Maigret Goes to School [Paperback]

Georges Simenon (Author), Daphne Woodward (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 015655156X
• ISBN-13: 978-0156551564
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Maigret investigates murder in a small coastal village, November 11, 2007

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Maigret Goes to School (Paperback)

Maigret Goes to School (December, 1953) is among my favorite Maigret stories. On an early, dazzling spring day Maigret accepts a plea to help a schoolmaster accused of murder in the small coastal community of Saint-Andre-sur-Mer. Maigret recognizes that his decision was perhaps less influenced by the claimant's plea and more by his own memories of white wine and fresh oysters characteristic of the Charentes region.

The community offers at best a frosty welcome to Maigret. Leonie Birard, a universally disliked, aging ex-postmistress, was shot through the eye by a 22-rifle. Almost anyone could have killed her with a lucky shot, but this close knit village concludes that the local school teacher, an outsider, was likely responsible and certainly there is no need for the presence of an intrusive inspector. Although unwelcome, Maigret understands the situation as he had lived in a small village in his childhood.

I have read a fair number of the Maigret mysteries, but spaced over so many years that I have largely forgotten which ones I have read. I periodically come back to these stories because Maigret is a friend, one that I only occasionally encounter, but one whose company I always enjoy. What makes Maigret Goes to School particularly interesting to me are Maigret's memories of his childhood and the insight they provide into his character.

The mystery is also intriguing. Maigret does not entirely rule out the schoolmaster, but he is a rather unlikely suspect, except for an accusatory statement made by one of his students. As usual, Maigret exercises patience, and does not jump to conclusions. Maigret's calm, persistent approach gradually reveals the solution.

If Maigret Goes to School appeals to you as it did me, I suggest reading Maigret Goes Home (1932), one of the earliest stories by Georges Simenon. Prior to 1967 Maigret Goes Home was published in English under the varied titles The Saint-Fiacre Affair, Death of a Countess, and Maigret and the Countess.

4.0 out of 5 stars Familiar territory, March 29, 2010

By 

Keris Nine - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Maigret Goes to School (Bridge) (Paperback)

When a man turns up in his office, anticipating arrest for the murder of an old lady, Maigret travels to a little village in the provinces in a non-professional capacity. Shot through the eye by an air-pistol while looking out her window, the villagers aren't exactly sorry that the old woman is dead - she's been the terror of the village for years - but if someone has to pay for the crime, they reckon it might as well be the school teacher, since he's considered an outsider.

Simenon's in familiar territory here - Les Fiancailles de Monsieur Hire, L'Assassin - convincingly depicting the workings of small communities, watching each other through windows, gossiping, ostracising outsiders, creating a sense of community only through mutual fear, guilt and suspicion. Coming from a small country village himself, Maigret is only too familiar with this kind of behaviour, and slips quietly back into their way of thinking to uncover the underlying motivations of the killer.

5.0 out of 5 stars Study of a murder, April 3, 2009

By 

Patto (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Maigret Goes to School (Paperback)

A schoolmaster from the tiny village of Saint-André-Sur-Mer flees to Paris when he's about to be arrested for murdering the postmistress. He begs Maigret to save him by finding out the truth.

Perhaps it's only the idea of a few days by the sea with plenty of fresh oysters and white wine that impels Maigret to step outside his territory. But however foolish it may be, he's off and running, like a small boy engaged in a prank.

Maigret grew up in a village, and he's delighted to find the characters of his childhood reproduced in the inhabitants of Saint-André-Sur-Mer. Thanks to these helpful memories, and his rare talent for absorbing atmosphere, Maigret is not fooled for long by the wily villagers.

A fun read, with interesting dynamics among the schoolboys.