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”
Anna, it’s very hard to live vicariously through others without their cooperation, isn’t it? Hahaha. For me, when I went there, it was all about experiences. I had grown up watching movies set in New York, and I wanted to see some of the places, and do some of the things I’d seen. One of my biggest thrills was dancing in the Rainbow Room, at the top of 30 Rock. I’d grown up just sure that once I was grown, I’d be going to nightclubs all the time, sitting at little tables with little lamps on them, and watching bands play dance music. Of course, by the time I’d grown up, that was not the way people went out to dance anymore, hahaha. But in the Rainbow Room, time stood still. We had the most lovely time. First, we went to the bar for a drink, and we were seated in a spot that gave us a perfect, front and center view of the Empire State Building. You know in Sleepless in Seattle, when Meg Ryan and Bill Pullman have a drink and look out on the Empire State Building? Well, that was our view – I’m sure we were sitting at THAT table! Then we went in to the Rainbow Room itself. It’s a beautiful, though over-the-top room that at that time had silver and gold lame tablecloths and curtains, drawn up to show that wonderful city view! http://www.longislandwebdesigning.com/images/richard-zampella-rainbow.jpg
We sat at a little table for two on a raised platform, and right in front of the center of the dance floor. There was quite a large band playing ballroom music, and people were dancing! After awhile, a man in big shirt with large frilly sleeves – like this – http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/desiarnazholidayinhavanalobbycard.jpeg – came in and sat down at the piano and took over for the piano-player, who left. Then another came and replaced the guitar player, and another took over for the trumpet player, etc., etc. By the end of the song, which had continued uninterrupted, everyone had been replaced, and the new bandleader came in and they played latin songs for a set, then the same routine as the ballroom band came back. They did this all night, so there was never a time without live music to dance to. It was just as it should be. We had dinner, but you didn’t need to – some people seemed to be regulars who came in just to dance and nurse a drink, and nobody seemed to mind.
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I was struck with how everyone seemed to know how to do those kinds of dances, even the young people – Vern says everyone probably still takes cotillion in lots of places around New York. Whatever the reason was, it was so fun to be there and dance, and just experience it all. And I’ve got another million stories, Anna, so you’d better stop me! hahaha
So lovely to hear from you Cathryne!!! Sorry to hear that the demands of caring have increased. Big hugs from me. It can be so draining that there are times when I have no idea how to frame a sentence so kudos to you for dropping us a line and letting us know how you are. Do get rest when you can. My husband says sleep is a weapon. He means it is important. And it is. Eat well when you can and be kind to yourself. Despite what I just said, if you need to collapse on the couch and eat handfuls of chocolate…go ahead.
Remember if you can’t sleep I am usually awake while everyone is asleep so there is usually at least one sympathetic ear monitoring the Bistro. In the meantime, sit a while by the fire with a hot chocolate or a glass of something stronger and just breathe.
I have been enjoying following everyone’s thoughts, fascinating. I appreciate that Louise threw these ideas out for us to contemplate. It will, indeed, be interesting to see where they lead in the next book(s).
Anna, of course, copyright laws. I’m so glad that you are getting a map from Julie. Brilliant!
Millie, thanks for your concern. Yes, caregiving has taken an upturn, my mom’s needs have expanded for the time. Things may be better in a few weeks. I’m a little shut down mentally at the moment, trying to focus and successfully complete what is needed each day. I always check the Bistro and Louise’s post each day. Her story about Michael reaching out to try to button her sweater has given me many smiles.
Anna, I admire your attempts to elicit info from your daughter, but you know it will come. Hard to wait, though. New York! What a thrill for her.
Julie, I love your dress and the fabric. So beautiful and it does look delicious to wear!
Barbara, glad you got the book and liked it so much. I am remembering your reminders to take care of my health and, for one thing, I’m making myself go early to bed. No more late nights in the Bistro for now!
SPOILER ALERT
Excellent thoughts Julie and Barbara!
I was thinking about sociopathy whe I read that too Julie. I wonder if sociopaths see themselves as defective. If you have never had strong emotional attachments such things might feel like a waste of energy. Of course there are successful sociopaths, business and politics are often where they make their mark because studies have shown that they react to money and its acquisition.
If we accept that sociopathy per se is not evil But that psychopathy might be then why do some choose to do evil things? Boredom perhaps. A desire to test the limits of their lack of feeling? Actually, they must get something out it because something reinforces the behaviour. What might Fleming seek? He certainly likes to induce fear and discomfort in others.
Barbara, you expressed an important point, evil is a choice. Do you think that is what Gamache meant? No matter whether they born sociopathic or not they weren’t necessarily damaged or hurt to become as they were but they chose it. In that case someone like Myrna would have little to offer in the way of help if they had simply wanted to be what they are and do what they do with a clear ability to reason and a knowledge of society’s mores, then what can you say?
Thank goodness Myrna didn’t go into the SHU. She is so sensitive, it would have had the potential to hurt her beyond repair.
it would seem that being damaged is not a required precursor for being evil. So many of those in Three Pines are damaged but it has let the light in, provided their goodness a chance to grow.
A consultancy job might be just the flexible ticket for Gamache for a while.
I have never been to New York Julie but wouldn’t that be a great venue for a novel. My husband has and my daughter is there right now and seems to be loving it. She isn’t good about providing detail so I sent her a fill in the blanks email with suggested words in brackets….The things I love in NY ( list what you have enjoyed seeing) because (expand on why you those things)……and yet still nothing. I guess she really is having too good a time to tell me about it. Sigh.
SPOILER ALERT………….SPOILER ALERT………………………………………….
Gamache’s remark, “Maybe some can’t be repaired because they were never damaged” leads to more than one line of thought.
I find it very hard to accept that some people are born monsters. As if, they were born dammed with no hope of redemption. That doesn’t seem just. Much in this life is not just though…birth defects, physical and mental, children born into horrible situations, some people who have wretched lives through no fault of their own, etc. I know that even some forms of Christianity now teach that people should not say “Christ Died for All” because salvation is not available to all – only those chosen. Don’t mean to get ‘preachy’, but such thoughts are very weighty.
It does seem though, that some people are just evil.
It seems to me, some people choose to be evil, not because they are unable to not be evil, not because they were damaged but because they just wanted to. I know the next question is “Why do they want to ?” I wish I could be more logical but I can’t.
I want to discuss Gamache’s and Reine-Marie’s future but I need an iced coffee, now.
SPOILER ALERT
Okay- I need more coffee – I had to start three times and all I got out was spoiler alert!
Anna, I think that there are some (a few) who you could say are not damaged, though certainly not the whole population of a place like the SHU… John Fleming is a pure sociopath, and I firmly believe that those are the ones born and not made. Those with absolutely no empathy. Just like there are birth defects you can see, there are some you can’t see. But your general, run-of-the-mill criminal, including most murderers (at least those that Gamache has been dealing with the last years) were not born that way – something or someone damaged them. But sometimes, the damage can be so great that there is nothing to be done. Myrna, I think, is one who felt her patients’ pain so deeply that finally, she couldn’t continue. She needed, not just to rest, but to help the world in a different way now. She does that by bringing books to the people of Three Pines, by being a wonderful friend and by helping Gamache. In the last few books (not this one so much), she has helped Gamache quite a bit in his cases.
Like you, Anna, I agree that Gamache needs to do something that allows him to be involved in cases, but I really don’t want to see him still involved in all homicide cases. I hadn’t thought of a one-off kind of thing for Haiti – that could be very cool. In fact, maybe he could stay in Three Pines and be a consultant for the UN, and every once in awhile, he could be called to a place for help. Sometimes, Jean-Guy and Isobel could assist. Three Pines isn’t THAT far from New York, where the UN is headquartered. I’d love to see something set there, too. New York is my favorite real place (Three Pines being my favorite imaginary place).
Now people! I have a need. I need creative discussion flowing here in the Bistro as it inspires me greatly. I have picking at the edges of my second book and it only took off this week when I finally got around to hearing Louise’s interview on the book tour. I set myself a lofty target of words per day and I almost made it five days straight. I am a few hundred short tonight so I need your help to keep going!
SPOILER ALERT……..
Anyone have any questions about TNOTB? Insights? Rages? It’s a great book. I know I should have made more notes when I read it. I did highlight a couple of things, handy Kindle function as I couldn’t do that to the real book.
When Gamache is talking to Myrna about the Soecial Handling Unit he asks why she didn’t do any counseling there. She responds that the prisoners in the SHU are too damaged and she felt her failing was that she couldn’t help them.
Gamache comments “Maybe some can’t be repaired because they were never damaged.”
In light of previous discussions on the nature of evil, the beast as it were, does Gamache’s statement imply that evil is born not made? What else do you take from it?
SPOILER ALERT
Yes teaching and mentoring are fortes for Gamache but he has to keep his hand in active investigating too. Teaching integrated with work is actually different to teaching in a college type environment. While I think he could do either I wonder if he wouldn’t prefer the former.
I don’t want Gamache to go too far but Louise does love Island time so maybe he could do a short trip away with work. That would be a book like Beautiful Mystery, a more isolated environment.
Like Julie, I would like to see something for Reine-Marie. She adapts so well to any situation but she is an intelligent woman capable of so much. She deserves an opportunity to doc that and her skills are so valuable for investigations. Mmmm….what job might she do that could give her access to information Gamache might need?
I thought Ruth was softer in this novel, well fewer sharp edges. I can’t see her changing too much more. The villagers wouldn’t cope. They need Ruth as a foil for their jokes!
SPOILER ALERT
One of the biggest things for me in this novel, was Ruth and her part in the story. She has been eaten up with guilt for so long… I’m sure it’s the biggest part of what has twisted her sense of being able to trust. Will that change now? I don’t expect she will suddenly become a grandmotherly-type, baking cookies and helping everyone. But I do expect she might begin to relax a little of her constant “on-guardedness”.
SPOILER ALERT
There was something near the end about an offer from the United Nations, and heading up a force in Haiti, which JG had recognized as being a perfect job for Gamache, and near to his heart. But he didn’t want Gamache so far away. Me either. I want him to have something to do with bringing up new recruits and training them properly, which was a suggestion of Isobel’s. Therese Brunel wants him to be the new Superintendent for major crimes, which would include Homicide, but I also think that would be putting him right back where he was, even though at a higher rank. It feels like a step backward. I love the idea of him teaching, or revising the recruitment criteria, etc., to ensure that fewer guys like the little jerk who was sent to watch the crime scene get in.
What I think should happen (it would in a world where I was in charge, hahaha) is this time, he and Reine-Marie make a move to a place where she is able to have a dream job… We haven’t seen much of her work, but in several cases, both her research abilities and her high security clearance to get through online archives have helped cases. I’d love to see more for her to do but smile and be supportive. Still, Gamache is the heart and soul of the stories, and he would have to have the right fit, too.
Louise has left many suggestions out there – I wonder where she’s taking us…
SPOILER ALERT
A teaching or an official consultant role would work for Gamache. It would be a way to allow Gamache to introduce new officers so that we could continue to move in and out of Three Pines. I think the head of the Surete may be too obvious – and it would be strange if all of his attention was taken up by homicide. Plus Gamache has always been in a position where he doesn’t have all of the power…. he is a foil for the “just following orders” characters as he puts his position on the line by choosing to follow character and conscience over authority when necessary.
SPOILER ALERT….
Good thoughts Kim. I wondered if the next mystery might take them beyond just murder into a broader intrigue. Maybe Gamache will take a role that brings organisations other than the Surete into the story as this book did.
I agree that Gamache can be an omnipotent being, his vulnerability keeps us on the edge of our seats as he doesn’t always have the power to stop bad things happening.
SPOILER ALERT…..
A recurring theme in this book is “What Next?” That makes me happy because it is thinking about a future thus implying we have a long way yet to travel with our Three Pines crew.
There were lots of clues given for what might be next for Gamache and certainly a role with an element of teaching and mentoring seems suitable but he is also a consummate investigate so that has to be worked in there.
What about everyone else? Did anyone spot the clues that might be a hint as to a direction for anyone else? Obviously big changes coming for JG I imagine but what about the others?
Millie, I think that’s the best way to do it, too – I often forget to go back and look for later comments, plus, I often get lost and forget what I’m looking for, haha. My mind is sometimes my weakest link, it seems.
I’ve been enjoying the discussion of evil acts vs evil creations – lots for me to think about… I’m terrible at starting a new topic, so hope one or more of you will direct the conversation…
No offense taken, Anna! That’s the marvel of how well this story is written. It evokes emotions. Lots of different emotions depending on the filter of the reader. I’ve just had a really busy day. And tomorrow doesn’t look good for me to sit and chat. 🙁 But I will. I hope I don’t get totally lost. If everyone comments independently at the bottom and refers to who and what we are commenting on, rather than replying to someone else’s comment, it’s easier to pick up where we left off. It worked really well before. Just a suggestion…
Rosenblatt, Fraser, and Delorme will all be back I think. We have much to learn about them. Fraser and Delorme ……Don’t know if they are good guys or bad, but I think both would do whatever was necessary to fulfill the mission.
Rosenblatt is not a simple little retired guy either.
Are there any simple retired guys? Not in Three Pines that is for sure. Gives me hope really!
MAJOR SPOILER ALERT
Rosenblatt will be back, I’m sure of it. Whether he’s friend or foe, I don’t know – but he is definitely not just a “harmless professor”, that’s for sure. I kept waiting to find out his involvement – maybe he’s fighting on the side of good… who knows? While the Project Babylon issue was related to the central murder(s), it was one of the villagers who was guilty. Which means, to me, that the central figures we’ve seen so far might still be around in a later work, Rosenblatt chief among them.
I love how Louise leaves some mystery in her characters. I try to have ones that are more lightly drawn so I can get to know them later. I wonder if Louise knows even now what role some of these characters will play as she moves forward. I am sure she has some ideas but what I love is when my characters surprise me.
Kim, I understood what you wrote! Between Spanish and the Latin, that was a requirement, I can get the gist most times. Like ‘livre’ in French is ‘libro’ in Spanish is ‘book’ in English! Thank you for offering to help me practice, but I’m still learning words. Much to my dismay when we moved from the States to Puerto Rico, I found there’s a huge gap between understanding a language perfectly and speaking it. I was stubborn. My parents would speak Spanish at home but I wanted to learn to speak English without an accent. Mission accomplished but little did I know I’d need Spanish in my mid teens to early 20’s. At University I had to tape the lectures, go home and replay them and write it out in English my first year before I could study, especially classes like philosophy! I didn’t have time to tackle another language then.
Recently, I asked my mom why did I study so hard? Her response made me laugh. “So you could get a job as a bilingual Tour Guide / VIP hostess when we moved back to the States? My favorite ‘job’!
I think it’s wonderful your minor was French at University. But I know what you mean about not having many opportunities to use the language. I was lucky that mom sent me to a high school in Puerto Rico that was a college prep academy geared towards daughters (all girls school) of American businessmen who needed a crash course in Spanish but the other classes were in English, or girls who knew they would be attending University in the States. I remember the morning I woke up running into the kitchen to tell my mom I had dreamt in Spanish! That was when I felt ‘bilingual’! But after my few years at Disney, and marrying an Anerican, I’ve had few opportunities to practice my Spanish other than the daily calls to mom when I try to speak it with her but I fall back to answering in English a lot. I’m still good at it but not like I used to be. And my parents spoke slowly. When I watch a TV show in Spanish, especially from Spain, they speak so fast my brain gets tired. Lol…
After grade 12 and again in University, I had 2 immersion summers in Quebec – the first in Quebec City (where I didn’t learn as much) and the second in Chicoutimi (where I became reasonably fluent). But that was a long time ago and I’ve become rusty. If you are looking toward listening to some French, try the news. The reporters tend to speak formally, so you don’t get caught up in regional accents and slang. And, if you follow the news in English, there is some overlap to help in guessing the substance.
In teaching a second language, we were encouraged to follow the “listen, speak, read, write” approach as the natural progression in learning a first language. That works well with children, but I think most adults’ “ear” for language gradually shuts down, making reading and writing easier than listening and speaking.
I’m checking back to the previous page as so much is being written and I don’t want to fail to see everything.
A lovely picture of LP greeted me as I walked into the Library yesterday. She is on the over of Book Page with an excellent interview. Book Page.com, Print Edition has it. She tells of writing first drafts and how she puts everything in it. No ideas are forgotten because the weren’t written down. I have always made the mistake of rewriting until each sentence was perfect. I now see the folly in that. You can’t go forward.
We certainly do stifle creativity in children. Even today, very young children are told that when they color the grass must be green, the sky blue, and the dog can not be orange. None of that is even true. Grass is not always green, the sky is not always blue and an apricot poodle might well be considered orange. Forcing a child to follow the “rules” isn’t even honest. Even though the sky isn’t green and grass isn’t usually red so what. I have colored flowers, etc. unusual colors recently simply because I chose to. Made a picture I found very pleasing.
Millie, I am reminded of becoming very agitated in class one day and knowing Mother needed me. Her condition had worsened since I had left for school and her Dr. wanted her back in the hospital. My ability came from her. She warned me not to tell others as they would think me crazy. Poor dear, I can imagine how she was ridiculed by those she grew up with. Even after all these years and many proofs my husband refuses to believe that sometimes I just know.