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 Jane and welcome!
Have you read all the books or was Beautiful Mystery your first?
The relationship between Gamache and Jean Guy and Annie, Gamache’s daughter is an evolving one and best explained by reading the books from the beginning. I am just wary of giving you spoilers and undercutting your fun in watching events unfold.
If you do want more explanation regardless of spoilers we are happy to fill you in?
Hello. I am a little late in finding you all. But would love to get more information on the relationship between Gamache and Jean-Guy. Or should I say lack thereof; after finishing The Beautiful Mystery, I am now starting How the Light Gets In. Not far into it, it feels to me that I’ve missed something. The relationship between Jean-Guy and the Inspector’s daughter ……. ?
Anna, I’ve just read as far as Chapter 3 and it’s wonderful. You really do a great job of writing and I’m looking forward to reading the rest. (I used to read manuscripts for a YA fiction publisher so I’ve seen some less than wonderful stuff.) Yours is amazing.
Thank you Nancy! That is very kind of you to say. I am so glad you are enjoying the story.
The lovely comments from the Bistro crowd are high praise indeed as I know the standard you expect! But I also know you all to be very gentle souls. I would not have had the courage to set the book free without you. I know I have said it before but it is such a scary thing to do and the Bistro made it possible.
Book 2 and 3 are percolating as I am quite keen to know more!
Cathryne, I have to thank you for your lovely review. You are very kind. I was so scared to look after my nightmare but I was told to by a friend and met only kindness so than you very much. Thanks to you all 400 people have a copy of the book. That is amazing!!!!!!
OMG! The typos!
you ‘thing’ should be thinking & Anna’s ‘sent image’ = sentiment. Love/hate auto correct spelling. I don’t need help misspelling! LOL
Hi Nancy Miller, so nice to see old friends popping back in. You’re welcome. But no need to ever apologize for not being good with ‘tech stuff’. Everyone has different strengths and most things takes years of practice. If the ‘tech’ developers would stop ‘improving and updating’ more people would get better. But Nooooo! Just when I had something figured it, they’d change it. Argh. I finally gave up on Microsoft. I bought Eve’s fruit of temptation. I figured my PC was dying anyway and had to learn all over again because no one sells anymore the old system I was good at so gave Microsoft a raspberry and switched to Apple. And just in case you’re thing well some people are just better at techy things… I assure you, it was learn to text or rarely here from my sons! LOL. The things we do for love! Enjoy the story! And I echo Anna’s sent image of being glad you found your way here!
Thank you all for the lovely comments. I had a dream last night that all these one star reviews appeared so I am just not looking! What a image I had though of Barbara patting her pockets looking for her inhaler and Millie wide eyed watching for waves. That’s the best review a writer could get.
I have seen a few bushfires. The Christmas after Erin was born we couldn’t see ou side fence, but a few meters from the house and the whole town was ringed by fire. I spent the day and night at work and missed Christmas completely. People were evacuated off a beach by boat from one of the coastal towns.
I can’t believe Easter is upon us. Erin loves going to the Easter show in Sydney. It’s a massive agricultural show with animals and wood chopping but rides and show bags too. Our local bakery wins many gold medals which is not surprising as I munch on one of their brioche based hot cross buns!
Enjoy the Masters Barbara. Keep an eye on Jason Day for me!
Anna, what are “show bags”? Just wondering.
Hi Nancy. Show bags are one of the main reason kids love the show, think county fair maybe but the Sydney show is huge. They were originally sample bags and manufacturers gave away samples of their wares. Overtime the bags cost money but supposedly you get a lot of value for your payment. In reality these days, the bags are padded with junk and vouchers but kids love them. There are Lindt chocolate bags, Coca cola, bags for magazines, movies like Frozen etc, hundreds of bags. Have a look at the link!
http://www.eastershow.com.au/showbags/
Oh wow. Thanks Anna. That was interesting. Also reminded me of a …what was it called? Maybe a Food Fair. I don’t remember but it was in Toronto about 1978 and I went with a friend from Australia (Sydney!) who was living in Toronto at the time since her husband was working at the University of Toronto. We had a wonderful day. You had to pay to enter but recouped the price because you were handed a bag at the door that was filled with lots of goodies and every booth had lots of free samples. Our friends eventually settled outside Melbourne and we saw them again three years ago when they visited Canada for her 60th birthday. Each time we get together it’s as if the years in between had never existed. We just pick up where we left off at the last visit. The friendship is a real treasure. Oh, since we’re in the Bistro and it’s a place for visiting I have to tell you (all) a funny story. When our friends lived in Toronto Alan bought an inexpensive coat to wear for the winter. It was warm, I guess, but that was it’s only recommendation and it served him well for the three years. Ten years later they came back to Toronto for a sabbatical and lo and behold he still had the same unbelievable coat!! He didn’t need it in Australia but had kept it “just in case”. Fortunately when they came back this last time (20 years later) he didn’t need it and I forgot to ask if he still has it….but I wouldn’t be surprised if the answer was “yes”.
Yep, we have clothes we only wear in Canada! The weather is too temperate here to warrant heavy wear. When we move to the States it will be different I am sure. I have been warned to buy early as the seasons in the shops change well before the weather does. Same here actually.
The bags at the food fair sound exactly the same, sample bags. They started out free in the 1900’s but gradually started to cost money as they became more popular. When I was a kid they were 20c to a dollar. Now they are $10-50!
Nancy – I’m quite sure you went to “The Ex” – The Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto. I went when I was a teenager – probably 1965 or so. Back then, we called it the “CNE”. For those in the US, think State Fair. There was (probably still is) one in every major city in Canada at the end of the summer (because it was also a harvest exhibition), but the one in Toronto was the biggest. I have fond memories of that trip, even though we stayed at our Aunt’s house, and she had a pig farm, whose smell was unbelievable, and at about 15, of course, my delicate sensibilities were outraged! I have clothes I saved to wear in Canada, but found, to my dismay, the first time I wanted to wear any of them, they didn’t fit me anymore. When I left Canada, I was quite sick and had lost a dangerous amount of weight, and of course, now I’m much more “robust”, shall we say? Hahahaha.
But Canada is full of hideous coats because it really is important that you stay warm! We have, collectively, decided that we don’t think they’re hideous, because, really, what else can we do? We all have those coats, and we all have trained ourselves to think that they look just fine!
P.S. Barbara, the scene in the water to escape the fire had me hyperventilating – I don’t swim! LOL
Oh Barabara, you made me giggle with your ‘so many thoughts at once,” comment. That’s me to a T! My hubby is such a straight linear thinker (I think most engineers are!) so how I ‘think’ baffled him till about 10 years ago when he attended a required seminar at work and were introduced to a ‘different’ way of solving problems. “He had the main topic inside a circle in the middle of the white board, then drew lines out with lots more ‘bubbles’ which all connected to each other…” There’s a technical term for that form of ‘outlining’ I can’t remember now, but no matter. I remember him coming home asking if that was how I naturally thought? “YES! Only mine float around and sometimes they bump into each other and some will go flying off a wee bit too far and I forget the main point I intended to say.” The poor man actually looked relieved! …lol He finally understood me better. Since then, he’s so much more patient with my ramblings till I get back to “the point” or the ‘center bubble’. ‘Creative’ (or right brain dominant) people are more apt to think that way. Outlines & lists drive me nuts. They are so hard for me – so rigid & confined.
Which just bumped to another bubble – that must be why so many writers say they don’t outline! They must be ‘bubble thinkers’!
Which is certainly a good way of thinking about our weather lately. One day in the 80’s, then two days later we need the heater at night. I guess Mother Nature isn’t a linear “thinker” either! LOL
And yes, the pre-orders are absolutely how authors come out on the top 10 or as #1 on best seller’s lists right on publication day. It also helps the publishers figure out how many books to print for the 1st edition. And if one pre-orders from a bookstore, it gives the store an idea of how many books to order from the publisher too. The nice thing is that one doesn’t have to pay up front to pre-order either at a book store or through Amazon. One pays for it the day you pick it up or it ships. And right now, Amazon is offering a reduced price on LP’s pre-orders with price guarantee! I love opening my front door and seeing her book waiting for me to jump in to Three Pines! 😉
Oh, I’m so happy every morning (okay, morning for me, today, was the crack of noon! – haven’t been sleeping well, but I sure did last night, haha) to see all the new posts! It’s wonderful! Jane – I envy you, too, if you haven’t read them all yet. This series is, by far, the best bunch of books I’ve read about Canadians, about character, about people! The relationships are so real – so agonizingly real! If we’ve somehow mis-read and you HAVE read them all so far, but would like more discussion about the relationship between Jean Guy and Gamache, we will be delighted to oblige. Jean Guy is my very favorite character. So flawed, but so full of a loving soul, if he could just let himself…
Anna, I love The Cove. I could smell the smoke as the fire came closer. I was so caught up in the story that I found myself checking to be sure my inhaler was in my pocket. That’s good writing!
The characters quickly became real. I am anxious to continue the story.
This year Easter and Passover coincide as in the Bible. The Orthodox Christians will celebrate Holy week and Easter with us Western Christians while Passover is observed by those of the Jewish faith.
The forecast is for 27 degrees in the morning. The flowering trees, shrubs and flowers are blooming or in full bud. Everything is beautiful. I hate to see it ruined. The Masters visitors enjoy the flowers so much both on the course and around the city.
The idea to pre-order The Nature of the Beast is certainly one way to show our appreciation and support of LP. Thanks Mille, I didn’t think about the pre-orders determining the opening book ranking.
What a hodge-podge I have written. So many thoughts at once.LOL
Just out of curiosity, I peeked at Louise’s ranking stats so far. In her category, she’s at #11 for Kindle and #17 for books and there are five months still to go before publication date. WOW. We can definitely make this debute on top of the charts. I’m so excited for her. And us.
Anna, I WAS super organized. I don’t do chaos well and I miss it! Maybe I should try some of Barbara’s ‘bourbon and branch’ to see if that helps? …lol
On a more serious note, I did it! Pre-ordered ‘The Nature of the Beast’! Paul, please let us know when the audio is available for pre-order. Thanks.
Here’s the Amazon link if anyone would like it:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Beast-Inspector-Gamache/dp/1250022088/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Millie, you are so super organised…photographs of the bookshelves. Amazing. If someone unloads the boxes onto the shelves, even if it isn’t quite right you can potter around moving a book here or there but the heavy work will be done.
I have had such an amazing couple of days people. We topped at number 6 in the Australian store for free Action and Adventure and 13 in the U.S. for free crime. I am absolutely amazed and will forever remember everyone’s help. I am content as I can honestly say I was a top ten author on Kindle, no need to toss around the specifics is there?
I say Barbara, they had the Masters on the news tonight. Apparently Aussie Jason Day is one to wtch according to Greg Norman. My mother was a great golfer in her day, loved it. I played for school sport. I do hope the guests aren’t too overwhelming for everyone, especially your sister. Don’t forget to have time outs! Might need to get the bourbon and branch happening, I can see a vase or two in your near future.
From what we’ve read, Jason Day deserves watching. My husband thinks he has a real chance.
Our schools did not offer golf back in my day. Now they do and Augusta State won the National title for colleges a few years ago. There is a real effort to expose all children to golf. First Tee offers opportunities for children who might otherwise not have much chance. My brother-in law enjoyed golf very much. Being career military, he enjoyed playing courses in many counties. When he and my sister traveled, the golf clubs went too whether by plane or
car. I don’t play nor does my sister but we enjoy watching the tournaments on TV. Neither of us have been able to attend the Masters for decades. Her back prevents her from going and my asthma keeps me away. My allergy to grass oil is very severe. I’m so glad we can watch the play on TV.
Julie,
I just saw your wonderful suggestion about getting someone to help with the book unpacking. Brilliant!
As I said before, I have to get used to scrolling back up. I must say it hadn’t occured to me. Duh! As you know, my hubby travels a lot and I guess I developed the mindset that I could always ‘hold down the fort’, take care of whatever needed doing. But I can’t lift the boxes just yet. (I did laugh when you suggested I walk counter-clockwise around the pool. I asked the Chiropractor if I could do that and he said absolutely not. 🙁 So I feel as though I’ve also lost my ‘safe place’ to walk, too! There are no sidewalks where we live and because it rains a lot the streets angle down from the center so he said no walking on the streets either. What a kill-joy he is! )
Anyway, in the chaos of packing up things, I think I had the presence of mind to take pictures of each shelf before the contractors arrived to help empty the house. (Bless one of our neighbors who watches out for the house between ours which belongs to ‘snow birds’ and only come South a few weeks in the winter. They let us store our ‘stuff’ in their house and garage while ours was being fixed…) If I find those pictures in my camera stick, and print them out… It would be a piece of cake for a stronger body without me doing the ‘heavy lifting’. That could really work. Thanks! What would I do without the Bistro and you all. I don’t think I mentioned that I missed you all very much. I just needed a bit of time to grieve and heal. But it’s so nice to be back.
It’s time for me to move beyond where I got stuck, just like Clara & Gamache. That’s one thing I so love about her books. First I read them for her story. Then I read them looking for what helps me. Sometimes it’s the humor, sometimes it’s a phrase. Right now Gamache is whispering in my ear that I need to be OK with saying, “I need help.”
One way to ‘honor’ Louise is for all of us to pre-order her book! I Will do that ASAP, I get her paper AND audio. That’s how authors start out on top of the best-sellers list right out of the gate! I know I owe her that. 😀
Good plan Millie!
Great plan – last time I did it on Kindle, but this time, if she comes to Seattle, I want to be able to get her to sign it, so I will be ordering from my local independent shop as soon as they go “live” with their announcement about seeing her! It means waiting about TWO WEEKS!, but it will be worth it, hahahaha.
I got IT! Have read first chapter. Can not wait for time tonight to continue. I don’t know what to say, Anna. I’m so thrilled and happy for you. You said you were going to write a book and you did. A GOOD one too. I’m so excited I’m having more trouble than usual typing. I can’t imagine how you must feel. You can speak of MY BOOK. You are now “My friend the author”. I wish I could read nonstop now but can’t. We are helping my sister to get prepared for the crowd from Mississippi. Masters Week you know. That week I need to be able to transport from my house to hers. We live on opposite sides of the National with me closer. Must go. CONGRATS, Again.
Told you I couldn’t type…..that that should read” teleport”. ACK !
Thanks Barbara. You make me giggle too. This has been great fun.
Be careful with all that teleporting! You know Bones from Star Trek was very dubious about having his atoms scattered. Maybe stick to driving!
Right now I wish I could say, “Beam me to CA, Mom”. Spend a few hours with her and be home for hubby! I figure my atoms (especially those in my head) are already pretty scattered, so what’s a few more? lol…
Ah Peg, you make me laugh. But we are a great bunch. Thank you for being so good and waiting for the book. Seriously I have tears in my eyes. We hit number 17!!!! I had to screenshot that and send it to my husband as it won’t last long enough for him to see it live.
It’s -3 with windchill. Brrrrrr. But I am warm all over from everyone’s kindness.
We have to make sure we get Louise all the Honours she deserves this year, it’s such an exciting thing. I know several extra people who will be buying her book in August.
Peg I couldn’t figure out who was downloading the book in the middle of my night…..must have been you and the Bistro crowd. Don’t forget sleep is a weapon, as my husband is fond of saying!
Anna, I checked late last night (Wednesday in USA) and then again this morning, which is Thursday. I love being called “part of the Bistro crowd,” that sounds so exclusive.
I can’t thank you all enough!! I don’t quite know whether to laugh or cry but I nearly fell out of bed when I read this! (It is still dark and very early here but I have to wake my daughter in two minutes for a school excursion!)
Sorry for any typos. I did spellcheck and reread it a zillion times but I am too close to the work….I see the value of a good editor. Remember it’s Australian English and we are a little odd in our spelling.
You are all so amazing and supportive. This wouldn’t have happened without you all as I said. Thank you to anyone who bought it. I am glad though that you can all access it for a couple of days for free as that was always my intention.
I still can not believe anyone other my family would read it…my daughter hasn’t which lead my friend to declare I should strap her to a chair and read it to her…….that might not be a good way to boost the readership. A little Orwellian!
It is very chilly this early morning. It snowed a little down south yesterday. Winter is creeping up on us as I hope the sun is beginning to shine for you all.
Oh my goodness – # 26! That’s fabulous! Obviously, people are finding it. Yippeeeee!
Yes, indeed, Julie. Something wonderful to get us to August!
But remember Julie, you were one of the first! I will remember that.
And now it’s #13! Top ten, here you come!