davey_edmo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
paulataua's review against another edition
5.0
I am slowly learning that Simenon has a whole body of work that bears no resemblance to his Maigret novels. The Blue Room is one of that number. It begins in an hotel room in which man and a woman are talking just after having had sex. It begins
Did I hurt you?’
‘No.’
‘Are you angry with me?’
‘No.’
No part of the conversation that follows seems all that out of the ordinary but within a few pages we find ourselves in an examining magistrate’s chambers where the same man is being interrogated. We have no idea what happened and whatever happened will only be revealed slowly over the course of the book. There was so much that I liked about the book. The slow uncovering of the crime really worked for me, but the thing that most impressed me was the way the author made me feel I was right there in the middle of the action both in the hotel bedroom and in the interrogation room. It’s an engaging read.
Did I hurt you?’
‘No.’
‘Are you angry with me?’
‘No.’
No part of the conversation that follows seems all that out of the ordinary but within a few pages we find ourselves in an examining magistrate’s chambers where the same man is being interrogated. We have no idea what happened and whatever happened will only be revealed slowly over the course of the book. There was so much that I liked about the book. The slow uncovering of the crime really worked for me, but the thing that most impressed me was the way the author made me feel I was right there in the middle of the action both in the hotel bedroom and in the interrogation room. It’s an engaging read.
ciof's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
lapetiteprincess's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
misterv82's review against another edition
3.0
Kort boek over een affaire met een "femme fatale" ergens halverwege de twintigste eeuw in Frankrijk. Oké, en met een goeie spanningsopbouw. Leuk voor tussendoor.
malagajames's review against another edition
5.0
This is the third story I have read by this author & now I understand why he is so popular. This book has been made into a movie that is currently playing. The previews looked so intriguing I decided to read the story. I'm reading the Accomplices next since the book includes both stories.
ger_c_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bundy23's review against another edition
5.0
Short and to the point, well written, compelling, completely believable, other than 2 very unlikable lead characters it was pretty close to flawless. Highly recommended.
unfetteredfiction's review against another edition
4.0
“The door would stay open. They did not light the lamp. They listened to the frogs croaking in the marsh, and the two men, sitting in straw-bottomed chairs, let the time pass without a word.”
- Georges Simenon, The Blue Room
Reading this book felt lush and easy. It’s the third of Simenon’s works which I’ve read and I’m really coming to appreciate his style. His characteristic bleakness is there, but we have romance too, romance and a true, captivating character study of a man who isn’t particularly extraordinary, but a man who perhaps finds himself lost. He’s not stuck but he doesn’t have a clear direction, he’s meandering and playing the part but something isn’t right, and something terrible is surely going to happen.
In this story we see Tony, a successful businessman, husband and father take on an affair after years of occasional liaisons. This one is different, this one has tragedy written all over it, and all because of a few little words muttered in the Blue Room. Love can be so fragile, but it can also be dangerous when the two lovers aren’t on the same page.
I do admit that I cringed at the sex, but they fit the character and you can’t really depict this affair without it. It hits you on the first page but there isn’t too much later on.
The timeline here is playful, but not disorienting. The story has a great pace, and the characters are so inherently interesting. Tony’s fate was sealed a long time ago, but I so enjoyed watching his life unfold through the pages of this little book.
- Georges Simenon, The Blue Room
Reading this book felt lush and easy. It’s the third of Simenon’s works which I’ve read and I’m really coming to appreciate his style. His characteristic bleakness is there, but we have romance too, romance and a true, captivating character study of a man who isn’t particularly extraordinary, but a man who perhaps finds himself lost. He’s not stuck but he doesn’t have a clear direction, he’s meandering and playing the part but something isn’t right, and something terrible is surely going to happen.
In this story we see Tony, a successful businessman, husband and father take on an affair after years of occasional liaisons. This one is different, this one has tragedy written all over it, and all because of a few little words muttered in the Blue Room. Love can be so fragile, but it can also be dangerous when the two lovers aren’t on the same page.
I do admit that I cringed at the sex, but they fit the character and you can’t really depict this affair without it. It hits you on the first page but there isn’t too much later on.
The timeline here is playful, but not disorienting. The story has a great pace, and the characters are so inherently interesting. Tony’s fate was sealed a long time ago, but I so enjoyed watching his life unfold through the pages of this little book.