Gamache Goes Abroad – Still Life
ALL THE DEVILS ARE HERE finds our dear Inspector in France so there’s no better place to kick off our “Gamache Goes Abroad” cover musings than en français!
And, wow, the current U.S. cover treatment of Still Life couldn’t be any different from how our French colleagues handled the look of the book. While we opted for a subtle nod to the title — the art genre that dates back to the Egyptians — the French took a more severe route, depicting a key plot point (no spoilers, please!). It’s noteworthy that both covers feature framed imagery which could symbolize a window, or, entryway, into the series.
What do you think?
Which cover do you gravitate towards?
I like the double entendre of the French version, but the US version is more aesthetically pleasing.
I prefer the warmth of the U.S. cover. The cover alone draws me in to this wonderful story.
Having read the book (all of them!!) I would have to say the American cover is the one I pick. To me, it conveys the entry into the world of Three pines. On the surface quite and peaceful, but we all know or will learn the truth and still want to live there anyway.
Definitely prefer the American version.
Hmmm…I’m so familiar with the English cover but I’m intrigued by both the cover and the title used by the French…I’m rereading the series to immerse in the imagery and the friends we have found in Three Pines. I’m not an artist but Still Life presents the notion of capturing a moment in time of something that once lived…Nature Morte seems to focus on (literally) the death in all. I think your books focus on life and its quirks and twists and yes, an occasional death – and not just the loss of life – the loss of trust, beliefs, friendships that perhaps weren’t strong to begin.
It turns out that “nature morte” is the precise translation of “still life”, in the painter’s sense of the term. Webster’s defines “still life” as: the category of graphic arts concerned with inanimate subject matter. Still lifes from past centuries often feature food, including such things as dead unplucked pheasants. Most Francophones probably don’t even realize that Anglophones might find “dead nature” repulsive.
Hmmmm…hard one. I love the art of the US version but I’m drawn to the French version “looking into and out of” theme. They both have meaning for me after reading the book.
I have taken real notice of the US version of still life. The rest of the covers have always intetested me. I like the French better
I like the French cover. It really pops out and draws attention to the book.
I like the American version. More intriguing—-fills more ov the cover. French version is more glad and too red. A great book with either cover!
Flat, not glad. Spell check fails me again!
I think the imagery on the US version is lost with so much text on the cover. I prefer the French version.
The US version is definitely more evocative.
Love the North American version. Transporting
First impression: The American version is peaceful. The French version is unsettling.
I like the USA version, but the French version is intriguing.
Final vote French