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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Great book. I couldn't put it down. But I don't think I quite *got* it. I am learning that that seems to be a theme with these books. Not all your questions are answered by the last page. And I am okay with that, mostly.
This one was very sad and I thought for awhile we were going to have to say goodbye to one of the characters of Three Pines (even though I have read later books and knew it couldn't happen).
Fascinating study of the hold secrets have on us, and how living with "perfect saints" can be utterly destructive.
Fascinating study of the hold secrets have on us, and how living with "perfect saints" can be utterly destructive.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another great installment for me. I love returning to Three Pines, especially in the fall. I'm completely heartbroken by the arrest, but the story is a good one. The info about First Nations in BC is also really interesting.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OOhhhh! This one was especially delicious...and unsettling. Penny takes a huge risk with the solution to this murder mystery in Three Pines (Really, folks there seem to drop like flies). I'm still nursing sadness, days after I finished it.
We see our favorite characters with a little more of the veneer peeled away. I'm expecting one marriage to explode sometime soon...
But Brutal Telling. This book takes on immigrant communities in new homelands, treasure (even the Amber Room gets a nod), more yummy food, more Ruth and her duck, and lots of hints of trouble on the horizon, for Inspector Gamache and for Three Pines.
A huge surprise for me was Gamache's trip to research Emily Carr, the artist who went deep into indigenous country to paint the fantastic totem poles in British Columbia. Gamache follows clues, he hopes, to the identity of the dead hermit discovered in Olivier's business. I had read a fictional biography of Carr, and a friend visited an exhibition, bringing me back a print of one of her paintings. Penny is able to take us to a new place, to new people, and share just a small slice of Canadian history. A great detour on her way to breaking my heart.
The audio narrative is splendid, and now on to #6.
We see our favorite characters with a little more of the veneer peeled away. I'm expecting one marriage to explode sometime soon...
But Brutal Telling. This book takes on immigrant communities in new homelands, treasure (even the Amber Room gets a nod), more yummy food, more Ruth and her duck, and lots of hints of trouble on the horizon, for Inspector Gamache and for Three Pines.
A huge surprise for me was Gamache's trip to research Emily Carr, the artist who went deep into indigenous country to paint the fantastic totem poles in British Columbia. Gamache follows clues, he hopes, to the identity of the dead hermit discovered in Olivier's business. I had read a fictional biography of Carr, and a friend visited an exhibition, bringing me back a print of one of her paintings. Penny is able to take us to a new place, to new people, and share just a small slice of Canadian history. A great detour on her way to breaking my heart.
The audio narrative is splendid, and now on to #6.
Penny's novels pull me forward because of the reflective narrative on human nature, of why, of Canada and food. Brilliant!
2.5 stars. Not my favorite mystery I've read recently, though I think it would have helped had I read the first Inspector Gamache novel beforehand to gain a better sense of the characters and setting! This truly was a slow burn of a mystery, lacking the fast pace and sharp twists I've grown accustomed to from most of the recent psychological thrillers I've read. Reminded me a bit of Agatha Christie--very deliberate pacing and lots of characters to tease out. Plus, I'm still not positive I buy the final reveal of which character was the murderer---motive seemed weak. But still a relatively enjoyable, albeit plodding, mystery.
Wow! I feel such an ache of sadness inside from this one.
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes