A Return to Three Pines: The Madness of Crowds
During the early months of the pandemic, children all over the world drew rainbows to place in their windows as a sign of hope.
Did you notice these in your neighborhood?
Order Isabel Marks’ Ca Va Bien Aller Window Card here!
Read Previous: A Return to Three Pines, All The Devils Are Here
This is such a wonderful book and I also could not put it down, finishing it at 3:15 AM the other night. The ethical issues are so frighteningly close with this epidemic and the very variable public response. The rights of the individual versus the rights of the community are at odds now and described so well. Ruth’s asides are so appropriate. And as a complete change of pace, the issues and concerns about academic research and its oversight, fit in so well with the story. It is another grand success and I await next year’s book already.
Thank you Louise, I too think the Madness of Crowds is one of your best in the Inspector Gamache series (maybe the best!) Certainly entangled, ethically challenging, beautiful and emotional. I am in Australia so we are still going through lockdowns and restrictions because of rising cases of COVID-19 but our vaccine uptake has improved. Your post pandemic story from Three Pines highlighted for me the need to treasure and nourish kindness, forgiveness, compassion and love.
I loved the book!!! So did Rosa, but then, ducks often do.
I think that this was my favourite one to date! Well done!
I’m reading Madness a second time, because the first read-through disturbed me greatly. I love our friends in Three Pines but this speaker’s perversion of Ça Va Bien Aller just shook me to my core. In the second reading, I’m focusing on crowd mentality and how far afield good people can drift when under a devious influence. Channeling my inner Ruth to see me through.
So many connections– Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Snowflake Bentley and Ewen Camron