Maigret's Christmas (Paperback)

by Georges Simenon (Author) "It always happened like that..." (more)
Key Phrases: seven little crosses, emergency call box, diamond broker, Madame Maigret, Madame Martin, Mademoiselle Doncoeur (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR GEORGEs SIMENON AND HIS
MAIGRET MYSTERIES
"Simenon's Maigret, cool and classic as ever . . . All mystery buffs should celebrate."-Scott Turow

"Maigret . . . ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals."-People

"One of the great revolutionists of the detective story."-The New York Times Book Review

"The flood of Harcourt titles will reinforce the inescapability of Maigret, the second most famous Belgian literary detective, after Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot."-The Wall Street Journal

Product Description
Nine short stories make up this delightful holiday-themed collection, each featuring Georges Simenon's famous
detective, Jules Maigret. Christmas mysteries abound: an otherwise sensible little girl insists that she has seen Father Christmas, a statement alarming to her neighbors, Monsieur and Madame Maigret. Then, a choirboy helps the inspector solve a crime while he lies in bed with a cold; another boy, pursued by a criminal, ingeniously leaves a trail to help Maigret track him. Many of these stories feature observant and resourceful children, frightened yet resolute, who bring out a paternal streak in the childless Maigret. The rapport between the inspector and these youthful heroes imparts a delightful freshness to this holiday collection-
a cornucopia for fans of Maigret and mysteries.



See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Harvest Books (November 3, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0156028530 ISBN-13: 978-0156028530 Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #258,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #33 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Simenon, Georges

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First Sentence:
It always happened like that. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
seven little crosses, emergency call box, diamond broker

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Madame Maigret, Madame Martin, Mademoiselle Doncoeur, Ernest Malik, Father Christmas, Bernadette Amorelle, Madame Goldfinger, Rue des Dames, Police Headquarters, Police Judiciaire, Gare du Nord, Superintendent Maigret, Charles Malik, Madame Amorelle, Monsieur Martin, Quai des Orfevres, Boulevard Saint-Germain, Monsieur Campois, Jean Martin, Maurice Tremblet, Rue Caulaincourt, Rue Sainte-Catherine, Monsieur Lorilleux, Rue Lamarck, Boulevard Richard-Lenoir

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Maigret's Christmas by Georges Simenon

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• diamond broker
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5 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, thoughtful, and cleverly plotted, April 8, 2004 By  E. Clinton (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    These stories are excellent. All nine pose intriguing puzzles for Maigret and his colleagues to solve. What makes them special is the quality of the writing (just enough words to convey the image and no more) and the subtlety of the author who always seems to add a little bit more to the reader's perception of Maigret. There are great scenes between Maigret and his wife, Madame Maigret. Anyone married for any length of time will enjoy these little domestic battles. There are also some well drawn child characters whose interaction with Maigret is skillfully depicted. The reader always ends up admiring Maigret for his thoughtfulness and his persistance. He asks great questions of the witnesses to draw out the story. This collection of stories is outstanding. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A WHOLESOME DOSE OF SIMENON'S INSPECTOR AND MADAME MAIGRET, March 26, 2008 By  C. Scanlon "least helpful reviewer" (among us humans) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)       In the mid-eighteen hundreds Mr. Poe invented the genres of modern literature, never to be surpassed in most. He invented the detective story in The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales (Modern Library Classics) long before Holmes and Watson stalked in poor imposture their apartment in Baker Street. Poe's Auguste Dupin of Paris is the original, and the best. One hundred years later Frenchman Georges Simenon created the long lived Inspector Maigret, whose brilliance, subtlety, insight and patience are unmatched in detective literature. Unfortunately in our fallen age all that many know of the French detective is the banal and tiresome Inspector Clouseau; nevertheless, the proud and fascinating characters of DuPin and Maigret will long outlast that forgetable farce. I admit I have long been a fan of Maigret, and of Simenon, whose long career embraced other novels of profound psychological interest, including Strangers in the house: Les inconnus dans la maison. I often grate at the unfortunate, traitorous and out-dated translations made into incompetent English (does anyone still use the word "vexed?"); yet I admit often enjoying the English cassette recordings, including recently the poorly mistitled (Errol Garner style) Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) or that series's compelling recording of None of Maigret's Business. As a devoted fan admiring all things Maigret I therefore noticed the extremely accessible price of this present item, and thought it might be some brief momento of the immortal Inspector. Imagine thereafter my astonishment and my joy open receiving by mail this substantial volume, about 5 x 8 inches and over 325 pages long, a collection of nine tales written around 1950, translated by Jean Stewart. Maigret here, after a very touching and telling and caring domestic scene, investigates a sighting of Santa; in another tale he employs a choirboy in the solving of a crime, and later follows a purposeful trail left by a child fleeing a criminal. We read here therefore another side of Maigret, as he works with and for children, always with the keenest psychological insight and subtlety of the author. Look not here for Clouseau; the true humour here is much more subtle, much deeper, more true and real. Look not here for Kojak nor for blazing gunfire and shoot outs with hoodlums. Here you find no Mickey Spillane, but a patient, quiet, profound reflection of the people and the city of Paris in the post-war years, with no direct mention of that devastating and divisive war. Here you will find nine excellent tales from this master storyteller. You will not be disappointed, but will find much to read and to reflect and to remember when life was like this, to rediscover our human nature. Truly the continual portraiture of the intimate, quiet and deeply caring domestic life of Inspector and Madame Maigret must be read now in this era in which literature and we ourselves have lost this. Read this and remember, and receive the greatest gift of Maigret's Christmas, the great and unstated love of this matrimony. 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Double Expresso of Maigret, May 21, 2004 By  Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    Typically, a Maigret novel is easy reading. Four or five hours of light reading is all it takes to read a very good crime story. This lightness allows one to go on a Maigret binge where in the course of a week, two or three novels can polished off. Miagret's Christmas is a collection of nine short stories. Some of the short stories are not so short, they are more like novellas. At 320 pages of small print, this book is by no means light reading. It took me a couple of weeks to finish the book. Of the nine stories, I found four of them to be classic Georges Simenon. They were world class in their cleverness. The other five were good but not great. However, Georges Simenon's good is most writers very best. All and all a great book but a bit of slog.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Maigret's Christmas I gave this book to my husband for Christmas and he enjoyed it very much. He says it is a little tour of Paris. Published 6 months ago by Anne H. Menendez 5.0 out of 5 stars A nice holiday treat for any Simenon fans. As always- Simenon is economical in expression- but still giving a full picture of the scene. Read more Published on December 7, 2005 by Katie Bell Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books (November 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156028530
• ISBN-13: 978-0156028530
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #258,748 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #33 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Simenon, Georges

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, thoughtful, and cleverly plotted, April 8, 2004

By	E. Clinton (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These stories are excellent. All nine pose intriguing puzzles for Maigret and his colleagues to solve. What makes them special is the quality of the writing (just enough words to convey the image and no more) and the subtlety of the author who always seems to add a little bit more to the reader's perception of Maigret. There are great scenes between Maigret and his wife, Madame Maigret. Anyone married for any length of time will enjoy these little domestic battles. There are also some well drawn child characters whose interaction with Maigret is skillfully depicted. The reader always ends up admiring Maigret for his thoughtfulness and his persistance. He asks great questions of the witnesses to draw out the story. This collection of stories is outstanding.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WHOLESOME DOSE OF SIMENON'S INSPECTOR AND MADAME MAIGRET, March 26, 2008

By	C. Scanlon "least helpful reviewer" (among us humans) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In the mid-eighteen hundreds Mr. Poe invented the genres of modern literature, never to be surpassed in most. He invented the detective story in The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales (Modern Library Classics) long before Holmes and Watson stalked in poor imposture their apartment in Baker Street. Poe's Auguste Dupin of Paris is the original, and the best.

One hundred years later Frenchman Georges Simenon created the long lived Inspector Maigret, whose brilliance, subtlety, insight and patience are unmatched in detective literature.

Unfortunately in our fallen age all that many know of the French detective is the banal and tiresome Inspector Clouseau; nevertheless, the proud and fascinating characters of DuPin and Maigret will long outlast that forgetable farce.

I admit I have long been a fan of Maigret, and of Simenon, whose long career embraced other novels of profound psychological interest, including Strangers in the house: Les inconnus dans la maison. I often grate at the unfortunate, traitorous and out-dated translations made into incompetent English (does anyone still use the word "vexed?"); yet I admit often enjoying the English cassette recordings, including recently the poorly mistitled (Errol Garner style) Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper (Inspector Maigret Mysteries) or that series's compelling recording of None of Maigret's Business.

As a devoted fan admiring all things Maigret I therefore noticed the extremely accessible price of this present item, and thought it might be some brief momento of the immortal Inspector. Imagine thereafter my astonishment and my joy open receiving by mail this substantial volume, about 5 x 8 inches and over 325 pages long, a collection of nine tales written around 1950, translated by Jean Stewart.

Maigret here, after a very touching and telling and caring domestic scene, investigates a sighting of Santa; in another tale he employs a choirboy in the solving of a crime, and later follows a purposeful trail left by a child fleeing a criminal. We read here therefore another side of Maigret, as he works with and for children, always with the keenest psychological insight and subtlety of the author.

Look not here for Clouseau; the true humour here is much more subtle, much deeper, more true and real. Look not here for Kojak nor for blazing gunfire and shoot outs with hoodlums. Here you find no Mickey Spillane, but a patient, quiet, profound reflection of the people and the city of Paris in the post-war years, with no direct mention of that devastating and divisive war.

Here you will find nine excellent tales from this master storyteller. You will not be disappointed, but will find much to read and to reflect and to remember when life was like this, to rediscover our human nature.

Truly the continual portraiture of the intimate, quiet and deeply caring domestic life of Inspector and Madame Maigret must be read now in this era in which literature and we ourselves have lost this. Read this and remember, and receive the greatest gift of Maigret's Christmas, the great and unstated love of this matrimony.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Double Expresso of Maigret, May 21, 2004

By	Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Typically, a Maigret novel is easy reading. Four or five hours of light reading is all it takes to read a very good crime story. This lightness allows one to go on a Maigret binge where in the course of a week, two or three novels can polished off.

Miagret's Christmas is a collection of nine short stories. Some of the short stories are not so short, they are more like novellas. At 320 pages of small print, this book is by no means light reading. It took me a couple of weeks to finish the book.

Of the nine stories, I found four of them to be classic Georges Simenon. They were world class in their cleverness. The other five were good but not great. However, Georges Simenon's good is most writers very best. All and all a great book but a bit of slog.