11-19-2020, 07:20 PM | #31 |
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Regarding the idealized hero nature of Gamache, I seem to recall from several of her afterwords that she had her husband in mind, a man she explicitly viewed as her own personal hero and savior from her alcoholism. Gamache was a sort of an idealized tribute in many ways, if my memory serves.
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11-20-2020, 12:36 AM | #32 |
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For me, Gamache is what makes the book work (and subsequent ones as well.) And yes, Victoria, that first chapter was horrible and needed the hand of a solid editor.
I stopped reading this series somewhere around the 4th or 5th book. The story for that book just felt wrong and I started and stopped it a half dozen times before giving up. And somehow never tried the next one. I'm going to have to try re-reading up to that point, and see if I can get by it. |
11-22-2020, 12:02 PM | #33 | |||
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A big thanks as well, to everyone who participated! Hearing your thoughts and reactions has been fun, and really enriched my enjoyment of the books. Quote:
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11-22-2020, 02:17 PM | #34 |
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Now that is an interesting thought that hadn't occurred to me. I'm going to have to go back and look at their interaction through that lens. Thanks!
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12-03-2020, 07:41 PM | #35 |
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I finished Still Life and I did enjoy it. There were some parts that were a little slow, but they were not too long. I liked Three Pines and some of the residents.
It was nice how they came together for Jane. One thing I thought was a bit off was Clara going to Ben and asking if he killed Jane without telling anyone ahead of time. That was not a smart thing for Clara to do at all. Overall an enjoyable read. |
12-06-2020, 08:11 AM | #36 | |
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However I think far too many mystery writers throw their characters into the deep end towards the end of the book. I find it a very annoying convention, because it’s usually either out of character, or a ridiculous risk for anyone to take. It interrupts the story, so I usually and skip past the scene, so I can get back to the actual book. |
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12-06-2020, 09:33 AM | #37 | |
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But yeah, making characters do stupid things just to amp up the tension isn't a good idea. I will be reading the second book. |
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12-06-2020, 01:10 PM | #38 |
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Yes, that’s true. I plan to read the second book as well.
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12-06-2020, 01:12 PM | #39 |
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I've read the second and third books, and enjoyed them. But I think it was the fourth or fifth book that stopped me. My intent is to skip over those two and pick up at #6 and see how that goes.
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12-06-2020, 06:07 PM | #40 |
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I’ve done that before and it worked out well. There was an Inspector Lynley that I stalled against. A few years later, I just skipped ahead in the series, and it was fine. Once you know the main characters, you can pick up any missing pieces from the context.
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12-06-2020, 06:19 PM | #41 |
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For me, it would depend on how far into the book I was when it stalled.
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12-06-2020, 06:47 PM | #42 |
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Hah! I’m betting it was the one where Helen was gunned down on the front steps and the rest was about the shooter. I bailed on that one and never went back (but I’d already had issues with the series, so it was in the nature of a final straw).
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12-17-2020, 01:43 PM | #43 |
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Yes - outrageous . I had issues with the series too, and eventually gave up. The books became disjointed, and were not at all true to the characters. She started churning out provocative plots, rather than deal with the gaps in the writing. It almost felt like a different author had taken over.
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12-17-2020, 04:02 PM | #44 | |
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