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staticdisplay's review against another edition
3.0
atmospheric - as one expects from Simenon - with characters who are briefly sketched but still have depth. Maigret gets put into at least one awkward situation that takes him out of his comfort zone, and spends much of the story without sleeping. it's well-written as usual but just not my favorite.
frahorus's review against another edition
5.0
Fino ad ora uno dei migliori Maigret che abbia mai letto!
Un ex capitano della Marina mercantile perde la memoria in seguito a un incidente alla testa (forse un colpo di pistola) e viene riconosciuto dalla sua domestica che, assieme a Maigret, lo riaccompagnano a casa e dove il nostro commissario ha intenzione di scoprire cosa sia successo al povero signore. Ma la situazione peggiorerà... Con questo pretesto (l'indagine di Maigret per scoprire il colpevole dell'incidente) il nostro commissario è "costretto" a vivere alcune settimane nella città portuale di Ouistreham.
Maigret è bravissimo a descrivere la vita di un porto, dei marinai che lo abitano, del clima in cui si è avvolti, degli odori e delle sensazioni che in esso si vivono. Non a caso la nebbia diventa quasi un personaggio del libro, dando quel senso di mistero e inquietudine.
Già dalle prime righe Simenon riesce a catturarmi perché subito vorresti sapere come il capitano Joris abbia perso la memoria e per quale motivo qualcuno gli ha fatto del male, lui, come descrivono la sua domestica e gli amici e abitanti del porto, persona così docile e buona con tutti, non può avere nessun nemico. Anche stavolta, come nel romanzo precedente ([b:La casa dei fiamminghi|9678958|La casa dei fiamminghi|Georges Simenon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1300956104s/9678958.jpg|1043571]), le indagini del commissario si basano sull'intuito e non sulla raccolta scientifica delle prove, egli studierà i comportamenti delle persone senza subito giudicarle, si immedesima in loro (non a caso frequenterà il bar del porto), ed è da notare come egli si trovi più a suo agio nei locali a contatto con la gente del popolo semplice e spontanea piuttosto che con i ricchi borghesi (come il salotto del sindaco).
Rispetto agli altri Maigret che ho letto fino ad ora, ho trovato una trama davvero complessa e, ad ogni capitolo, sempre più coinvolgente, cosa che non mi ha mai deluso. Capiremo solo verso la fine il motivo scatenante di tutto.
Un ex capitano della Marina mercantile perde la memoria in seguito a un incidente alla testa (forse un colpo di pistola) e viene riconosciuto dalla sua domestica che, assieme a Maigret, lo riaccompagnano a casa e dove il nostro commissario ha intenzione di scoprire cosa sia successo al povero signore. Ma la situazione peggiorerà... Con questo pretesto (l'indagine di Maigret per scoprire il colpevole dell'incidente) il nostro commissario è "costretto" a vivere alcune settimane nella città portuale di Ouistreham.
Maigret è bravissimo a descrivere la vita di un porto, dei marinai che lo abitano, del clima in cui si è avvolti, degli odori e delle sensazioni che in esso si vivono. Non a caso la nebbia diventa quasi un personaggio del libro, dando quel senso di mistero e inquietudine.
Passa una nave, così vicina che il commissario potrebbe toccarla! Una gomena ricade a pochi passi da lui; qualcuno la raccoglie e la trascina fino a una bitta fissandola con cura.
«Indietro! …Attenzione!» grida una voce, lassù, sulla plancia del vapore.
Pochi istanti prima tutto sembrava morto, deserto. E adesso Maigret, che cammina lungo la chiusa, si accorge che la nebbia pullula di forme umane. Qualcuno gira una manovella. Un altro corre con un secondo cavo di ormeggio. Alcuni doganieri aspettano che venga gettata la passerella per salire a bordo.
Tutto ciò senza che si veda praticamente nulla, nella nube di umidità che imperla i baffi.
Già dalle prime righe Simenon riesce a catturarmi perché subito vorresti sapere come il capitano Joris abbia perso la memoria e per quale motivo qualcuno gli ha fatto del male, lui, come descrivono la sua domestica e gli amici e abitanti del porto, persona così docile e buona con tutti, non può avere nessun nemico. Anche stavolta, come nel romanzo precedente ([b:La casa dei fiamminghi|9678958|La casa dei fiamminghi|Georges Simenon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1300956104s/9678958.jpg|1043571]), le indagini del commissario si basano sull'intuito e non sulla raccolta scientifica delle prove, egli studierà i comportamenti delle persone senza subito giudicarle, si immedesima in loro (non a caso frequenterà il bar del porto), ed è da notare come egli si trovi più a suo agio nei locali a contatto con la gente del popolo semplice e spontanea piuttosto che con i ricchi borghesi (come il salotto del sindaco).
Rispetto agli altri Maigret che ho letto fino ad ora, ho trovato una trama davvero complessa e, ad ogni capitolo, sempre più coinvolgente, cosa che non mi ha mai deluso. Capiremo solo verso la fine il motivo scatenante di tutto.
fictionfan's review against another edition
5.0
Mystery man
A man has been picked up in the streets of Paris, wandering around in what is clearly a state of distress. There is nothing on him to identify him and he doesn’t speak. Beneath the wig he’s wearing, the police discover a recently healed gunshot wound, which seems to account for his befuddled state. After a publicity appeal, a woman comes forward and identifies him as Yves Joris, formerly a captain in the merchant navy, now the harbour-master at Ouistreham, a small port in Lower Normandy. The woman is his maid, Julie, and she’s upset to find him in his present condition. She tells the police that he disappeared six weeks ago, and had no wound at that time. So when and where was he shot? And who tended his wound? How did he end up wandering the streets of Paris? Who gave him the little bundle of new banknotes found in his pocket?
Maigret accompanies Joris and Julie back to Ouistreham with a view to finding out what has happened to Joris. But the case takes a darker turn when the next day Joris is found dead in his bed, poisoned with strychnine...
This one is a real puzzle and Maigret has to do a lot of proper detective work to get at the truth. He also stays largely sober, spending more time on the case than in bars for once, which works well for me – I find his usual endless drinking rather tedious. He soon realises he needs assistance so sends for his dependable colleague, Sergeant Lucas, to join him. It becomes apparent that many of the people of the small town may be involved in some way, and as is the way in tight-knit communities, people are not always willing to share what they know with the police. So Maigret and Lucas have to do a lot of spying and eavesdropping to find out what’s been going on.
As always, the setting is one of the main strengths of the book. Ouistreham is frequented by merchant ships plying their trade around the Nordic countries and across to Britain, and Simenon works this into the story. We soon learn there’s some kind of Norwegian link, while Julie’s brother, Big Louis, is a seaman on a ship that becomes the focus of Maigret’s investigation, since it was in port both when Joris disappeared and again when he is murdered. Louis has a history of violence and has spent time in jail, but Julie is convinced of his innocence in this matter. But then, is Julie innocent? It appears that Joris has left her everything he had, and since a large deposit has recently been made into his bank account she’ll do quite well out of his death. Suspicion doesn’t only fall on these two though – the local mayor is behaving oddly too, and Maigret soon becomes aware of a mystery man who was also in the town at the relevant time.
I must say I had no idea what this was all about until Maigret revealed all at the end, and I’m still not sure that all the loose ends are properly tied up. However, as I say regularly, I find my concentration levels dip more when listening to an audiobook than when reading, so it may well be that I missed some bits of explanation along the way. No matter – the fact that I felt a couple of minor questions were left unanswered didn’t spoil my enjoyment overall. Maigret’s depiction of this small working port is excellent, the detection element is well done, there is some good characterisation, and the major story revolves around messy human relationships – my favourite kind! One of the stronger Maigret novels for me, and I may well read it in a “proper” book format sometime to see if it clears up those bits of the story that remained misty for me this time! 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
A man has been picked up in the streets of Paris, wandering around in what is clearly a state of distress. There is nothing on him to identify him and he doesn’t speak. Beneath the wig he’s wearing, the police discover a recently healed gunshot wound, which seems to account for his befuddled state. After a publicity appeal, a woman comes forward and identifies him as Yves Joris, formerly a captain in the merchant navy, now the harbour-master at Ouistreham, a small port in Lower Normandy. The woman is his maid, Julie, and she’s upset to find him in his present condition. She tells the police that he disappeared six weeks ago, and had no wound at that time. So when and where was he shot? And who tended his wound? How did he end up wandering the streets of Paris? Who gave him the little bundle of new banknotes found in his pocket?
Maigret accompanies Joris and Julie back to Ouistreham with a view to finding out what has happened to Joris. But the case takes a darker turn when the next day Joris is found dead in his bed, poisoned with strychnine...
This one is a real puzzle and Maigret has to do a lot of proper detective work to get at the truth. He also stays largely sober, spending more time on the case than in bars for once, which works well for me – I find his usual endless drinking rather tedious. He soon realises he needs assistance so sends for his dependable colleague, Sergeant Lucas, to join him. It becomes apparent that many of the people of the small town may be involved in some way, and as is the way in tight-knit communities, people are not always willing to share what they know with the police. So Maigret and Lucas have to do a lot of spying and eavesdropping to find out what’s been going on.
As always, the setting is one of the main strengths of the book. Ouistreham is frequented by merchant ships plying their trade around the Nordic countries and across to Britain, and Simenon works this into the story. We soon learn there’s some kind of Norwegian link, while Julie’s brother, Big Louis, is a seaman on a ship that becomes the focus of Maigret’s investigation, since it was in port both when Joris disappeared and again when he is murdered. Louis has a history of violence and has spent time in jail, but Julie is convinced of his innocence in this matter. But then, is Julie innocent? It appears that Joris has left her everything he had, and since a large deposit has recently been made into his bank account she’ll do quite well out of his death. Suspicion doesn’t only fall on these two though – the local mayor is behaving oddly too, and Maigret soon becomes aware of a mystery man who was also in the town at the relevant time.
I must say I had no idea what this was all about until Maigret revealed all at the end, and I’m still not sure that all the loose ends are properly tied up. However, as I say regularly, I find my concentration levels dip more when listening to an audiobook than when reading, so it may well be that I missed some bits of explanation along the way. No matter – the fact that I felt a couple of minor questions were left unanswered didn’t spoil my enjoyment overall. Maigret’s depiction of this small working port is excellent, the detection element is well done, there is some good characterisation, and the major story revolves around messy human relationships – my favourite kind! One of the stronger Maigret novels for me, and I may well read it in a “proper” book format sometime to see if it clears up those bits of the story that remained misty for me this time! 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
wotchergiorgia's review against another edition
3.0
Appena iniziato il libro non avevo aspettative, né in bene, né in male. Non sono un’appassionata di romanzi gialli, di polizieschi, e non ne ho letti molti. Così, affidatomi questo libro dalla professoressa di lettere, ho iniziato a leggerlo con grande fatica; perché sì, ho trovato i primi sei capitoli (sono tredici in totale) lenti e a mio gusto noiosi.
Tuttavia, raggiunta la metà, devo dire che l’ho rivalutato di punto in bianco. Finalmente avevo trovato la suspense, l’azione, il mistero che avrei invece voluto trovare sin dalla prima pagina, ma che purtroppo ho trovato solo a metà. Beh, meglio tardi che mai!
Sono del parere che, quando si inizia a leggere un libro, non si debbano avere aspettative di alcun genere: potrebbero rovinare la lettura, che, invece, non ha mai fine certa, proprio come è capitato a me con Il Porto delle Nebbie di Georges Simenon.
Tuttavia, raggiunta la metà, devo dire che l’ho rivalutato di punto in bianco. Finalmente avevo trovato la suspense, l’azione, il mistero che avrei invece voluto trovare sin dalla prima pagina, ma che purtroppo ho trovato solo a metà. Beh, meglio tardi che mai!
Sono del parere che, quando si inizia a leggere un libro, non si debbano avere aspettative di alcun genere: potrebbero rovinare la lettura, che, invece, non ha mai fine certa, proprio come è capitato a me con Il Porto delle Nebbie di Georges Simenon.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
4.0
This excellent Maigret makes us follow in his company a complicated investigation. The commissioner shows us his insight and gift of discovering tenuous clues on several occasions. The investigation's interest is in our participation in the very heart of the action and the discoveries that allow us to follow as witnesses. That's one of the rare novels where Maigret takes a thrashing and gets tied up like a typical idiot. However, the description of this small town, fishing port, and the few main characters, mayor, cafeteria, gendarme, lock keeper, and sailors, make it an exemplary scenario, which must adapt for a TV series and must be captivating. Simenon shows us in this novel his talents as a writer from a local drama transposing it into a detective story full of mysteries and suspense with the sea as one of the roles.
bookwomble's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
geoffreyjen's review against another edition
5.0
J’ai adoré ce livre, que je considère parmi les meilleurs dans la série Maigret de [a:Georges Simenon|9693|Georges Simenon|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1359880468p2/9693.jpg]. Un livre complexe, dans lequel Maigret est face à des personnes extrêmement obstinées, qui ne confessent à rien. Aussi, Simenon présente la vie marine, et celle des éclusiers, en profondeur, dans une communauté entourée de brumes. Fabuleux! Aussi, touche personnelle pour moi, on fait référence à la vie à Tromsö en Norvège, une petite ville que j’ai connu.
I loved this book, which I consider one of the best in the Maigret series. If I could have given it six stars, I would have! Full of atmosphere, a deep knowledge of the lives of mariners and canal folk, a complex story in which Maigret must deal with people who refuse to share their secrets. For a more personal touch, for me, the story mentions Tromsö, a town in Norway whereI have spent time, presented here in a more sinister light than I experienced.
I loved this book, which I consider one of the best in the Maigret series. If I could have given it six stars, I would have! Full of atmosphere, a deep knowledge of the lives of mariners and canal folk, a complex story in which Maigret must deal with people who refuse to share their secrets. For a more personal touch, for me, the story mentions Tromsö, a town in Norway whereI have spent time, presented here in a more sinister light than I experienced.