staticdisplay's review
3.0
not my favorite Maigret. as always, the spare prose still evokes a heavy atmosphere. sordid, as Maigret himself observes towards the end.
frahorus's review against another edition
3.0
Continuo la maratona Maigret ed eccoci al 14esimo romanzo sul celebre commissario di polizia francese, anche stavolta in trasferta: prende il treno e arriva a Givet, una cittadina francese che confina col Belgio ed è attraversata dal fiume Mosa. Qua Maigret viene accolto dall'unica famiglia fiamminga del paese, i Peeters, dove proverà ad indagare per scagionare i sospetti che tutti gli abitanti hanno su di loro, visto che è scomparsa una ragazza, Germaine, che ha avuto un bambino col figlio dei fiamminghi, Joseph, e l'ultima volta è stata vista proprio entrare nella loro casa. La famiglia Peeters era contraria a un matrimonio riparatore perché la ragazza scomparsa apparteneva a una povera famiglia di operai e perché Joseph era già promesso sposo della benestante cugina Marguerite. A chiedere l'aiuto di Maigret è stata Anna, sorella di Joseph. Fin dall'inizio il nostro commissario trova un clima ostile perché gli abitanti vedono in lui un vero e proprio nemico, un poliziotto di parigini che viene a difendere i fiamminghi. Naturalmente egli scoprirà i motivi della scomparsa della ragazza e chi è stato il colpevole e deciderà la sua umanità a fare una scelta contro le regole.
In questo romanzo possiamo comprendere lo stile di Maigret: più che fare delle indagini egli si muove sulle atmosfere e giungerà a scoprire il colpevole guidato dal suo intuito. Come ho già detto in una passata recensione su Maigret, egli è come una spugna: assorbe tutto ciò che lo circonda, i dialoghi, le atmosfere, gli odori, le persone e quasi sempre frequenta il bar del paese, luogo dove ci si conosce e dove quasi tutti passano anche solo per un caffè o per scambiare due chiacchiere. Gli assassini che ci pennella Simenon è gente comune che spesso appartiene alla classe operaia, non troveremo mai un genio del male che complotta e organizza chissà quale omicidio, ma il delitto si rifà al dramma di esistere e spesso sopravvivere al quotidiano, e quasi sempre l'assassino o lo diventa per sbaglio, o una tragedia lo porta a quel gesto estremo. Un'altra caratteristica di Simenon è quella di farci entrare dentro le case, facendoci osservare quelle situazioni familiari che avvengono in esse.
In questo romanzo possiamo comprendere lo stile di Maigret: più che fare delle indagini egli si muove sulle atmosfere e giungerà a scoprire il colpevole guidato dal suo intuito. Come ho già detto in una passata recensione su Maigret, egli è come una spugna: assorbe tutto ciò che lo circonda, i dialoghi, le atmosfere, gli odori, le persone e quasi sempre frequenta il bar del paese, luogo dove ci si conosce e dove quasi tutti passano anche solo per un caffè o per scambiare due chiacchiere. Gli assassini che ci pennella Simenon è gente comune che spesso appartiene alla classe operaia, non troveremo mai un genio del male che complotta e organizza chissà quale omicidio, ma il delitto si rifà al dramma di esistere e spesso sopravvivere al quotidiano, e quasi sempre l'assassino o lo diventa per sbaglio, o una tragedia lo porta a quel gesto estremo. Un'altra caratteristica di Simenon è quella di farci entrare dentro le case, facendoci osservare quelle situazioni familiari che avvengono in esse.
fictionfan's review
5.0
Culture clash…
Maigret has been approached by a young woman, Anna Peeters, who wants his help. Her family is suspected of having killed another young woman, the lover of Joseph, Anna’s brother, and the mother of his child. Anna fears the local police are about to arrest them and wants Maigret to investigate separately. Since Anna has been introduced to him by an old friend, Maigret agrees, and heads to the small town of Givet on the Belgian border to look into the matter in an unofficial capacity.
This is a short one even by Maigret standards, coming in at just 132 pages, or 3 hours for the audiobook. It gives an interesting picture of a border town, looking in two directions and split between French and Belgian cultures. Simenon was Belgian by birth, although he moved to France as a young man. Here he shows how the French people in Givet look down on the Flemish residents, and because the Peeters family have done well for themselves they also meet with a lot of resentment, of the kind that suggests they are aiming above their station as members of a “lower” culture.
The Peeters themselves behave as if they think they are something special. The missing girl is a young French girl called Germaine Piedbouef and the Peeters see her as too common to marry their precious Joseph, who anyway is more or less betrothed to his cousin Marguerite. Germaine was last seen when she visited the Peeters’ house, looking for the monthly allowance that Joseph paid her for the maintenance of the child. Although no body has been found, the local police are assuming that she has been murdered and that the Peeters must have been involved, either having committed the murder as a group or at the least covering up for whichever one of them did the deed.
Maigret is less sure – perhaps the girl has simply given up hope that Joseph will marry her and run away to Paris, or perhaps despair has caused her to take her own life. And so he wanders around Givet talking to people, drinking plenty of the local Flemish drink of choice, genever (a kind of gin, apparently), and waiting for the local police to find Germaine, dead or alive. He becomes increasingly fascinated by the Peeters family. To him Joseph seems an unremarkable, rather weak young man, but his mother, sisters and cousin Marguerite all adore him immoderately and see him as the centre of their world. Anna particularly intrigues Maigret – she seems so sure of herself, so unemotional, but determined. He realises she is the true centre of the family, the person who holds them together and gives them strength.
Maigret does more actual detection in this one than is sometimes the case, and as always his setting is very well portrayed, with the added interest of the mixed culture. The dynamics within the Peeters family is also shown very believably, from a time when men were seen as the most important members of a family due largely to their greater opportunities to have a career and a place in the public sphere. The ending is a little odd in that it left me wondering why Maigret decided to do what he did – vague to avoid spoilers, sorry – but it added an interesting element to his character. A good one, and as usual the excellent narration by Gareth Armstrong added to my enjoyment. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Maigret has been approached by a young woman, Anna Peeters, who wants his help. Her family is suspected of having killed another young woman, the lover of Joseph, Anna’s brother, and the mother of his child. Anna fears the local police are about to arrest them and wants Maigret to investigate separately. Since Anna has been introduced to him by an old friend, Maigret agrees, and heads to the small town of Givet on the Belgian border to look into the matter in an unofficial capacity.
This is a short one even by Maigret standards, coming in at just 132 pages, or 3 hours for the audiobook. It gives an interesting picture of a border town, looking in two directions and split between French and Belgian cultures. Simenon was Belgian by birth, although he moved to France as a young man. Here he shows how the French people in Givet look down on the Flemish residents, and because the Peeters family have done well for themselves they also meet with a lot of resentment, of the kind that suggests they are aiming above their station as members of a “lower” culture.
The Peeters themselves behave as if they think they are something special. The missing girl is a young French girl called Germaine Piedbouef and the Peeters see her as too common to marry their precious Joseph, who anyway is more or less betrothed to his cousin Marguerite. Germaine was last seen when she visited the Peeters’ house, looking for the monthly allowance that Joseph paid her for the maintenance of the child. Although no body has been found, the local police are assuming that she has been murdered and that the Peeters must have been involved, either having committed the murder as a group or at the least covering up for whichever one of them did the deed.
Maigret is less sure – perhaps the girl has simply given up hope that Joseph will marry her and run away to Paris, or perhaps despair has caused her to take her own life. And so he wanders around Givet talking to people, drinking plenty of the local Flemish drink of choice, genever (a kind of gin, apparently), and waiting for the local police to find Germaine, dead or alive. He becomes increasingly fascinated by the Peeters family. To him Joseph seems an unremarkable, rather weak young man, but his mother, sisters and cousin Marguerite all adore him immoderately and see him as the centre of their world. Anna particularly intrigues Maigret – she seems so sure of herself, so unemotional, but determined. He realises she is the true centre of the family, the person who holds them together and gives them strength.
Maigret does more actual detection in this one than is sometimes the case, and as always his setting is very well portrayed, with the added interest of the mixed culture. The dynamics within the Peeters family is also shown very believably, from a time when men were seen as the most important members of a family due largely to their greater opportunities to have a career and a place in the public sphere. The ending is a little odd in that it left me wondering why Maigret decided to do what he did – vague to avoid spoilers, sorry – but it added an interesting element to his character. A good one, and as usual the excellent narration by Gareth Armstrong added to my enjoyment. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
geoffreyjen's review against another edition
4.0
This is a complex tale. Although the solution of the puzzle is never evident, Maigret’s solution is revealed to be the only right one, by force of character. I gave this less than five stars although it is quintessentially Simenon, because I found the story luke warm, by intention I believe, but it is hard to give maximum appreciation to a story about people who have little spark - nothing to do with the Flemish, the French in this story are worse! Maigret himself seems to have no spark here, and the ending is a piece with the whole.
Ceci est une histoire complexe. On ne devine pas la solution que Maigret finit par trouver, mais sa résolution du problème se révèle comme la seule possible vue la nature des personnages impliqués. C’est d’ailleurs toujours l’approche de Maigret, de trouver le malfaiteur en étudiant le caractère des personnes. Je n’ai donné que quatre étoiles parce que l’histoire me parait terne, sans doute par intention de l’écrivain. Il est difficile pour moi d’apprécier autant une histoire sans éclat. Même Maigret manque d’éclat ici.
Ceci est une histoire complexe. On ne devine pas la solution que Maigret finit par trouver, mais sa résolution du problème se révèle comme la seule possible vue la nature des personnages impliqués. C’est d’ailleurs toujours l’approche de Maigret, de trouver le malfaiteur en étudiant le caractère des personnes. Je n’ai donné que quatre étoiles parce que l’histoire me parait terne, sans doute par intention de l’écrivain. Il est difficile pour moi d’apprécier autant une histoire sans éclat. Même Maigret manque d’éclat ici.
seledon30's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
crnavedrana's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
abernathy's review against another edition
3.0
Non è male ma si capisce troppo in fretta chi è l'assassino, e niente nella trama fa in modo di distorcere l'attenzione da questo personaggio. Anche quando vengono ''accusati'' altri personaggi, sono tentativi talmente deboli da essere inutili.
vandana's review
2.0
2-2.5 stars. My first Maigret. Perhaps it wasn't the best place to start. I didn't really like the writing style and found it a bit confusing. Not a bad story, but just not for me.
han_cat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75