Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 4
One of the best places in the literary world to live is Three Pines, Louise Penny's Canadian version of Shangri-La. The friendships there are strong and deep-- better than most people's family lives. Peter and Clara the artists, Myrna the bookshop owner, Ruth the curmudgeonly poet, Olivier and Gabri the bistro and B&B owners are all people I have come to know over the course of this series. Their strengths, their weaknesses, how they support each other during difficult times-- I feel as though these "people" have let me into their homes and into their hearts.
I have been completely absorbed into Louise Penny's world.
It is a shock when Myrna discovers a dead body in Olivier's bistro. When renowned Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is summoned to investigate, I knew all would be well. Gamache, a man of infinite wisdom and infinite kindness, knows how to get to the bottom of things:
"But one of the first lessons the Chief had taught Beauvoir when he'd joined the famed homicide department of the Sureté du Québec was that to catch a killer they didn't move forward. They moved back. Into the past. That was where the crime began, where the killer began. Some event, perhaps long forgotten by everyone else, had lodged inside the murderer. And he'd begun to fester."
The body having been found in the bistro, the first suspect is Olivier, but as Gamache's team spreads out and begins their search for facts, the suspect pool becomes much deeper. There are the strangers who've bought the old Hadley house and are turning it into a swanky hotel and spa. And what about the Czech family who lives nearby? The murder victim himself is very difficult to identify, but as more and more tiny pieces of the puzzle come together the more things keep pointing back to Olivier.
The Brutal Telling is a complex tale of treasures and greed. It all takes place in a comfortable, charming village populated by fully fleshed characters I've grown to appreciate and, in some instances, to love. First and foremost, I do love Penny's intricate weaving together of place, of history, and of character. And I love how she is not afraid to tear the village and the people she has created asunder...and then to put them back together again. At the end of this mesmerizing book, the village of Three Pines will never be the same, but there is hope. There is always hope.
The one vision that has remained with me since turning the last page is of the cranky old poet. There Ruth stands out on the village green, looking up into the sky at Rosa...a trail of bread crumbs falling from her fingers into the grass. Reading Louise Penny is a bit like becoming Hansel or Gretel. Penny's world is so complete, so magical, that I feel as though I need to mark a trail somehow so that I can find my way back out.
If you have yet to read any of the books in this series, what on earth is stopping you?
I have been completely absorbed into Louise Penny's world.
It is a shock when Myrna discovers a dead body in Olivier's bistro. When renowned Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is summoned to investigate, I knew all would be well. Gamache, a man of infinite wisdom and infinite kindness, knows how to get to the bottom of things:
"But one of the first lessons the Chief had taught Beauvoir when he'd joined the famed homicide department of the Sureté du Québec was that to catch a killer they didn't move forward. They moved back. Into the past. That was where the crime began, where the killer began. Some event, perhaps long forgotten by everyone else, had lodged inside the murderer. And he'd begun to fester."
The body having been found in the bistro, the first suspect is Olivier, but as Gamache's team spreads out and begins their search for facts, the suspect pool becomes much deeper. There are the strangers who've bought the old Hadley house and are turning it into a swanky hotel and spa. And what about the Czech family who lives nearby? The murder victim himself is very difficult to identify, but as more and more tiny pieces of the puzzle come together the more things keep pointing back to Olivier.
The Brutal Telling is a complex tale of treasures and greed. It all takes place in a comfortable, charming village populated by fully fleshed characters I've grown to appreciate and, in some instances, to love. First and foremost, I do love Penny's intricate weaving together of place, of history, and of character. And I love how she is not afraid to tear the village and the people she has created asunder...and then to put them back together again. At the end of this mesmerizing book, the village of Three Pines will never be the same, but there is hope. There is always hope.
The one vision that has remained with me since turning the last page is of the cranky old poet. There Ruth stands out on the village green, looking up into the sky at Rosa...a trail of bread crumbs falling from her fingers into the grass. Reading Louise Penny is a bit like becoming Hansel or Gretel. Penny's world is so complete, so magical, that I feel as though I need to mark a trail somehow so that I can find my way back out.
If you have yet to read any of the books in this series, what on earth is stopping you?
Jessica D. (MTGirlAtHeart) -
Helpful Score: 2
I've never read any of the other books in this series, nor have I read anything by this author, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm also not a regular visitor into the world of mysteries. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. Louise Penny does a great job of developing her characters and making you feel like you really know them, rather than just reading about them. I was hooked from the very first chapter and eager to find out how it would all play out!
This book, as well as her others, is very pleasantly written. Her plot always builds rationally with many interesting varations. We have read a number of her books and are going to continue as the books become available on Paperback Swap. Yes be sure to read this author.
Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) -
May I suggest if you are reading this series in order (which you should), do not let too much time lapse between this and the next book (Bury Your Dead.) Book 6 spends a lot of time going over the crime at the center of book 5, so if it's fresh in your mind it might help increase your enjoyment of book 6 (which has a new crime at its center.)
This was one of my favorites of the series so far.
Judith L. (jlautner) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 106 more book reviews
Inspector Gamache gets to return to Three Pines. I wonder sometimes if he ever stays in the big city. Or maybe he only gets to work in the sticks.
A dead man is found in the bistro owned by Olivier Brule. Nobody is able to identify him, but we readers know that Olivier knows something about him. The man looks quite old but well-kept. His clothing is of good quality and is cared for if old. It turns out that he is only in his fifties but looks 20 years older. Gamache wonders what has gone on in the man's life to cause him to age so much - and to be murdered.
Olivier is part of the core group of friends who have met with and gotten to know Gamache over the years. He is a friend of Gamache's now as well. It is not beyond the inspector, though, to consider him as a suspect.
Of course nothing is simple. There is the old house up on the hill, where previously bodies have been found. It has been purchased by a couple who live there with the man's mother and who are converting it into a luxury hotel and spa. This competition does not sit well with Olivier, who fears his B&B will suffer as a result. There is antipathy between the two as a result.
Other suspects are added to the list as more is learned about the dead man and what he has been doing of late. Assisting the team is a young local policeman, who very much wants to become a homicide investigator eventually. Gamache's experience with subordinates has been good, with few exceptions. Will this be another find? Or a disaster? Jean-Guy suspects the latter.
The investigators prowl the woods as well as some homes before closing in on the presumed killer. The usual gang is very much present and we follow Clara Morrow as she prepares for a big showing of her art - with some unexpected results.
A dead man is found in the bistro owned by Olivier Brule. Nobody is able to identify him, but we readers know that Olivier knows something about him. The man looks quite old but well-kept. His clothing is of good quality and is cared for if old. It turns out that he is only in his fifties but looks 20 years older. Gamache wonders what has gone on in the man's life to cause him to age so much - and to be murdered.
Olivier is part of the core group of friends who have met with and gotten to know Gamache over the years. He is a friend of Gamache's now as well. It is not beyond the inspector, though, to consider him as a suspect.
Of course nothing is simple. There is the old house up on the hill, where previously bodies have been found. It has been purchased by a couple who live there with the man's mother and who are converting it into a luxury hotel and spa. This competition does not sit well with Olivier, who fears his B&B will suffer as a result. There is antipathy between the two as a result.
Other suspects are added to the list as more is learned about the dead man and what he has been doing of late. Assisting the team is a young local policeman, who very much wants to become a homicide investigator eventually. Gamache's experience with subordinates has been good, with few exceptions. Will this be another find? Or a disaster? Jean-Guy suspects the latter.
The investigators prowl the woods as well as some homes before closing in on the presumed killer. The usual gang is very much present and we follow Clara Morrow as she prepares for a big showing of her art - with some unexpected results.
Cameron-Ashley H. (BigGreenChair) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 464 more book reviews
The entire series is very enjoyable--one of her books mentioned a scene in a snow globe of a pleasant village and that's what this whole series is like...murder mysteries yes, but set in a snow globe village with wonderful characters and dogs and eating and coffee....and conversations among colorful friends. I admit I did not read them in order because I was so wanting another one that I read whatever was available at the time. It really didn't seem to make a difference, they are all great.
Another great Inspecor Gamache novel set in Three Pines
This is a great series. I suggest reading it in order so your get the full depth of the characters and setting.
Cheryl E. (Cheryl74) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 40 more book reviews
I am loving this series! I can't wait until #6 comes out in September!
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 1453 more book reviews
A man who appears to be homeless is found murdered in the bistro at Three Pines. Olivier knows he is the hermit that he visited but says nothing. As the investigation unfolds, Gamache and his team find he was murdered elsewhere and moved to the bistro. Why? Where? Who is he? What is the murder weapon? So many questions but no answers.
The investigation progresses when the cabin where the murdered man lived is found. There are two sets of fingerprints. In addition, they find that he used paper money to pack the holes in the cabin and for toilet paper in the outhouse. Furthermore, the cabin is filled with precious collectibles and the victim appears to have been a talented wood carver. The word, Woe, appears twice. Why?
The team has trouble identifying the murdered man but discovers that Olivier has been lying because he made a fortune on items the hermit gave him. He found the hermit dead and moved the body to the new spa whose owner moved it to the bistro. The belief is that the man was Czech but no one knows how he came to have the collection. The spa owner's father who was believed dead appeared the same time as the body. Is there a connection? The investigation continues until the murderer and the motive are identified.
I did not enjoy this novel as much as previous readings I have done by this author. Perhaps it's because I identified the murderer early on. I hate it when that happens in a mystery. Therefor it rates three stars from me.
The investigation progresses when the cabin where the murdered man lived is found. There are two sets of fingerprints. In addition, they find that he used paper money to pack the holes in the cabin and for toilet paper in the outhouse. Furthermore, the cabin is filled with precious collectibles and the victim appears to have been a talented wood carver. The word, Woe, appears twice. Why?
The team has trouble identifying the murdered man but discovers that Olivier has been lying because he made a fortune on items the hermit gave him. He found the hermit dead and moved the body to the new spa whose owner moved it to the bistro. The belief is that the man was Czech but no one knows how he came to have the collection. The spa owner's father who was believed dead appeared the same time as the body. Is there a connection? The investigation continues until the murderer and the motive are identified.
I did not enjoy this novel as much as previous readings I have done by this author. Perhaps it's because I identified the murderer early on. I hate it when that happens in a mystery. Therefor it rates three stars from me.
I have been reading this series in order. Penny is a good writer but I thought it was about 100 pages too long. I found myself becoming impatient to get to the end--not because I was really into the book and wanted to see how it wrapped up; rather, I was sick of reading it because it seemed to drag on. I also found some things either implausible or not really adding to the story. The whole idea of the terrifying myth seemed a stretch. I finally started skipping over the italicized segments which was the tale that apparently terrified the hermit so much. Then when the carvings were discovered, they also portrayed certain emotions, including fear. Since the people in the carvings were described as being "tiny," I am skeptical that the faces could portray much emotion.
As a long-time horse owner (45 years), I also thought the vet's advice about the malnourished horses that Dominique had bought (oh, they just need to be ridden and they'll be fine) was ludicrous. It was clear that Penny didn't bother consulting with a vet to learn what is the recommeended course of treatment for emaciated horses. Malnourished horses need to be medically evaluated and treated and they need a nutritious diet to get them back to a healthy weight. THEN they can be ridden.
As some Amazon reviewers have mentioned, the whole thing with "woo" also seemed farfetched. Ditto for Gamache's trip to the Charlotte Islands. I was skeptical that no one had ever come across the hermit's cabin before, either. He supposedly lived about a 30-minute or so hike from the village and had been there for several years. The Peter character has become unlikeable (his true character started to show in one of the previous books) and I wish he'd get bumped off or that Clara would dump him. Speaking of Clara, I get tired of hearing about all the food that ends up in her wild hair.
At one point she had toast in her hair! I can understand crumbs in a moustache or a smear of catsup or mustard on someone's lip but toast (or any other food) in someone's hair would be only believable if a person had been in a food fight. The revelation of who was the murderer also was unsatisfying.
I will continue to read the series and hope the next book is better. Since I get them through paperbackswap.com, I don't have to pay for them.
As a long-time horse owner (45 years), I also thought the vet's advice about the malnourished horses that Dominique had bought (oh, they just need to be ridden and they'll be fine) was ludicrous. It was clear that Penny didn't bother consulting with a vet to learn what is the recommeended course of treatment for emaciated horses. Malnourished horses need to be medically evaluated and treated and they need a nutritious diet to get them back to a healthy weight. THEN they can be ridden.
As some Amazon reviewers have mentioned, the whole thing with "woo" also seemed farfetched. Ditto for Gamache's trip to the Charlotte Islands. I was skeptical that no one had ever come across the hermit's cabin before, either. He supposedly lived about a 30-minute or so hike from the village and had been there for several years. The Peter character has become unlikeable (his true character started to show in one of the previous books) and I wish he'd get bumped off or that Clara would dump him. Speaking of Clara, I get tired of hearing about all the food that ends up in her wild hair.
At one point she had toast in her hair! I can understand crumbs in a moustache or a smear of catsup or mustard on someone's lip but toast (or any other food) in someone's hair would be only believable if a person had been in a food fight. The revelation of who was the murderer also was unsatisfying.
I will continue to read the series and hope the next book is better. Since I get them through paperbackswap.com, I don't have to pay for them.
Lynn M. (officerripley) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 258 more book reviews
I've enjoyed all the other books in this series; but this one was a disappointment. Muddy, all-over-the-place plot, never did figure out what the "brutal telling" was supposed to be exactly, and I guess I'm getting tired of some of the bitter(Ruth), self-centered (Beauvoir, Peter) characters. Maybe the next in the series will be better, hope so; it used to be a good series.
Cc G. (cerises48) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 25 more book reviews
louise penny ia fast becoming one of my favorites. cant wait to read the next one
Shari G. (readinggrammy) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 12 more book reviews
Excellent - as always!
Louise Penny started out with a good idea: A French Canadian Detective who meanders through the bureaucratic miasma of two cultures to bring justice to the people of Quebec.
Temp pied. She fell in love with her MINOR characters and just would not let them go, so she murders them off at a rate that would make Jessica Fletcher blush.
With the exception of her novel concerning the death of a French explorer, subsequent novels h, including this one add nothing to your store of knowledge, or human nature. I'm passing on all future books.
Temp pied. She fell in love with her MINOR characters and just would not let them go, so she murders them off at a rate that would make Jessica Fletcher blush.
With the exception of her novel concerning the death of a French explorer, subsequent novels h, including this one add nothing to your store of knowledge, or human nature. I'm passing on all future books.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 998 more book reviews
More surprises in this one than in the previous books about Three Pies-still enjoyable to read, looking forward to #6.
Crystal J. (dorolerium) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 212 more book reviews
I had no expectations going into this book, not really even an idea of what it was about. I hadnt ever read anything by this author, and I hadnt heard of Armand Gamache in my life. So imagine my surprise at how much I really liked this book, a feeling that started a couple of chapters in and stayed with me the whole time!
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1714
To read the rest of my review, please visit:
http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=1714
Ron K. (WhidbeyIslander) -
May I suggest if you are reading this series in order (which you should), do not let too much time lapse between this and the next book (Bury Your Dead.) Book 6 spends a lot of time going over the crime at the center of book 5, so if it's fresh in your mind it might help increase your enjoyment of book 6 (which has a new crime at its center.)
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed The Brutal Telling (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk 5) on + 1229 more book reviews
I have been slowly reading the Inspector Gamache/Three Pines series by Louise Penny since I became aware of them because of a TV piece I saw on the CBS Sunday Morning Show about Louise Penny. Since reading the first book in the series, I have enjoyed revisiting the quaint village located in Quebec Province and its memorable cast of characters. Brutal Telling is the fifth book in the series and to me, one of the best. In this one, Gamache is called to investigate when a strange man is found murdered and left in Olivier's Bistro. It turns out that the man was a hermit who lives in a cabin in the woods and who Olivier has been visiting for years mainly because the cabin is filled with antique treasure including glassware, rare first editions, and even a very valuable violin. So why is Olivier denying that he knew the hermit and was he involved in the hermit's murder? The crime turns out to be more complicated than it first appears with the body being moved more than once and other town residents possibly having motives for the crime. There are also side notes to the story including one about Clara who may finally get her show of her artwork until she finds out that the gallery owner is homophobic and makes a snide remark to her about Gabri, Olivier's gay partner. So what should she do about the remark? Of course she takes her husband Peter's advice who has his own selfish motives in mind and is still jealous of Clara's art.
This was a very interesting addition to the series. The solution to the mystery is somewhat shocking but is it the right solution? The next book in the series is a continuation of some of the events in The Brutal Telling and I am anxious to read it.
This was a very interesting addition to the series. The solution to the mystery is somewhat shocking but is it the right solution? The next book in the series is a continuation of some of the events in The Brutal Telling and I am anxious to read it.
