Author

Publisher: Headline Book Publishing, 2005

Genre: Mystery/Police Procedural

Source: I read this on my Kindle

Short Synopsis: (from Amazon)

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

Why I Read This Book:  I’ve had Louise Penny on my list of “Awesome Authors” for quite some time and people I respect have recommended her.

What I Liked: Be prepared – I’m going to gush. I absolutely loved this book.

1. The main character, Armand Gamache. He’s fifty-ish, happily-married, a large man, educated, a well-read leader who is respectful and considerate of people.   Gamache is a calm, methodical man. He’s a genius at observation. He notices the details.

He watched. He took in the people, their faces, their actions . . . He noticed who touched and who didn’t. Who hugged and who shook hands. He noticed who had red eyes and who gave the appearance of business as usual.

This picture is of the man who inspired the author to create Gamache. He’s a tailor in Montreal but his voice and his movements formed the nucleus for Armand Gamache in Louise Penny’s imagination.

2. The depth of the characters. The author introduced the reader to nearly all the members of this small community. This mystery story was about more than just the mystery. We got to see the interplay between all the main characters as well as the story of the victim.

3. Gamache’s second in command, Beauvior. He was thirty-five, a ten-year veteran, smart and classy. He wore a scarf which gave him a “look of studied nonchalance which suited his toned body but was easily contradicted by the cord-tight tension of his stance. Jean Guy Beauvior was loosely wrapped but tightly wound.” Can’t you just see him?

4. I also liked the addition of various subjects into the normal conversation of the story. The author touched on homosexuality, the expression of art, parenting, discrimination against English-speakers in Quebec, and so on. All added to the flavor of life in that particular village.

What I Didn’t Like: There was nothing I didn’t like.

My Rating: A+ Yes, it really is that good. From the first chapter of Still Life I could see why Louise Penny has won awards and why everyone raves about her. This is a very well-written, riveting mystery with full-bodied characters. Treat yourself and read it.

About the author:

Louise Penny worked for many years for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, with expertise in hard news and current affairs. She was born and raised in Toronto, but now lives in a picturesque village in Quebec with her husband.

She is the recipient of the CWA New Blood Dagger for Crime Fiction, the CWC Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel, the Agatha Award for Best Novel and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel.

For more information on Louise Penny, visit her website at Louise Penny.com It’s a lovely website with beautiful photos of Quebec in all seasons. And, there is information about how she writes and some of her causes – literacy and animal rights.

Check your local library for a copy of this book. Still Life is also available at Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

by Rosy Thornton

Published by Headline Review, 2010

My Rating: A

Last year I read and reviewed Rosy Thonton’s Crossed Wires. I thoroughly enjoyed that book, particularly the characters. I especially loved the three little girls. When she asked me if I’d like to read her new book, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

As soon as I started reading this book, I slowed down. I took my time because the author took me on a journey to a beautiful mountain area of France, the Cévennes. Her description of the area made me feel as if I were there. I honestly could see the stone buildings, the vegetation, the footpaths, the roads, the sky, well, all of it.

And then, I enjoyed getting to know the main character. Catherine Parkstone is divorced, her children are grown and on their own. She feels a strong desire to change her life so, she sells her house in England, with all the old memories, and buys another in France.

Her new home might be in a beautiful area but still, it’s a whole new world to her. It’s one she has to learn to live in. The basics of life are very different: she doesn’t speak French very well, the house is hard to figure out, the hamlet the house is located in has very few other inhabitants, and then there is the weather that’s unpredictable. But Catherine has chosen to live here and it’s enjoyable to walk through it with her and see how she makes the adjustment.

One aspect of Catherine’s character I really liked is her artistry. Catherine is an unusual needlewoman. She has a rough idea of what she wants to create. She has her beautiful silk yarns, but not until she selects the colors and starts the tapestry does the picture actually come to life. Here’s a little peak at how she creates a new piece:

She saw it all clearly now, translated into the colors of silk. It was funny how, even as a child, she began to visualize a picture or pattern as soon as she began to sew; she had only to begin and the image would emerge, a template for her to follow, like the outline that forms on closed lids after staring at something too long.

That section is early is the book and it captured my attention. I really wanted to know Catherine better. As I continued to read the story I saw that the tapestry Catherine is creating with cloth and yarn is like the tapestry of her new life. She has a rough idea of what she wants her life to look like and she has selected a few of the silk threads, so to speak, that will outline her new life. As she settles in and begins living in the Cévennes, the rest of the picture gradually emerges and the reader sees the link with the title of the book.

There are events and people that will come and fill in Catherine’s life. Catherine’s grown children are charming characters as are the neighbors. There is also a handsome, yet mysterious, man living nearby that Catherine is attracted to. Her sister, Bryony, comes to visit and is also attracted to this man.

Rosy Thornton knows how to create good characters. All of her people were ones I liked spending time with. Between the characters, the story’s setting, and the author’s attention to daily details, this was a wonderful visit with a new friend. I highly recommend it to you.

The Tapestry of Loveis available from Amazon. (I am an Amazon Associate.)

I decided to go get my camera and take some pictures so I could share it with you. I don’t believe I have adequate words to describe this book, I can only give you an outline.

A man decides to go from his native land and immigrate to a new country. The hardest part was leaving his wife and daughter. It may be a long time before he can send for them.

The journey by train and by sea is treacherous. The clouds above the ship are stormy. Finally, the ship docks and the long lines begin. The process to be allowed into the country is a long one.

Once the man is permitted into the country he must find a place to live and work. The new country is so different from what he is familiar with. Indeed, it looks magical.

I’ll save the rest of the story for you to experience. One more thing I want to share is the end-papers. Here is just a small sample. This is a big book and both front and back end-papers are covered with these portraits of all the various immigrants. Aren’t the drawings amazing? They are so intricate, they feel like photos.

In the back of the book the author acknowledged that inspiration for the story came from his father who immigrated to Australia in 1960. Mr. Tan has talked with many other immigrants and done numerous hours of research.

Shaun Tan’s decision to do the story without text was a conscious one.  He said, “My interest as an artist has been to dislocate the reader in order to better explore the idea of being an immigrant within a foreign culture.”  Well, for me, he succeeded. I was dislocated but I was also mesmerized. I now wholeheartedly recommend this book to you.

I found a copy at the public library but it’s also available at Amazon.

by Alexandra Fuller

Random House, 2001

Rating: A

It’s the 1970′s and Bobo (Alexandra) has been living in Rhodesia since she was two. She’s a young white girl, born to English parents. That’s her on the cover of the book. Don’t you love that expression on her face? She is curious, feisty while still being a sweet child. What I really admired is her strong inner core, her fierceness. She needs it for Africa is her home. It is all she knows. She loves her country but it’s also frightening.

In this memoir of her early childhood, Alexandra, called Bobo, recalls the details of her family life as well as the events in her country. Rhodesia was fighting to be free of British rule. It succeeded (becoming Zimbabwe) but it was not the safest environment for a young white girl. Bobo learned, at a young age, to be proficient with an uzi and other weapons.

Bobo/Alexandra’s family life was also complicated. They were poor, moved a lot, drank even more and experienced the loss of three children. Only Bobo and her older sister survived. To be kind, I’ll say that her mother is a character. She swings back and forth in her moods, is a strong racist, and drinks so much some days that she neglects her children. But the family holds themselves together with an enormous bond.

Alexandra tells the story in Bobo’s voice and from Bobo’s head. It worked very well for me. I could hear the little girl as she observed and interacted with the world around her. The earliest accounts skip around a bit as does a child when telling you about events. The book has both it’s sad and humorous moments. I sobbed reading about the drowning death of Bobo’s little sister. I hooted out loud when reading about the visit of two missionarys – the horrible tea and sandwiches and their quick departure after sitting on a couch loaded with fleas.

One of the best parts of Alexandra Fuller’s writing is her ability to convey to the reader the sights, sounds and smell of Africa.

What I can’t know about Africa as a child (because I have no memory of any other place) is her smell: hot, sweet, smoky, salty, sharp-soft. It is like black tea, cut tobacco, fresh fire, old sweat, young grass.

This is a beautifully written trip to another place and another time. I highly recommend it.

Source: I read this book as a part of a discussion group at the public library. You can also find this book at Amazon.