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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I couldn't get into this. My mom loves this series and I trudged through the first two because she said they got better but it is not my cup of tea. Did not finish.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Back in 3 Pines AGAIN? Will the entire town be killed off? At this point, I am getting worried and a bit bored.
I will say I am so GLAD that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together regarding Gamache and his other team members.
I did not find the climax to be quite realistic choosing the house as the setting for both events. Nor did I find the reason for Gamache's drama to be realistic either.
Either way, I finally got answers to questions that I had and even if I don't like them, I do respect them.
I will say I am so GLAD that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together regarding Gamache and his other team members.
I did not find the climax to be quite realistic choosing the house as the setting for both events. Nor did I find the reason for Gamache's drama to be realistic either.
Either way, I finally got answers to questions that I had and even if I don't like them, I do respect them.
Oh you know, just another Gamache adventure. Coq au vin, café au lait, and murrrder.
Was it my fave? Not necessarily. I figured out whodunit in the first third of the story. BUT this is the one where that old case against the superintendent finally comes to a head. So that's good, I was getting a little tired of all the innuendo.
I highly recommend the audiobooks of these; the narrator is amazing and it's nice to hear all the French names and pronunciations. It makes me want to move to Three Pines... except odds are pretty good I'd get murdered there.
Seriously. What is up with that town?
Was it my fave? Not necessarily. I figured out whodunit in the first third of the story. BUT this is the one where that old case against the superintendent finally comes to a head. So that's good, I was getting a little tired of all the innuendo.
I highly recommend the audiobooks of these; the narrator is amazing and it's nice to hear all the French names and pronunciations. It makes me want to move to Three Pines... except odds are pretty good I'd get murdered there.
Seriously. What is up with that town?
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Excellent series. The theme of friendship and the concept of the "near enemy" is particularly powerful in this 3rd book in the series. Audiobook has an excellent reader.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book bored and frustrated me for the first third, and then something turned and the plot and interesting character stuff got going, and my annoyances were subsumed under actual interest for the characters and story. Subsumed is a fun word to use by the way. Do they still sell Word of the Day toilet paper? I heard about that one time but never investigated further.
So when I say that I was frustrated, I mean that I seriously contemplated not continuing with the series. It seemed to me that instead of doing new things with her series, and evolving her characters, everything felt stagnant and rote, and on top of that, are we serious here with the same small group of friends in a tiny town witnessing and playing large parts in not one, not two, not three, but FOUR murders? And not even four murders over a lifetime, which is also unbelievable, but four murders in a span of less than half a decade. What. This strains my credulity to the breaking point. And nothing else in the book was there to make me interested enough to ignore that problem, at least at the beginning.
Wait, I think there have been more than four murders? I can't remember. AT LEAST four murders, MAYBE MORE.
Okay, griping aside, this book follows the Three Pines crew from books one and two after a séance in the Hadley House (and seriously again with this house witnessing another death???) leaves one of their number dead. At first they assume a heart attack killed Madeleine, whom everyone loved, but it soon turns out that she was actually murdered, so Gamache once again comes to town. Gamache is still dealing with the fallout from "the Arnot case", and for whatever reason, my patience on this had nearly run out by the middle of this book, because I didn't know when it would come to an end, and I was already tired of the spectre of it hanging over Gamache's head. Storylines where good people are harangued for no reason are not something I really like to read about, even if done well, so I was already cranky. I think that was ultimately why I ended up enjoying the book, because it became clear halfway through that this book would actually bring resolution to that plot, and Penny tied it in thematically with everything else that was going on as well. The ending made up for a lot, here. I just wish I wouldn't have been so cranky and frustrated at the beginning.
I still have eleven books left in this series. Next one is up later this summer.
[3.5 stars]
So when I say that I was frustrated, I mean that I seriously contemplated not continuing with the series. It seemed to me that instead of doing new things with her series, and evolving her characters, everything felt stagnant and rote, and on top of that, are we serious here with the same small group of friends in a tiny town witnessing and playing large parts in not one, not two, not three, but FOUR murders? And not even four murders over a lifetime, which is also unbelievable, but four murders in a span of less than half a decade. What. This strains my credulity to the breaking point. And nothing else in the book was there to make me interested enough to ignore that problem, at least at the beginning.
Wait, I think there have been more than four murders? I can't remember. AT LEAST four murders, MAYBE MORE.
Okay, griping aside, this book follows the Three Pines crew from books one and two after a séance in the Hadley House (and seriously again with this house witnessing another death???) leaves one of their number dead. At first they assume a heart attack killed Madeleine, whom everyone loved, but it soon turns out that she was actually murdered, so Gamache once again comes to town. Gamache is still dealing with the fallout from "the Arnot case", and for whatever reason, my patience on this had nearly run out by the middle of this book, because I didn't know when it would come to an end, and I was already tired of the spectre of it hanging over Gamache's head. Storylines where good people are harangued for no reason are not something I really like to read about, even if done well, so I was already cranky. I think that was ultimately why I ended up enjoying the book, because it became clear halfway through that this book would actually bring resolution to that plot, and Penny tied it in thematically with everything else that was going on as well. The ending made up for a lot, here. I just wish I wouldn't have been so cranky and frustrated at the beginning.
I still have eleven books left in this series. Next one is up later this summer.
[3.5 stars]
I just love the town of Three Pines and the cozy setting, entertaining characters, and funny dialogue. This book was actually my least favorite of the 3 I've read so far in the series, but I still really enjoyed it! It felt like a bit of a slower start to me, but I loved how it all came together in the end. I can't wait to read book #4, and beyond.