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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Overall I enjoyed this book, liked the characters and the setting, but once again - as it is an audiobook, I had a hard time listening to it and had to listen to some of the chapters twice as my mind wandered and I fell asleep a couple of times. That skews my review.
The one thing I found totally unsatisfying was the ending (and had to listen to it twice to actually reconcile who did it). I was hoping the author would not bring in a new character out of the blue and while she did not, the culprit of the murder was a bit unbelievable and unrealistic.
I probably won't go out of my way to read the sequel.
The one thing I found totally unsatisfying was the ending (and had to listen to it twice to actually reconcile who did it). I was hoping the author would not bring in a new character out of the blue and while she did not, the culprit of the murder was a bit unbelievable and unrealistic.
I probably won't go out of my way to read the sequel.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have enjoyed all 5 Penny books I have read. Looking forward to continuing the series. These books are like a compass, bringing you home. If I don't know what to read I grab one.
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.75/5.00
A big part of my rating is that this book just isn't for me. This is definitely a slow paced book. I don't tend to enjoy these books much. There are exceptions to this, of course, but this book isn't one of those exceptions.
I liked the duck. I loved hearing about this duck. I loved hearing about it's little clothes. I loved hearing about it sleeping. I LOVED THIS DUCK. And I loved the heartfelt ending regarding this duck.
I liked the theme about conscience and not being able to escape it. I liked the way the lead detective sees an investigation about a murder as something that begins before the crime actually occurs and by looking at something not visible to the human eye: emotions that fester until somebody snaps.
I did not like the characters. The second-in-command (whose name starts with B, but I couldn't bother remembering) was horrible. The way he treated Morin was disgusting. He wasn't just being mean, but it seemed he hated the guy for literally no reason at all. Then there was his comments on how he sees things as either "Quebecois or foreign". The blatant xenophobia this character demonstrates when he describes African, Latin American, and Asians as "all alike". I find more beauty in African, Asian, and South American architecture than I do in settler architecture.
I was rooting for Olivier to be the murderer because of how annoying he was throughout the book.
Peter was disgusting wishing on his wife's downfall because he was jealous she was a better artist than he was.
Clara actually struggling with the decision of confronting the homophobic art dealer was awful. The fact that she was struggling to stand up for her friends (not because she was afraid of speaking up, but because she might lose her opportunity to showcase her art) showed how bad of a friend she is. She actually thought displaying her art was more important than standing up for her LGBTQ+ friends. And here's the thing: even after confronting the homophobic man, she still wanted to work with him. Why would you want to work alongside somebody who hates people because of their sexuality?!
Marc, like Olivier, was disgusting. The way they both used a dead man's body in an attempt to destroy each other was sad.
I did not feel any connection to any of these characters. When a book has characters with awful personalities, I still want to connect with them. Anxious People and The Secret History both accomplished this. This book did not.
All in all, I would say my two reasons for my low rating are: the slow pace and the lack of connection to the characters. Obviously if you like slower paced books, your rating is going to be a lot higher than mine because it's not a bad book. It's just not for me.
A big part of my rating is that this book just isn't for me. This is definitely a slow paced book. I don't tend to enjoy these books much. There are exceptions to this, of course, but this book isn't one of those exceptions.
I liked the duck. I loved hearing about this duck. I loved hearing about it's little clothes. I loved hearing about it sleeping. I LOVED THIS DUCK. And I loved the heartfelt ending regarding this duck.
I liked the theme about conscience and not being able to escape it. I liked the way the lead detective sees an investigation about a murder as something that begins before the crime actually occurs and by looking at something not visible to the human eye: emotions that fester until somebody snaps.
I did not like the characters. The second-in-command (whose name starts with B, but I couldn't bother remembering) was horrible. The way he treated Morin was disgusting. He wasn't just being mean, but it seemed he hated the guy for literally no reason at all. Then there was his comments on how he sees things as either "Quebecois or foreign". The blatant xenophobia this character demonstrates when he describes African, Latin American, and Asians as "all alike". I find more beauty in African, Asian, and South American architecture than I do in settler architecture.
I was rooting for Olivier to be the murderer because of how annoying he was throughout the book.
Peter was disgusting wishing on his wife's downfall because he was jealous she was a better artist than he was.
Clara actually struggling with the decision of confronting the homophobic art dealer was awful. The fact that she was struggling to stand up for her friends (not because she was afraid of speaking up, but because she might lose her opportunity to showcase her art) showed how bad of a friend she is. She actually thought displaying her art was more important than standing up for her LGBTQ+ friends. And here's the thing: even after confronting the homophobic man, she still wanted to work with him. Why would you want to work alongside somebody who hates people because of their sexuality?!
Marc, like Olivier, was disgusting. The way they both used a dead man's body in an attempt to destroy each other was sad.
I did not feel any connection to any of these characters. When a book has characters with awful personalities, I still want to connect with them. Anxious People and The Secret History both accomplished this. This book did not.
All in all, I would say my two reasons for my low rating are: the slow pace and the lack of connection to the characters. Obviously if you like slower paced books, your rating is going to be a lot higher than mine because it's not a bad book. It's just not for me.
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
These novels are always a joy and this one was particularly good. Great elements of folklore and art woven into the ongoing story of Gamache, his team, and the lives of the Three Pines residents. The end was somewhat dissatisfying, but I imagine we'll get some more resolution on it in a later novel in the series.
2021 ATY Challenge - a book related to a codeword from the NATO phonetic alphabet (set in QUEBEC)
I don't believe this story is over. We shall see.
I don't believe this story is over. We shall see.
