Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the S ret du Qu bec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he sits on a bench holding a small book, The Balm in Gilead, in his large hands. “There is a balm in Gilead,” his neighbor Clara Morrow reads from the dust jacket, “to make the wounded whole.”While … whole.”
While Gamache doesn’t talk about his wounds and his balm, Clara tells him about hers. Peter, her artist husband, has failed to come home. Failed to show up as promised on the first anniversary of their separation. She wants Gamache’s help to find him. Having finally found sanctuary, Gamache feels a near revulsion at the thought of leaving Three Pines. “There’s power enough in Heaven,” he finishes the quote as he contemplates the quiet village, “to cure a sin-sick soul.” And then he gets up. And joins her.
Together with his former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Myrna Landers, they journey deeper and deeper into Qu bec. And deeper and deeper into the soul of Peter Morrow. A man so desperate to recapture his fame as an artist, he would sell that soul. And may have. The journey takes them further and further from Three Pines, to the very mouth of the great St. Lawrence river. To an area so desolate, so damned, the first mariners called it the land God gave to Cain. And there they discover the terrible damage done by a sin-sick soul.
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Louise Penny never disappoints which is why she is my favorite author!
Okay, like Jean-Guy, I’ve discovered I have an addiction, and it is Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, which won’t be bad until I’ve caught up reading with Penny’s writing.
This story broke my heart, even more than How the Light Gets In. It is sad in many, many levels—Gamache’s healing and retirement, wondering whether Peter Morrow will return, Reine-Marie’s realization that Gamache’s retirement is not the balm for his soul that she wants it to be, Peter Morrow potentially reinventing himself, Clara’s treatment as a young artist, a view into a madman’s soul. All of these are so powerfully and poignantly portrayed, but there is nothing like Chapter 26. Oh, I think it is preparing us for something I don’t want to even entertain. There is foreshadowing there of a great magnitude, I fear greatly!
I do wonder what the different settings look like in life, as they are described so vividly, readers can almost see them.
I love Ruth even more, as hard and isolated as she tries to be to outsiders and even those of her world, Ruth is anything but hard. Ruth is lovely and needed!
The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny is always worth reading. In this latest book, Gamache is finally retired and living in Three Pines when his friend Clara Morrow comes to him for help in finding her missing husband. She and Peter decided they needed time apart, but a year has passed and Peter has not returned. They are both artists and while Peter was always the more acclaimed, lately Clara has been hailed as a genius for her portraits. Peter hasn’t dealt well with the change in their relationship.
Armand, Jean-Luc, Clara, and others from Three Pines combine to trace Peter’s steps for his year away. While Ms. Penny always does a wonderful job in descriptions, I wished I could see some of the paintings described here by Clara, Peter, and others. I did look up Clarence Gagnon who is a famous French-Canadian artist whose work is discussed in the book and the paintings are fabulous.
Like the title of the book, I found the plot to meander a bit too much and the ending not quite believable though it was forecast throughout the book. Still, I enjoyed it and I’d give this 3 1/2 stars.
One of the pleasures of doing book reviews is getting to discover a new author and escaping into their fictional world. I have been hearing about mystery novelist Louise Penny on the What I Should Read Next podcast by several readers. Anne Bogel, the host, recommended Penny to several of her podcast guests. I decided from those glowing recommendations that I was going to tryout this writer. When I saw The Long Way Home recently on the clearance shelf at my local Half Price Books here in San Antonio; I knew it was time to read this author.
The Long Way Home features retired Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, former head of homicide with the Surete du Quebec. Gamache has retired to Three Pines, a small village in Quebec, with his wife, Reine-Marie, to live a quieter, peaceful life.
One of the Gamache’s oldest friends, artist Clara Morrow, became concerned when her estranged husband, Peter did not meet her for a possible reconciliation of their marriage. It was unusual for Peter to not meet with Clara and she asked Inspector Gamache for his help to find him. The novel takes several twists and turns in order to find Peter’s whereabouts. However, The Long Way Home goes far deeper than your typical mystery novel.
For one, Gamache reads from a small book, The Balm in Gilead, throughout the novel and the spiritual symbolism becomes apparent as you continue reading. Penny’s writing reveals excellent insights into human nature without becoming pedantic or pedagogic. I will admit I kept thinking about Paul’s writings in Romans 7:13-24 from the New Testament as I read this novel. He reveals how entrenched the power of sin is in his life despite his efforts of wanting to do good for himself and others. Penny goes right to the heart of this matter from a secular perspective, however, I found it believable and thought-provoking.
The Long Way Home is an enjoyable, thoughtful work of fiction and has made me want to read (and review) the rest of the Inspector Gamache series. It is one of my favorite reads of 2017 and a great place to start for those (like me) who are new to Louise Penny. Highest recommendation.
This was a bit of a departure from the usual murder mystery but not lacking in unpredictable twists and turns that are a staple in Penny’s writing. I won’t spoil the story but just say that this book is about Clara’s quest to find Peter (husband) after he failed to show up for the appointed one-year anniversary of their separation.
Penny’s writing is so lyrical and so engaging that I want to take notes when I’m reading. She is, by far, the best writer I read. I just want to move to Three Pines and live with these people–murders and quirks and all. She never disappoints.
On a side note, this was the last of her books I will listen to on audio. After reading so many complaints about the new narrator (this was the old narrator’s last book), I decided to start buying the books in paperback. They are still just as engaging. 😉
I love this entire series. The characters are unique and some are inspiring.
Louise Penny’s books make me want to move to Three Pines. Excellent writer, great characters and wonderful story lines. Bravo!
Louise Penny Is a great author as she is unpredictable with her characters. Once she introduces you to a character, you don’t know what to expect from him or her. Again thanks to Gamache he captures the murderer. But before that happens Penny introduces a variety of characters that are unpredictable.When you are headed down one path, she changes directions.She keeps you reading until the last page.
My favorite of all the Gamache stories. Haunting, beautiful, sad.