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sarahmerfi's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
frank_l's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This is my second endeavour in this series, as I have quite enjoyed being introduced to the setting of Three Pines, an idyllic, small Canadian town (where, seemingly, many people are murdered). However, I found this second novel to be a bit of a tough one to review. As I mentioned previously, I have really come to appreciate the atmosphere that Louise Penny has created in her novels, it's what drew me to these books in the first place.
Something quite prevalent in this novel though, was how the author uses weight as a descriptor for her characters. This did not come through as much of a red flag in the first book, but it certainly made me go wide-eyed at countless points throughout this installment of the series. I realize that may not sound that terrible on its own, but each time a character is reintroduced, she reminds you of their weight, usually with a negative context in mind.
Unfortunately, that was my main take away after finishing this novel. In spite of this, there were parts of the story that I enjoyed and there is good writing here, but I did find that it took me a while to get through this one over the holiday season.
Something quite prevalent in this novel though, was how the author uses weight as a descriptor for her characters. This did not come through as much of a red flag in the first book, but it certainly made me go wide-eyed at countless points throughout this installment of the series. I realize that may not sound that terrible on its own, but each time a character is reintroduced, she reminds you of their weight, usually with a negative context in mind.
Unfortunately, that was my main take away after finishing this novel. In spite of this, there were parts of the story that I enjoyed and there is good writing here, but I did find that it took me a while to get through this one over the holiday season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
bravelass85's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Some real insight tucked into a fun mystery
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Toxic relationship
princess_azula's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Another fantastic mystery, twists and turns around every corner! The way the book and the characters discuss life and all it’s beauty and messiness is so thorough and beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Suicide, Body shaming, Murder, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death and Car accident
hanxiety's review against another edition
the fatphobia was extremely difficult to read and i was not in the right headspace to deal with it at the time I was reading this. May revisit later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I recall that when I read Still Life, the first in Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series, I didn’t get why everyone loved her books. Since then I’ve watched the Three Pines series on TV - the first two episodes are based on A Fatal Grace - and Alfred Molina makes Gamache such a warm, sad, and sympathetic character that it has changed my perception.
Gamache and most of his team work well together and have a long history that the reader hasn’t (yet) seen. An inexperienced and, frankly, destructive member is foisted onto them, and this is part of a mysterious backstory that’s repeatedly referenced but not spelled out. I kept reading hoping to find out more, but was instead entertained by the mystery in the foreground, the murder of a villager whom everyone hated.
Against this backdrop of tension and distrust, Gamache and his team must solve more than one murder to understand the misery in a family that’s been in Three Pines only a year or so. Seeing the interactions of the quirky villagers is the real delight here - Penny creates a whole system of friends and friendly rivals that expands with each book. We learn more and more about these characters, and about Gamache, and that’s the pleasure of these books.
I really enjoyed this and I hope to read the first one again to see if I like it any better now than I did five years ago.
Gamache and most of his team work well together and have a long history that the reader hasn’t (yet) seen. An inexperienced and, frankly, destructive member is foisted onto them, and this is part of a mysterious backstory that’s repeatedly referenced but not spelled out. I kept reading hoping to find out more, but was instead entertained by the mystery in the foreground, the murder of a villager whom everyone hated.
Against this backdrop of tension and distrust, Gamache and his team must solve more than one murder to understand the misery in a family that’s been in Three Pines only a year or so. Seeing the interactions of the quirky villagers is the real delight here - Penny creates a whole system of friends and friendly rivals that expands with each book. We learn more and more about these characters, and about Gamache, and that’s the pleasure of these books.
I really enjoyed this and I hope to read the first one again to see if I like it any better now than I did five years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Murder, Body shaming, and Bullying
saricostanzo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Suicide attempt, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Suicide
cathyrodgers's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Love this series and love LP’s writing. However, the description of one particular character’s weight was so repetitive it was distracting from the story. This was especially true in the early chapters of the book. I don’t want to go into further detail to avoid spoilers.
Otherwise this was a great read for me. I’m working my way through the series and have enjoyed this one and the previous books.
Otherwise this was a great read for me. I’m working my way through the series and have enjoyed this one and the previous books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
kaitlinonfire's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really like this series and had read some out of order. I thought The Brutal Telling was phenomenal! There's a lot to like in A Fatal Grace that's a common thread in the series (small town appeal, the mystery unfolding, a motley crue of locals, lovely prose), but this one made me physically cringe and not in the way the author intende. The fat phobia is INTENSE right off the bat, from the author not just character perspectives. There some other off color comments early on that I think just didn't age well. Approach with a grain of salt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt