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#31 |
Diligent dilettante
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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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#32 |
(he/him/his)
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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. |
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#33 | |||
Wizard
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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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#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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#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. |
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#36 | |
Wizard
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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 ![]() |
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#37 | |
Resident Curmudgeon
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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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#38 |
Wizard
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Yes, that’s true. I plan to read the second book as well.
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#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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#40 |
Wizard
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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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#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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#42 |
o saeclum infacetum
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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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#43 | |
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#44 | |
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