by Paul Auster - (12 Jun 2009 - 00:00)
BookNewYorkTrilogy :
These 3 novellas each begin with the outward form of a classic noir detective novel. They soon descend into madness and obsession, and become almost a parody - but a parody of what, I can't say.
Despite the great critical praise given to these stories, I found them a bit tedious. The detective story can be great literature, without resorting to deconstruction - think of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Georges Simenon for example. So when Auster plays his inversion games with the genre, it makes me think that he simply couldn't achieve what others have achieved. It was disappointing.
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My Friend Maigret
by Georges Simenon - (31 May 2008 - 00:00)
BookMyFriendMaigret :
This novel is about Maigret. Oh sure, there's a murder and an investigation, and we eventually get to know a good deal about the victim and about the suspects, but above all else, we get to know Maigret.
Scotland Yard has heard about the famous Maigret, and with the permission of the Paris police has assigned an inspector Pike to shadow Maigret and observe his methods. Maigret feels terribly self-conscious about that, knowing as he does that he basically has no method, or no method that can be observed in a few days. Pike is absolutely correct in his dealings with Maigret, never imposing himself, always speaking perfect and precise French, and for that reason, and others, Maigret feels oppressed by Pike's presence, and begins to feel that he must prove himself.
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The Widow
by Georges Simenon - (31 May 2008 - 00:00)
BookTheWidow :
The Widow is an extraordinary little novel. Written in 1940 and published in 1942, it is a dark and intense gem. Like the very best Hitchcock movies, this novel conveys a sense of inevitability, tragedy waiting to happen.
The introduction by Paul Theroux mentions that The Widow was published in the same year as The Stranger by Albert Camus. The Stranger went on to become part of the modern canon; The Widow has been mostly ignored or forgotten. At the time of publication, Andre Gide thought The Widow was the better book, and Theroux agrees. Certainly the characters are better and more fully drawn in the Simenon novel. It is not an abstract study, but a kind of cinema verite.
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by Georges Simenon - (03 May 2008 - 22:27)
AuthorGeorgesSimenon :
Genre :
fiction
About 75 novels in the Maigret series, plus a large number of psychological crime novels.
includeauthorsearch Georges Simenon
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by Georges Simenon - (31 Oct 2005 - 16:22)
BookMaigretHesitates :
Title - booktitle Maigret Hesitates
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0156551527
Queue status - completed
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by AuthorGeorgesSimenon Georges Simenon - (07 Apr 2005 - 13:40)
BookManOnBench :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the Man on the Bench
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0156028379
Queue status - completed
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by Georges Simenon - (03 Dec 2004 - 00:13)
BookMaigretFortuneteller :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the fortuneteller
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0151555710
Queue status - completed
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Maigret at the Crossroads
by Georges Simenon - (18 Aug 2004 - 12:39)
BookMaigretCrossroads :
Title - booktitle Maigret at the Crossroads
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0140020284
Queue status - completed
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The hatter's phantoms
by Georges Simenon - (13 Aug 2004 - 21:33)
BookHatterPhantoms :
Title - booktitle The hatter's phantoms
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 089190428X
Queue status - completed
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Maigret and the Spinster
by Georges Simenon - (26 Jul 2004 - 09:06)
BookMaigretSpinster :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the Spinster
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0156028433
Queue status - completed
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Maigret and the Millionaires
by Georges Simenon - (21 Jul 2004 - 17:59)
BookMaigretMillionaires :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the Millionaires
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 015155143X
Queue status - completed
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Maigret Afraid
by Georges Simenon - (12 Jul 2004 - 11:46)
BookMaigretAfraid :
Title - booktitle Maigret Afraid
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 015655142X
Queue status - completed
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Maigret and the Nahour Case
by Georges Simenon - (03 Jul 2004 - 05:33)
BookMaigretNahourCase :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the Nahour Case
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0151555591
Queue status - completed
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Maigret and the Hotel Majestic
by Georges Simenon - (28 Jun 2004 - 14:26)
BookMaigretHotelMajestic :
Title - booktitle Maigret and the Hotel Majestic
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0156551330
Queue status - completed
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Maigret Loses his Temper
by Georges Simenon - (23 Jun 2004 - 23:19)
BookMaigretLosesHis :
Title - booktitle Maigret Loses his Temper
Author - author Georges Simenon
Category - fiction
bookthumb 0156028476
Queue status - completed
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