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_principal_spice_'s Reviews (191)
I loved this one. I was interested in the change of scenery and enjoyed learning more about our characters. The only thing that really stuck with me like a burr in the seat of my pants was what I felt was psychological wounding toward Bean. I still want more answers or a better resolution with Bean because I felt the animosity with Marianna toward her mother to intentionally screw around with Bean's name and then to joke about renaming Bean to Chlamydia and Syphilis stuck with me and isn't going away. The hate may have been aimed at her mother, but there is no way it just magically disappeared or didn't impact Bean. I just can't get over it.
As always, I love the natural beauty and poetry of Penny's writing. While I appreciated the close-to-home take with this murder, I struggle with what feels like several loose ends just left behind or forgotten. I'm struggling to find the purpose of Vincent. I struggled to feel that the arrival, scenario, and plot development with this character muddied the water, or at least was a presence of confusion, annoyance, and agitation. I'm also disappointed that there wasn't any real elaboration or conclusion with the horses Dominique got. I found the beauty, love, and hurt in choosing her horses over the original options she had considered as heartrending and healing at the same time, but yet we are left with a blip at the end about one horse. The decision she made had felt so meaningful at the beginning and then made to feel meaningless and I just hate that this part of the character and plot development frankly dropped off the face of a cliff. Continuing with character development, where is some conclusion or reflection from Morin? I had been hoping for some update on Agent Nichol, but also understood that Gamache appreciates giving people chances to step into their own, so not having even a reflection for Morin was a shock. Also, to see that there are unspoken issues going on with Annie, but no real development between father and daughter--which just didn't feel plausible because even during the issues of investigation all while dealing with betrayal in prior novels in the series, Gamache still took the time to speak with his wife and both of his children. Also, why Beauvoir and not someone else, Ruth? I assume, like Clara, she sees something within him, but it sure feels obscure. Lastly--damn you, Fortin! I did find the story as a whole interesting, but there were some things that did leave me with more questions and confusion/frustration than I had anticipated. I can still appreciate the fact that Penny still does an amazing job looking into the heart and mind of human nature, which truly is a spectrum of all that is good, bad, and ugly.
I can say that the embodiment of drudgery and underlying dullness and despair was effective in the writing, which made it hard to sometimes take seriously or enjoy. In the end, I hoped for a resolution for the deceased and the main character, and there was some low-key redemption at the end. Certainly not overwhelming, and pretty close to underwhelming. There were motifs and themes that I felt were intended to be powerful but honestly ended up as dreary and dull. In the end, I feel the mood was captured well, but certainly did not make for a very enjoyable read. Perhaps not a memorable read, but the premise and topic is some form of unforgettable.
I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the idea of the retirees murder club, and there were moments that really made me chuckle, but there were many instances that really seemed so improbable and unrealistic to me. The connections to all the murders seemed too contrived to the point that I was so close to being done the book that I just had to stop. I couldn't force it anymore. I don't think the writing and story was trash, but it really didn't work for me.
What a stunning YA debut to the start of a spectacular series! This fully earned 5 stars for YA, in my opinion, as an ELA teacher. The whole world, culture, and spirit that lived and breathed through the entire text was life-giving in spite of the horrific deaths of so many. And might I say, I have a touch of bias to say that the death of Inan really sealed the deal for me because good riddance to his weak, self-centered, and pathetic character and thank the gods for his sister and Tzain for carrying through when Zéile needed unwavering support!!! This movie needs to be out stat!!! Well done, Adeyemi!
Aside from some instances that I felt were either somewhat rushed or cliché, I loved this one and can't wait to see what is next!
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