We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Louise Penny’s latest book! What did you think of the mystery at the center? Did you enjoy returning to Three Pines? Were you happy to see what your favorite characters were up to? Let us know!
I enjoyed the book and learning about how Gamache and Jean Guy came to be where they are today. That said, this book stressed me out!! I had to keep putting it down because I was nervous something would happen to one of the characters I love so much. I don't remember a Three Pines book making me feel like this before.
I think it is a way for people to feel edgy and at the same time draw people in. But it feels to me manipulative not edgy. I know it is a real crime. But I don’t think it is being handled responsibly.
Agreeing with the comments about it being more “thriller-y” than previous books! In that same grain, I missed some of the coziness of the community based interactions with the people of Three Pines and most of all, the mouthwatering food descriptions. I understand the conundrum of not being able to base every storyline in the tiny village of Three Pines but that’s part of what makes it beloved by me, personally.
I will come back later with actual thoughts, but since this had so much back and forth with timelines I really bumped on the question of whether Gamache ever ages? I feel like he's been described as mid-late 50s for the entire series??
This is a great point. I'm always trying to figure out the timeline of the books. Especially since apparently Harriet has aged like 10-15 years since they first started?
It was a compelling and challenging story, one of her best. The juxtaposition of past and present was a very effective tool to keep the suspense and attention in play. The introduction of borrowed poetry is always an added treat and one used extensively this time. I confess to stealing some of these for my personal writings.
I think the series has been moving toward the thriller genre and away from traditional mystery for a while, but this definitely kept moving in that direction.
I also wondered what happened to Stephen. There is a habit of details changing to meet the plot requirements in the series. The distance from the boarder and how easy it is to cross changes depending on the book.
The theme of seeing evil that kept coming up in the book feels off for the character of Gamache. He embraces emotion but I don’t think he would fall for that at this point when his literal best friend betrayed him earlier in the series.
And the “in the same house” verse that keeps coming up only makes sense if you can’t see literal evil in all cases where it is located. Also Ruth previously met the person I don’t want to name for fear of spoilers.
And the thread about Beauvoir having a cowl to see seems to have been dropped.
Adam, I meant to mention that I thought a lot about your essay while reading this one. Lots in here about the ripple effects of trauma.
The last few books have had a focus on Gamache's blind spots. I feel like its to remind us that he's not perfect (a criticism that gets leveled at Penny a lot) but also as you said it limits his growth.
I’m surprised by a lot of these comments! I thought Curiosities was fantastic and couldn’t put it down. It felt like a return to form after Madness of Crowds, which felt a little messy to me—I was so grateful that Penny tied up all the loose ends in this one, because that didn’t happen in Madness.
As others have noted, the Gamache and Beauvoir backstory was fascinating. However, having just watched the Three Pines Amazon mini-series, I was disappointed to see two similar villains. Not my favorite, but I'm happy she is continuing to write.
I agree with all the comments about the sensitive and disturbing content at the beginning of the book...that was tough for me to get through and I actually had to ask a friend who had already finished the book if I should keep going. She said yes, and I continued. But I still found it to be a tense and stressful read, and I regretted reading it at bedtime! Still, I ultimately enjoyed it and found the story compelling and it kept me guessing until the end. I was shocked that the mass shooting of young women students at the engineering college was based on a real event, and I had never heard about it!
I'm rather shocked that you had not heard of it, are you an American or a younger person? It was very big news here & I live in another province. My 35 yr daughter said she remembered it being discussed on white ribbon day (a day where violence against women is highlighted). I recognized Nathalie's name as soon as she was introduced.
I have mixed feeling about its inclusion in her story. It was written sensitively and it's true the initial press coverage did not acknowledge it was an act of hate. However, it made it me uncomfortable in a way I can't define although I believe she included it for the right reasons and I appreciated her notes at the end.
(Like you I also found the beginning of the story quite disturbing.)
I am almost 50 and an American. I keep track of news pretty well but I would have been about 16 when it happened. So I have no good excuse not to know about it. But I looked it up to see if it was a real event.
The reason why I asked is that American news rarely ever mentions events in Canada whereas in Canada we get lots of US news. (My mom was American and I have some family in the states. Although I have dual citizenship, I was born in Canada & have always lived here.)
I have been puzzling over the last lines in the book, where Rene-Marie tells Gamache that he can figure out what is happening to Fiona in prison. Does anyone have a clue?
I have just finished the book. I am also wondering what meaning others are giving to the exchange after Reine-Marie’s visit to Fiona. « When she returned to the car, she was pale, but calm. » Then when asked what happened, and that’s the last line of the book: « I think you know. ». I am curious to know what your interpretation might be.
Because R-M was pale, I thought Fiona was either suicidal or psychotic. Certainly R-M got nothing from her, and I don't think Fiona's possible anger would have made her pale. Fiona has lost everything at this point - even her freedom. My only other thought was that Fiona had come onto R-M, but that seems too outrageous.
… interesting. Fiona’s despair would probably look like psychotic. I wish there was a bit more of Fiona character study. Louise Penny is so good at doing that. Since Gamache still wants to vouch for her, maybe we’ll read more about her in another book.
Fiona was groomed to have sex with just about anyone, but she wasn't quite as unhinged as her brother. He really had no conscience, and she was the controlling one. She was able to protect the Gamaches at the climax of the story, so she showed some empathy. I suspect Reine-Marie saw a very different side of Fiona in prison, one that would have shocked her. This seems to indicate that Fiona was "over the edge" in either her thinking or feeling.
have been puzzling over the last lines in the book, where Rene-Marie tells Gamache that he can figure out what is happening to Fiona in prison. Does anyone have a clue?
I read A World of Curiosities as soon as I got it and found it bewildering. Then I discovered this Substack and started in again on the series, re-reading them in order. I just finished Curiosities and this time, it wasn’t so bewildering to me. I’m also wondering what happened to Stephen and happy Billy’s speech cleared for Gamache. I also watched the Amazon Prime series but I watched the first one thinking “this is a travesty.” 🤷 Eventually I watched all the episodes and enjoyed it. The books, though, will always be #1 in my heart.
It was quite a compelling read and I read it all at once. I do feel the plot wasn't entirely credible as several things stretched its credibility for me (I don't want to give spoilers). In some ways, it felt like she was reusing elements from other stories, ratcheting up the suspense and it didn't have the warm tone of many of her other stories.
Like the majority of opinions here, I like seeing Gamache and Jean Guy at the rocky start of their relationship and felt it was the best part of the book.
As others, the inclusion of the child abuse story made me uncomfortable. (I'm going to warn a friend who is a Louise Penny fan and was abused about this before she reads it .)
I was also a bit uncomfortable with the inclusion of the Ecole Polytechnique shooting. Although it was written with sensitivity and accurate (and I appreciated her notes after the end). I can't define why but it somehow jarred for me.
As an audio book, it was painful to listen to. Discussion of the abuse the children suffered went on and on and I did not need to hear Gamache's inner thoughts in such detail. I am done with Louise Penny. Every act seems over-dramatized. Not so much an exploration of the evil men do as a wallowing in it.
I like that though Three Pones has a sweet nostalgic sense about it with quirky and lovable characters that keep us coming back to read about them, Louise Penny weaves into her books important issues we should all be aware of whether it is child sex trade and abuse or prison fraud and bribery or discrimination against women and other issues brought up more and more in recent books. For me it is a prayer agenda. For others it might be a social action agenda. But it doesn’t go away just because we don’t want to know about it. Love her books! Though I couldn’t listen to this one as I go to sleep as I have others!
There were some lines in the previous chapter about how the witches went back to the places that spurned them, not to confront the folks that hurt them, but to forgive. I think Reine-Marie went to the prison and forgave Fiona, which is something Gamache is familiar with doing.
Well… I loved how Penny dealt with Fiona—we still don’t know whether she has more good or more evil in her at the end of the story. But, I found several inconsistencies with the general plot: where was Stephen Horowitz? If you set the stage at the Gamache’s , you make his absence much more visible. How old is Henry, the dog, at this point? The duck—this inconsistency was too blatant: Ruth helped the eggs hatch. Rosa was born out of one of those eggs and came back a year or so after taking off. To say that they didn’t know where Rosa came from makes me think that either Penny has forgotten the lives if her own characters, or… but I’m not Gamache.
Why the American spelling of words such as honour, favourite? A Cdn. Author writing books in Canada. I love her books, but as a Canadian, this bothers me. I just don’t understand.
I am a big fan of Louise Pennt's Insp. Gamache books, having read all of them. Found A World of Curiosities to be well plotted & riveting. Just one thing has me bewildered. In the final confrontation w Fleming in basement, he tackles him. But upstairs Sam has a gun to Reine's head. Once Sam hears the scuffle, he would shoot Reine. Surely Gamache would know this. Gamache doesnt know Amelia is nearby. He would never risk his wife being harmed. So why this ending? Would love to be able to ask Louise Penny for an explanation. This was the only part of story I found hard to accept. Anyone else have thoughts about this?
I’m awaiting a copy from Libby, the library app, and trying not to read any spoilers, but the comments make it sound like it won’t be my favorite of the series.
My initial thoughts:
- I, of course, liked it but don't think it ranks among my favorite in the series (A Beautiful Mystery, Glass Houses, Still Life and A Long Way Home.
- I am VERY happy that Billy Williams and Myrna are together! And am assuming the power of love made Billy's speech suddenly clear to Gamache.
- I enjoyed learning about Beauvoir and Gamache's backstory.
- I always want more Clara and LaCoste.
- Where was Stephen Horowitz?
- This one was more thriller than traditional whodunnit.
- Are Canada's prisons filled with imposters? This is the second fake prisoner in the series.
I also want more Clara and LaCoste!! I hope they are back front and center in the next book.
Where is the art gallery owner who is pining for Clara?! I think he was in A Long Way Home?
This surprised me too!
I also wondered whete Stephen was. And is the extra dog his?
I enjoyed the book and learning about how Gamache and Jean Guy came to be where they are today. That said, this book stressed me out!! I had to keep putting it down because I was nervous something would happen to one of the characters I love so much. I don't remember a Three Pines book making me feel like this before.
It definitely felt thriller-y than previous books. The stakes were high.
Personally the addition of child sexual crimes is a thread that I really hate.
I agree. It's normally a no-go for me, but I decided to trust Penny and keep going. It was ... fine.
I agree, and I feel like it's something that has come up in quite a few mystery/thrillers I've read lately.
I think it is a way for people to feel edgy and at the same time draw people in. But it feels to me manipulative not edgy. I know it is a real crime. But I don’t think it is being handled responsibly.
Agreeing with the comments about it being more “thriller-y” than previous books! In that same grain, I missed some of the coziness of the community based interactions with the people of Three Pines and most of all, the mouthwatering food descriptions. I understand the conundrum of not being able to base every storyline in the tiny village of Three Pines but that’s part of what makes it beloved by me, personally.
I will come back later with actual thoughts, but since this had so much back and forth with timelines I really bumped on the question of whether Gamache ever ages? I feel like he's been described as mid-late 50s for the entire series??
This is a great point. I'm always trying to figure out the timeline of the books. Especially since apparently Harriet has aged like 10-15 years since they first started?
It was a compelling and challenging story, one of her best. The juxtaposition of past and present was a very effective tool to keep the suspense and attention in play. The introduction of borrowed poetry is always an added treat and one used extensively this time. I confess to stealing some of these for my personal writings.
(It must be rough to write a beloved series where people know the details because they love the books)
I had the same thought! I was thinking about how Myrna was kinda witchy in Still Life (she led the saging) but that thread was dropped until now.
I think the series has been moving toward the thriller genre and away from traditional mystery for a while, but this definitely kept moving in that direction.
I also wondered what happened to Stephen. There is a habit of details changing to meet the plot requirements in the series. The distance from the boarder and how easy it is to cross changes depending on the book.
The theme of seeing evil that kept coming up in the book feels off for the character of Gamache. He embraces emotion but I don’t think he would fall for that at this point when his literal best friend betrayed him earlier in the series.
And the “in the same house” verse that keeps coming up only makes sense if you can’t see literal evil in all cases where it is located. Also Ruth previously met the person I don’t want to name for fear of spoilers.
And the thread about Beauvoir having a cowl to see seems to have been dropped.
Adam, I meant to mention that I thought a lot about your essay while reading this one. Lots in here about the ripple effects of trauma.
The last few books have had a focus on Gamache's blind spots. I feel like its to remind us that he's not perfect (a criticism that gets leveled at Penny a lot) but also as you said it limits his growth.
I’m surprised by a lot of these comments! I thought Curiosities was fantastic and couldn’t put it down. It felt like a return to form after Madness of Crowds, which felt a little messy to me—I was so grateful that Penny tied up all the loose ends in this one, because that didn’t happen in Madness.
It's why we discuss books! I don't think there's a Penny I don't love, but this one wasn't my favorite. (For the record, I think that's the monk one).
As others have noted, the Gamache and Beauvoir backstory was fascinating. However, having just watched the Three Pines Amazon mini-series, I was disappointed to see two similar villains. Not my favorite, but I'm happy she is continuing to write.
I think in the new year we'll do a discussion thread on the Amazon series.
I agree with all the comments about the sensitive and disturbing content at the beginning of the book...that was tough for me to get through and I actually had to ask a friend who had already finished the book if I should keep going. She said yes, and I continued. But I still found it to be a tense and stressful read, and I regretted reading it at bedtime! Still, I ultimately enjoyed it and found the story compelling and it kept me guessing until the end. I was shocked that the mass shooting of young women students at the engineering college was based on a real event, and I had never heard about it!
I'm rather shocked that you had not heard of it, are you an American or a younger person? It was very big news here & I live in another province. My 35 yr daughter said she remembered it being discussed on white ribbon day (a day where violence against women is highlighted). I recognized Nathalie's name as soon as she was introduced.
I have mixed feeling about its inclusion in her story. It was written sensitively and it's true the initial press coverage did not acknowledge it was an act of hate. However, it made it me uncomfortable in a way I can't define although I believe she included it for the right reasons and I appreciated her notes at the end.
(Like you I also found the beginning of the story quite disturbing.)
Yes, I'm American and neither my husband nor I had heard of this terrible event.
I am almost 50 and an American. I keep track of news pretty well but I would have been about 16 when it happened. So I have no good excuse not to know about it. But I looked it up to see if it was a real event.
The reason why I asked is that American news rarely ever mentions events in Canada whereas in Canada we get lots of US news. (My mom was American and I have some family in the states. Although I have dual citizenship, I was born in Canada & have always lived here.)
Penny does such a good job of mixing in real events and people. I think that is a strength of the series. It does help to keep it grounded in reality.
I have been puzzling over the last lines in the book, where Rene-Marie tells Gamache that he can figure out what is happening to Fiona in prison. Does anyone have a clue?
I have just finished the book. I am also wondering what meaning others are giving to the exchange after Reine-Marie’s visit to Fiona. « When she returned to the car, she was pale, but calm. » Then when asked what happened, and that’s the last line of the book: « I think you know. ». I am curious to know what your interpretation might be.
Because R-M was pale, I thought Fiona was either suicidal or psychotic. Certainly R-M got nothing from her, and I don't think Fiona's possible anger would have made her pale. Fiona has lost everything at this point - even her freedom. My only other thought was that Fiona had come onto R-M, but that seems too outrageous.
… interesting. Fiona’s despair would probably look like psychotic. I wish there was a bit more of Fiona character study. Louise Penny is so good at doing that. Since Gamache still wants to vouch for her, maybe we’ll read more about her in another book.
Fiona was groomed to have sex with just about anyone, but she wasn't quite as unhinged as her brother. He really had no conscience, and she was the controlling one. She was able to protect the Gamaches at the climax of the story, so she showed some empathy. I suspect Reine-Marie saw a very different side of Fiona in prison, one that would have shocked her. This seems to indicate that Fiona was "over the edge" in either her thinking or feeling.
have been puzzling over the last lines in the book, where Rene-Marie tells Gamache that he can figure out what is happening to Fiona in prison. Does anyone have a clue?
I read A World of Curiosities as soon as I got it and found it bewildering. Then I discovered this Substack and started in again on the series, re-reading them in order. I just finished Curiosities and this time, it wasn’t so bewildering to me. I’m also wondering what happened to Stephen and happy Billy’s speech cleared for Gamache. I also watched the Amazon Prime series but I watched the first one thinking “this is a travesty.” 🤷 Eventually I watched all the episodes and enjoyed it. The books, though, will always be #1 in my heart.
Why is Billy suddenly understandable? He hasn’t been in any of the other books.
I've been trying to figure this out!
I have very mixed feelings about this one.
It was quite a compelling read and I read it all at once. I do feel the plot wasn't entirely credible as several things stretched its credibility for me (I don't want to give spoilers). In some ways, it felt like she was reusing elements from other stories, ratcheting up the suspense and it didn't have the warm tone of many of her other stories.
Like the majority of opinions here, I like seeing Gamache and Jean Guy at the rocky start of their relationship and felt it was the best part of the book.
As others, the inclusion of the child abuse story made me uncomfortable. (I'm going to warn a friend who is a Louise Penny fan and was abused about this before she reads it .)
I was also a bit uncomfortable with the inclusion of the Ecole Polytechnique shooting. Although it was written with sensitivity and accurate (and I appreciated her notes after the end). I can't define why but it somehow jarred for me.
As an audio book, it was painful to listen to. Discussion of the abuse the children suffered went on and on and I did not need to hear Gamache's inner thoughts in such detail. I am done with Louise Penny. Every act seems over-dramatized. Not so much an exploration of the evil men do as a wallowing in it.
I like that though Three Pones has a sweet nostalgic sense about it with quirky and lovable characters that keep us coming back to read about them, Louise Penny weaves into her books important issues we should all be aware of whether it is child sex trade and abuse or prison fraud and bribery or discrimination against women and other issues brought up more and more in recent books. For me it is a prayer agenda. For others it might be a social action agenda. But it doesn’t go away just because we don’t want to know about it. Love her books! Though I couldn’t listen to this one as I go to sleep as I have others!
There were some lines in the previous chapter about how the witches went back to the places that spurned them, not to confront the folks that hurt them, but to forgive. I think Reine-Marie went to the prison and forgave Fiona, which is something Gamache is familiar with doing.
Well… I loved how Penny dealt with Fiona—we still don’t know whether she has more good or more evil in her at the end of the story. But, I found several inconsistencies with the general plot: where was Stephen Horowitz? If you set the stage at the Gamache’s , you make his absence much more visible. How old is Henry, the dog, at this point? The duck—this inconsistency was too blatant: Ruth helped the eggs hatch. Rosa was born out of one of those eggs and came back a year or so after taking off. To say that they didn’t know where Rosa came from makes me think that either Penny has forgotten the lives if her own characters, or… but I’m not Gamache.
Why were the American spellings used for words such as ‘honour & favour…’
I loved A World of Curiosities but this is a Cdn. Author writing a Cdn. book.
The American spellings really grated on me.
Why the American spelling of words such as honour, favourite? A Cdn. Author writing books in Canada. I love her books, but as a Canadian, this bothers me. I just don’t understand.
I am a big fan of Louise Pennt's Insp. Gamache books, having read all of them. Found A World of Curiosities to be well plotted & riveting. Just one thing has me bewildered. In the final confrontation w Fleming in basement, he tackles him. But upstairs Sam has a gun to Reine's head. Once Sam hears the scuffle, he would shoot Reine. Surely Gamache would know this. Gamache doesnt know Amelia is nearby. He would never risk his wife being harmed. So why this ending? Would love to be able to ask Louise Penny for an explanation. This was the only part of story I found hard to accept. Anyone else have thoughts about this?
Oh Fleming is so. Evil. Great book.
Why was the grimoire sealed up in a secret room? Why not just bury it?
Not sure if this posted; why is Bully suddenly understandable? He wasn’t in any of the other books.
The child sexual abuse storyline is too disturbing for me. I skimmed a great deal of the book and it’s among my least fav of the series.
I’m awaiting a copy from Libby, the library app, and trying not to read any spoilers, but the comments make it sound like it won’t be my favorite of the series.
Excited as I am to devour the latest LP, I only *just* read TMoC last month, so I’m saving this one for an emergency comfort read!