How did it affect you? The dinner guests discuss the cruelty of April—beautiful days and killing frosts or snowfalls that lay waste to the new flowers. I think now, that on a very essential level, Michel Brebeuf, as probably many men do, think that a man who starts a fight, like Francouer, is stronger than a man who walks away from one, like Gamache. I’d also forgotten the murderer, but I always do because I enjoy the discovery process so much. Peter is an obvious example of this, to me, in terms of his views on Clara’s paintings. Gamache recounts how Madeleine was the high school sun; she starred in the school play while Hazel produced it. I enjoyed reading this series the first time, but have been absolutely stunned by just how many little crumbs and clues have been scattered for us that I totally missed on first reads. It took such a long time to really see what was happening, and even then, when a decision had been made to separate, and I knew it was the best thing for me, it hurt more than anything I’ve ever undergone or ever will. In the end, he felt a stronger need to conform to the “party line” of his superiors. Not sure why. When I looked at that face, I immediately thought 1.) Was Nichol following them? Gamache leaves to go back to Montreal and set everything straight, possibly to resign. As the books unfold, we get more details about the years-old case and why it may not be over and done with just yet. Gamache warns Lacoste to close that bridge before it’s blown up. But, as I wrote earlier, Peter is uncomfortable with feelings, so he is not going to let Clara know how envious he is of her work now. The comforts and sorrows of Three Pines are far away. Yes, there are some good ones there! I think his not being able to see a few moves ahead in his chess game has really been his undoing. It’s been said that people “hope there will be more discussion of plot” and other things, and rather than hope for that, why not just start a new topic and discuss the plot? is to react – to fight back. The more I see of her, the better I like her and want to know her better. etc. My reaction is based strictly on what we’ve learned through Book 3 about Jean-Guy, with no reactive hints to what’s still to come from Louise. Gamache also now wonders who would want to kill a dying woman. I think Brebeuf has been unable to be grateful for what he has accomplished – for what actually is in his life. I am not trying to be obstinate, but why have to click over to another page to see this just because you would rather not see it? By the time he’d accomplished that, all was lost. You to have a lifetime of experiences, life knowledge that you bring to this book and this discussion! That sums up the self-evaluation that seems to drive Brebeuf’s envy of his friend Gamache. Sadly, I’ve met and had to deal with several people who are “Madeline’s.” I always found such dealings most uncomfortable and not just because that person seemed to steal the limelight, whether good or bad stealing. Hazel’s constant solicitude for her daughter is disempowering and crippling. Feels like a conversation with a group of friends. Sure, you might get something wrong – I do frequently, but an usually enriched by the observations and discoveries of everyone else – who may or may not have seen things differently. I think the only restriction here is to not reveal more than the readers should have read by that posting date. 4. Marie – I think that’s very interesting that you think that Jean Guy had put Gamache on a pedestal and that his finally insisting Gamache tell him the whole story was a healthy step towards feeling more like a peer than a worshipper. I can think of three particular instances of jealousy and how it poisons a person’s thoughts towards another. Are these relationships healthy or unhealthy? Ruth then relates the story of her two ducks hatching—Rosa, the stronger one, hatched out easily, but the more delicate Lilium had trouble breaking out of the shell and Ruth had helped her. We can all start a new thread whenever we want – no need to change formats for this to happen. There are two things I think would help me and they’re quite simple. Hazel’s near enemy turns out to be pity, which she has substituted as compassion. Do you like or dislike this aspect of her books? 547 comments. A photo Nichol found at Hazel’s house shows a much heavier Sophie eating cake. MEG R – GOING OUT ON A LIMB Gamache, Lacoste and Lemieux go back to the Old Hadley House. Gamache, with his noticing and listening skills, first notices her then listens and conducts his own investigation. Connie, Yes, I have also noted Penny’s habit of hanging latest story on a major holiday. I thought Madeleine was truly one of those people who is naturally talented and charismatic. I also want to know more about how Reine-Marie is handling the assault on her husband and her children. Odile Montmagny. I breeze by the synopsis and go right to the questions. And the singular.” What a profound description of grief. I don’t know, but suspect that might be so. If you just click on the word “comments” at the top of the page, you zoom to the comments section. In our actual book club at the store we start with a question and see where the discussion takes us – it’s always interesting. Every officer Beauvoir knew was appalled by Arnot, absolutely sickened. So many senses are touched. Michel Brebeuf has shown himself to be in the same league as Francouer. Notice how Peter finds himself almost involuntarily being malicious to Clara. Know what? Clara’s use of green instead of blue separates Ruth from the Madonna image and creates a more ‘human’ response. She is publicly kind and compassionate to Odile. I find reading Louise Penny to be very spiritual. “tied up”, not “tired up”. At the end o…more Penny's books are chronological and each book references past cases. Yes! I want her to see what we are seeing — that his jealousy is a sickness that is destroying them as artists and as a couple. In the second half of the book, things begin to amp up, and the damaging newspaper articles about Gamache begin to get worse. Gamache and Beauvoir return to re-interview Hazel and Sophie, asking both if they knew Madeleine’s cancer had returned. Love that movie. I can’t believe how much I forgot about this book. The secondary plot has lots of tension as Penny and thereby Gamache try to finally resolve the Arnot case. A glimpse of Three Pines through Louise’s words; characters we look forward to seeing in each novel; new characters to think about in this one (for me, especially Hazel and Jeanne); and the wrap up and explication of the Arnot case, hinted at and foreshadowed in the first two books. I would love each question to become a thread. You can just scroll down to the blog entries or post your own. This is a huge leap for a man who is always suspicious of anything vaguely smacking of the supernatural! All in all, I don’t think there’s a reason to change the format or introduce tight control. With the help of an idea from Clara about the discarded video, the case seems to be coming together, when a raging fire breaks out at Saul’s chalet, and the unlikely trio of Gamache, Beauvoir, and Agent Nichol try to rescue him. But Brebeuf is not a deep thinker. Both, to me, are evident in this book. While I did not find Madeleine’s murder peripheral, I was far more interested in the Surete/Brebeuf/Arnot matter, based on the number of previous references and guessing – without giving anything away – that it will continue to haunt future books. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is the main character in a series of mystery novels written by Canadian author Louise Penny. Did you cry when you read about Ruth’s Lilium? The Arnot case has been a haunting force since book one, the powerful leadership of the Sûreté, all the way to the top, steadily gaining ground on Gamache, getting ready … Have you encountered this kind of perfection from someone in your own life? . On one side stood Superintendent Arnot and his two co-defendants, charged with murder. I like to have a “jumping off point” given by the questions – but have absolutely no objection to someone introducing a new topic that they’d like to discuss. — I’m going to come back to this later. The Arnot case, and its fallout, are not as over as we may have hoped, and Gamache is under scrutiny once again. 5. Who was your favorite character in this book? Peter is an emasculated male that is so cruel and jealous of Clara and her native talent, while professing his love and admiration. Kathleen, I really don’t have a problem with guided questions to begin a discussion, but what we’ve seen are more of the same superficial stuff from week to week that seem to ask for opinion responses or preferences – instead of really looking into what’s in the book such as: – “Who’s your favorite ? And, she's been a fan of Louise Penny's work since she first read Still Life in 2006. I think the festering feeling has actually made Michel a bit mad. The Arnot Case, apparently the downfall of Surete de Quebec Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, leaving his career in limbo and his promotion unlikely, was mentioned in passing in the first of the Gamache mystery series by Louise Penny, Still Life. The secondary plot has lots of tension as Penny and thereby Gamache try to finally resolve the Arnot case. It’s hard to respond to someone when they have answered every question in a single posting. All the regular Three Pines' characters are present and getting better with age. Marie, (and others) let’s not forget that it is the suspicious death of Madeleine which brings Gamache and his crew back to Three Pines. (Doesn’t an author put herself into many characters?) When Gamache arrives at the Surete and meets with all the department heads, including his enemy, Francoeur, he offers his resignation. I don’t believe Yvette is jealous. She makes a life for herself in Three Pines but Madeleine turns up, taking her daughter’s affection; taking over the Anglican Church Women group and finally capturing Msr, Beliveau. This is the start of the metamorphosis of Ruth as seen in Clara’s painting. She longs to be part of the group and has not the first idea of how to get in there. Three Pines is that village where you want to call home!! The important thing in each of these instances is that each of the persons who felt envy made a choice to let that fester rather than dealing with it upfront and letting the other person know how they really felt. ‘The defense made Gamache out to be a self-serving hypocrite. Do you think Penny handled this well? Instead, they welter in their own frustration because, although life has been good to them, it’s apparently been(or is going to be) even better for their friend. Apparently, her previous work, like the “Warrior Uteruses” was inferior or mediocre enough that it did not fuel his envy. Well, I for one would like to explore more of the territory mapped out by question #1. My involvement here has been mostly to “listen” and enjoy everyone else’s views. The star Gamache takes on a mysterious murder during a seance in a haunted house in a tale full of jealousy, anguish, secrets and lies. It’s all fine. Ruth would never go against her nature which is to love deeply. I like the way this is working, though. She’s given over to Clara’s care for the day. Yeah, I like Gamache. Trouble ensued for him when the bully-brother of the woman he loved and wanted to marry thinks he’s a weakling for not standing up to his insults and fighting. I think that painting is not quite it – I don’t see the hope in that one, though I think the style might be similar to Clara’s. We need to see what happened in his childhood and adolescence has scarred him and made him such a fool! She thinks her poems are brilliant, which is the most important thing to her, even though she has a fantasy or two about worldwide acclaim. Pierre Arnot was a senior and respected officer in the force, though not by Gamache. I will start off by saying that I was very intrigued by Beauvoir and Gilles. He begins to identify with Gilles, so that when Gilles tells him he won’t tell him, Jean-Guy, what the trees say to him, Beauvoir is actually disappointed. One of my favorite movies. You know Ruth. I think this is the source of Peter’s jealousy of Clara, he is not only jealous of her talent, but he is jealous of his own inability to take the risk to be unafraid of his own talent and let it flow unrestrained. I don’t think that Ruth is mad, as in marbles missing. He was clearly eaten up with jealousy, but for no good reason… This is what I thought of when I read about Brebeuf, and I think the most telling part about the whole episode is Brebeuf remembering (too late) that Gamache had been a part of all 14 of his happy days… I think that Gamache’s memories of the support he felt from Brebeuf when they were children caused him to want to hold onto the friendship longer than was good for him, but I love that he gave him the benefit of the doubt almost to the very end. Anyone want to guess what might have been the fate of Jean-Guy Beauvoir if Gamache had been fired for insubordination? I’ve already discussed a bit about several relationships plagued by envy, but what of the other part of the question? 6. All the regular Three Pines' characters are present and getting better with age. That’s just nature’s way. Am just going to put my neck out on the chopping block and see where this goes. Is Ruth somewhat jealous of the attention given to Odile, or is she rightfully dismissive of someone whose talent obviously(at least to her) is clearly mediocre or worse? Sophie Smyth. When I looked at Mak’s Madonna – I saw the depth of her pain, but I didn’t see that special thing that Clara captured in Ruth’s eyes. Of course she is devastated and I think that this is why she is so protective of Rosa in this book and the subsequent novels. Doubt if work would have been much easier for Isabelle, either. Particularly since we now know Jean-Guy is being groomed by Gamache as his successor, I think this airing of feelings will make for a healthier relationship between these men going forward. The story of the Cree has come right out of recent headlines and rings true, whether you are Canadian or an American. Know what I found funny (not ha ha – but unusual) this time? But then Jeanne talks about how she’d realized Three Pines was a magical place full of good energy. Later, Gamache and Beauvoir hit the road and Gamache reveals more details about the Arnot case. Gotta love autocorrect! She also tells him she was fond of Msr. I think that what he has done to her, however, is unforgivable and we will see more later. BUT, NAAAAAANNNNNNCCCCY! Beauvoir relates how Arnot and Gamache began their careers at the same time, both rising stars. 1. Turn us against others, and finally against ourselves. Finally what are your thoughts on the percolating jealousy of Peter for Clara’s work? in the past; thus, her gruffness is a coping mechanism. At the dinner party Clara is uncomfortable and worried. (2) Perhaps even worse than the jealousy Hazel felt for Madeleine is that felt by Brebeuf towards Gamache. Yes, I think it is realistic. Meanwhile Gamache confronts Lemieux about drawing his gun and Lemieux pretends it was a mistake. Jealousy is a cruel master and Louise shows us just how cruel. Just dive right in! Ruth has to forgive herself for this unwitting act of betrayal and this perhaps gives her an in sight into past perceived acts of betrayal against her that she can now recognise as not deliberate. I know that the real blessing here isn’t that I have a book published, but that I have so many people to thank.” I never knew that lonely Louise. Beside Gamache she only ever felt whole.” Gamache asks her what she thought of Madeleine. 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