Reviews

Still Life by Louise Penny

morrauror's review

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lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

vritter's review against another edition

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4.0

I wanted to love this. At times, I did love it. I think I determined the audiobook narrator was the downfall. At times, it was hard to keep track of the characters and it seemed to jump from place and time. I believe this may have been better noted in the written text but didn’t convey the changes on audio.

Overall, well written story with a beautiful use of poetry and quotes.

kaidoi93's review against another edition

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5.0

Really enjoyed this! Will be reading more in this series!

cynicalworm's review against another edition

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4.0

Fun and with a very satisfying ending :)

theyunacorn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lovelyday2day's review against another edition

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3.0

Had been too long since I read a mystery. This was a nice escape.

krisglomb's review

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved the writing in this mystery, so much so that I wished I had read a physical copy rather than listened on audio so I could re-read and savor some of my favorite lines. 

This was an excellent slice of life mystery novel. We look at a potential duo of murders that uncovers the social and interpersonal dynamics of a small Canadian town. Many of the themes tackled in this book (contemporary politics vs traditional values, the way one person can be experienced very differently by many people and have it be the truth, what it means to be a good person and if that can change) are all very much themes found in lots of contemporary fiction, but its wrapped up in a well thought out puzzle and with really interesting characters. There are light, laugh out loud moments, there are cringey moments, moments where I felt disgust, and moments that made me reflect on myself and the way I move through the world. 

I had a few quibbles with some of the switching between characters and places (sometimes I felt lost with where I was and with whom) but it could have been the large cast trying to be expressed by a single audio book narrator. 

While the story wrapped up well in the end, I also felt like I may have missed a few pieces along the way. Overall, I’ll definitely be continuing the series. 

Quotes
“My mother used to say some people are in two places at once whereas I, on the other hand, was nowhere.”

“It would be hard to find a human being less effective than Hadley.” 

“Gamache sat back and did what he did best: watched.”

“It was one of life’s mysteries that this woman who she held absolutely no respect for could lay her flat.”

“At first she thought it was the voice of God. But then Clara couldn’t imagine God’s first words to her being anything other than ‘What the hell were you thinking?!’”

“I really am a kind, warm hearted person-now out of my way motherfucker-no, wait, let me try again.”

“Life is change. If you aren’t growing and evolving you’re standing still, and the rest of the world is surging ahead. Most of these people are very immature. They lead ‘still’ lives waiting.”

welly_boot_'s review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

chrisarchbold's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

bjhenning's review

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3.0

3.5 stars