Join us here in The Bistro for a discussion on the entire Gamache series. Feel free to ask or answer any questions about any of the books or the series as a whole.
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3,639 replies on “The Bistro”
Hi, Peg. I agree. Keep talking, Fox and Collie. Can’t wait to learn what they are up to now.
I haven’t read much in months. Even Rita Mae Brown and her Sneaky Pie mysteries couldn’t interest me. I love them because the cats and dog talk to each other and try to steer her in the right direction to slove a mystery. The first book was Murder She Purred and was made into a movie for TV…Murder She Meowed. I do like mysteries with dogs and cats. Here’s hoping I’m ready to read whenTGR appears. I think I will be.
A huge 4th of July Celebration is bein held at Ft.Gordon tonight. Free to the public. Thunderstorms are forcast but I hope they hold off. I won’t be attending but think it a wonderful event for the military families as well as everyone else.
Julie, I had wondered how pipes were kept from freezing in extreme cold. Interesting solution. We just wrap newspaper around any exposed outdoor pipes and faucets. Not much help I wonldn’t think in very low temps.
Hi, Barbara, I love Rita Mae Brown’s books, both the Mrs. Murphy series and the Sister Jane Arnold foxhunting ones. I have read all of them starting from the first with each. I especially love how Inky the fox and Diana the foxhound like to chat. The latest two Murphy ones that go back and forth between colonial and present Virginia have been great for me. Definite character development.
I just started rereading the Murphys and it is sad for me to realize how some of the interesting early characters are no longer mentioned in the newer ones. Not every mystery reader’s cup of tea but definitely mine.
Wow Barbara…that program does sound intriguing. I love wondering about the world around us. I laughed when you said US history was boring in College. Most people I know find Australian history as taught at school very tedious. It isn’t…there is a lot in there but they tend to focus on the same stuff over and over and it is very dry. Maybe it is similar to the phenomena that is rear to visit local tourist attractions but we rush to do that when we visit somewhere new. Complacency with the familiar perhaps. I too have developed an interest in Canadian history since reading Louise’s books.
My water woes appear to be all solved thanks to Blake the plumber. He was covered in mud after crawling under the house but he was wearing a CSI set of overalls so that helped. Must have been cold though. He asked after my Dad who he remembered from the time he was here before which had to have been 18 mths to two years ago. It was almost worth the drama to have a chat to such a nice person.
It doesn’t normally get so cold anywhere in Australia that would justify heating the pipes but it is a prolonged cold spell. When I say cold -5 at night. That was common when I grew up in the country and I don’t remember our pipes having problems. The puddle would freeze and water in the garden hose. Even so, the plumber indicated they were having a few people with similar issues.
Another day of cold and glorious sunshine. I wrote some more last night. Fox and Collie have been chatty. I don’t think it is a short story…a short novel more like.
Yay for Fox and Collie!
Barbara – your thoughts about the gun issue here pretty much hits the nail on the head, I think. Since I come from another country, where guns are banned except for hunting, it seems odd to me to find the average person wanting a hand gun for protection, and a big part of me still says that shouldn’t be, but I am a realist. It really is a fair interpretation of the second amendment that every citizen has a right to protect themselves with firearms. But how that has extrapolated into everyone needing an assault rifle is beyond me. But I think we all know where I stand, hahaha – no point in repeating it.
I love the Creation Story idea, Barbara – I’m sure that was very interesting. And Anna – how interesting that you will have relatives to look up at Arlington. I have just gone to look for “women at Arlington Cemetery ” and found that there are many more than I would have supposed, and that there is a walking tour you can do to see the sites of notable women buried there, plus a museum dedicated to women in the military. If I were there, I’d drag you to that, hahaha.
Like Anna, I do think that Gamache has to be involved in actual detective work, too – so maybe that’s where Jean Guy will be a kind of liaison, in that he will often come to Gamache to help him with cases… Of course, there’s nothing stopping Lacoste from doing that, too. He’s been such a great mentor to them both.
Anna – I hope your water woes are far behind you – that was always an issue for my parents in Canada – I usually lived places much colder than they did, where they had taken measures to be sure water pipes couldn’t freeze, but my parents tried to stay in the warmer climes in Canada, and therefore, the odd freeze would do damage. It always seemed odd to me that, since they knew how to stop water pipes from freezing in 40 degrees below zero, why couldn’t they use the same techniques to stop it in 5 below? I guess cost – the way to do it for the colder places is to wrap it in, basically, an electric blanket that is on at a very low setting all the winter long. Not enough to heat the water, but enough to stop the freezing. There must be an electrical bill associated with that, that they thought they could avoid – but I’d have thought that the small amount of electricity would be offset by the savings of not having to make repairs, never mind the inconvenience.
Julie, You summed up what I was thinking about Gamache. I think The Great Reckoning will be the final cleansing of the Surete. When the young policeman was so rude to Gamache, I thought then…they need you, Gamache.
Like you I wonder what is in Guy’s future. Good things I hope.
There is just something comforting about hold a book and reading. It cloudy here today and a little cool. Just perfect for reading .
And the good news is that the plumber is here and the offending ruptured pipe has been found. With any luck we will have water for dinner. It has been interesting without running water but not really. I turned it on briefly and filled the sink and the kettle and the water in the fridge so we weren’t suffering as long as I could have my tea!
My Uncle, by marriage, just told me his sister, brother in law and he thought his mother, were buried in Arlington cemetery so I have some work to do. I found Grave Finder and there is an app so I can go and look. I think I have found his sister and her husband but not his mum. I will send Peter to take photos as my Uncle is not young and due for surgery in a month. I would like to get photos for him before then.
Gravefinder can be a great help. An unexpected coincidence. A course in American History should prove to be interesting. I have to confess that I found the subject boring in college. All I could focus on then was Greek and Roman history. I have read many books on US history since then but focus mainly on european history. Since beginning the Gamache series, I have been reading Canadian history.
As I have mentioned before, Sam watches programs on TV that deal with Space Aliens visiting Earth, etc. Recently on Aliens there was a very interesting program about the stories of Creation as a part of their oral tradition. It was an excellent presentation and the Elder who told the stories was an impressive speaker. Sam had recorded it for me to watch.
I think you have touched on an interesting thing Barbara. There is a different relationship between people, states and federal government in the US that isn’t the same here. It is fascinating. I do look forward to understanding US history….perhaps I will find a course to do. Not on line, but with real people. I shall look.
I agree that there is a teaching role for Armand but he needs to be investigating too. That could be incidental to his role or part of it. I do love Therese. I love how she came to the Surete!
Dramas here…think a water pipe has broken with the freezing temps. I have called plumber but I can’t find the problem, I can just hear it. I was wandering around the house and the garden at 4 am trying to track it down and eventually shutting off the water. The Stars were amazing as the night was clear and cold which was an unexpected joy! -4 deg C. I had to put the electric blanket on when I got back to bed. Still, a small issue with what is happening in the world.
Anna – books really CAN be comforting, can’t they? Apart from those I re-read over and over, I’m trying very hard not to buy paper and cardboard books – but stick to the Kindle versions, for storage’s sake. But not everything you want is on Kindle, and some MUST be admired for their tactile properties… So I’d never be able to do without bookcases. You’ll have to buy at least one while you’re in the US – you can find affordable ones at IKEA, or you could scour garage and estate sales once you’re here…
I see Gamache as being right back into things with the Surete – but on a different plane – teaching. I’ve always felt that was his best skill – and the one foremost in his mind as he went along. His encounter with the young police recruits who were so ill-trained in Nature of the Beast convinced me that they really need him. Hopefully, with his friend, Thérèse Brune in charge, he has been persuaded to head up the training division. I really don’t know even what to hope for for Beauvoir – I think he’s not going to climb up the ladder now – but I think he is such a good detective, I can’t see him doing anything else. Then again – he was most effective as part of that particular team that Gamache headed – and he loves Gamache so much, maybe he would be good with him… Then again, maybe he can get back on track to advance within the department…
I tried to post a short history of Americans and guns. I soon realized “short” was impossible. I know that we view gun ownership in a way that is very different from many. People should have never been allowed to purchase assault weapons. They are made only to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible. They are not used for hunting. I don’t have the time to research how it came to be. I’m sure it would only serve to upset me.
I do know that we will not give up our right to bear arms. We would never trust the government that completely. Besides the criminals and haters would not give up theirs. I have never shot a gun but I have sat with one in my hand for protection. Civil unrest by people who hate you without knowing you and hate you only because of the color of your skin is more frightening than I can say.
Anna, how wonderful that you plan to involve yourself with real Americans. My English friend did just that. Her husband came to work at the Medical College. The local British expats welcomed them and wanted to include them in all of their activities. She made the decision to get to know Augustans. She got involved in many arts and cultural activities and has enjoyed living here. The wives of the medical officers at Ft. Gordon did the same. I enjoyed getting to know them and appreciated their volunteering when I was with Historic Augusta and also when I lead the docents at three local sites. The book club idea sounds perfect. I’m happy for you.
Awwww. That’s me Julie. I love hugs and I am a very huggable in my possum and merino jumper….so soft and warm. It needs to be. The sun has little warmth in it today. It’s a proper winter alright.
I did some writing last night….still puddling along. Very pleased to see Louise is getting great reviews. I have a Kindle copy on preorder and Pete will get a real live one at the function he is going to. Apart from Louise I am not buying books for a while…..nothing against books but we won’t have much space for them in Arlington. Pete has one bookshelf for his reference materials and that is about it.
I must say, the houses we looked at that had furniture had a distinct lack of books and it quite put me off. They are so warm and welcoming to me. From where I sit I can see hundreds of them…literally! Oh dear, I have changed my mind in the space of a paragraph…maybe I will need another bookcase and I might just have to buy some books. It won’t feel like home otherwise!
Now…I feel like thinking about A Great Reckoning…what character development will we see? There will be changes for Armand but what will that mean for his beautiful wife? And Jean Guy? I do worry about him so. He is more fragile than most but I think his core is building up quite nicely now he is settled. Shall we see more of Clara and her trek into single adulthood as it weren’t?
What do we think?
Anna – you are one of the most huggable people I know! Thanks for your kind words of encouragement.
And that is the best news of all! I am so glad Julie. We have talked so much lately about being afraid to reveal ourselves because we fear rejection. Happens everyday doesn’t it, not just in the Bistro. And yet, being accepted for who we are is vital for our happiness in big and small ways.
What I loved about Louise’s video recently was knowing how wonderful she is and how accepted and embraced she is and yet she has revealed her darkness to us. We love her all the more because she battles everyday and, not just survives, but thrives.
Another example is the pop artist Adele who has dreadful stage fright. She also doesn’t like flying. She is one of the most successful artists ever and yet she has real challenges doing what she has to do. She also talks about her desire to have a normal life and be a normal person, married and raising a son, while in the public eye. She is so young but doing a good job in circumstances that are actually really difficult in this age of celebrities being ‘owned’ by the public. Yet she seems very genuine and giving despite her desire for privacy.
I do admire people who are open and giving of themselves and do it with good grace, while like you Julie I struggle to express myself and my needs to those right near me. I shall be like Dory…..Just keep trying, just keep trying….
And good for you making a decision about the holiday. I think it is more than reasonable to skip the trip given the situation. I am not one for walks in the heat so I totally understand where you are coming from. A summer trip is very different to an autumn one.
Thanks, Anna. And, because they are my real friends, they DID understand… all is well. Thank you for the very wise advice.
I do like all the things we talk about here. Remember decluttering….I cleared two garbage bags of clothes and shoes from my cupboard tonight. A small but positive step!! The fact that we have been discussing it really prompted me to get on and do something.
Good for you – it’s surprising how good it feels, isn’t it?
I know exactly your dilemma Julie and I can’t pretend I am as brave as the following advice but this is what I would like to do in that situation.
Firstly, friends are people who should respect you and your choices and good friends should understand you so they should appreciate what you like to do and your concerns.
Secondly, there is more than one problem here that may need addressing. These are your friends but it doesn’t sound like their activities are what you want to do. That is fine if they are happy for you to laze at the house while they take long walks on the beach and that can be done without you feeling left out in any way. It doesn’t sound as though the concerns you have are clear between you all…I don’t think they are hearing the problem about wanting to come home early. So do you want to go if you could stay in the house and read books or have the odd walk IF you want to? Would you want to go if you are driving there and back given your eyes etc and part of the fun is being in the car together? Even if the answer is yes to both, do you really want to go at all?
Ideally you should be able to sit with your friends in a calm moment and say I need to get something off my chest. This is who I am and what I like to do…ie read not walk, be organised and come home at the planned time. I am comfortable to stay home while you walk and I am happy to drive myself if you would rather stay and come back later but you are my friends and ideally I would travel with you, but I need to be clear about our plans so I can get home in daylight.
You don’t have to be aggressive and you don’t have justify yourself you just have to explain clearly that these are your concerns.
So much easier on paper but at the end of the day you have to be happy in your choices. You deserve to be respected in a friendship but in order to do that the difficult thing is first being comfortable with who we are ourselves and then we don’t feel like we have to justify that in any way because you don’t. Friendships have to be a two way street.
I think I would be like and wanting not to rock the boat or upset anyone but at the end of the day being unhappy in a situation like that would make me grumpy and I would be extra grumpy knowing it was partly my fault for not being clear about my needs. How often have I done that? Lots!
Friends are very important and we don’t want to hurt them but you and your happiness are important too. If you don’t attend to your feelings then the hurt caused by subjugating yourself can make you unhappy with your friends and they won’t even understand why you are mad with them. Been there and done that too!
I hope it helps but I would totally understand if you ignore my opinion!!
Anna – I would never ignore you! I think you are right. I probably made it sound like these friends never consider me, and of course, that’s not true, but I do think I’m not being heard in this instance. I’ve decided not to go, and I’m going to just make my case that the plans for this are really not a good fit for me. Last time was in the fall, when everyone was content to spend a lot of each day stitching indoors and watching the wild weather through the picture windows… but this time, it’s July – and everyone will be wanting to spend so much more time outside. It’s a cute little beach town, and they want to explore – but it’s a 3 mile walk into town, (and another 3 miles back, not to mention walking around in the town) – and I’m just not up to it. We’ve been away together lots of times, and other times I have not felt the pressure to join in – and now, I’d be more than content to stay in and let the others do their roaming, but so many more outdoor activities are being planned this time… which I understand – it’s summer, there’s lots of things going on, and the weather is good and conducive to lots of fun things.
Thank you, Anna – I wish I could tell them this in person, but we all live so far apart that the next time we were going to see each other was at this retreat, so I will just have to do it on email and then we can phone if they want to talk more personally. I feel lighter for having made this decision.
I need advice. I can’t figure out what to do. I have three friends with whom I spend quite a bit of time (and I don’t have a lot of friends – more a few close friends than a lot of friendly acquaintances). We are set to go out of town together for a “beach retreat” in a couple of weeks, staying at my friend Becky’s beach house in Oregon. Last time we did that, we were supposedly going to leave for home “after lunch”. I was packed and ready to go before lunch so I would not hold anyone up. We had lunch, then people just kind of lazed around, and finally, mid-afternoon, the others started to “think about packing up”… I had figured I’d be home by 6 p.m., and Vern was expecting me. We got on the road, and of course, because we’d waited so long, ran into traffic (the traffic in Washington can be the worst you’ve ever seen) – a 3 hour trip became a 6 hour trip – it was really quite late at night when we got home, and then I had to make dinner… The whole time in that car, I was stewing.
So, when we made our plans this time I said that I wanted to make sure we got away early enough not to run into traffic. And of course, yesterday, someone says – “we should get our plans set – we will be there til after lunch on Monday…” – I said I thought we’d decided to leave earlier… and people have said they don’t want to just get up in the morning and rush around to leave. They think the traffic will be better, because it’s a Monday instead of a Sunday (maybe they’re right – who knows – that traffic is unpredictable – I do know that it’s awful on Fridays). So I said that I should just drive myself that way I can leave when I want and nobody else has to be rushed. And of course, now there are choruses of “oh, no, you don’t want to drive by yourself – the traffic won’t be bad – and we had a storm last time, which we won’t have this time – why don’t you make something up ahead of time so you don’t have to cook when you get home”…
I’m really angry with them – and upset about this. I don’t even want to go now, but I know if I say that, it sounds very passive-aggressive, which I hate, and these are my friends – I don’t want bad feelings between us. But I feel like I am always the one who has to “suck it up”. I don’t think my solution was a hardship on anyone, and I think my reasons for leaving at a decent time are as valid as anyone else’s reason for wanting to linger. I often feel like the “odd man out”, because I’m not a very physically active person, and everyone else is always going for long walks and geo-caching, etc., which I have no interest in, and they’re always saying”come with us… you’ll enjoy it” when I know I won’t. And I know the time at the beach will be lots of long walks and things, which is really not me. I’d rather be curled up with a book or my stitching.
So… I really want to beg off, but I don’t want it to cause hard feelings. Beyond coming down with a cold or something right before, I can’t think of a graceful way to get out of it.
You are absolutely right Julie….I haven’t seen anyone toting guns on the streets of Rosslyn….thank goodness. Maybe it’s like snakes in Australia…they are dangerous and closer than you think but you don’t see them that often!
I love the discussion of the origin of words and phrases. We have a show called Letters and Numbers….well it’s not in production now but when it was they did a lot of discussion about such things. It was fascinating.
Freezing here…literally but the sun is out and shining. I see there are terrible floods in West Virginia and fires in the West and south.. Be careful everyone and hopefully the weather is calm where ever you are.
Anna, I totally understand where you’re coming from. First things first, though – I’m so glad that Erin has not had to change her viewpoint – to be different in your thinking is wonderful and creative, and soul-supporting. It’s just not something they encourage in most schools, unfortunately. Luckily, she will find it better as she gets older and realizes that “there’s no one right answer” is a good thing.
But second – the guns. It’s scary, absolutely. But speaking as a person who came to the US from another country (Canada), I can tell you that guns are not everywhere, though it seems so from the media. I’ve never seen an actual gun in anyone’s hand, except for a police officer, and I’ve been here for 26 years now. I think you’ll find that you won’t see many (if any) in DC except in the hands of authorities, whether military, government security or police.
I completely disagree that people should be able to have “concealed gun carry” permits, but I have to say that I’d rather they be concealed than worn in a holster on the outside, a la the old westerns. I know it seems odd to say that what I don’t know can’t scare me, but to a certain extent, it is so. Whoever feels the need to carry a gun to protect themselves (a foolhardy thought if you ask me), I don’t want to know about it, and I just want to go about my business while they go about theirs.
The people who are terrorizing people with AK-15s – while they may have bought their guns legally, they are NOT allowed to carry them around with them, and had they been casually walking down the street with a semi-automatic weapon over their shoulder, they’d have been arrested. Those incidents seem like they are everywhere, and absolutely, they happen way more often than they should Absolutely, there should have been a law against selling that kind of gun to anyone, and absolutely, every one of the people that I’ve known about who one day “snapped” and went on a shooting rampage, should never have been able to buy guns legally in the first place. Our laws need to be changed and the gun lobby needs to be shut down, as it has way too much power in DC. But it’s not the normal thing to see any of this, and I’m sure you will find that there is no need to go around being afraid. It’s terrifying when it happens BECAUSE it’s not normal, so we are all shocked. If it were normal, that’s a whole different kind of terrifying, and I’d be first in line saying – “Don’t come – never mind about how good it might be for your husband’s career – you don’t want to be here if you don’t have to be.” Not only that, but I’d be saying it from Canada. Luckily for me, I have that option should things “go south” for us here – I will still be able to live in Canada.
So, as I wrote that, I wondered about the saying “go south” – it means to go wrong. If everything suddenly “goes south”, it means that it all went as badly as you could possibly imagine – the worst has happened. I think it must be from slaving days when a slave who “misbehaved” (especially by trying to escape to freedom) often enough was given the ultimate punishment being “sold south” – that is, to be sold to someone who lived in the deep south where it would be more difficult to escape, and I imagine implicit is that it would be to someone who would much more strict in applying the whip. In Gone with the Wind (by today’s standards , filled with racist language and ideas), Scarlet often threatens her servants with “I swear, I’ll sell you south if you do that again.” We’re given to understand that she wouldn’t, but that this is a common threat. I think it’s also akin to “being sold down the river”, which I think comes as much as anything from Huckleberry Finn (another book that has been accused of being wildly racist, though the Jim character is the only honest and honorable one in the book). I assume the easiest way to move a slave “south” would be on the Mississippi river. I find the whole thing odd, because, for instance, Scarlet lived in and near Atlanta – you can’t get very much further south geographically – yet, the saying continued. Certainly, they didn’t necessarily mean geographically south, but just to someone who would treat them more cruelly.
So – after that interesting interlude – back to the present day, hahaha. Anyway – don’t come thinking it will be obvious everywhere that we’re a gun-totin’ nation, Anna, because, really, most people don’t want to be carrying guns around.
Thank you Julie, Barbara and Peg. I think Erin struggles with English because there is no right answer and she often has ideas that are a bit different to what is expected. She was worried because she hadn’t fl.owed the traditional thinking on TS Eliot and his influences. I like that she is unconventional and she just had to learn to support her views convincingly which is hard if you doubt your ability. The wonderful thing about the A was it showed her she could hold her views and present them with conviction.
I know you all worry about what I think about Americans right now. Fortunately, because I have you all as friends then I know what are you are really like and the caring and wonderful people that you are. It must be very frustrating to have negativity in the media and know that is not what most people are like but media is sensationalist and rarely gives a clear picture of anything….you have to do loads of reading between the lines.
The people we have met in DC have also been lovely. I hope to find some real American friends when I am in town and not just members of the expat circuit. I looked at the local library site and there are book clubs. Politics and Prose is a bookshop that hosts Louise’s events and they have events and book clubs too. So I shall get out in the real world.
I have to say, guns scare us. The idea that there are so many around is a bit freaky and this from someone who qualified on a handgun and semiautomatic weapon in the Navy. Having seen what they can do and how hard they are to handle effectively…..wouldn’t want one in my home or near my children! I think when I heard what Louise said….that when she was depressed she would have shot herself if there was a gun in the house……I mean what a tragedy that would have been. How many tragedies happen everyday? How much wonder has the world lost because guns make it easy to die intentionally or accidentally?
Sorry, not a rant but a musing from afar as I seek to understand the inexplicable.
Congratulations to Erin ! Way to go.
Hi Peg. Good to hear from you. Sometimes all we Americans can do is shake our heads too. I hope all goes well Tomorrow and Sat. It is Pride weekend here and security has been increased for the Parade and events. There has never been a problem and I hope there never will be.
Need to check and see how things are going in regard to the voting in England. My English friend is there for the Summer and voted to remain in the EU.
Hope some good comes from the DC events. Things must change in regard to gun laws.
Good thoughts to all.