Pietr the Latvian
Inspector Maigret, Book 1
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Pietr the Latvian
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Narrated by:
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Gareth Armstrong
About this listen
The first audiobook which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.
Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man. His firm muscles filled out his jacket and quickly pulled all his trousers out of shape. He had a way of imposing himself just by standing there. His assertive presence had often irked many of his own colleagues.
In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he traces the true identity of Pietr the Latvian. Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.
David Bellos is Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University and has won many awards for his translations including the Man Booker International Translator's Award (2005).
©2013 Georges Simenon (P)2013 Audible LtdCritic reviews
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Detective fiction at its finest!
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obscure gallic mystery
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meh.
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Good character development of the protagonist, but not of the villain. Simenon's criminals will have more to say in most of his stories, and this early one shows why it should be so. A character can remain a shadow or silhouette for only so long and still hold the reader's interest.
Still, since the story is Maigret's introduction, it makes sense that he preoccupies the narrator's attention.
🔍
Good start on a long career.
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First Maigret
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ended too quickly
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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Sure. It's interesting and shows a slice of the early 1900sWhat was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
The limitations of investigation of the era - communication, identification.What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Narrator was OKCould you see Pietr the Latvian being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
It would be tough to get people interested in this historical era - it would require an ensemble cast ala Downton Abbey.An early police procedure and investigation story
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The narrator is quite good and I would listen to his narration of another author.
Kind of Bland Story
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The story is a lot more psychological than I would have imagined, but very enjoyable.
Definitely worth a listen!
Superb Narration Carries Story
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What did you like best about Pietr the Latvian? What did you like least?
I listened to the whole book. Nice performance. But the plot was hard to follow and I never understood or really cared about any of the characters. There was a nice twist at the end that tied up a lot of loose ends but it wasn’t enough for me to want to read another of his books.Lost in the translation
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