INTRODUCTION BY JOHN KWIATKOWSKI
Discovering Louise Penny’s books has become an unofficial rite of passage for new Murder By The Book employees. I picked up Still Life shortly after starting at the store 4 years ago. I was immediately hooked. I wanted to devour the books, but I knew I didn’t want to rush them. I would make myself take a break after every two that I read.
Louise Penny is one of the first authors I remember being nervous to meet. We host 3 or 4 events a week, and I’d already met many authors, but this was different. I had bonded with her books and characters in a way that I hadn’t bonded with anything in a while. Louise didn’t want her event to just be an author talk, she wanted it to be a conversation. Since I had just read the whole series, I got to interview Louise about Bury Your Dead. It was the first time I’d done anything like that, and I knew it would be in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Louise immediately calmed my nerves. She walked into the store and wrapped her arms around me like we’d known each other for years. We had so much fun, and it’s become tradition that I interview Louise when she visits the store. It’s something I look forward to every year.
When I heard about the Gamache series reread, I knew I wanted to host the conversation about The Brutal Telling. It’s my favorite in the series. With The Brutal Telling, Louise put a lot of trust in her readers. She told the story she wanted, and asked the readers to go on a ride with her. I love when authors make risky decisions for the sake of the story. It shows that they have faith in their readers. It might not be the story readers expected, but it’s a story that’s worth telling.
RECAP
Ch. 1-25: The Brutal Telling opens deep in the woods of Three Pines. A mysterious Hermit tells Olivier a story about Chaos destroying everything in the world except one small village. The Hermit tells Olivier, “Chaos is coming, old son.”
A ringing phone wakes Gabri and Olivier from their sleep on a Sunday morning. They rush to the bistro to find Myrna already there. On her way to the bookstore Myrna had noticed the bistro’s open doorand found a body, obviously the victim of foul play. Olivier recognizes the Hermit, lying dead on the floor, but when Gabri asks who it is Olivier lies. In Montreal, a similar call pulls Armand Gamache and Jean Guy Beauvoir away from their family time. Arriving in Three Pines, Gamache and his team find no murder weapon, and no means of identifying the dead man.
It’s clear that the blow to the stranger’s head killed him instantly, but it appears that the crime did not occur in the bistro. Gamache establishes a timeline. On Saturday nights, Olivier leaves the night staff to close up, and Old Mundin drops by with repaired furniture. Young Parra would have been the last person in the bistro, but it hardly matters since so many people have keys to the building.
As the investigation gets underway, Agent Lacoste interviews the Parra family in their modern home, and she learns that Roar might have seen a strange man in the woods near the Hadley house. Gamache speaks to the medical examiner and learns that the victim was in his 50s, and took good care of himself for a vagrant. A young man asks to join Gamache’s team, and against Beauvoir’s advice, Gamache welcomes Paul Morin to the team. Beauvoir and Gamache think the body was left in the bistro on purpose, so it would be found.
Clara hosts a dinner party for the Surete officers and her neighbors. This gives everyone a chance to view Clara’s new work for her upcoming art show, and reopens old wounds for Peter. The subject of the body in the bistro comes up again, and everyone wonders why someone would leave the body as a gift for Olivier. Gamache learns that the Hadley house has been purchased and will be turned into a spa. The spa has caused conflict between Olivier and the house’s new owner, Marc. A trip to meet the new owners uncovers a possible motive, as Gamache learns that Olivier had been overcharging them for antiques, causing them to take their business elsewhere.
The idea of reopening the bistro gives Olivier pause. He questions his place in Three Pines, and whether the community would still love him if they knew his secrets. Myrna tries to reassure him, but he decides he needs some time alone. Gamache and Beauvoir meet with the medical examiner and learn that the victim was killed elsewhere and moved to the bistro.
A search of the town doesn’t turn up any possibilities for the murder scene. At the Hadley house, Dominique has decided to bring in old horses destined for slaughter instead of the hunters she originally wanted. A conversation with Old Mundin (who is actually not old) uncovers that Olivier has also caused friction with the antiques community as more people besides Marc feel that he isn’t giving them fair deals for the pieces he purchases.
More digging into Olivier’s background turns up interesting facts. While he may pay less for his antiques, he’s known to give his clients other things (comfort, human contact,) and he owns most of the property in Three Pines.
A visit to the bank where he used to work reveals that Olivier resigned after borrowing money from clients and investing it. He was able to almost triple the money, but didn’t have authorization to do so. As a result, he resigned and his employers were never sure whether he had intended to steal the money he made. It’s still unclear where he got the money to purchase so much property in Three Pines. Olivier’s father is unable to shed any light on the subject because he barely knows his son at all. He doesn’t know that Olivier lives in Three Pines or that he’s gay.
Paul Morin learns that only two people have recently purchased Varathane, Gabri and Marc. A visit to the Hadley house reveals that their floors had been recently varathaned. Fiber from the victim’s sweater is also found stuck to the floor. But, the revelation that the body was originally found in the old Hadley house does nothing to advance the case. Marc admits to finding the body there and moving it to the bistro for revenge on Olivier, but it’s obvious from a lack of blood that the stranger’s body was not murdered in the Hadley house either.
While Marc is being questioned, a man is seen lurking around the Hadley house. The stranger turns out to be Marc’s father, a man Marc thought was dead, a who came to town right around the time of the murder. Dominique is the one who finds the cabin in the woods, and the blood pool that marks it as the scene of the crime. The cabin is filled with priceless antiques from a variety of times and places. No one understands how a treasure trove could have been hidden in the woods without anyone being aware of it. The location of the cabin makes the crime even more peculiar. If the murderer had left the body there, it is likely no one would have ever found it.
Among the treasures are beautifully carved figures. Everyone agrees that they are works of art, but they are also unsettling. One figure is covered in blood, and (we later learn) Olivier’s fingerprints. Each figure has a series of letters carved on its bottom. Even more curious is the first edition of Charlotte’s Web found in the cabin’s outhouse, and a spider web with the word Woo on it.
Clara is thrilled to meet with Denis Fortin about her upcoming art show. Denis seems to really understand what Clara is trying to say with her layout and vision. It all goes well until Fortin calls Gabri “a fucking queer.” Paralyzed by shock, Clara says nothing.
With the fingerprint results back in, Gamache confronts Olivier. This time Olivier doesn’t lie; he admits to knowing The Hermit. The Hermit was one of Olivier’s first customers and trades antiques for food. After a while, he had become nervous about being in town and Olivier had started to visit him in the woods. Olivier claims that he picked up the murder weapon, and dropped it when he discovered the blood on it. Gamache asks him, “Did you kill him?”
Ch. 26-end: Clara talks to Myrna about her incident with Fortin, and Myrna says she would have done nothing as well. Clara decides to talk with Gabri. Olivier says he didn’t kill the Hermit, but confesses that he found the Hermit dead in the cabin and moved the body to the Hadley house for Marc Gilbert to find. Gamache makes a trip to the cabin to look around before it’s cleaned out, and ponders who might have had motive to kill The Hermit. Vincent or Marc Gilbert, Roar or Havoc Parra. A casual look around the cabin reveals that several items all have one name in common, Charlotte.
Olivier attempts to talk to Gabri, but Gabri continues working on his preserves. Clara asks Peter what to do about Fortin, and Peter is slow to offer any advice. The next morning he tells Clara to speak to Fortin. Clara confronts Fortin, and just as Peter suspected he would, Fortin tells Clara he needs to reconsider her show.
Gamache gets help trying to decipher the codes on the bottom of The Hermit’s carvings and learns that several have been sold and are worth enough money to be a possible motive for murder. Once again, Olivier lied about what he did with the carvings The Hermit gave him. The word Woo and the prevalence of the name Charlotte lead Gamache to think of the Queen Charlotte Islands. Emily Carr spent time on the Queen Charlotte Islands painting and documenting totem polls, with carvings very similar to the carvings done by The Hermit. While speaking of Emily Carr, Clara mentions the concept of “the brutal telling.” Carr was estranged from her father, and later in life she said it was because her father had said something horrible and unforgivable to her. The brutal telling.
Garbi makes a trip up to the Hadley house to talk to the Gilberts. The visit doesn’t go well. Tensions are high as the group argues. Gabri explains how people come to Three Pines and find their niche, rather than moving in on someone else’s. He tries to apologize for Olivier’s actions. In an empty bistro, Gamache questions Olivier again about The Hermit and the carvings. Olivier admits to selling them online.
Gamache takes a trip to Queen Charlotte Island to see if that’s where The Hermit had come from. No one on the island knows him. Gamache strikes out, but a famous artist, Will Sommes, tells Gamache that the person who made the carvings was terrified. As he learns more about the island’s history, Gamache is certain that The Hermit spent time on the island, but no one can verify it for sure. It’s on the flight home that Gamache realizes how the carvings fit together.
Back in the Bistro, Gabri learns that Olivier has never told his father he is gay. When questioned about the order of the carvings, Olivier claims he doesn’t know the story they’re trying to tell. In a rare moment of frustration, Gamache pounds on the table and demands the truth. With more pushing, Olivier tells them that the Hermit’s name was Jakob, but Gamache doesn’t know much more about him. The Hermit came from Czechoslovakia just as the Berlin Wall fell, stored his treasures in Montreal, and moved them to the cabin once it was built. Olivier says that The Hermit was telling him the story of the carvings, but never finished the story, and Olivier has never seen the final carving.
As the officers meets at the B & B, they ponder the story the carvings are trying to tell, and The Hermit’s possible connections to the Czech community in Three Pines. Though they’ve asked many Czech families about the treasures found in the cabin, they’ve had no leads. Another trip to the Parras doesn’t turn up anything new. A search team tears apart the Bistro, and hidden in the fireplace is a sack and a Menorah, the murder weapon.
Olivier swears he didn’t kill Jakob. He spent time with Jakob, and had to go back when he realized he left the artifact he was given. When he returned, Jakob was dead. Olivier took the Menorah because it had his fingerprints all over it, and admitted that part of the reason he moved the body to the Hadley house was to stop the clearing of trails that would eventually lead to the cabin. Olivier took the Menorah and the sack with the last carving, and hid them in the fireplace of the bistro. Another revelation lets us know that Olivier was the one telling the story to Jakob. Olivier knew Jakob was afraid of something, so he made up a story to keep Jakob scared and isolated. Despite claiming that he didn’t kill Jakob, Olivier is arrested for the murder.
The key to the codes on the bottom of the carvings is the number 16. With the code, Gamache was able to learn that the words under them were Emily and Charlotte. Cracking the codes still doesn’t offer any insight into their meaning.
Vincent Gilbert decides to stay in Three Pines and live in Jakob’s cabin, Clara is contacted by Therese Brunel, and has hope that her art show might still happen. Gamache is confronted by Gabri again, trying to explain that Olivier couldn’t have murdered Jakob. As the book closes, we see Ruth’s duck Rosa take to the sky and fly away. Gabri is with Ruth to comfort her as they watch the duck go.
FAVORITE QUOTE
He watched Beauvoir sit up, “How was it?”
“No one died.”
“That’s a bit of an achievement in Three Pines.”
“Every surface of the kitchen was packed with colorful jars filled with jams and jellies, pickles and chutneys. And it looked as though Gabri would keep this up forever. Silently preserving everything he could.”
CONCLUSION
Bury Your Dead was the first book release I experienced at Murder By The Book, and every customer wanted to know if Louise was going to fix what she did in The Brutal Telling. I think that’s a beautiful testament to the world that she created. The citizens of Three Pines have become like family to us all, and with The Brutal Telling we learn some things about our family that we really didn’t want to know. There’s no way to fix it. A Rule Against Murder changed the series because we were taken out of Three Pines, but The Brutal Telling changes the series because it changes Three Pines.
We’re left in a place of transition. Olivier is in jail, Gabri is still convinced he didn’t do it, and even Ruth’s pet duck has left.
It seems dire, but I think Louise left us with some hope. I love the tender moment between Ruth and Gabri as Rosa takes flight. We see hope is Gamache’s patience with Gabri, and we’re left with some hope that Clara might still have her art show.
When I think of this book, the image in my head is always of Gabri and his preserves. Louise so perfectly captures that need to complete some task in order to have some control in the chaos. Part of the beauty of the series is the way Louise just nails those very human moments.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Why do you think Gamache consistently recruits outcasts as members of his team? How is that mirrored by Dominique’s choice of horses.
- The Brutal Telling starts on the last weekend of the summer, how do you think the changing season mirrors the changes in Three Pines?
- What would you have done in Clara’s position? Would you have confronted Fortin or stayed silent?
- How would you describe Olivier’s friendship with The Hermit?
- How do you think the citizens of Three Pines are going to react when they learn that OIivier owns most of the town? Do you think they will still love him, as Myrna said?
- Do you think Olivier murdered The Hermit?
- Do you think Peter was purposely trying to sabotage Clara with his advice?
- We see Gamache get visibly angry with Olivier, and he’s usually so collected. How did it make you feel? Why do you think Gamache lost his cool?
- How have the events of The Brutal Telling changed your opinion of Olivier? Do you think he did it?
- What do you think was Olivier’s brutal telling? Do you think any of his lies were unforgivable in the eyes of Three Pines? Was Peter’s advice to Clara about the art show a brutal telling?
- Gamache says that he doesn’t believe Olivier is a murderer, but that he does believe Olivier has killed. Do you agree with his distinction?
264 replies on “Series Re-Read: The Brutal Telling”
My favorite quote is by Gamache, about Olivier: “He had a huge and terrible conscience riding herd on a huge and terrible greed”. It gives me insight into Olivier’s struggle with good and bad, right and wrong, and reveals his uncontrollable neediness.
LP is a master at giving hints and I wonder if anyone else knows what the significance of the names of some of the other suspects might be? Roar and Havoc? What am I missing?
Thanks, everyone for the insightful and enlightening comments.
I don’t know about Roar, though I think the name certainly sounds ominous… Havoc comes out, I think, in the Shakespeare quote :”Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” It’s from Julius Caesar, but the phrase “Cry havoc!” seems to be one used often in the middle ages to initiate a military battle – in that soldiers would wait for the leader to cry “Havoc!” before attacking. In several instances, Louise makes note about “letting slip a dog” etc. – they are subtle, and not all together, so she is not saying anything overtly. But it does bring up that connotation. What it means, of course, is something else again… Maybe she is just playing with words.
My most interesting feeling is that I am quite aware that Olivier has been amazingly secretive and an awfully big liar, and that he is motivated by lust for beautiful possessions and also by greed for money. But you know what, I really never lose sympathy for him nor feel distaste for him the way that I feel toward Peter. I guess that his faults seem quite understandable to me, and because he lies about things, but seems in general pretty kind to people.
And (AHA! how do I know what I think until my fingers get on the keyboard!!!) his visits to the hermit in the woods are like Olivier visiting HIMSELF, unchecked in his acquisitiveness, unmediated by love living secretly far away in the deep darkness, far from anyone else. The murdered man is Olivier’s ‘shadow’ the less admirable aspects of himself. You can make friends all you like with your shadow, but when you start dropping it in other people’s front hallways, then the fun is going to begin.
# 5 The townspeople who loved Olivier before they knew he was wealthy will still love him. Friends will not feel threatened that he owns the property they rent- they knew someone did. Friends would be hurt by the wrong things Olivier did but he would still be loved by them.
The people who where emotionally removed from him and knew him primarily from the Bistro might use the new information as a reason to feel and say what is always heard from some “I always knew there was something….” Envy rears its head so often. I just have to say that those who held some prejudice toward Olivier and Gabri, if anyone did, will now feel freer to voice it.
# 6 Do you think Olivier murdered the Hermit?
I never have felt that Olivier murdered The Hermit. Being greedy, paying people less than what their items were worth, lying, stealing, disrespecting a corpse by moving it are certainly not desirable traits. In fact they are terrible. However, none of them equal murder. It is not a matter of this so therefore that. The old saying of “where there is smoke there is fire” may be true for forest fires but not always true for people.
I read the books so quickly last time. It’s great to have a reason to go back to 3 Pines, getting reacquainted with my friends at the Bistro although I miss the secondary characters and wonder what they are up to
Does anyone know – is the story (in italics, in my US paperback edition) about the boy, people, and mountain either an existing legend or a take on a legend? Or is it simply another one of Louise’s terrific creations?
I’ve been curious throughout these books about licorice pipes. I’m guessing they’re candy, in the shape of a pipe, yes? So, what’s the big draw for them, as they seem to be standard fare at the Bistro?
Marie, I think it’s definitely Louise’s invention – just as it’s supposed to be an invention in the book. I’ve looked for it, and for wood carvings, too, as I would love to see them – but haven’t found them anywhere on the internet.
As for the licorice pipes, they are a candy from my youth – maybe more a Canadian treat? I don’t know – licorice seems to be big at the Bistro – there are licorice allsorts all around, too, but Gamache does love his pipes. Here’s what they look like:
https://www.sweets-online.com/images/produkte/i10/105350-1.jpg
Thanks so much for giving us the link for licorice pipes – have wondered about them since my first reading of the book.
Thanks, Julie, for the licorice pipe image link. I’m thinking it may be more a Canadian than US candy.
I, too, would like to see those wood carvings. Fortunately, there’s plenty of information about Emily Carr and her paintings online to satisfy that curiosity, in addition to having seen her work at the art museum in Victoria, BC. There will be mention of a sculpture of Carr, outside a gallery in Montreal. Here’s a link to just one of many images of that sculpture:
http://www.dittwald.com/torontosculpture/gallery/full/Fafard_carr11.jpg.
And there’s Woo! Very cool.
The seasons always play a big role in these books, or perhaps I’m super-sensitive to all four since I live in an area that does have four fairly distinct seasons. I think I mentioned before that I dislike summer heat and humidity, so in A Rule Against Murder I was itching and swatting and sweating right along with Jean-Guy. I love most the books set in winter and want to sit on the bench in the snow with Ruth and Armand. Many people feel autumn is a season of dying leading to the cold of winter (death itself?) and become depressed. I feel reinvigorated by its cooler weather and see the plants as going away for a good winter’s rest (sleep). Yes, I anthropomorphize quite a bit. 🙂
Karen,
I agree with you completely! I am very sensitive to the changing seasons. Fortunately I live where we have 4 very distinct seasons and summer is my least favorite for being outside! I am a gardener and I love what it does for our plants, but I physically struggle greatly! Autumn is my favorite season because I can be outside all day and prepare my plants for the “sleep” they are due! I too would love to sit with Ruth & Gamache on their bench! I do have an Autumn, Winter, and Spring bench in a park just minutes from my home and I love the people watching and I love the inevitable changes of the season. Having a Ruth or Gamache there would make it perfect.
I believe Louise Penny uses the changing seasons ensure we feel the march of time. It is what allows for growth, change, and hopefully wisdom.
This was one of the hardest to read. One waited to see just how awful everything would become. I dreaded having the characters have flaws, yet this is what makes them so human. Peter seems to be crumbling even further than in the last book. I often wonder how he felt so safe for so long. Clara is becoming a person and Ruth, again, the truthteller, the soul of the village. I was angry when it ended. Nothing felt complete the first time I read this and in the second rereading I realized how few authors dare to take this chance.
I agree with all the theories of why Gamache recruits “outsiders.” First, they aren’t outsiders but they come to him from unusual circumstances, such as Jean Guy and Lacoste. These two are like the horses that Dominique rescues. They are about to be fired (slaughtered). Nicole, and the others bring out his need to teach what he has learned. He is a born teacher whose basic belief is that people are good and that kindness begets kindness. This is his basic belief despite his knowledge that that isn’t always true (see his “best friend”). I am being a little immodest, but in these ways, I am a bit like Gamache, so I see myself in his actions. I see a nurturer and a teacher who believes bring out the best of his charges.
# 3 Having been in similar situations a few times I know what I would have done. Exactly what I did previously. I have spoken up, not because I’m brave, but because the words pour out and suddenly I hear myself saying them. In High School, I confronted a teacher when she made rude remarks about two of my friends who were out of school for religious holidays. The entire class gasped and the girl behind me pulled on my skirt to try to make me sit down. I guess it was foolish because the teacher got even. She prevented my taking a class I really wanted. Poor Clara.
I love people with your kind of bravery. Won’t you come to my house and be my friend?
You are both welcome at my house as well.
Barbara, Linda, and Nancy: I wish there were a “like” button I could click for this. We could all use more friends like you — and Clara. 🙂
1. Why do you think Gamache consistently recruits outcasts as members of his team? How is that mirrored by Dominique’s choice of horses.
I am not sure it is reflected. Gamache meets his agents before he takes them. They may be rejects but not unseen rejects. He is a great assessor of personality and can see in people what others miss. Dominique has bought four horses from the Abattoir but I do not think she has seen them before they arrive
Dominique chooses the broken down animals to give them the second chance that she has been given, of course she was fortunate enough to be able to make a second chance, we do not all have that luxury.
Fiona, I do agree. On the surface it would appear that both Gamache and Dominique are acting under the same impetus.
Gamache chooses people he believes can do a good job. They may be different or not well integrated in their current standing. But, doesn’t it seem like that child’s game of “One of These Things Doesn’t Belong Here?” The ball in a mixed with a batch of blocks seems to be a “misfit.” Put the ball into a ball game and it’s an entirely different story. Gamache is great at finding footballs in the oddest places.
Dominique, however, saved the horses from certain death. She didn’t even know if they were sick and dying until the visit from the vet.
They are both alike though in that they each seem to realize that tending to and caring for what they have gathered up usually yields grand results.
Re: Olivier, his relationship to the hermit, and how the townspeople might feel upon learning that he owns much of the property there.
Well, I think it is clear that Olivier sees money and owning things as a way of feeling secure. He buys up the antiques and re-sells them for a significant profit: well, this is what a business person does. But buying up the land, well, that is a form of either having power over others, [by owning the land their homes and businesses sit on, he has the power of deciding whether someone can stay or must go], or perhaps he wants to keep everyone and everything the same, so he buys the land and businesses so that those things cannot be sold to an outsider.
Maybe because he does not have a good relationship with his father, he is attracted to the hermit, who is ‘nameless’- which seems a metaphor for the relationshio Olivier has with his father. For all practical purposes, they barely know each other.
But the hermit has something Olivier wants – the antiques. And the stories. I think the stories, which are reflected in the carvings, are as much of a draw on Olivier as the antiques, because I believe Olivier craves a father figure.
As to how the residents are going to feel when they learn of Olivier’s ownership of so much of Three Pines, well, I suspect that while they might profess to being okay with it, they might actually be a bit nervous, especially since Olivier was caught in so many lies. Yes, they like him as a person, but will they trust him very fully again?
Or, does Olivier see money and owning things as a way to make himself more acceptable to the general public, to make himself something he isn’t so he can…will…be accepted by the general public, all because of being gay? And, let’s not forget his desperate need to be loved.
I happened upon the Brutal Telling in the bookstore and purchased it from the description on the cover. It was my first book in the Gamache series and my introduction to Louis Penny. Wow! To borrow from the Brits – I was gobsmacked! I read it quickly, and started on the series in order and re-read it as I went forward. I cannot call it my favorite, the series is my favorite! As for the fall from grace for Olivier . . . hmm. Having met him at the time of his fall, my immediate thought was that he was very childish! Basically good, but greedy, but even more I found him so so needy!!!!! Children can be so very cruel. God bless Gabri! His patience is never ending! At first I thought he really didn’t know the real Olivier, but he did, and that is why he was so adamant about believing in his lover, friend, child companion.
Speaking about the flaws in all of us, I have to admit one of my biggest flaws is – I speak my peace freely especially when it comes to standing up for family & friends. I’m pretty biased. My family & friends are perfect just the way they are and you better believe it! I’m afraid I am quite unlike many of you, I would not have been shocked into silence. Fortin would have worn my drink and/or my footprint! And, after reading some of the comments here I recognize my gut reaction would have brought me down! Some of you are wonderfully creative! Someone prior to my comment said they would have gone along with Fortin then invited all my gay friends and family to my showing! I LOVE THAT!! Like Olivier I need to mature, too!
For you first timers to this book, this one is quite a spine tingler, but ooohhhh so well done and you will love the second half!!!!! Can’t wait to read the remarks going forward!!!!!
The changing seasons mirror the changing relationships perhaps? So much happening in that quiet little town.
1. Clara and Peter- this is not a loving relationship
2. Olivier and the hermit, since he never really caught the hermits name, did that reflect on how Olivier really thinks about all his interactions? Not personal, just business?
I could go on, but the story bounces from person to person and I got the sense that once again, 3 pines provides the healing that these people need.
OLIVIER: Know what? I really wasn’t surprised about any of the revelations about our bistro owner. Of all of the Three Piners (Pineites? Pineans?), he has always been the least defined character thus far. What did we really know about him before this book? He & Gabri are a couple. They run bistro and B & B. He’s put price tags on everything in the bistro (used & antique stuff). He’s a gracious maitre d’ at the bistro. He’s taller, thinner and a more elegant dresser than Gabri – oh, yes, – and a blond. We really knew nothing else about him before this book. Gabri has always been the more social of the two – with an irreverent mouth on him who gives as good as he gets – especially with our beloved Ruth. Ollie’s always been a background or shadow character for me in the first four books. It really was a nice reader surprise to finally see him fleshed out a bit.
Pine Nuts? 🙂
Love that, Karen! Of course, maybe WE’RE the Pine Nuts!
Without a doubt, Julie!
I too was appalled to think about Olivier doing good deeds only for how he would be rewarded. I was so disappointed in him. As I listened to the novel also I became even more disappointed in Olivier as he shared his thoughts with us. Ruth as always continues to make me smile and when I read “Shut the duck up” I laughed out loud. As for Clara I too know I would have been so shocked to hear my friend called ” a queer” I would not have been able to say anything. Hindsight is a wonderful tool but sometimes we are unable to react appropriately. The more I read and then listen to Louise Penny ‘s books I continue to be entertained by her writing but I also become totally involved in the writing and the development of her characters in the series. I never imagined Olivier being suspected of murder.As an English speaking French Canadian born in Quebec but now living in an English milieu (Ottawa) I continue to re-learn more and more of the rich history and the beauty of Quebec that Louise shares with us as she writes about her beloved province of Quebec. I am so looking forward to travelling to Louise’s Book Launch in August near where she lives in the Eastern Townships.
How smart you are to take advantage of living close enough to go! Enjoy!
Patricia – I am so envious of you being able to make it to the book launch, and especially to see the Eastern townships! I think her descriptions of places is so wonderful – have just finished Bury Your Dead (with many tears) and my mind is full of the images of old Quebec City. I’ve never been there, but some day, when I get to go, I will know where to have breakfast, and where to shop for lace…
Julie–My husband and I went to Quebec City shortly after reading the manuscript of Bury Your Dead, with some notes from Louise to guide us, and it was magical. Those notes have now been developed into an official walking tour that sounds wonderful: http://www.louisepenny.com/events.htm; http://www.toursvoirquebec.com/en/old-quebec-tours/bury-your-dead.
Oooh – that sounds like such fun! I see the tours are all in the morning – wouldn’t it be fun to do that and then end with lunch at the Chateau Frontenac?
YES. Worth a long detour 🙂
This is my favorite book in the series. If I had been in Clara’s position I suspect I would have wrestled with my options but know I could not remain silent on such an important issue as equality and loyalty to friends.. After reading this book, I happened on Susan Vreeland’s The Forest Lover, the story of Emily Carr’s life. The two books are a perfect combination.
I find it difficult to believe Olivier capable of murder. He strikes me as a coward, albeit a greedy one. His love for Gabri seems to be his guiding force.
RESPONSE TO FORTRIN
I too would have been stunned to silence. I have a friend, though, that was in a conversation where the circumstances erer different, though the remark about a friend of ours was the same. After the incident she shared her interesting response.
She says she just answered, “Why, yes he can sometimes seem a bit eccentric, but those of us that love him think that’s just part of his charm!”
Were that I was so adept at thinking on my feet.
Thumbs meant to say circumstances WERE different. And WISH that I were so adept. :-/
Linda – we should all memorize that statement to be able to pull it out in such circumstances!!!
My, keep expecting to discover something about Gamache
we haven’t learned. Is there a secret secret?
I would also include Olivier’s fall from Grace in with the mistreated horse and Gamache’s fledgling recruits. We all have things in our past that make us what we are, whether inflicted upon us by others or inflicted by ourselves. I will never stop believing that everyone (animals included) can be redeemed. It takes love, compassion and understanding from others to help that process. Does that redemption always happen? No. But I think Gamache believes it is worth the try.
As for Fortin, I’m sure I too would be shocked into silence at first, but I think I might not say anything until after my art showing. He would win that way! I would go through with the showing, invite all my friends gay and no and then afterwards, let him have it!
I hope I would have spoken up, as Clara did, despite having so much to lose, but I can’t be sure, never having had such high stakes involved. It would have been more difficult to do so after the fact. I respect her so much, for so many reasons.
Disappointed in Olivier . . . I never saw him as capable of being cruel.
This series is so wonderful — Louise makes me care about the people so much that I hate to have a book end, and can hardly wait for the next. There are only a few (like Harry Potter) that I read AND listen to . . . and then do both again . . . and if there were movies, I’d watch those, too.
A movie * Still Life – a Three Pines Mystery* was aired on Sept.15, 2013 on CBC television. Actors were Nathaniel Parker, Anthony Limke and Susanna Fournier. It can be seen on Google.
Try: http://www.cbc.ca/player/shows/id/2406432208/
Mariette, Thank You! – for the “Still Life” movie site! Someone else mentioned that a film had been made of it by ?BBC, but don’t think anyone knew if it was available. Was really surprised to discover that Nathaniel Parker was cast as Gamache. That jars for me as Parker’s younger, more handsome – and frankly sexier to me than Armand’s described. Parker was the perfect “Tommy Lindley” for the Elizabeth George series, – for me, he just didn’t gel as possible casting for Gamache. I’ve bookmarked the site you’ve provided and will watch it sometime this week. Again, thank you for this midweek gift! :~D
I cannot get the movie to play from the CBC site here in the US, even though I can navigate to the site and search for it as well as see it in the list. Does anyone know of an alternative site?
Sarah, I also had difficulty with this site. It opened, but would not allow playing of program. Think I’ll try finding it on YouTube. They have some surprising stuff. If it works there, I’ll report back.
Thanks from me, too. I’ll bookmark that site. I’ve had difficulty visualizing Parker as well, so must see.
Re #3: I would probably have been silent, but boiled inside. I tend to wait too long for confrontations, but do sometimes then simply explode at a person who is, of course, totally bewildered by my sudden, “uncharacteristic” outburst. Gotta work on that!