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.
Located in the Equitable Building in Manhattan, Minotaur Books publishes bestselling and award-winning crime fiction ranging from thrillers and suspense to traditional mysteries. Minotaur has published Louise Penny since 2007.
3,660 replies on “The Bistro”
Hi ladies ! So excited to read about LP’s new book! So many questions from the reveal. Sounds like he may be teaching a the academy; is the old friend Emile? What about the old adversary? John Flemming , Michel Brebuefe? Is the stained glass window the boys in the church ? Lots of things to ponder, but only Louise can make it a great story. Love how she ties all things together. Hope all is well with you all! had a great trip to Winter Carnaval in Old Quebec City in Feb. The Bury Your Dead tour was great! Louise actually rented a house for a month ; in the book it was Emile’s house! Beautiful city!
So exciting!
Read LP on FB. Gamache has a new job ! Sounds like The Great Reckoning is another WINNER.
Oooh – I can’t wait!
I think that, too, Kim. (About the upkeep) It would be so much better if she could donate it to the Arts Society or something.
I can’t imagine anyone living in Jane’s house…. Too disconcerting to have (what I picture as) walls jam packed with people and places. But too sacred to paint over. Clara is obviously still living in the home she shared with Peter. The Gamaches are in Emilie’s old house. It strikes me that Clara might find the upkeep difficult – at least in the real world.
Karen – welcome! Louise is wonderful, isn’t she? If you haven’t gotten to “know” her yet, do! I find I enjoy the books even more after getting to see a glimpse into her remarkable life! Join her FB page and sign up for the newsletter. You’ll see that besides arising early every morning to write, she invites us into her life to share her joys and sorrows. And gives us an idea of what it takes to write a book like hers. She is a wonderful writer, uniquely Canadian, and the books show her love of country as well as of her fellow man.
There are several interviews with her available on Youtube, and she is a wonderful, funny, speaker!
Wouldn’t it be grand if we could see those centerpieces. There are all manner of things that were hidden inside, and how big must they have been to be able to truly hide some of those things? In my mind, there are lots of spiky flowers, etc. in them – like this: https://farm1.staticflickr.com/708/23660536112_23ea0b0292_o.jpg
I think nobody lives in Jane’s house. In my mind, I have it being featured a bit in the last book, and it was empty? But it definitely belongs to Clara. I’d hoped that the Artists Society would take it over and make it into a gallery space… or at least a place for them to have the societies parties and events… I’m sure Clara is taking care of the art on the walls, so I don’t think anyone would actually “live” there… but that’s just my speculation – Louise has never told us.
Welcome, Karen! I have also wondered about Jane’s house and artwork.
I listened to The Beautiful Mystery read on the radio (Wisconsin Public’s Radio’s Chapter A Day program) for my intro to Louise Penny. That had proper French also.
Sorry, that should have been a reply to Karen and not a new thread!
New thread: “found” this amazing author/series by randomly selecting the “book on CD” at the local library, to listen to while driving. Hearing the proper pronunciation of all the French has made reading all the other books even more enjoyable. The Movie? Well, who has EVER read a book, seen the film, and thought, well “thank goodness for the film version?” Now, I have been able to enjoy the Tolkien films, having never read the books, so, in some ways, I think it is one or the other…can’t have your cake, and eat it too!
I would LOVE to see some of the centerpiece described when the recipe postings start-surely there is a talented, avant-garde florist who will take on the challenge? Wasn’t there a book in one, and a sausage in another? I eagerly await the next book in the series, (here in America). I have spent a bit of time in the province of Quebec, in fact, I am MeMe, to my grand daughter. (Accents missing, can’t get the hang of that). The author is clearly a strong, lovely woman (ren Marie?) quietly writing, gently spending quality time with her husband, and sharing that journey as well. Remarkable!
My burning Question? Who lives in Jane’s house, and is it preserved with all her drawings? (Hideous wallpaper removed?)
Millie – how brave of you to face family and friends and say “no”. I know just how hard that is, even though it sounds so easy, but you have a really good excuse right now, as you can tell them with your eye surgery you are taking some time to heal and get used to the new way of seeing. I think you can let on that this is not something that’s over in a day or two, but that will be an ongoing thing for awhile. Hopefully, that will get you used to saying “no – that doesn’t fit in with our plans” enough that you will have learned a new skill and earned some peace… My husband Vern (who has no idea how hard it is for me to say “no”), always says “They don’t respect you more if you let them walk all over you”, and I know that’s true. Just so darn hard to do much about for me.
I must confess, I, too, had lost track of when the second eye was getting “done” – that’s fast – good for you! Hopefully, things will soon be on track (no matter what you tell people) and you’ll be feeling so much better. Keep us posted…
Barbara, thanks for keeping me in your thoughts, but the surgery on the right eye was today! I have no idea why I wrote MAY 5th. The 5th I started drops. So I can understand that. The month? Senior moment? Lol
Please go to page 75 and about the 3rd down from top. My intent was to write that at the bottom then go back to make tiny replies. It ended up in the wrong place and a big eye strain headache. Sorry, but I chose Downton Abby. 🙂
I’ll write when I can, right now I have no up close vision to speak of. Hugs.
Speaking of newsletters, the latest just about broke my heart… Louise is the strongest, bravest person I know of… I’m so glad she and Michael had a chance to go to Jamaica, though an off-handed comment makes me think she knew at that time, that it would be the last trip… I can’t imagine watching the one you love just fade away before your eyes.
Your reply to the information you require to sign up for this newsletter tells me that i’m not old enough to subscribe. If being 71 years old isn’t enough, well………. 9-19-1944 There you go.
Marilynn – I assure you, you are just the right age! Hee hee! I’m hoping it’s not this site that you are having trouble getting into – but we welcome all to join in our discussions here in the Bistro!
What a great idea ! The nature of the Feast. We have often mentioned a Three Pines Cookbook. Recently, Guy Fieri prepared poutine on his cooking show. Can’t wait to try some of the dishes.
Another great idea.
Hi Millie. Friday is the day to have your right eye done, if I remember correctly. How is the
left eye doing ? It will be great when both have recovered and we can read your always interesting posts.
You will be able to enjoy the beauty of Spring with “new” eyes.
Hugs, calm and caring thoughts to you.
THE NATURE OF THE FEAST… http://gamacheseries.wpengine.com/
Oh, how exciting – recipes! As much as I love The Night is a Strawberry blog, I just KNOW I’m going to appreciate these special recipes, too! By the way, did you see the wonderful French Onion Soup they made on TNIAS? Made my mouth water! Yipee!
I think you guys have way more interesting genealogy than me. Basically English, Cornish and maybe a splash of Irish. Although apparently we track back to Spanish royalty on mum’s side…….
Still writing. I am trying to have a productive week.
Wow ! I call that very interesting….Spanish was totally unexpected by me. Sounds like a book might be there. Oh, Oh Spanish from the destruction of the Armada? My guessing again.
Good thinking, Barbara – I wouldn’t have thought about the Armada. Still – very interesting indeed… I never knew either set of grandparents, even though they were all alive when I was born, and apparently, my mother’s parents were in the same city for awhile. But my parents moved away when I was just a baby and travel was a big deal in those days, so I guess they held me as a baby, but I don’t have any memories at all of them. I’d know them from pictures, of course, and I have to think my grandmother on my mother’s side was as Irish as Irish could be, and her father was dark (and always tanned). He apparently spoke with a very broad Cockney accent and yet, they say his family came from France. Looking at him, I’d have guessed Italy (and there’s a huge Italian population in Toronto, where they lived by then), but I sometimes wonder. I’ll be very interested to see how the testing goes, Barbara. Very good of you to test the waters for the rest of us, hahaha.
Julie, I have dabbled in genealogy on and off for many years. I keep terrible records and am very easily distracted by names of neighbors in census records and so I am off and running once again on a track that will not help me trace my people. I have learned that my paternal line arrived in VA and not SC as I had always thought I “knew”.
I won’t be upset by whatever is revealed. I’m very excited and my sister and I talked about it yesterday and last night. We will probably have the most boring report ever. All English or British at least.
When a friend and her husband saw theirs, it was only a confirmation of what they already knew from genealogical research. They are both from families that have kept family history alive for many generations.
When I began, I thought I was Scots, Irish and English only. Then a G-G-Grandfather was listed in a census as having been born in Germany. I fought that by insisting that Germany was probably the name of a no longer existing small town. I was assured that there was never a
place in SC named Germany. I checked with the State archives and the head of the History Dept. of USC. All said no such town or village existed. I finally accepted the truth when his immigration records were found years later. I had assumed he came later than he did. I am such an example of what not to do. Always keep an open mind and never say impossible when the records show it is possible.
I hope the kits arrive in tomorrow’s mail.
Anna, I’m just loving this – I love how the old case and new one are getting discussed together…
Barbara, I’m intrigued that you are testing your DNA – have you done any other genealogical discovery? Do you kind of know what you think the DNA will show? Or will it be a big surprise? My mother always said we had some native American blood – and I guess it would be Cree, considering where in Canada we lived, but I have never actually figured out how that happened. She said her father’s mother was native American, but he was born in England, not Canada… so I think there’s a secret in there somewhere…. You could certainly believe it if you saw him (though I’ve only seen photographs). Her last name was French, which makes me think that there’s some possibility that her father’s father could have been descended from an actual Frenchman who married a native woman, then took the baby back to Europe. When they moved to England, who knows? It’s interesting – my mother didn’t have details, and of course, we all wait too long to ask these questions… one of these days I will start to look into this sort of thing on Ancestry.com – once my eyes are a little worse, I’m lining up other things to do, hahaha.
Do let us know what you find out (if it’s not too personal).
Anna, Thanks for the next installment. This is really fun. Well at least for us . I think you do enjoy writing though. We are glad you do.