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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So many characters! I rarely felt I had a full understanding of what was going on; I felt like I needed to re-listen to the rest of the series to review. I missed Three Pines a lot. Overall, I just felt this one lacked the heart of the other novels on the series.
Fair warning: it ends on a cliff hanger, so if you plan to read and haven’t yet you may like to wait until closer to when The Black Wolf releases.
Fair warning: it ends on a cliff hanger, so if you plan to read and haven’t yet you may like to wait until closer to when The Black Wolf releases.
medium-paced
Interminable. Ghastly. The last Louise Penny I'll read. That's it in a nutshell. I'll expand a bit.
I've been working through the Gamache series for some time now. In general, I'd rate these books a 3 or perhaps 3.25 for the strongest novels in the series. They are mediocre at the best of times, but frankly that's been one of the reasons I've enjoyed them. They are the perfect bedtime reading: decent character development; decent world-building; and decent crime plot. Yet, they aren't so engaging that you can't put them down and much of the series is very relaxing and charming with strong roots in the seasonal changes of Quebec and rich descriptions of fine meals and friendship.
As the series has progressed however, it has, in my view degraded, and become increasingly disjointed and improbable, with less of the charm of the first half of the series. Indeed, Grey Wolf was a huge disappointment with a re-hashed plot - high profile friends of Gamache being naughty, again, yawn - a tenuously crafted mystery, and none of the charm of earlier installments. I had already soured after A World of Curiosities, the book that precedes Grey Wolf, and this story just completely ended my relationship with this series.
I've been working through the Gamache series for some time now. In general, I'd rate these books a 3 or perhaps 3.25 for the strongest novels in the series. They are mediocre at the best of times, but frankly that's been one of the reasons I've enjoyed them. They are the perfect bedtime reading: decent character development; decent world-building; and decent crime plot. Yet, they aren't so engaging that you can't put them down and much of the series is very relaxing and charming with strong roots in the seasonal changes of Quebec and rich descriptions of fine meals and friendship.
As the series has progressed however, it has, in my view degraded, and become increasingly disjointed and improbable, with less of the charm of the first half of the series. Indeed, Grey Wolf was a huge disappointment with a re-hashed plot - high profile friends of Gamache being naughty, again, yawn - a tenuously crafted mystery, and none of the charm of earlier installments. I had already soured after A World of Curiosities, the book that precedes Grey Wolf, and this story just completely ended my relationship with this series.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Louise Penny has absolutely ruined Gamache. Why is a homicide investigator constantly thwarting terrorist attacks and international crime rings across Canada and Europe? These plots make no sense. The wild leaps of speculation and paranoia that Gamache indulges in this book are infuriating.
Penny’s obsession with government corruption is also ludicrous and maybe dangerous. Do people really need fiction where there are literally only 3 public servants in all of Canada who aren’t power-hungry sociopaths at a time when trust in public institutions is crumbling to the entire world’s peril.
And if you want to see Clara, Myrna, Ruth, Gabri and Olivia you’ll have to re-read one of the older books. Why can’t we just have a tricky murder mystery in Three Pines and spend some time with the wonderful characters Penny has created?
Penny’s obsession with government corruption is also ludicrous and maybe dangerous. Do people really need fiction where there are literally only 3 public servants in all of Canada who aren’t power-hungry sociopaths at a time when trust in public institutions is crumbling to the entire world’s peril.
And if you want to see Clara, Myrna, Ruth, Gabri and Olivia you’ll have to re-read one of the older books. Why can’t we just have a tricky murder mystery in Three Pines and spend some time with the wonderful characters Penny has created?
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated