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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Just generally mediocre. The mystery plot doesn’t get interesting for forever. Feels like a transition book, like Penny wanted to hurry up and resolve one character arc so she could get to the actually interesting stuff she has in mind. News flash, Pen, you don’t need to write a book full of uninteresting stuff so you can write an interesting one. Hoping the next one is better.
As always, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Louise Penny. The Long Way Home is another tale of twists and turns and just when you think you've figured something out the story turns in another direction.
I guess my main issue with this novel is that the entire book was about Clara's search for her husband. The usual Three Pines cast also became involved in the massive search. My issue:
So while the story was intriguing, I just couldn't get behind the reason for the "missing" Peter. And how sad that the title of the book is The Long Way Home, but Peter never makes it home at all....
I guess my main issue with this novel is that the entire book was about Clara's search for her husband. The usual Three Pines cast also became involved in the massive search. My issue:
Spoiler
now knowing the end, I just feel like the entire situation could have been avoided had Peter just gotten himself to a phone and called Clara to fill her in. After a year of being apart from the apparent love of his life (and muse), he writes her a little note from a remote location and just hopes it gets to her? It didn't seem plausible to me that he would stay behind to nurse a man he hated rather than ensure Clara wasn't worrying about him. Call!So while the story was intriguing, I just couldn't get behind the reason for the "missing" Peter. And how sad that the title of the book is The Long Way Home, but Peter never makes it home at all....
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
(3.5 stars) I loved the build up and the premise, and still finished the thing in like 3 days, but I thought the ending was a little head-scratching and a little rushed. The characters are amazing, as always, and you have to read it if you're a fan of the series, but it's among the bottom few of the 10 I've read.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
I do love these characters, and it was great to have fresh conversations and banter between them, and I also enjoy Ms. Penny's descriptions of the landscape of Quebec.
I'll keep reading new additions to this series for those reasons, but the plot here was pretty weak. A good 90% of the book was gone before there was any real action, and I found both the motivation for and method of the murder pretty weak. Consider the book more of a buddy road trip story featuring Gamache, Beauvoir, Clara and Myrna, and it's a fun read, but as a mystery it misses the mark for me.
I'll keep reading new additions to this series for those reasons, but the plot here was pretty weak. A good 90% of the book was gone before there was any real action, and I found both the motivation for and method of the murder pretty weak. Consider the book more of a buddy road trip story featuring Gamache, Beauvoir, Clara and Myrna, and it's a fun read, but as a mystery it misses the mark for me.
Very good as usual. A little slower and more in depth character development than earlier books in the series. Really picks up un the end.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes