psychological tale with many twists and turns.
kirinmccrory's review against another edition
2.0
If you like your mysteries full of convenient plot twists, misogyny, quiet anti-immigration sentiments, and a dissatisfying solution, then this book's for you!
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