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.
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??
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.
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 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?
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?
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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??
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 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.
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 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?
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?
Why is Billy suddenly understandable? He hasn’t been in any of the other books.
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.
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.
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 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!