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princess_azula's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Grief, Death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia, Hate crime, and Terminal illness
kurumipanda's review
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, and Outing
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I first read this five years ago and I didn’t understand why everyone loved Louise Penny’s Gamache series. I mean, the book was okay, but I didn’t like it enough to want to read the next book.
Since then I’ve watched the Three Pines series on TV and it made the characters come alive for me in a way that usually happens in books. So now I’m reading them again. This time I started with the second in the series, then backtracked to the first.
I definitely enjoyed it a lot more this time. I found the quirkiness of the characters appealing rather than annoying and cliched. I had only a vague memory of the plot so it all seemed fresh to me. I have come to love the village of Three Pines and look forward to reading more.
Since then I’ve watched the Three Pines series on TV and it made the characters come alive for me in a way that usually happens in books. So now I’m reading them again. This time I started with the second in the series, then backtracked to the first.
I definitely enjoyed it a lot more this time. I found the quirkiness of the characters appealing rather than annoying and cliched. I had only a vague memory of the plot so it all seemed fresh to me. I have come to love the village of Three Pines and look forward to reading more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
shelfofunread's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
gemin1reader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
4.5
I have seen so many good reviews of this book and they were all accurate - it’s just lovely. A cosy mystery, with beautiful comments on life and human nature. Maybe a teeny bit slow for me in places but I think that was intentional, because it lulls you into the pace of the village it’s set in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death of parent
saricostanzo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Ableism, Death of parent, and Murder
artmajorese's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
A quiet, slow mystery novel set in a quaint Quebecois town littered with artists. There's an extensive cast of locals to keep track of, as well as a handful of police personnel. On the plus side, setting is lovely and inviting. The prose itself was charming.
On the downsides, there are many characters that I would like to kick: Nichol for her patent lack of self-reflection; Gamache for being so lax about suspects being around evidence; teenage boys for being... well, teenage menaces; that niece for being mean to Clara (hopefully the niece is murdered in a future installment). Oh, and I was enraged that they didn't prove that they were trying to solve a murder until nearly 70% of the way through.
Yet I still cheered for Gamache and his team to solve the mystery. And when it came, the solution had a few satisfyingly un-heroic twists. That's probably a controversial opinion. But I enjoyed that Penny undermined the stereotypes of mystery endings.
On the downsides, there are many characters that I would like to kick: Nichol for her patent lack of self-reflection; Gamache for being so lax about suspects being around evidence; teenage boys for being... well, teenage menaces; that niece for being mean to Clara (hopefully the niece is murdered in a future installment). Oh, and I was enraged that they didn't prove that they were trying to solve a murder until nearly 70% of the way through.
Yet I still cheered for Gamache and his team to solve the mystery. And when it came, the solution had a few satisfyingly un-heroic twists. That's probably a controversial opinion. But I enjoyed that Penny undermined the stereotypes of mystery endings.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder and Homophobia
_ingrah's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Murder
emaire22's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Child abuse
sparklefarm's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
As comfy as a murder mystery can be. Mystery was my favorite genre growing up (thanks, Encyclopedia Brown!) and the pacing, foreshadowing, and revelations of a good mystery are so comfortable to sink into - and Penny does it really well! I'm very glad there are many more books to look forward to in this series. I loved the cast of characters and am excited to meet more of them and get to know them better along the way. Even though many more murders apparently happen in this small town! (Also I had my eye on the murderer in the first few chapters so I feel very vindicated.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Terminal illness