Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Gamache is retired now and living in Three Pines, which is obviously what was going to happen but is just awesome and so perfect after having read the other books in the series. Anyway, Peter Morrow is missing and Gamache and Beauvoir set out with Clara and Myrna to find him. It’s an interesting ride through northern Quebec, but the entire premise is a little convoluted. It also bugged me that basically none of the conflict in this book would have happened if they hadn’t decided to go looking for Peter, which made the whole story kind of tragic and pointless to me.
I hate to say it, but this may be my least favorite in the series so far. I understand that the books in this series are not your typical heart-stopping mysteries, but this book relied far too much on speculation coming out of paintings (that just happened to correct) and inspiration from poems on solving a real-life problem. The epilogue made me choke up for a moment, but otherwise this book was too out there.
emotional
slow-paced
Another winner from Louise Penny and her Three Pines stories.
The Long Way Home is an appropriate title, because I think this book could have been 100 pages shorter and still accomplish what it needed to plot wise. Unlike Penny’s other Gamache novels, this one suffered from a meandering plot. The last 20 pages redeemed it, but this was my least favorite in the series so far. I will continue to read these though as I am thoroughly invested.
This was a huge let down after book 9, which was practically perfect and the series could have ended there and I’d have been content and happy. Book 10, this one, makes me wonder what on earth is going to go on in the remaining 10 books in this series!
The pacing was incredibly slow, the sentences fragmented, the characters and conversations overwrought, and everything was so very serious and contemplative. Clara got on my nerves, every detail was nitpicked and analyzed to the point of exhaustion… I didn’t know whether I was going to hurl or snooze if I heard one more pretentious discussion of art or poetry. By the time I finished I don’t think I could have cared less what happened as long as it ended soon.
The pacing was incredibly slow, the sentences fragmented, the characters and conversations overwrought, and everything was so very serious and contemplative. Clara got on my nerves, every detail was nitpicked and analyzed to the point of exhaustion… I didn’t know whether I was going to hurl or snooze if I heard one more pretentious discussion of art or poetry. By the time I finished I don’t think I could have cared less what happened as long as it ended soon.
Despite the lack of a larger story, and instead having a plot that is, quite simply, one of the flock is lost...The Long Way Home was full of the characters we know and love from Three Pines. They were active and mobile—basically forming a search party to find the lost sheep, Peter Morrow.
There was a little twist on the typical aspect of art explored by Penny. In many of her books, she explores the creation of art (painting, music, sculpture, or poetry...the medium makes no difference). The process of creating takes on an ethereal, otherworldly quality that exists on some plane of understanding between being of the Earth and of the Heavens. But here Penny instead explores the urge to create when it feels out of the artist's reach, when the artist is fumbling and possibly inept, when the creator is not filled with the light of beauty or transcendence.
Peter Morrow, the lost sheep, has failed to show up to meet with his wife, Clara. Having fulfilled the year-long separation Clara needed, the date to meet and reconnect has come and gone. So as Clara engages the assistance of the shepherd Gamache, they—along with several others—set off to trace and find Peter's current whereabouts and bring him home.
Having wandered far from home, Peter is clearly on a quest to rediscover what makes him an artist. As the shepherding clan finds the proverbial bread crumbs (often digital footprints) left behind by Peter, they have to piece together why Peter visited these places and what he possibly hoped to gain. Some of his recent attempts at art are found and the exploration deepens—trying to delve into the heart of someone trying to find their soul through paintings.
While Penny's mysteries are more than just mysteries anyway, this one in particular is more about the characters than even she usually writes. There are some disappointed readers following this one, and I suppose I can see why. The mystery isn't great or grand. The history, another typical Penny aspect, isn't far-reaching or very insightful for the people of that area. This one is more about trust, following instincts, stepping outside of the typical boundaries, and finding the lost sheep.
A side note for the audiobook. This is the last book in this series narrated by [a:Ralph Cosham|105442|Ralph Cosham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1444015517p2/105442.jpg]. He was for me, as for many, the voice of Armand Gamache, and I will miss hearing his wonderfully rich voice guiding me through Penny's novels.
There was a little twist on the typical aspect of art explored by Penny. In many of her books, she explores the creation of art (painting, music, sculpture, or poetry...the medium makes no difference). The process of creating takes on an ethereal, otherworldly quality that exists on some plane of understanding between being of the Earth and of the Heavens. But here Penny instead explores the urge to create when it feels out of the artist's reach, when the artist is fumbling and possibly inept, when the creator is not filled with the light of beauty or transcendence.
Peter Morrow, the lost sheep, has failed to show up to meet with his wife, Clara. Having fulfilled the year-long separation Clara needed, the date to meet and reconnect has come and gone. So as Clara engages the assistance of the shepherd Gamache, they—along with several others—set off to trace and find Peter's current whereabouts and bring him home.
Having wandered far from home, Peter is clearly on a quest to rediscover what makes him an artist. As the shepherding clan finds the proverbial bread crumbs (often digital footprints) left behind by Peter, they have to piece together why Peter visited these places and what he possibly hoped to gain. Some of his recent attempts at art are found and the exploration deepens—trying to delve into the heart of someone trying to find their soul through paintings.
While Penny's mysteries are more than just mysteries anyway, this one in particular is more about the characters than even she usually writes. There are some disappointed readers following this one, and I suppose I can see why. The mystery isn't great or grand. The history, another typical Penny aspect, isn't far-reaching or very insightful for the people of that area. This one is more about trust, following instincts, stepping outside of the typical boundaries, and finding the lost sheep.
A side note for the audiobook. This is the last book in this series narrated by [a:Ralph Cosham|105442|Ralph Cosham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1444015517p2/105442.jpg]. He was for me, as for many, the voice of Armand Gamache, and I will miss hearing his wonderfully rich voice guiding me through Penny's novels.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated