Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This was my least favorite of the series since The Beautiful Mystery. Peter has been my least favorite character since the beginning so it was hard to care much about the central conflict. I finished since I intend to continue the series because the good has far outweighed the bad & there are many characters I have fallen in love with.
I especially loved the setting in this one, but was unsatisfied with the ending. In previous books I found it hard to solve the mystery before the end, but in this one and the last one it was more obvious which took some of the fun out of it. Even so, my love for Gamache is strong and I can't wait to read the next.
Louise Penny's books are incredibly aggravating for me. I find her writing style very readable/listenable most of the time, and she infuses a wry sense of humor that I love. I also love Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir, but I've had just about enough of every resident of Three Pines. The more I get to know the core Three Pines characters, the more I dislike all of them, and I don't care what happens to any of them. (Why is Olivier still bitter about something HE DID TO HIMSELF, five books ago?)
Also, the plots and mysteries of this book and several previous books (especially How the Light Gets In) are so far-fetched and implausible, relying on so many convenient coincidences of timing and putting the pieces together just in time (or just a hair too late) that I can no longer suspend my disbelief. And did we really need a whole book about where Peter went? Did we really need a whole book about something that happened to Peter that never would have happened if Clara hadn't been so damned pigheaded? Obviously there would have been no plot if Clara hadn't done x, y, and z, but the climactic scene of this book was RIDICULOUS.
(Also: when Jean-Guy, Armand, and Reine-Marie (a librarian) each try their hand at an internet search, the librarian in me wanted to holler: "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS." And all three of them should know better.)
I may peek at the later Gamache books that are not centered on Three Pines, but these books are no longer a must-read for me.
Also, the plots and mysteries of this book and several previous books (especially How the Light Gets In) are so far-fetched and implausible, relying on so many convenient coincidences of timing and putting the pieces together just in time (or just a hair too late) that I can no longer suspend my disbelief.
Spoiler
Death by asbestos? Really?(Also: when Jean-Guy, Armand, and Reine-Marie (a librarian) each try their hand at an internet search, the librarian in me wanted to holler: "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS." And all three of them should know better.)
I may peek at the later Gamache books that are not centered on Three Pines, but these books are no longer a must-read for me.
This was another good installment in the Gamache series. I both listened to and read this one so it was like Gamache immersion, which is a very good thing.
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:
Yes
I'm a major fan of Penny and the Gamache series but this one was a disappointment. I know it happens to all authors of series but I think I secretly hoped Louise Penny would be different. It should have ended with the last book as Penny seemed to use up all her magic with Gamache. I just don't think she knew how this one was going to come together. The plot sagged towards the middle and there's a lot of "Let's look at the art again for more clues!". Instead of focusing on the interior journey each character takes as they get closer to finding Peter, Penny gets distracted with her academic rivals/Tenth Muse plotline that ends in murder. Too much time rehashing art clues and and not enough time was spent with each character made the ending surprisingly anti-climactic. There's no emotional impact and it just seemed a little too bizarre.
There are still some great moments and good writing but I don't think Penny can live up to the Gamache hype anymore. I think I might just mentally erase this book from my literary landscape and pretend there are only 9 books in the series!
There are still some great moments and good writing but I don't think Penny can live up to the Gamache hype anymore. I think I might just mentally erase this book from my literary landscape and pretend there are only 9 books in the series!
Rating 2.5* out of 5. Dective inspector Armand Gamach and his wife have moved to the village of Three Pines. Armand has resigned from his position. However, when his neighbor Clara comes and asks for his help to find her estranged husband Peter, he offers his help. Clara through Peter out and they had an agreement to meet after one year. Peter did not show up. It's not just Armand who gets involved in tracing Peter's path for the past year, the whole village helps. The villagers I've come to know and love many books ago. Despite this, the book failed to strike an emotional cord in me. I could feel it trying to pluck my heart strings, but without resonance. In fact, the attempts annoyed me.
I am left bereaved. This is my best loved crime series at the moment, not even surpassed by P.D. James or Elizabeth George. I wanted to love this book very badly, particularly since the previous book was a rare 5* rating. Now I felt I should have left it that. I should not have attempted this, knowing from the beginning it could not be better. As I write this I know that's not true though. I truly believed this book would be even better than "How the light gets in". I am desperately sorry that it fell short. For me. I have no doubt that others will find more joy in this book than I did.
I am left bereaved. This is my best loved crime series at the moment, not even surpassed by P.D. James or Elizabeth George. I wanted to love this book very badly, particularly since the previous book was a rare 5* rating. Now I felt I should have left it that. I should not have attempted this, knowing from the beginning it could not be better. As I write this I know that's not true though. I truly believed this book would be even better than "How the light gets in". I am desperately sorry that it fell short. For me. I have no doubt that others will find more joy in this book than I did.
I have enjoyed all the Louise Penny novels so far, but this one I didn't find as engaging. It was pleasant and I would recommend it, but I found it easier to put down than the previous ones in the series.
Ok...so, this is not my favorite Louise Penny book. Out of the ten I've read so far, this is probably my least favorite.
I somehow had the thought to look up a spoiler for this book and I'm glad I did because I think the end would have gutted me in a way I wasn't looking for in this storyline. I'm sad for the grieving of some of the characters but glad that I had the whole book to process it before it happened.
Big things I loved:
1) Beauvoir and Gamache back at it together again, this time as father and son (in laws)
2) I am such a Stan for Reine Marie and Gamache forever and ever and also love that she's a part of Three Pines now
3) I looooved that Ruth and Reine Marie are becoming besties and Ruth was so involved in this.
I don't know if anything will ever beat How The Light Gets In but this was a decent book to follow.
Big things I loved:
1) Beauvoir and Gamache back at it together again, this time as father and son (in laws)
2) I am such a Stan for Reine Marie and Gamache forever and ever and also love that she's a part of Three Pines now
3) I looooved that Ruth and Reine Marie are becoming besties and Ruth was so involved in this.
I don't know if anything will ever beat How The Light Gets In but this was a decent book to follow.