INTRODUCTION BY ROBIN AGNEW
As a bookseller, I receive literally hundreds of advanced reading copies every year. I use the scientific method of reading “what calls to me”—so a vast majority of the “pile” goes unread. Several years ago of course I got an advanced reading copy of Still Life, which languished in the pile. The cover didn’t call to me. But then I got a letter from Julia Spencer-Fleming, who uses her powers for good: she sometimes sends around a letter to booksellers highlighting a book she feels passionately about, and Still Life was the topic of one of the first of these letters.
So, loving Julia’s books and trusting her taste, I dug out my (now somewhat battered) copy of Still Life and started reading. Dear Louise Penny fans, you know what happened next—I fell under the spell of Three Pines and Louise’s writing and was so excited to find a new writer I now felt passionately about, that I emailed Louise and asked to interview her via email. She of course agreed, and a correspondence and friendship began.
The Cruelest Month is one of my favorites in the series for many reasons. It felt like Louise’s assurance as writer was growing, and had coalesced in this wonderful novel. I saw Louise recently and I told her I was reviewing this one and she said, “Oh, I loved the concept of the near-enemy in that book.”
So do I. I also told her as I was re-reading it I had forgotten whodunit. She got a twinkle in her eye as she remembered who it was. As I got closer to the end I remembered too, but really great mystery writers have a dual skill: they tell a compelling and interesting story, and then they also tell a mystery with a puzzle and clues for you to solve. It makes the best of them, to me, magical.
RECAP
Ch. 1-23: The book opens with an Easter Egg hunt, and the rebirth symbolized by Easter becomes a recurring theme throughout the novel, for good or ill. As the children hunt for wooden eggs on the village green, Clara Morrow and Ruth Zardow, the acerbic, cranky, nationally known poet who lives in Three Pines have a revealing exchange.
As Clara points out to Ruth the beauty of spring Ruth says “Nature’s in turmoil. Anything can happen.” At Clara’s protest she also points out “That’s the miracle of rebirth…But some things are better off buried…It’s not over yet. The bears will be back.” Ruth’s sadly practical voice of doom sets up what happens next though Clara’s optimism is also ultimately rewarded.
Meanwhile Gabri, at the local B & B, has decided to spice things up by booking in a psychic, Madame Blavatsky. Like many things to do with Gabri, the Madame Blavatsky part is a bit of an exaggeration; “Madame” turns out to be the more ordinary seeming Jeanne Chauvet, a mousy, non-threatening type. She holds a séance at the B & B on her arrival attended by Madeleine Favreau; a grocer, Msr. Beliveau; Odile, an herbalist; Gilles, a woodworker; and Gabri.
The séance is intruded on by a cursing Ruth Zardo, who has taken under her wing two baby ducks, to everyone’s surprise. Meanwhile, Peter Morrow has gone into Clara’s studio. Both Morrows are artists; Peter is the successful one but what he sees on Clara’s easel disturbs him because it is so good and he is consumed with jealousy.
When the first séance is concluded they agree that there should be another, in the Old Hadley House, a place of wickedness in the past two novels and almost a dead zone as far as the residents of Three Pines are concerned. For the next séance, the original group is joined by Hazel, housemate of Madeleine Favreau, and Hazel’s daughter Sophie. From the start this séance feels more serious; the house is dark; and everyone’s nerves are on edge. As Madame Chauvet calls the dead the lights go out, there’s a shriek and a thud, and a dead body falls to the floor, scared to death by the séance and the house.
Moving back to Montreal we encounter Chief Inspector Gamache and his family, including his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, who must shortly leave for Paris. Gamache’s wife Reine Marie reads of the death in Three Pines and of course it becomes Gamache’s assignment.
In Three Pines, Gamache and his second in command Beauvoir head to the Hadley house to check out the crime scene. The dead woman turns out to be Madeleine Favreau, scared to death, though her system shows high quantities of the diet drug ephedra. Gamache knows she has been murdered. As Gamache reconnects with the villagers who are now his friends, they recount the terrifying death scene. Gamache and Beauvoir then head off to interview Hazel Smyth, Madeleine’s housemate. Meanwhile it becomes clear that Lemieux is working for Inspector Brebeuf back in Montreal as Brebeuf looks for revenge on the outcome of the notorious Arnot case, which divided and shook up the entire Surete.
Hazel describes her life with Madeleine and how much they enjoyed each other. Then she asks if Madeleine was murdered by “the witch” Jeanne Chauvet? Gamache notes that she is full of rage. Meanwhile Beuvoir talks to Hazel’s daughter, Sophie, who appears jealous of the relationship between Hazel and Madeleine. He discovers ephedra in the bathroom.
Gamache and Beauvoir head back to Three Pines where the search for Jeanne Chauvet is ongoing. When Gamache phones home, Reine Marie mentions how Brebeuf has made her feel uneasy of late, and Gamache also speaks with his son Daniel before he heads off to Paris.
Negative stories about Gamache begin to appear in the Montreal press, the first questioning his lifestyle and the fact that he lives so well. His friends in Three Pines try and shield him from the stories. The ephedra rumor begins to make it through the citizens of Three Pines, and it’s clear the information was leaked by a mistake on Lemieux’s part.
Gamache and Beauvoir finally interview Mme. Chauvet. She freely admits to being a Wiccan and said she was drawn to Three Pines by a brochure. She says séances are a method of healing—people connect with the dead in order to move forward.
Beauvoir interviews Odile at her herbal and natural grocery store and he notices the beautiful chairs that Gilles makes. Odile tells Beauvoir that Gilles is in the woods talking to the trees, looking for those that want to be made into furniture. Beauvoir thinks everyone in Three Pines is nuts.
Lemieux interviews the grocer, Msr. Beliveau who reveals that he lost his beloved wife several years back and had been in love with Madeleine. He also recalls Gamache’s four rules of detection: “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I need help. I was wrong.” Lemieux sees no value in these simple rules.
Meanwhile Beauvoir finds Gilles in the woods, where is talking to trees. He tells Beauvoir Madeleine was “full of love” and that she and Hazel seemed very happy living together. He insists that everyone had loved Madeleine, and Beauvoir points out that someone didn’t.
Jeanne Chauvet discovers from talking with Gamache that the Ruth Zardo of Three Pines is the well known poet. Jeanne loves Ruth’s poem about a woman accused of being a witch and says she’s well regarded in Wiccan circles. She also tells Gamache to be careful—”something’s coming.”
Ch. 24-44: In the second half of the book, things begin to amp up, and the damaging newspaper articles about Gamache begin to get worse. Beauvoir encounters Gamache and Chauvet sitting together, and is angry as he thinks she’s a charlatan. She says “I was born with a caul . . . and you were too.” The meaning of this becomes clear later.
Hazel plans Madeleine’s funeral and thinks “Everything had changed. Even her grammar. Suddenly she lived in the past tense. And the singular.” What a profound description of grief. Hazel is busy waiting on Sophie, who has injured her foot.
As the team reviews the latest evidence, it comes out that Madeleine was suffering from breast cancer and that’s the reason she left her husband and moved in with Hazel. It’s also clear there’s another newspaper article about Gamache but he refuses to discuss it or show that it might bother him.
Beauvoir and Nichol go to re-interview Hazel, who is apprehensive when she sees them and focused on Sophie. Gamache, Lacoste and Lemieux go back to the Old Hadley House. Gamache asks them what’s different about the house. Gamache goes off to explore on his own, leaving Lacoste and Lemiux alone. Lacoste can’t wait to escape and takes the first excuse to leave, while Lemieux takes a call from Brebeuf. As Gamache explores the basement he’s discovered by Lemieux, who is holding a gun, which Gamache thinks correctly is no accident.
Then Lacoste demands Beauvoir tell her about the Arnot case which is the ominous sword hanging over Gamache’s head. Beauvoir relates how Arnot and Gamache began their careers at the same time, both rising stars. Gamache took in the oddballs on his team, seeing something worthy in them, while Arnot took the best and the brightest, but was a bully and demanded conformity.
Things came to a head when violence on the native reserved were allowed to go unchecked as Arnot felt it was an internal issue, best handled by the natives. Then Arnot put agents in place to first stir up trouble, and then to kill, and some of the young native men began to disappear. The Surete closed ranks and there was no one for the natives to complain to.
One Cree woman whose son is missing goes to Montreal and sits outside what she thinks is the National Assembly, but it really a hotel. Gamache, with his noticing and listening skills, first notices her then listens and conducts his own investigation. What he finds rips apart the Surete and tests loyalties.
Meanwhile Gamache confronts Lemieux about drawing his gun and Lemieux pretends it was a mistake. Gamache tells him “It’s our secrets that make us sick”. This could really be the theme of the novel as a whole, as it’s the secrets kept hidden and left to fester that cause all the damage.
The latest newspaper article accuses Gamache of passing drugs to his son Daniel, who had a problem in the past. As these attacks hit his family, Gamache begins to plan how to take action.
As Gamache waits to talk with the medical examiner, he encounters Ruth, who displays her two ducklings—one strong and healthy and one weaker and more delicate. Ruth is equally proud and loving of both of them.
The doctor tells Gamache that Madeleine was in fact scared to death, as the ephedra alone would not have killed her, she also would have had to have had a heart condition, which she did. Now it’s up to Gamache to discover who knew about Madeleine’s heart condition. The doctor also tells Gamache that Madeleine’s cancer had returned and that she certainly was aware of it, as she tells him even if a doctor hadn’t told her, cancer patients are very much in touch with their bodies. Gamache also now wonders who would want to kill a dying woman.
Gamache retreats to the bookstore and Myrna, who talks with him about the concept of the “near enemy.” She tells him about emotions that look the same but are in fact opposites, one healthy, the other twisted. They couplings are attachment masquerading as love; pity as compassion; and indifference as equanimity. Myrna explains that it’s hard to tell one from the other, even for the person feeling it.
Back at the Bistro in a spring snowstorm, Gamache and Beauvoir look through Madeleine’s yearbook and find she was involved in everything—she was a cheerleader, starred in the school play, was involved in sports.
Jeanne Chauvet sits with them but apart reflecting on how Three Pines had been an unexpected safe haven for her until she saw Madeleine. She and Gamache do talk and she tells him about how she discovered she was a psychic, and it’s clear her gift has always made her feel like an outsider. Seeing Madeleine had made her so angry she couldn’t decline the second séance.
Beauvoir had called his mother to ask about what it meant to be born with a caul. His head was covered with a membrane when he was born, his mother tells him—a caul—which meant he was either blessed or cursed. His family had ignored him when he said anything odd. Beauvoir wonders if the reason he joined homicide wasn’t more intuitive than he’d previously thought.
At Peter and Clara’s house, Clara is struggling in her studio with her painting after Peter told her the color was slightly off. She’s anticipating a visit from an important Montreal gallery owner and is getting frantic, so Peter suggests a dinner party to take her mind off her work, but he’s really trying to sabotage her.
The next morning Gamache is awoken early by Gabri with the morning paper, which has a photo of Gamache’s married daughter Annie with her married boyfriend. Gamache talks to his wife, Annie, and then calls Brebeuf, who is Annie’s godfather. Of all of them Annie is the least concerned.
At the dinner party Clara is uncomfortable and worried. Talking to Gamache she thinks “She often felt foolish, ill constructed, next to others. Beside Gamache she only ever felt whole.” Gamache asks her what she thought of Madeleine. She says she liked her and mentioned it was lucky she took over leadership of the Anglican Church Women so Hazel wouldn’t have to do it.
She also tells him she was fond of Msr. Beliveau and thinks Odile is a terrible poet. She then worries to herself about her own work.
Lacoste interviews Madeleine’s ex-husband, who tells her living with Madeleine was like “living too close to the sun”, in other words, too close to constant perfection. Lacoste also goes by Madeleine’s high school and picks up her old year books and report cards. A photo Nichol found at Hazel’s house shows a much heavier Sophie eating cake.
Gamache and Beauvoir return to re-interview Hazel and Sophie, asking both if they knew Madeleine’s cancer had returned. Neither seemed to.
When the team meets up again to share what they found, Nichol’s rude outbursts are too much, and Gamache sends her far afield, to Sophie’s college, to ask questions there. The rest of the team is pretty certain Sophie is the killer.
Later, Gamache and Beauvoir hit the road and Gamache reveals more details about the Arnot case. When Gamache presented the evidence against Arnot to the Surete, they let Arnot leave to get his affairs in order. The rest of the Surete hoped he would kill himself but Gamache finds him and two other officers and prevents it. Because Arbot was very popular, some parts of the Surete and the public distrust and dislike Gamache for his part in bringing him to justice.
Finally at the side of the road Beauvoir angily demands that Gamche hold nothing back, and Gamache finally tells all, leaving the two men as bonded as father and son.
A new accusation in the paper points the finger at Gamache, saying he’s a drunk and again linking him with Arnot. Gamache takes himself off to talk to his family and make sure everything is fine with all of them.
At the Morrows’ dinner party, Clara closes the door to her studio to shut her guests out and seems distracted. The dinner guests discuss the cruelty of April—beautiful days and killing frosts or snowfalls that lay waste to the new flowers. There’s also a discussion of the solstice and how every culture has a spring ritual. They talk about how Hazel is willing to give help but unwilling to accept it, and had turned down the dinner invitation to nurse Sophie.
Ruth then relates the story of her two ducks hatching—Rosa, the stronger one, hatched out easily, but the more delicate Lilium had trouble breaking out of the shell and Ruth had helped her. Everyone silently suspects Lilium won’t make it but a feisty Ruth leaves early to tend to her babies.
At the B&B that night, Gamache, Beauvoir and Jeanne Chauvet all have trouble sleeping and meet in the middle of the night over tea. Also up late, Ruth realizes her kindness had killed little Lilium, and in her studio, Clara gets back to work with a clear mind.
The latest reports from the media show that Daniel has been arrested in Paris of suspected drug possession. Gamache leaves to go back to Montreal and set everything straight, possibly to resign.
Meanwhile, as the team plans to arrest Sophie, a broken Hazel appears protesting Sophie’s innocence. She’s given over to Clara’s care for the day. Nichol reports that Sophie is well liked at college and never injured when she’s away from home. Gamache also finds that Odile sells the herb ephedra is derived from, Ma Huang, at her store.
When Gamache arrives at the Surete and meets with all the department heads, including his enemy, Francoeur, he offers his resignation. Gamache returns to Three Pines to reveal the killer, assembling everyone who was at the séance back at the Old Hadley House. He first turns his attention to Sophie. He says she loved Madeleine and then talks about how the near enemy of love is attachment, which is what Sophie felt for Madeleine.
Then he turns to Jeanne Chauvet, who it appears, knew Madeleine in another lifetime and deliberately set out to scare her at the séance. But then Jeanne talks about how she’d realized Three Pines was a magical place full of good energy. But she also reveals she was at high school with Madeleine and Hazel and both hated and envied Madeliene and tried to make herself over for her, so become superficial and pretty.
Gamache then gets up abruptly and leaves to confront Brebeuf, who has come to Three Pines. Gamache had realized that Lemieux was working for Brebeuf and that Brebeuf, not Francour, was the enemy within the Surete as the friendship the two men shared from boyhood had for Brebeuf become a jealous competition. Breboeuf still can’t figure out why Gamache is happier than he is despite his success.
Then Lemieux draws a gun on Gamache and fires; Gamache is saved by Nivhol, who proves herself loyal to him. Gamache reveals that he put the hateable Nichol in place on his team as a distraction, so that he could observe Lemieux. Gabri, Myrna and Jeanne then turn up to rescue Gamache.
They all return to the séance room where the killer is revealed. Gamache recounts how Madeleine was the high school sun; she starred in the school play while Hazel produced it. They were both on the basketball team, but Madeleine was the captain. They were on the debating team, but Mad was the captain. Hazel’s high school motto was “she never got mad”, meaning literally that she never caught up to Madeleine.
Hazel’s near enemy turns out to be pity, which she has substituted as compassion. She makes a life for herself in Three Pines but Madeleine turns up, taking her daughter’s affection; taking over the Anglican Church Women group and finally capturing Msr, Beliveau. And Hazel had known that Mad’s heart was bad, though not how sick she was, when she gave her the ephedra herb. She is arrested.
Gamache misses his friend Brebeuf who has resigned in disgrace from the Surete. He has tea at Agent Nichol’s house in an effort to better understand her. The Gamaches return to Three Pines where a community spring cleaning of the Old Hadley house is going on. And finally Clara reveals her painting, which is so beautiful Peter only feels happy in front of it.
FAVORITE QUOTE
“Gamache loved to see inside the homes of people involved in a case. To look at the choices they made for their most intimate space. The colors, the decorations. The aromas. Were there books? What sort? How did it feel?”
“Our secrets make us sick because they separate us from other people. Keep us alone. Turn us into fearful, angry, bitter people. Turn us against others, and finally against ourselves. A murder almost always begins with a secret. Murder was a secret spread over time.”
CONCLUSION
One of the things I love most about this book is the unsettling concept of what jealousy can do to you and how destructive it can be. Louise takes it to an extreme to tell her story, but as always with her books, the ordinary becomes extraordinary and makes you think about your own behavior. But the “love” part comes when the wrap up to the story also includes redemption.
Re-birth, a theme carried through the book as much as jealousy is shown to be painful as much as it is necessary, another profound concept. While Louise uses the standard form of the mystery novel—red herrings, clues, even the inspector drawing together his suspects to reveal the killer, a la Poirot—she has such profound concepts she’s illustrating with her story, that again, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
And what stays with you when you are finished? A glimpse of Three Pines through Louise’s words; characters we look forward to seeing in each novel; new characters to think about in this one (for me, especially Hazel and Jeanne); and the wrap up and explication of the Arnot case, hinted at and foreshadowed in the first two books.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Do you believe a house can be haunted or malelovent? Penny certainly makes the case for the Hadley House being actually evil, and it’s mentioned as the place where all the sorrow from Three Pines goes.
- Gamache’s approach to detection is very intuitive. I love how he “feels” a place or situation and gets to the heart of it. What’s your favorite thing about his technique?
- Gamache is also intuitive about his friend Brebeuf who in fact is working against him, but Gamache isn’t sure. If you were Gamache, do you think you would know your friend had turned against you?
- I love Gabri, he’s one of my favorite characters. In chapter nineteen he’s reflecting on where he’s been clever or cutting instead of kind, and that would be a reason for someone to kill him. Then he thinks what he loves about Three Pines is it’s a place “where kindness trumped cleverness.” Who is your favorite character and why?
- One of the most interesting things about Louise Penny’s books to me are Gamache’s rules: “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I need help. I was wrong.” To me they seem like a useful life guide. Have any of you thought of these rules at challenging times in your own lives?
- What do you like or dislike about Ruth Zardo? I like that she’s such a cranky old lady but she writes such lovely poems, and in this one I love her attachment to the ducks. They become a symbol of the rebirth theme that runs through the book. Did you think the ducks were a corny touch, or did you like them?
- There are many sort of ordinary emotions that fester in this novel but jealousy is the main one and it’s the cause of every conflict in the story, basically. Do you think this is realistic?
- Did you cry when you read about Ruth’s Lilium?
- One of the things I love about Louise’s books is that she always ends on a positive note, even though the things she writes about are pretty dark and profound. She makes the joy profound as well. Do you like or dislike this aspect of her books?
- I was really captured by the portrait of Madeleine in this book and her effect most obviously on Hazel. Have you encountered this kind of perfection from someone in your own life? How did it affect you?
- Who was your favorite character in this book? I came to really like Jeanne Chauvet.
- Finally what are your thoughts on the percolating jealousy of Peter for Clara’s work?
312 replies on “Series Re-Read: The Cruelest Month”
I wish the newest comments showed up at the end, or consistently after the comments people are replying to. Very often, I see that there are new comments by the number listed, but can’t find them without a long search.
I am so enjoying this “club”, though – you all are making sure that I get so many nuances that I would have missed on my own.
Thank you to Robin for leading the way.
I agree, Julie. But this way we can reply to specific comments. Like I’m doing right now!
I know, but half the time those replies don’t show up with the right post, so I get confused. Oh well, it doesn’t hurt me to skim over all the posts each time.
Looking forward to the discussion of the second half. I hope the questions we are given lead to a discussion of the plot and characters.
I thought the questions on this first part were very thought provoking.
We got to discuss Gabri’s introspections. (Yes I have done some things that required a reminder and recitation of Gamaches rules. I hope I got all the appropriate reparations made. Sometimes we hurt others all unknowing and so never get to make amends.)
Ruth’s bench and ducks. Crusty like French bread with a soft interior where love resides. How fitting to find the eggs during the Easter season when we celebrate the rebirth of hope and life. My very favorite character. My only problem about Ruth is that sometimes I think I become her, only without the poetry. And, without the poetry it’s hard for others to see the squishy center.
Gamache’s rules, generous spirit, intuitive approach to life, people, and murder investigations. He awaits the feast and prepares for the wake.
The old Hadley house, with its own life and several characters as bestowed differently and individually by each who have walked her path or crossed her threshold. A sentient death awaiting rebirth.
Barbara, who or what was YOUR favorite character or turn of plot so far?
Always Gamache with Ruth a close second.
I agree about hoping to discuss plot and characters in the second half.
I myself have just about had it with the OldHadleyHouse willies. It’s a gloomy, run down place where the murder was commited. The initial fear and horror leading up to the sceance was a bit over the top, but fun to read. But. By the time Gamache is doing his search of the whole house, we know that people get the shivers there. Right. You guys are Surete… suck it up and get over it. The Brebeuf, Lemieux, Nichol conspiracy is as strong a story line as who killed Madeleine.
I feel what Penny is giving us in this book, besides the who dunnit is back story and character development. We get the whole ugly Arnot case explained and why its poison lingers. We learn more about Jean Guy. Gamache’s family is described more as well as his tenderness. We get more of Peter Morrow… his self-absorbion and selfishness (interuppting Clara’s work, let’s have a dinner party). But we also hear that they love watching old horror movies curled up on the couch together.
And more Ruth. 🙂
Thank you Linda. Love is stronger than fear. We have to keep telling ourselves that. It’s so easy to get lost in the dark places it can be hard to remember.
Can a house be evil or malevolent? Not exactly – but there is energy – negative, dark, evil and bad that can permeate a dwelling. I think we can feel it. Just like there are houses that are full of love and warmth – even when empty. But it was not the Hadley House that created that energy – it was the inhabitants – the humans. The house was the repository. I think the Three Pines crowd had projected their traumatic experience onto that house. Murder had turned Three Pines upside down twice already – and three murderers had lived there. Not to mention the things Ben had told Clara that scared her to death about the house. Also, the many of the villagers had their own guilt about how they had treated Timmer Hadley – based on the lies of the son that murdered her. That’s a lot to happen in a house.
I think it was completely natural for the villagers to see the house as evil. Even Gamache, Beauvoir, and Lacoste have these feelings about the house – and I don’t see any of them as being hysterical. I think all of us have inexplicable fears – even terror – that come from those unopened doors of the mind that Gamache talks about. What is in the dark tunnels of one person’s mind may seem totally benign or silly to someone else. That doesn’t change the fear, the terror that is felt. Nor does it make it unfounded – I think it is important to respect the fears of others. In respecting their fears, I come closer to accepting them in myself. This is kindness. One of the many great things I have learned from Gamache….
As I think about it, the Hadley House, and the events that happen in this book, serve as an excellent metaphor for the experience of combing through the dark tunnels and rooms of our own minds. Gamache learned to make friends with what is there…behind the doors we all keep locked up. He makes me want that for myself. Accepting what is in the ‘Hadley House’ of my psyche.
This morning in thinking about the house I’m reminded about a poem by Edwin Markham. (Don’t worry, this will be painless!)
OUTWITTED
He drew a circle that shut me out —
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love an I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in.
The house sits isolated outside the warm circle if the warmth of Three Pines. In it’s isolated state it attracts unwholesome persons and activities.
If someone would just extend the circle of light and love to include the house, love would win.
In your minds eye, please insert a “d” at the end of that lonely “an”. 🙂
Linda – thank you for the poem. I am touched by the lines ‘But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in.’ My mother taught me that love is stronger than hate. I believed her as a child and doubted her as a young adult. In middle age, I see her wisdom and am grateful for her counsel.
Mr Rogers said once that when tragedies happened his mother would tell him to watch for the helpers, the responders. There were always more good people going to help than there were causing harm. That’s true in these books as well. The wisdom of our mothers. I hope some day my children will feel the same.
I like what Laura says about the Hadley House and the metaphoric connection between it and exploring the dark rooms in our minds. And I love the poem Linda.
Fear is a barrier, it shuts us in and shuts others out. Ruth is afraid of hurting people with kindness so she is rude and abrasive. Agent Nichol is afraid of failing and that fear makes her aggressive and defensive.
Fear and love are themes that run through the books. It is interesting to watch the characters respond to their fears including Gamache.
When we acknowledge our fears it diminishes them enough that the barrier slips.
Love isn’t only stronger than hatred, it can also be stronger than fear.
Our young soldier returned home from Iraq after having contemplated suicide. On the morning after his arrival home he greeted us in tears. He threw his arms around me sobbing. “I forgot,” he said, “how many people love me.”
Love is stronger than fear.
What a neat poem. Thank you so much!
And the humor
“… all hell broke lose. … the minister gave a brief reading from the rite of exorcism. The congregation said Amen.”
“lunch was organized by the Anglican Church Women , led by Gabri…”
And so on.
🙂 I’ll never finish at this rate.
Yes! Yes! Hurrah for these lovely snippets of humor!
Interesting about how the characters have changed since the beginning. I too was put off by the horror house reactions of Gamache and Beauvoir… aw, come on.
But my favorite change is in Clara in the third chapter, ” ‘Are you calling me nuts?’ Clara had asked, knowing he hadn’t but loving to see him squirm.”
We’ve come a long way from Still Life where she feels she needs to appease him. 🙂
About Gabri… I don’t think he set up Jeanne deliberately… I think his enthusiasm got away from him. But why did Jeanne show up at Three Pines?
Brebeuf and Lemieux… I hate the betrayals. I’ve had a close friend misuse me and it still hurts a bit. The niggling doubt Gamache feels towards his old friend is heartbreaking. The doubts and excuses for him are so real.
It’s fun to re-read closely… noticing how Louise Penny sets the stage. And that opening sentence is a beaut!
In regards to Gamache’s rules: “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I need help, I was wrong” – I think it is important to let our young ones know about these as well as demonstrate them in our everyday life as an example. Too often a person is afraid to admit that they don’t have the information needed to perform a task and that they need help. This applies to any situation, whether at home, school, or at work. Unfortunately, others may view this as a sign of weakness rather than the strength and wisdom it takes to acknowledge these things.
I agree. I don’t know, I’m sorry, I need help, I was wrong. All very helpful. And as you said taken by many as a sign of weakness. A different question. I was wondering if Brebeuf was trying to warn Gamache that it was Brebeuf that was betraying him when he gave out the info re David and Annie, his kids? And if so, why?
Helen, I don’t think he was trying to WARN Gamacelhe, so muchas he just wanted him to know who was doing this. I think he was working against himself in that he wouldn’t be able to fly under the radar anymore, but I think he thought maybe it was time to go “in for the kill”, and I think he misjudged, partly because of Lemieux’s reports. Lemieux always underestimated Gamache, and thought he was weak. Since Brebeuf got his information from Lemieux, he assumed Gamache was almost down for the count, and he threw caution to the wind, and leaked the stories he thought would finish him off. But I think he very much wanted Gamache to know who was pulling the strings.
Haunted house? I remember how I was pleased at all the paintings in the other house in the other book…how she (Jane?) used the walls of her home to show her paintings…so if I was that pleased with that I’m afraid I was also put off by the “haunted house” and the basement…not a fan of horror movies, books and the description of the basement was enough for me….but on to the fave part of THIS book…the ducks…I have cats (several) and I’m afraid they follow me around like Ruth’s ducks but I don’t dress them up (so far) 🙂
4. I love Gabri, he’s one of my favorite characters. In chapter nineteen he’s reflecting on where he’s been clever or cutting instead of kind, and that would be a reason for someone to kill him. Then he thinks what he loves about Three Pines is it’s a place “where kindness trumped cleverness.” Who is your favorite character and why?
This is a hard question for me to answer, at least for this book. Like Meg R., I find myself more than a bit disgruntled with Clara and the other villagers for the way that they project fear onto the Hadley house instead of putting the blame on Ben(loved the whackadoodle adjective Meg R. applied to him, BTW!)where it rightly belongs. However, as one of the other discussion posts mentioned, one reason for assigning blame to the house is that it’s still too painful for Clara, Peter, and perhaps even Gamache, to think about how Ben betrayed them. I can even sympathize with Gamache for having a visceral repugnant feeling toward the house, since he suffered a tremendous injury there, due to his fall down the stairs.
I usually adore Gabri also, but I admit I did not care for the way that he lured Jeanne to the village on false pretenses, and on top of that, invited villagers to a seance without having first gotten the green light from her. I think of him, Gabri, as usually being much more thoughtful of others than that, so it is either out of character for him, or we are seeing a part of his character that’s not so pleasing. Whether this is going to be something Louise Penny develops further in one of the future books remains to be seen. I also found myself wondering why he thought they needed to have a seance in the first place. Wonder if that is because he senses something off in the village, and thinks maybe a seance would be the way to deal with that. I guess by default at this point my favorite character would have to be Ruth. I see her as not being part of the group that’s involved in setting up the seance, and I love the way that she is trying to raise the little ducks.
I give Gabriel more the benefit of doubt. He chats up his guests then creates an event around their expertise. He did not lure Jeanne to Three Pines.
For me, I was focused on how the characters use words to relate to others. The power of words is so evident! Like in the last book when those awful parents decimated Crie; the mother with her cruel words, and the faster with his silence.
In this one, I am very disturbed by Peter Morrow’s envy of his wife’s artwork. By just saying a little thing like ‘are you sure you chose the right colors?’, he planted just the smallest seed of doubt. These words are now Clara’s torment, as she now is seriously doubting her own skill. I feel bad for her now, and suspicious of Peter.
I love Ruth and hope in future books to understand her better. She is a lovable curmudgeon, who is more honest than most of the rest of the people. The ducklings are a perfect compliment to her grouchiness…little critters who need some TLC…and they don’t sass her back.
Louise paints such beautiful word pictures, and really connects her readers with the characters, even with all their foibles. The are not rock stars, but real human beings, and a lot like people we know.
In the first paragraph, I meant to say father, not faster.
Judy, your observation regarding Peter Morrow is how I feel about him. I like him the least of all the characters. Can’t understand why he puts Claire down and she seems so innocent to his comments. (all the books so far)
Ruth is my favorite character. I love everything about her.
I love the line: There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
I adore Ruth. She is to Louise Penny’s books what Maxine is to Hallmark’s cards. The ducks add the perfect touch to Ruth revealing a safe place deep inside untouched by whatever traumas she has suffered in her life and which has required a spiny exoskeleton to keep out prying hearts. It is Ruth who brings me closest to tears and who can reach in and touch my heart.
Why do I think that this is not discussion regarding Louise Penny’s The Cruellest Month but rather the same persons’ personal rantings on what they think. I wish the would stay with the story. I do not wish to read poetry either. When I do feel that need, I choose that which I like.
Wow, Suzanne, now why don’t you tell us how you REALLY feel? 🙂
Channeling Ruth a bit there, eh?
In defense of Amy, I believe she was answering question #5 and applying one of Gamache’s sayings to her own life. The thing that makes Louise Penny’s books so rewarding for readers is that we can take a lot of what happens or what is said in the book and apply it to our own lives.
As for not liking poetry, I am very sorry to think that you’ve chosen to close yourself off from that genre of literature. I can understand if you were irked at my copying from Eliot’s poem, because (a) it is rather long-ish, and (b) some of it is hard to understand. However, in case you hadn’t noticed, the title of this book we are discussing is taken directly from that poem. The reason I copied the poem for members to read here is that I figured it is more than a bit possible that Louise Penny got more than the title of her book from the poem. Also, if you haven’t read any of the other books in this series, you may not have noticed that Penny includes snippets of poetry in each book. One of the main characters, Ruth Zardo, is a noted poet, so there’s usually a short stanza or two that’s supposed to be by her(but which are actually borrowed from other poets or songwriters). In this book, we almost have the “dueling banjo” effect as Ruth finds her territory invaded by an amateur poet whose work, for want of another word, she finds extremely banal.
As a final comment(more like a plea), I hope you will reconsider your position on poetry. There’s a lot of it out there, and I bet some of it you would find entertaining and enlightening, if you would give it a chance. For example, if you dislike the formatting of poetry, you might try reading some Robert Browning. Most of his poems tell stories that are interesting, and one of the things some other poets have said about his poetry is that it is actually prose. (Sorry to say that their statement was meant as criticism, but in your case it might be construed as a compliment.)
To Jane F
No need to be rude and cruel.
Let’s all remember, gang, that we’re discussing books, not bombs. Civility rules this roost. Thanks!
Suzanne, I’m sorry. Pax.
I have tried not to respond to this post. I do not think the posting of Wasteland was necessary. Poems can be found on the internet and in libraries. You comment that the poem is long and hard to understand. That is to suggest some of us, unlike you, might not like the poem due to a limited attention span and might not be able to understand it due to…I will not list the the reasons. Suzanne does not say she never reads poetry. The suggestion of Robert Browning’s poems because they often tell a story is insulting. I always flinch at rudness. Manners are not a character flaw.
I hope we will continue to enjoy the books and the discussions.
Merci, Barbara.
in response to # 5: I love those life lessons! I am a physical therapist and have the great and humbling opportunity to be a clinical instructor to PT students in my setting. I actually sneak these in somewhere along the way! What good is it if you get straight A’s in all your classes but cannot humbly admit you were wrong, or contritely state you’re sorry, or have the strength and courage to admit you don’t know something or need help?
I do believe that houses project something. Once one has gone house hunting, the phrase I knew this was the house the minute I walked in…or there was something about the house that made me uncomfortable becomes part of the litany of living.
What surprised me was that there would be such a home in Three Pines…it made the village more believeable and real for me.
Your comment about house hunting reminded me of my husband and I going with a realtor to see a house I thought was THE House.It was in a very good area and the price had been considerably reduced. However, when we were in the house, I could not get out fast enough. Just a bad odd feeling. I do think that some people are more aware of these “feelings” than others. My husband never did understand.
#3 I don’t know if I would know or not. It is always hard to totally accept when a friend betrays you – this is a theme through his books with other friends who betray or at least turn against him.
Regarding the Hadley House, I think that the remainder of the series will reveal that the evil of the house, like many of our most treasured betes noirs, proves to be more about projections of the shadow from within ourselves than about any resident evil. For me, the way people feel about the house reveals a great deal about their capacity like ours, despite all rational gifts, despite intuition and insight, despite intelligence most rare, to be very wrong about what we perceive. Even Gamache is wrong, doesn’t know, needs help, and should be sorry about this place!
We do keep on about the Hadley house. It’s almost a character in and of itself isn’t it? We chew and chew this bit of gristle.
This morning I’m chewing it again because I came upon a side of the house not yet considered.
The house itself is an inanimate object, but let’s look at the picture that has been painted of the house. It sits a bit isolated, close enough to walk to, but not a pleasant walk. Poor path. Bad or non existent lighting, shadowed if you will. Poor paint, in disrepair. Abandoned, though interestingly still contains some furnishings. A bird has been trapped inside and there’s noises, banging, creaks unexplained.
“The house attracts evil.” When said thus, it sounds ominous. However, it is just a fact that those intent on nefarious acts are much more likely to try to commit those acts in just such a location as the Hadley house. They lure the victim or as in Clara’s case, drag the victim away from the light and away from the goodness and warmth of protective friends and happy neighbors. The warm bistro or Myrna’s book shop would be unlikely places for an attack.
If the house were painted and repaired. If the path was lighted and smoothed. If the trapped bird were released, replaced by the sound of laughter and pleasant conversation — then the Hadley house would be a repository of peace and a beacon of safety just as surely as the three pines after which the town was named.
People are like that also. A sad and miserable outer shell often drives those we love away. We snarl from pain, temper, and exasperation. Those of us that need love the most drive others away.
When my children seem to deserve a hug the least is when they need love the most.
Linda, that’s brilliant about the Hadley house but also when our kids need the most love.
Thanks for that insight.
Brilliant! I am remembering when Gamache made his thorough walk/search through the house, and he came upon the dining room, and detected a lingering aroma of a delicious meal. He felt it was from a time, perhaps long ago, when love and laughter had filled the house. Maybe all the memories created there are lingering somewhere…
All great comments about the Hadley house and yes I had forgotten that dining room scene where Gamache almost sees a scene from the distant past where people were happy there! But how easily that was lost over time and the current manifestation of the Hadley house is a haunted and evil place. Perhaps it is my upbringing in South Louisiana and living for a time in New Orleans as well as a lot of time there and touring plantations as a child but I do believe a place, a house can be haunted not by ghosts as much as by its own past.
And did anyone notice that the “Lyon family” having used the house for a year at least on weekends had never changed Timmer Hadley’s bedroom? And that bedroom itself is described as a mausoleum with furnishings that really sounded like Timmer herself had never redecorated it during her life in that room. All of this is totally unlike Three Pines where antiques and old homes and decor all are warm and vibrant. Like Three Pines, the Hadley House is a character. A dark one perhaps haunted by neglect and unlove.
I agree, K.E. – it is very odd that everything else in the village is so warm, and, as you say, vibrant, yet the rooms in the Hadley house were almost grotesque. That may have been partly why Peter and Clara were so easily convinced by Ben that Timmer was so awful. I thought it was hilarious that C.C. lived there a year and never decorated, given that she was supposed to be a “wonderful designer!” Of course that had to be because she was not successful, and had no money, but you’d think that her obsession with “appearances” would have driven her to paint everything white!
Or at least run a vacuum cleaner! Off to check description of living room in Fatal Grace… I don’t think it was horror house central in that book.
Questions 1-5 are closely entwined, and it is #2 that binds them together. Gamache is intuitive, sensing when things are amiss and in what way they are amiss, but the closer to him that things are amiss, the less clearly he is able to see them. He once had a horrific experience in the Hadley House; he is now friends with many of the residents of Three Pines; his unmasking of a crooked cop has caused him to be alienated from many of his colleagues, all things which are close to him. When even someone as flip as Gabri pauses to consider if his own actions would drive someone to murder him, it’s as if we could also assume that Gamache has experienced the same pause. The four rules are things that Gamache himself must say about his own life and career, let alone the detectives under his wing.
The Hadley House is a metaphor, not a red herring. It’s where all the sorrow goes, and the way each detective and resident experiences the house helps them to come to terms with the doubts and losses in their lives. Thus the metaphor (and a few others like the bears, the wood and chocolate eggs, the talking trees, and the dead and living baby birds) extends and makes The Cruelest Month an allegory.
Gabri knows it is good when kindness trumps cleverness. I find it interesting, then, to note that Gamache plays on his reputation for kindness in order to execute a very clever checkmate on those who would do him harm. Terrific book!
Ruth Zardo remains one of my favorites. She shines a spotlight on the idiocy of the human condition, with all its contradictions and blends of softheartedness and cynicism.
I think Gamache is very intuitive. He did not miss the slights visited on him by his friend. His wife also noticed. I believe Gamache sometimes knows or intuits more than he voices out loud to others. He had quietly prepared contingency plans for a betrayal he hoped wouldn’t come.
I think what you just said is true and very important. Gamache often keeps quiet about his plans and opinions. We are sure to be surprised if we assume his silence to mean agreement with those around him.
Briefly … I hope:
1. Inhabited houses “feel” like their inhabitants, but an empty house that feels “haunted” is, I think, only reflecting the feelings people have about the previous occupants. Does that make sense to anyone except me?
2. I admire Gamache’s patience.
3. Gamache can sense the perfidy, I’m sure, but doesn’t want to give it room to grow. I’m always clueless!
4. First, last, and always Ruth.
5. The hardest for me (I should write them down and post them, too) is “I need help.” Very hard!
6. The ducks aren’t corny to me because I believe Ruth needs the attachment since I also believe she fears attachment to people. What she learns, I guess, is that attachment may–and frequently does–lead to a sad heart, even with our beloved pets. It’s a hard part of life, n’est-ce pas?
Totally agree that empty houses hold energy left by previous inhabitants. You make very good sense!
I was struck by the question on my favorite character. I have always wanted to be Clara and I love Ruth and her poetry and Rosa the duck with all my heart. I reflect on Ruth’s poems often; they touch me deeply. I also love Myrna and her wisdom and Gabri’s robust love and wicked humor. But I never thought of Gamache as my favorite until now–I have yearned to be Reine-Marie and have him as my life partner to love and to cherish and to be loved the way he loves her. Thank you Louise Penny for bringing us these wonderful characters and showing us their many sides.
We’ll have to remember to chew on this when we read “Bury Your Dead.” Whew, that’ll give me some time to ruminate.