INTRODUCTION BY PAUL HOCHMAN
I first met Louise in 2006 while working at BarnesAndNoble.com. We had a fabulous lunch at a Greek restaurant in New York City to celebrate the publication of STILL LIFE. She signed my copy of the book as follows:
“For Paul, such fun undermining St. Martin’s together”
Little did we both know that just four years later I’d join St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and, together with Louise and the wonderful “Team Penny”, we’d undermine the publishing status quo and rocket Louise’s books to the top of the Bestseller Lists!
Gamache Series.com, the website you are now reading, and the Re-Reads initiative was originally conceived to promote THE LONG WAY HOME so to say I have a certain connection to this book (and all of Louise’s novels really!) is to say the least! This website – a community really – with an enormous amount of content and connections was built on the back of THE LONG WAY HOME.
The really unique thing about THE LONG WAY HOME Re-Read is that it was led by readers just like you, in real time, at the point of publication. Now – I doubt it – but if you haven’t read the book yet, beware, spoilers lie ahead!
RECAP
The Re-Reads initiative was initially launched in the lead-up to the publication of The Long Way Home. After the book was published, readers came together once a week on GamacheSeries.com to discuss the book, ten chapters at a time. What you’ll read below includes many of the insights from those readers.
Ch. 1-10: From the opening chapters, readers point out that this book is very different from previous books in the series. After all, How the Light Gets In ends with what feels like a natural conclusion: the internal struggles within the Sûreté du Québec are resolved, Jean-Guy gets the help he needs and marries Annie Gamache, and Armand and Reine-Marie retire to Three Pines.
The Long Way Home opens on the bench in the Three Pines village green. Armand has been sitting at the bench every morning, holding a book – The Balm of Gilead – but not reading it. Clara has taken to joining him. As they sit, Clara wonders why Armand never seems to read his book. Armand wonders if Clara has been sitting with him because she pities him – or because she needs something.
After some time, Clara tells Armand what she’s been struggling with: the year before, she and her husband Peter, also a painter, had separated. Before he left, they made an agreement that they would have no contact during their year apart, but on the first anniversary of his leaving, he’d return to discuss their relationship. But it’s been a few weeks since that day, and Peter still hasn’t come back. Clara is worried.
The neighbors gather for dinner, and Armand tells Jean Guy – who still can’t bring himself to call his new father-in-law anything other than patron – about Clara’s concerns. When Clara finds out, she’s furious at Armand: a fury that readers found frustrating and disrespectful. But Gamache, thinking Clara might not want his help after all, is relieved.
But she does need his help. When Gamache asks Clara why Peter left, she tells him that he was always supportive of Clara when she was struggling, but wasn’t supportive of her after her success. As Clara’s career took off, Peter’s plateaued.
First, Gamache pays a visit to Peter’s mother, Irene – a cold woman – and her husband, Bert Finney – a kind man. The couple has art all over their walls, paintings from the finest Canadian painters, but none by either Peter nor Clara. Neither have heard from Peter recently.
Doing their due diligence, Gamache and Jean-Guy check Peter’s credit card records, and find that he’s traveled all over the world – Venice, Paris – in the year he’s been gone. One place in particular stands out as unusual: Dumfries, Scotland. But the records also show that he returned to Quebec City recently, just four months ago.
Clara and Myrna travel to Toronto to speak face-to-face with Peter’s siblings: his brother Thomas, and his sister Marianna. Neither have heard from him either.
And Clara meets with Peter’s siblings to see if they know anything about Peter’s whereabouts. At his sister Marianna’s, we encounter Bean: Marianna’s child. Born out of wedlock, Bean’s gender identity is a mystery that Marianna refuses to share with her family, out of spite – though the readers in the comments speculate that Bean is a girl.
Ch. 11-20:
Clara and Myrna visit the Ontario College of Canadian Arts, where Clara and Peter went to school. They meet with the charismatic Professor Massey, who tells them Peter was recently there, but that he doesn’t know where he went after he visited.
Here, we learn more about Clara’s time at OCCA: she spent most of her student years as a bit of a reject – her art was shown in Professor Norman’s Salon des Refusés – until Peter, who was more conventionally talented and popular, noticed her.
Gamache and Jean-Guy go visit Dr. Vincent Gilbert in the forest to ask him about Paris. Later, in the Garden with Reine-Marie, Clara, Jean-Guy, and Myrna, Armand says he thinks Gilbert and Peter were drawn to the same place in Paris: LaPorte. The Door. A community created by a priest to serve children and adults with Down’s syndrome. Vincent Gilbert volunteered there, hoping to find himself, and the theory is that Peter did too.
In these chapters, commenters point out, a new side of Peter begins to emerge. Clara realizes that the paintings on Bean’s wall weren’t Bean’s, but Peter’s first attempts at painting something with feeling. “Peter Morrow took no risks,” Louise writes. “He neither failed nor succeeded. There were no valleys, but neither were there mountains. Peter’s landscape was flat. An endless, predictable desert.” Perhaps all of Peter’s wanderings were his attempts to find himself.
Marianne sends the paintings to Clara. Commenters point out that Clara feels a twinge of jealousy, looking at them. Where Peter used to only paint with muted colors, the new paintings were bright and colorful. Suppose they weren’t abstract, Gamache wonders? Suppose Peter was painting what he saw?
The Dumfries, Scotland question is still outstanding. Gamache calls the Police Constable in Dumfries to ask if there are any artist colonies there. Constable Stuart couldn’t think of any artist colonies, but did say they had gardens. Gamache sends him a picture of Peter’s painting, and Stuart recognizes it: he had painted The Garden of Cosmic Speculation.
Later, Constable Stuart asks around town about the garden. An old man, Alphonse, tells him about a time he went to shoot hares there. He sees a large hare, who stares at him, unmoving. And then behind that one, he notices 20 others. And then notices one turn to stone in front of his eyes. Back in Canada, Armand notices a circle of stones in the photos – a stone circle not visible on the garden’s official website. One commenter pointed out that the garden reminded her of Peter, straight lines and geometric shapes, but with a little magic thrown in.
Ch. 21-30:
Peter’s paintings continue to reveal new meanings. Clara and Armand look at one of the paintings in a new perspective, and see an image that they recognize: The St. Lawrence River.
They travel to Baie-Saint-Paul, a tourist destination near Charlevoix, where a meteor had hit millions of years before, creating a natural ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the world. Readers point out that just like the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, this is another “cosmic” location. Is there a reason Peter was drawn to both?
There, they split up to visit galleries, but no one had seen Peter. In their search, they meet a man named Marcel Chartrand, who runs the Galerie Gagnon, showcasing the works of Clarence Gagnon (you may recognize one of Gagnon’s paintings from the cover of The Long Way Home!) He introduces himself and offers them a place to stay, since all of the hotels were full. He knows Peter: Peter had spent many hours in the gallery back in April, and had ended up renting a cabin down the road. But he left before the summer, and Marcel does not know where he went.
However, Chartrand gives Gamache another clue towards Peter’s whereabouts: Peter had asked after No Man, someone who ran an artist’s colony in the woods. Was it No Man – or Norman? Could it be the same cruel Professor Norman who set up the Salon des Refusés at OCCA?
To find out more, Reine-Marie and Ruth go visit Professor Massey – who seems quite taken with Ruth – to ask him about Professor Norman. Massey says that Norman believed in the tenth muse: that there was a muse for art. Massey says Norman was eventually fired for being insane, and for creating the Salon des Refusés, a gallery for failures.
Massey doesn’t have any photos of Norman – in the yearbook, instead of portraits of the professors, students chose to feature a piece of each teacher’s art. The self-portrait by Professor Norman was wild, a portrait of insanity, and the signature on the art did not say Norman, but No Man. Had the pursuit of the tenth muse turned Norman mad?
Back in Baie-Saint-Paul, the group is unsure whether they can trust Chartrand. How connected to No Man’s artist colony was he really? Was he a former member, returned to Baie-Saint-Paul after the colony folded? Or how about the owner of La Muse, a brasserie in town – was he a former member? Jean-Guy asks around and finds out the man’s name is Luc Vachon, and that he did, in fact, live at No Man’s colony for a few years.
In these chapters, commenters point out that it’s not just Peter’s personal journey we are watching in this novel. We’re also seeing huge changes in Jean-Guy, too – in his calmness in sobriety, and in his acceptance of the villagers he used to disdain.
Although Clara is officially in charge of this investigation, Gamache goes to the police station, where the agents recognize him from the previous year. There, he meets Agent Morriseau, who tells him that No Man’s colony was a cult. Quietly, Gamache asks the agents to arrange for sniffer dogs, to check the area for any bodies.
And then Chartrand asks them if they’d like to stay at his home that night – not his apartment above the gallery, but his remote home in the woods. Clara says yes.
Ch. 31-end:
At Chartrand’s home, the villagers continue to inquire about No Man. Was he simply the leader of a commune – or was it a cult? Chartrand says he lectured there. Was he invited in, as an outsider – or was he already there, as a member?
Jean-Guy finds out where the owner of La Muse goes to paint: a remote village called Tabaquen, which means “sorcerer.” The only way in and out of Tabaquen is by boat or plane, so the villagers purchase tickets to fly, and at the last minute, Chartrand buys a ticket to join them.
The plane ride is harrowing, and the pilot points out that artists typically arrive by boat – but that neither option is a smooth ride. They show the pilot a photo from the art school yearbook, of Peter and Professor Massey, and ask him if he’s seen Peter. He says yes.
Clara then asks the pilot to land in Sept-Îles. She wants to retrace Peter’s steps as he would have done it, by boat. Jean-Guy wants to get to Tabaquen as quickly as possible, and is sick of following Clara’s lead. Gamache reminds him that they’re here to support Clara, nothing more.
On the ship, the Loup de Mer, there are two cabins. Thinking it would be the bigger cabin, the men take the Admiral’s Suite, which is barely big enough to fit the three of them. Gamache asks the porter about Peter, and the porter says he recognizes him. That he watched him closely on his journey, to be sure he didn’t jump from the deck. Meanwhile, the Captain’s Suite, where the women are staying, is luxurious.
Gamache recalls something from the flight: when the young pilot said he recognized the man in the photo he showed him, it wasn’t Peter he recognized. It was Massey who he’d flown to Tabaquen the day before.
The sniffer dogs found something suspicious, a substance buried in a container: it was asbestos, found along with the canvases. Whoever would have handled the canvases would likely die, eventually, from inhaling asbestos. The principal of the college confirms that asbestos was detected in Professor Massey’s office. Had Norman sent his asbestos-infected paintings to Massey in an attempt to slowly kill him?
After traveling through tumultuous waters, the river eventually flattens to glass and they arrive in Tabaquen. Clara stays in town – unsure of what they’d find – and Gamache and Jean-Guy head to No Man’s cabin. There, they find Peter sitting on the porch, looking unkempt. And inside the cabin, they find a body: Professor Norman. Peter says that Norman had sent him away, and when he returned he had found him dead. Luc, from the brasserie, had been there too – but Peter had sent him to call for help.
Here, Gamache realizes that he had everything backwards: it wasn’t Norman adding asbestos to his painting to harm Massey, but the other way around. Massey had been sending him asbestos-infected canvases for years, because Norman was a threat.
And here, Peter asks Gamache if Clara had seen his new paintings, and what she thought about them. He has changed: her opinion is all he cares about now. Peter tells Gamache that he wanted to return home to her, but before he could face her, he wanted to confront Professor Norman for what he’d done to her back in school. But when he arrived, the old professor was sick, and Peter stayed on to care for him.
“The tenth muse is not, I think about becoming a better artist, but becoming a better person,” Gamache tells Peter.
But meanwhile, there’s the issue of the dead professor. Thinking the killer would be Luc, the group heads back to town. But in town, they find Massey, holding a knife to Clara’s throat. “I love you, Clara,” Peter says, as he takes the knife for her.
Commenters seem to agree that by the end, Peter had become a brave man in a brave country – a man finally worthy of Clara’s love.
FAVORITE QUOTE
“Fear lives in the head. And courage lives in the heart. The job is to get from one to the other.”
CONCLUSION
What an amazing journey revisiting my friends from Three Pines in the pages of THE LONG WAY HOME. I can’t believe it’s been eight years since the book was published (and this website was launched!) and almost twelve years since I started working with Louise!
The activist and journalist, Ella Winter, once said, “Don’t you know you can’t go home again?” Thomas Wolfe would then use the quote to entitle his posthumously released novel YOU CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN.
I, however, in the spirit of Ruth Zardo call bullshit!
Of course you can go home again. Even if it’s a long way home. We, as readers and lovers of the World of Louise Penny, are fortunate enough to go home to Three Pines every year!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Clara first approaches Gamache with great ambivalence: wanting (though fearing) to
know what happened to Peter, while reluctant to disturb Gamache’s newfound peace.
How did you feel about the decisions they both make at this point?
- “I thought he’d come home,” Clara says of Peter. Did you? How did your view of him
change in the course of the book?
- What does it mean to you to be a “brave man in a brave country”? How does courage—or
cowardice—feature in this novel?
- On the first page of the book, we hear about Armand Gamache’s repeated gesture, “so
tiny, so insignificant.” What is the true significance of this and other seemingly
inconsequential actions in this story?
- What do you think of Ruth’s role in this story? For example, consider the scene in
Massey’s studio, where she “seemed to have lost her mind. But found, Reine Marie
thought, her heart.”
- Both Peter and Gamache’s father, in a sense, disappear. What is the impact of this kind of
loss on Clara and Gamache? Have you ever experienced anything similar in your own
life?
- There is so much about art and the creative process in this book. How do we see that
unfold in the lives not only of Clara and Peter, but also of Norman and Massey? For example, what do you make of the Salon des Refusés? What do you think it meant to the
artists themselves?
- What roles do creativity and acclaim (or obscurity) play in the lives of both Clara and
Peter? In their marriage? Do you believe that Clara and Peter’s marriage could have been
saved?
- Louise has sometimes talked about the importance of chiaroscuro — the play of light and
shadow — in her work. What are the darkest and the lightest points in this novel? What
are some humorous moments, and how did you respond to them?
- Peter’s paintings look completely different from different perspectives. How does that
apply to other characters or events in the story?
- In Chapter Six, Myrna observes about jealousy: “It’s like drinking acid, and expecting the other person to die.” How does jealousy play out in the lives of various characters here?
What effects have you seen it have in real life?
- How does Clara’s quote from one of her favorite movies, “Sometimes the magic works,”
play out in the story?
- While a number of Louise’s books end in unexpected ways, the conclusion of this one is
particularly shocking. How did you feel as you were reading it, and what do you think
when you look back at it now?
- In some ways Clara’s quest to find Peter recalls such classic journeys as The Odyssey and
The Heart of Darkness. What are the most significant discoveries the central figures in this novel make along the way?
1,023 replies on “Series Re-Read: The Long Way Home”
And Linda you touch on a theme I have very strongly in my mind. How do measure goodness? Do actions count more or intent?
When my daughter was very small she loved to watch Smallville, based on Superman. For both of us, the best character was Lex Luthor as he struggled so much with good actions and selfish intents. It amazed me that a small child would see the difficulties of that and she cheered always for Lex to do the “good” thing. I have seen this in cartoons too.
I want to cheer for Peter, because he has had a difficult life and he does do good things. But I have struggled to see him show a genuine heart, an intent to be more than just the imitation of the man he appears to be. He needs to fill that hollow inside with something or it will implode and take him with it.
Thanks Julie, for the link. 🙂
PETER
I just couldn’t let go of wondering why their was no ‘crack’ in Peter for the light to get in… Sadly, found my answer in Chapter 6. When Clara is discussing with Gamache, Jean-Guy & Myrna her big fight with Peter she says he “realized in the night that he had been pretending all his life and that deep down there was nothing. Just a hole, which was why his paintings had no substance…” “And they considered a man who had a hole where his core should have been.” Then a bit later Gamache thinks, “if Peter Morrow had a hole where his soul should be, his family had put it there.”
Lordy! He has nothing to crack!!!!
My first thought was poor man! But then I thought of people who have have been treated worse, had a really rough life and had hearts filled with love…
Then Clara’s prayer for Peter took on a deeper meaning. Peter is still that 7 year old boy sent to boarding school – if that!
Then Gamache’s parting words to Peter’s mother took on a richer meaning. “At least I know my parents loved me…” So I’m back to poor Peter. You can’t give what you’ve never known. And a personality is set by age 7, 8, 9???
But, but… Clara didn’t have an easy childhood either! Yet her heart is full of love & faith!!! Reminds me of when I first met my brother’s soon to be daughter in law. She gave me a big hug and told me she now understood how my nephew was so wonderful, “you are like the picture to his dad’s negative…” Maybe all the talk about art brought that memory back into focus. “Life is choice”! I kinda missed Agent Nichol in this book…
Anyway, what does that say about Bean… Gonna be an interesting discovery to see that child grow up. Glad he / she’s back.
I’ve always been in a quandary where Peter is concerned. He did act the worst kind of arse. But there were all those other things, i.e., he always helped cook and clean, he always welcomed friends and made them comfortable, he did save Clara’s life. For the most part his acquaintances thought of him as a good man, until Clara’s success. Perfect, no. How many of us really is perfect?
I don’t think he was missing a soul. I think he had a shell around his soul and like Ruth’s baby duck, he had great difficulty cracking his way out.
There had to be some substance to Peter, quite beyond his good looks that caused Clara to love him. We’ve discussed Peter regularly haven’t we? He has been, perhaps, one of the larger continuing puzzles in each book.
What great insights, Linda. Thank you. Beautiful comparison to Peter having a shell around him, like Ruth’s duck. Sorry if I have brought Peter up so much in this discussion but as a newcomer I don’t really know what’s been discussed previously… I’ll try to read the comments on the previous books but it seems a bit overwhelming while trying to keep up with just this fascinating book. As I said, life threw me curve balls these last three years & I couldn’t participate in earlier discussions – family deaths, traveling cross country for funerals, my dear daddy diagnosed with dementia and other sadnesses of life. Finding this group feels like a lifeline back to what always brought me joy and self enlightenment after times of much sadness – the love of great literature.
Millie – I’m so sorry that you’ve had such a tough time lately. There is no time limit on when we get our reading done, no test at the end, and nothing but acceptance here and by the lovely people of Three Pines! I don’t think anyone minds talking about Peter more – he’s always been someone we’ve discussed with varying amounts of dismay and hope. He has been horrible to Clara – but his family was horrible to him. It seems either you sympathize with or hate the poor guy – there’s not much in between with us, hahaha. I think we’ll all get more insight into Peter as the book goes on, as well as into Clara. I began my reread of this book last night, and in Chapter 5 found a really relevant bit of information. I won’t cite it here, because I think it would give away too much later on to know its significance.
Question: does anyone know if that talk about how Miss Penny started writing, which Julie mentions, is on YouTube? Or on some other site??? Or even transcripts???
The Poisoned Pen has had many interviews with LP over the years, and they are up in the archives on their site. Each interview is long, and my computer’s speakers are so bad that I can hardly hear them, so I haven’t bothered with them – but I would bet that if you listened to them, those nuggets are in there. I think this has been a part of her “regular” speech for some time…
here’s a link to the archives: http://new.livestream.com/poisonedpen/
Just off the top of my head Millie, I think writers start by putting one word in front of another, same as any other journey, then see where the literary road takes you.
Sorry, been trying to comment on so many things today but haven’t had a moment to compose a thought.
Millie, it doesn’t surprise me that you see connections, it’s the sign of a creative mind and I suspect there are a fair few of those floating around this discussion board based on the comments. I am also so glad to see you have found your voice. It is joyous to behold.
Peter was hollowed out by the negativity of his childhood. Why he found no self belief to counter it, as others must do when they overcome similar experiences, I don’t know. Negative comments and action appear to have so much more power, seem to stick longer and burrow deeper than positive ones. So overcoming, let alone flourishing in the face of adversity is no mean feat. But, I too see examples all the time of where it has been done.
Peter also struggles to appreciate what he has. But don’t we all. The allure of what we want is so much stronger than the glow of what we have. Taking a journey away allows us to see what we have left behind as wants not givens.
Perhaps those who overcome negativity are able to take it apart and rebuild it in the shape of something better. Peter studied the line and form of the art in his parents home, but he never got to its heart. He didn’t take apart the structure and then use it make something even better. He tried to imitate art and ended up imitating life.
REFUSES
I wondered, when I read about The Refuses exhibit whether all parties were mistaken about the instructors intentions. The historical Refuses had contained works by artists that were destined for greatness.
Perhaps the art instructor didn’t intend to embarrass those others perceived as failures. Maybe he intended to infer that being accepted or rejected at such an early stage of their efforts was no clear indication of future success.
I always thought that, Linda. As in the original exhibition, someone saw merit in at least some of the art, and wanted it recognized. I always wondered why everyone accepted that he had only done it to humiliate. The only thing I can think is that Prof. Norman did it without anyone’s knowledge or permission. You go along thinking “It’s too bad I didn’t get into the show, and then, you see your work being exhibited under the title “Refuses”. Not to forget that “Refuses” is a French word and the school was in Toronto. Toronto is predominantly English-speaking now – it would have been ever moreso when Clara was a student, which would have been before a lot of the “new” French language laws came into effect. Refuse is another word for garbage, but in French, that sting is taken away – it’s just that people, even when they knew that intellectually, didn’t feel that way – they “heard” garbage! This is the only scenario I can come up with for having everyone assume this was an insult.
The “REFUSES” – ANOTHER SIDEBAR! I recently finished reading a book called “I Always Loved You” – about Mary Cassatt & Degas. Basically most of the artists that we consider Impressionisti Masters today – were ‘refused’ by The Academy in their time. Those painters chose to establish their own private exhibitions of paintings. So – being excluded from the “officially endorsed’ institutional art authorities – was not an indication of exceptional talent or ability! Just another strange Meg connection here between two novels! Those rejected included Degas, Monet, Gaugin, Manet, Pissaro, Cassatt and Louisa May Alcott’s sister too! Go figure! :~P
It’s interesting, isn’t it, how many masters (in all the arts) were dismissed in their lifetime. Apprenticing growing as they withstood the test of time.
I meant appreciation not apprenticing. How odd.
Also an indication that those who judge are not infallible! However, Professor Norman’s setting up the Salon des Refuses was seen by others, including Professor Massey, as an attempt to embarrass and hence was a reason for his dismissal.
It reminds me of Clara taking the newspapers to a quiet place to read the reviews of her exhibition. Remember how Myrna advised her to remember the good reviews and not just the bad ones? As she prepared to read those reviews, did she in her mind recall her art front and center of the Refuses?
Judges (and critics) are human, with differing tastes and preferences. As well, some are more experienced at seeing genius in new concepts or techniques. Maybe we need to remember that ourselves when our talents or efforts are critiqued. We shouldn’t hug the first bad review to our heart and give up.
I have my doubts that Professor Massey really believed that the Salon des Refuses was an attempt to humiliate the students. It was the easy answer. Or is that a spoiler?
ALL “THAT ART STUFF” – & PROCESSES
Side note first: Learned from one of my old supervisors that most of us write either like Mozart (very very few) or Beethoven (most writers). The first master could imagine and hear entire symphonic compositions in his head and simply recorded them in musical notation format. Mozartian (if there is such a word!) writers are able to compose entire speeches/articles/poems/chapters etc. etc. etc. and produce a print ready copy. Most of us plod along like the second composer: download initial thoughts/images/ fragments/connections that we associate with a given topic/theme etc – just to start with a prewrite list to just figure out what we really want to say. Then, from that we do a first draft, put it aside for a little bit, come back to it, see if it says what we really wanted to say – and if we did that in a most effective manner.
Was a initially a big battle at the beginning of a school year with my kids to get them to believe that first drafts are mostly – not a good finished product! Used a poem I had written & kept every draft from that pre-write list to finished piece. Didn’t identify it as mine, but as work of a writer I knew. Asked kids to respond to what worked and didn’t work in early, middle and final drafts. They were surprised to discover that they were able to identify what the writer needed to do and did! Poetry’s difficult for me. You’ve probably noticed that I do have a tendency to babble on and on, and the requirements of effective conciseness, imagery, effective word choice demand much more! It took me 17 drafts to get that poem to a point that satisfied me. I’m definitely a Beethovian plodder when it comes to formal writing.
PROCESS in RE to THIS BOOK: I think any skill we undertake, being it writing, painting, drawing, knitting, crochet work, gardening, cooking, baking, carpentry, dry-wall hanging, etc. etc. etc. – requires a learning curve, a process of mastering basic steps, moving to intermediate levels and beyond. Many of us are happy with middle level achievements. Others are frustrated by unfamiliarity of basic practices – while some of us feel compelled to strive for constant improvement and highest achievements.
Ruth’s learned to get past that “lump in the throat” to produce her poems, Clara beyond the shock values of the Refuses and her warrior uteri, Nichol beyond her defensive antagonism to acceptance. Peter just amazes me in this book because he foresakes all that had been safe territory for him thus far – following the rules, producing technically ‘perfect’ but soul-less paintings, his marriage and position as the primary bread-winning spouse. The guy’s dumped all of the ‘basic skill set’ that he was taught – and learned well – to dive into absolutely unknown territory for him – to try painting emotionally, evocatively. Yeah, as Louise describes them, his first efforts – on paper and second ones on canvas — are a total mess! BUT – he does manage to evoke an emotional response in his viewers with the recent one with red smiles. He’s no where near Clara’s level of technical achievement or as sensitive observer and empathizer with others – but – he’s taken those first frightening steps to try something different, to learn something in a new way – much like our Missy Anna is doing with her recent new endeavors! Takes real courage to dive off of that cliff to something new, unknown, unpredictable – especially when you don’t know what the final outcome will be. It’s working through the process – which can be tedious, sometimes disheartening – and also a joyous discovery – that will prove whether the effort was ‘worth it or not’.
So, all of that ‘art stuff’ talk didn’t bother me here as I recognize it as a ‘working through’ – which usually goes slowly for Peter, for Gamache as he tries to solve crimes/ puzzles, for Jean-Guy as he begins to look at himself and others in a different way than he had before, for Reine-Marie as she tries to figure out what to do or not do with her recently retired hubbie, for Clara whose own career and marriage have drastically veered from their past states. Does this make any sense? Yeah, yeah, it’s that Meg – babblin’ on again here! Enjoy your weekends!
Well put, Meg! I think that Louise has, in fact, been able to let us in to see the processes and through seeing the process in the art, we begin to see the process as change comes to all our characters. Many have called this a “transitional” book – and I see very much that everyone is in flux here – except maybe Myrna. Even Ruth seems different – softer – Rosa has been doing some very good work with her, I suspect! Either that, or I’m getting better at translating Ruthisms.
You made me chuckle, Julie! On first rapid read – I thought you indicated that you were getting better at translating Rosaisms! Finally, a good night’s sleep certainly would helps to keep this mind clearer! Duh! I couldn’t remember any “Rosa speak” – except her echoing Ruth’s favorite 4 letter word! :~D
Julie, some quick thoughts regarding Ruth: she admitted in one of the previous books it was better for her not to love because when she did, people got hurt or died… Yet she dares to care for Jean-Guy and Rosa. First, Rosa comes back and then Jean-Guy ‘comes back’ from the depth of his addictions… Her self view has been turned upside down! “Well, what do ya know, maybe I can care and SHOW it!” Plus, Clara’s prayer in Ch 5, keeps coming to mind… “I pray you will find a way to be useful.” A study from UC Berkley says 40% of our happiness comes from contributing to something greater than ourselves. Ruth has become ‘useful’ in her own eyes – she must care for Rosa! 🙂
In odd ways Ruth has always shown her love. The fact her ways are laced with profanity and obscene gestures makes them a little more obscure to the eye of the beholder.
But even Myrna is changing. She fled her old profession (psychotherapy) because she had become disillusioned with the process and with the sincerity of her patients. Now here in Three Pines, she has resumed that role as Gamache’s therapist. (And of course, throughout all the books she has been offering her own special insights where needed or asked for, but in a mostly unofficial capacity.)
Wow, Meg! I had never heard of the Mozart vs Beethoven- like writers. Fascinating stuff. All you’ve shared. So glad I’m not the only babbler… It’s been hard for me to to not babble on, try to keep my comments strictly on topic. But that’s not my nature. I see everything connected to everything else.
BOOK COVER DISCOVERY!: Thanks to JAN, I went googling for CLARENCE GAGNON and found this site
http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=tu&aid=3662
Athenaeum provides many stamp-sized snaps of a number of Gagnon’s painting. Wish there was a way to enlarge them so I could see them better! But! – A DISCOVERY!!!!
If you scan down the list/samples of his work, you’ll eventually come to one from 1924 titled “Evening on the North Shore”. Look at it carefully. It IS the illustration on this book’s paper jacket cover – but upside down! Exact outline of coastal village and land that juts into water body reproduced there, but village colors replaced with black/dark gray — except for one chimney or silo tower. Art department then inverted that image for the back – i.e. printed it right side up.
It’s really difficult to tell if Gagnon’s works sing to this viewer or not – as they were too tiny to see, but he does have a plethora of subject matter – mostly landscapes with a few portraits thrown in. Think I’d like to investigate him more.
Meg, if you click on the pictures, then click on them again – they enlarge quite a bit – at least, the first one did. Someone had read the acknowledgements and told us the name of the painting – and you have the right one. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Here is my favorite Tom Thompson painting – it’s quite famous and captures the “wild” in “Canadian wilderness”! http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/canadian/images/TomThomson-The-Jack-Pine-1916-17.jpg If that link is broken, try this one: http://tinyurl.com/q9f8b23
Thanks, Meg! I am not sure I could have picked out the original painting even though I think I do have a pretty good visual imagination.
It was the comment about the cover that got me to post. I picked up the book at B&N and was so conscious of the texture I felt. It surprised, delighted and egged me on to open the book PDQuick. Grateful to a friend who had finished it in a couple of days, I was able to discuss and so after telling her that I was rationing it and using it as a reward for accomplishing some stuff, I hit “Cosmic” and knew the rationing was out of the question. I hate finishing it because of the wait but the time had come.
in an earlier book the art stuff was a bit of a distraction but not this time. I was so familiar with the characters, they feel like old friends, friends that a re read is like being on vacation with friends.
Actually, as i think about it, I was so anxious reading the last book, afraid it would be the last, that this one I read with great joy and peace, my friends are still present.
I know, I am bad but I just finished the book! Just could not stop. Can’t wait for the discussions on the final chapters to begin.
I am happy that a mystery is about to appear – it had to be Peter, didn’t it? And Jean Guy appeared as well on page 18 and made me laugh right out loud. Yet, again. And because I can’t stop reading when told, I can tell you he does it again in Chapter 13, pg 108!
When I lived in Montreal, there was a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Chinatown that we always visited. It was upstairs. Louise Penny is still making me nostalgic -if not quite homesick.
But I am still contemplating the Ville Marie Tunnel – not there when I left.
Oh, and I want to watch Bean grow up!
Every book has had some topic to study – Champlain, Emily Carr, Gregorian-like chants, etc. This one will be art, painting in particular, n’est-ce pas? I am enjoying it tremendously. I spent many happy hours in the Museum of Art in Montreal.
The introduction of new topics to study and learn about is one of the things I love about these books. Just think…we are learning about many different topics in a most delightful way. I become so excited about what I learn from researching that I want to share my new knowledge with others. I hope they enjoy my sharing with them. Last week I was asked what was the latest on Canada. Maybe I need to curb my enthusiasm.
What’s wonderful is that even we Canadians are learning so much about different areas of our own history and landscape! Gagnon is someone I’d never heard of, and there’s no good reason for that, as you can see by looking at his works. All the in-depth information about Champlain was absolutely news to me, and I studied Canadian history the same as most Canadian students – just barely skimmed the tops of it and put no more emphasis on Canadian topics than on ancient Greece, or British history, or American history. Shame – there’s a lot to be proud of in Canada. And so much of the land is still empty or almost empty – the wild places are still there.
The comment by Jean-Guy that had me roaring was on Chapter 8, page 61 where he says, “Some din”. Such a subtle play on words by LP! They’re in a Chinese restaurant eating ‘Dim sum’. It takes so little for my jaw to drop in admiration & LP offers SO much to admire.
Trying to keep up with the comments… So many thoughtful ones. Ruth carving the words? Love that. Love being here. Crazy day for me too. But I wrote 94 words, Anna! Gotta go.
Well done Millie. That is double your requirement! Keep it up.
Good for you, Millie!
Great News, Millie !
Oops! Lost the first ” marks after she says” . . ., but above. Humid here today & keys sticking!
Great idea for the ongoing discussion board, yay Paul
It’s crazy here today, my parents 50th Anniversary but thoughts keep coming so here is my stream of consciousness.
Broken, a crack where the light gets in
Illumination, the light enters but also highlights from the outside
Revelation, we can see our inner selves more clearly but we can also be seen. The layers peel back and our core is on show.
Fear, we have discovered we all “see” things differently. What if you don’t see me the way I see me.
Acceptance, but what if you like what you see. What if you can show me I am more than I can see for myself.
OFF SUBJECT: Initially I asked about title of Armand’s book that he carries to hilltop bench each morning. Offered Langford Wilson play by same name and old hymn “There Is a Balm in Gilead”. Well, knuckle flick my forehead. For some reason I never read acknowledgements at front of novels and dive right into page one of chapter one. Was sitting here with book while on hold on phone and flipped to L. Penny’s acknowledgement page for this novel. She says. . . , but I do want to mention a few influences, including Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Homer’s Odyssey. And the remarkable Marilynne Robinson’s book. Gilead. As well as the old spiritual “Balm in Gilead.” (my parenthesis here – from which she lifted the ‘sin-sick soul’ phrase).
Want to comment on art examination stuff, but have to run. Will try to get back to this by Sunday at least.
A question: What’s the full name of that Gagnon artist that’s been mention? Only one I’ve found is a guy whose stuff looks a lot like that Thomas Kincaide commercial things. Any help with this? I really don’t know this painter.
Meg. The artist is Clarence Gagnon. If you peruse images of his work on the internet, you might be in for a big surprise!
Thanks, Jan. I’ll try to find him over the weekend when I have a minute! Hope everyone has good two days of relaxation!
I looked them up as I was reading the book. I could understand how a sad little boy could get lost in them.
Louise makes a passing mention of this not being the Twilight Zone – there was a very famous Night Gallery episode with Richard Kiley where he goes to an art gallery every day and wishes himself inside a peaceful painting. He is a war criminal who is being hounded by Nazi hunters and finally, everything comes to a climax and he runs into the gallery at night, in the dark and goes to his spot and wishes and wishes and finally he is able to do it! But, of course, they’ve moved the painting, and this one is of Kristallnacht, and he’s one of the Jewish people running from the Nazis now – for all eternity. Anyway – that little statement brought all that back for me, and I could see the little boy wishing himself inside that painting so easily…
I am loving this book! I could not participate in the earlier discussionas we were travelling. However, I think that in chap. 1-10 LP establishes her characters for newcomers to her writing and for those of us that have read them all. she gives us some new insight into each of them. For instance, Clara’s new found self identity with the acclaim she has received; also, her self assurance seems to have risen in the year Peter is gone. Ruth is beginning to show her intellectual side, maybe from conversations with Rosa? I can see the groundwork laid for later in the book and am looking forward to getting there. Just hope I don’t have the feeling of “it’s over” again when I reach the end. I had terrible withdrawal feeling after the last one.
Roberta, I actually had the feeling of something new beginning after this book. Keen to see where we go next but I don’t have the nervous terror I had at the end of the Beautiful Mystery, or the exhausted sense of relief at the of HTLGI (neat idea to use abbreviation whoever did that first).
Ah, Peter’s mother. What a brilliant ‘show don’t tell’ piece of writing. I still don’t understand what nice Mr. Finney sees in her!
Brother Tom and Marianne… at least they’re human. I also think that Bean would have told whether she’s a she or a he if asked. With an impish grin. It’s just that nobody asked. Pause to imagine conversation. Well, Myrna could I guess.
I was also struck by the fact that Peter was the one who suggested Clara do paintings instead of installations… thus starting her on her road to success.
I’m one of the ‘visual’ readers so the art discussions are fascinating to me. I too could ‘see’ the carvings in the Brutal Telling and would like to own a small Clara Morrow.
I also love learning about the Canadian artists. Gagnon especially.
And another vote here for a general discussion board.
Connie, I’m glad you raised the matter of Peter’s mother. My goodness, what a dreadful woman she is! I have always wondered what Bert Finney ever saw in her, and yet he said in The Murder Stone (or A Rule Against Murder) that he had loved her all his life. That was a brilliantly written section where Armand goes to see the Finneys and ask a few questions about Peter. He knows from bitter experience just what she is like and he tries his best not to get drawn into her lair, but finds himself there after all. It’s telling that when he leaves, he disciplines himself not to break into a run to get away from that house. However, he did learn from her something new about Peter’s childhood and how much he loved those pictures, including the Clarence Gagnon. It showed a different dimension to Peter than we had seen before.
I wondered if Peter’s jealousy of Clara’s painting had it’s birth in this part of his childhood. That is, he sat before the paintings trying to escape, always just a spectator, anchored in that dreadful house and it’s other occupants.
With Clara’s success she proved to be an occupant of the land INSIDE the paintings. As he told her before he left, he had determined that he wasn’t really jealous of her skill, but of the emotions and state of being that took her to where he always wanted to be.
I think you are right, Linda. He knew the paintings were valued highly by his mother. By looking and looking, I think he was able to analyze the mechanics of what made them fine, but never felt the emotional response that others felt. So he never really got what makes them great, not just technically amazing. I don’t think he even realized he was missing something until he finally responded with an explosion of emotion to Clara’s painting of Ruth in Clara’s studio. You said, “…he wasn’t really jealous of her skill, but of the emotions and state of being that took her where he always wanted to be.” I feel like I understand much better now what he said to Clara about being jealous of her ” faith… hope… beliefs…I wanted to be able to paint like you do but only because I’d see the world as you do.” I believe even more strongly now that Millie is right about Peter carving, “Surprised by Joy” on the bench.
I think it is interesting that Gamache thought, “Madame Finney had an EYE for art.”
Yes, an EYE for art, not a HEART for art – or for anything else, for that matter.
I’m still wondering why Gamache didn’t tell Mrs Finny it was Peter who took Clara to Three Pines, and Clara who asked him to leave… Guess he knows it would have been futile. “She was not interested in the truth…” Saint Gamache?
I think that encounter really gives us a wonderful insight, since Gamache, whom we know to be very skilled at interviewing people, is bested by her, at least temporarily. She is as nasty a piece of work as I have seen, and I think it helps us to see that Peter couldn’t have escaped unscathed. As none of the children did. Marianne comes closest, and I think that’s because she is Bert Finlay’s child (and gives us some idea about nature vs nurture, as she was raised as a Morrow – ie – she was damaged, but not beyond all repair).
I have had such sympathy for Peter after reading A Rule Against Murder (The Murder Stone for some). Imagine growing up with such a mother. How Bert Finlay loves her is beyond me, but we also got a glimpse into their relationship at the end of that book – she is not like that with him. But he never managed to get her to be different with her children…
I’m surprised he has stayed married to her all that time. I seriously doubt that I could love someone who did not show any love for his/her children. Sadly, there are many spouses who do choose to stay or leave without the children.
It is telling that Gamache couldn’t avoid being drawn into Ms. Finney’s (Morrow) negativity. It makes it easier to forgive Peter and siblings. Imagine years of being cut down by a mother who made it her mission to observe sore points and aim for them.
Paul, YES! A general discussion board would be just the idea. Thanks.
Yes Paul, I agree with Barbara that a general discussion board would be just the thing. It’s wonderful how, while nervous about expressing ourselves and what others would think of our comments, we have bonded. We’ve become friends, even though we have never met in person. I always thought it peculiar when I heard of people meeting online, but now we’ve done it. None of us want to lose touch for a whole year because we’ve enjoyed each other’s company so much! So I’ll very much look forward to a continuation of our chats and friendship.
Adding my lurker’s voice here since there’s no “reply” button on Paul’s post. I LOVE reading the discussions of each book and would definitely like to see an ongoing forum. I hope this series of re-read discussions stays available as well.
To me, the moth imagery is symbolic of Clara’s quest to find Peter. She has been told to go home and get on with her life, and Peter will show up, or not…. She is offered alternative ways to move on, without Peter: Could she be deflected in her quest by an offer to teach at The College or by focusing on Exhibiting in galleries? Not until she has fulfilled her driving need for closure.
Alma, that’s brilliant! That poor moth has more on it’s back than it could possibly support, but that insight has the ring of truth to it!
I’ve been a mystery reader all my life and only discovered Louise Penny about 4-5 years ago. She has quickly become my favorite. I liked her last book for her character development, her discussions about art and her ability to draw themes from other books, music, art, culture, etc.
I had already ready the Gilead book and loved it, but am thinking about reading it again after the reference.
I love the characters in Three Pines, but my wish is that she will get out of the village for the next book. I find her books set elsewhere to be rejuvenating to this series and makes Three Pines that more special to come home to. But too much time spent with the inner workings of the same dear friend can become suffocating after awhile. I’d like to see how Jean-Guy and Lacoste are progressing in their careers, and I’d like to get to know Annie better. Besides HTLGI, my favorite of her books is the one set in the monastery. I loved the musical exploration and how it affected new and old characters.
My initial reaction to this latest book is that it wasn’t as rich as the others. Having finished it, I think that isn’t true — it’s most rich in character development and I loved getting to know parts of the Canadian countryside and art world that I didn’t know about. But I feel like Gamache needs to move farther afield again — he has done so in the past and with very satisfying results.
Whatever she decides to do, I will be following Penny’s work. She is a writer like no other.
Louise mentioned that she tries to “get out of Three Pines” at least for every other book now because otherwise, it will become a far less idyllic place if one is always tripping over a dead body.
But I also feel like we were “out of Three Pines” for most of this book. We got the open and close there, but the whole middle was on the move around Canada – from Toronto to Quebec villages that are quite different from Three Pines. So I’m kind of hoping we do have another mystery IN Three Pines next. I still feel Armand needs more healing, but maybe more time will go by between the end of this book and the beginning of the next, and that can happen “off screen”.
The discussion of visual vs auditory has been fascinating. Even my asides are usually from film or TV, not books. I’m nowhere near as well-read as I’d like to be. My problem is that when I find something I like, I stick with it rather than looking for the “next” thing. When I decided I needed to read some classics, I read Anna Karenina and loved it, then Jane Austen, and now, of course, here I’ve joined the Jane Austen society and discuss and read her books endlessly. Yes, we all dress up in Regency attire, and play at tea-parties, and have a wonderful time. I’m now envisioning this group not only getting together, but dressing up as our favorite characters. I somehow feel like there would be 20 women with ducks under their arms, hahaha.
Anyway – I AM a visual person – my mind’s eye knows exactly what all the carvings looked like in The Brutal Telling (to the extent that I had convinced myself that I’d seen them online somewhere and yet, a thorough session on Google didn’t find them), and I felt like I knew exactly what the paintings were like. The next section will help quite a bit, I think… as we can discuss some parts of the paintings that we CAN see… and the bit after that, we can do the same again…
Hi All!
Coming late to the discussion. Started reading comments but had to stop as I saw some spoilers. I’m being a good girl and read only the first 10 chapters. Lol.
I’m glad I’m being paced or it would have been devoured by now.
As to impressions: the cover! I love how it feels! I love how the book smells!
I have to start marking my book! I forgot some things already. Most impressions were commented on such as the moth, Peter not returning, etc. I love everyone’s thoughts!! You add such richness to my reading experience.
I’m curious about Dumfries. I was glad about Lacosta. I’m curious about why Armand can’t read past the bookmark.
Ok, off to read the next section!!
My Lizzie, I admire your restraint!
Thanks Anna. I don’t think it’s restraint as much as fear and loss. Fear of what will happen. Loss of not having any more to read from Louise!
I’m always the one who still has her ice cream cone to lick when every one else has finished. I love savoring special things and making the experience last as long as possible. 😉
Hi Lizzy, Glad you are back. You are right. Everyone’s comments have added much to the books. I wish I had your will power to read along with the “assignment”. I always have to gobble up all the book and rush to the end.
Thank you Barbara!
I have to confess that I looked up the arrondissement system in Paris after the characters spoke of the higher numbered arrondissements somewhat disparagingly. I did see that most of the sites people celebrate were in the lower numbered arrondissements, but didn’t really get a good picture of how the architecture changed. I imagined concentric circles, each becoming more ordinary and was surprised to see that they are really more like “wards” or “zones” in other cities. One of the reasons why I love these books is the incentive to discover places, works, etc. that the Three Pines characters refer to and love.