Exploring Three Pines
“Three Pines wasn’t on any tourist map, being too far off any main or even secondary road. Like Narnia, it was generally found unexpectedly and with a degree of surprise that such an elderly village should have been hiding in this valley all along. Anyone fortunate enough to find it once usually found their way back.”
― Louise Penny, Still Life
Want to know more about Ruth Zardo’s Poetry?
Lady Mink: A Sort of Requiem
&
God Be In My Head
by Marylyn Plessner
from Vapour Trails
(Click image to enlarge)
“I’m so happy I made, by some miracle, Ruth a poet. Again, contrast. The embittered elderly poet, with such insight into the human heart (sometimes filled with frost), and human condition. Later in the series, as you might know, we find out who hurt her once, ‘so far beyond repair…”
“I wish I could take credit for the poetry, but the fact is, the poetry is mostly from two works…Margaret Atwood’s Morning in the Burned House…and a privately published book by the late Marylyn Plessner.” ― Louise Penny
Louise also credits Leonard Cohen, Stevie Smith, Ralph Hodgson, Mike Freeman, Liz Davidson, Robert Service, and W.H. Auden for poetry quoted in her books.
Three Pines Poetry Sources
Morning in the Burned House
The Essential Leonard Cohen
All the Poems: Stevie Smith
“Three Pines is a state of mind.
When we choose tolerance over hate. Kindness over cruelty. Goodness over bullying. When we choose to be hopeful, not cynical.
Then we live in Three Pines.”
“Some people who wander in clearly have another agenda, but most who find it are lost in some way … It’s a place that has chosen its society wisely. It becomes self-selecting; there is a reason these people are there in this particular village. It’s known grief and sorrow and will again. Yet there’s something redemptive here.
Mostly, I want people to come to this place I love so much, to smell the pines, feel the air and taste the local cuisine.”
Three Pines Maps
The World Of Three Pines
“It was great fun working on the Three Pines map. Despite having said that I don’t usually talk to the authors, Louise, myself and the editor chatted on the phone several times about how to get the town just right. Louise is lovely to work with. It seems there had been film adaptation of one of her books (which didn’t quite get it right!), and since then she’s been batting away the idea of having a visual reference for her world. Thankfully, it seems we got it right with the Three Pines map.” Rhys Davies, Cartographer and Illustrator
Note: Rhys Davis drew this map of Gamache’s Paris as well as the well-known Map of Three Pines, located on the first tab above. Want to know more? Your Louise Penny Book Club Friends found this interview with Rhys!
The World Of Three Pines
“Three Pines as a village does not actually exist, but in creating it for the Gamache novels I was inspired by many things from around this part of Quebec. I hope this may helps inspire vou too.” Louise Penny
The World Of Three Pines
“Three Pines nexiste pas réellement comme village. Cependant, plusieurs aspects de cette région du Québec ont portés inspiration à la création du village. ‘espère que cette carte vous apportera inspiration aussi.” Louise Penny
Gamache in Paris
In All the Devils are Here, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache travels to Paris. These are must visit spots to include in your plans.
Note: Rhys Davis drew this map of Gamache’s Paris as well as the well-known Map of Three Pines, located on the first tab above. Want to know more? Your Louise Penny Book Club Friends found this interview with Rhys!
Three Pines Related Travels
Calling All Three Pines Explorers
Have you travelled to visit locations mentioned in any of the Three Pines books? Share your experience or get some great tips from those who have walked in Gamache’s shoes. Also visit the Louise Penny Book Club group to find other members who can share good travel advise.“I am wondering how many of you have found yourself exploring things that you encountered in the books? My appreciation of art and my understanding native American experience of has been expanded through further study. When we visited Paris last Spring, we sought out and enjoyed places mentioned in the books. The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is on my travel bucket list (it is open to the public only one weekend a year!). This year’s travel will include a two week exploration of the Province of Quebec, including the Charlevoix impact area!”
Enjoy Three Pines Without Having To Leave Home
These items have been recommended by Louise Penny Book Club Friends for everyone who wants to visit to enjoy the sights and flavours of Three Pines.
Virgin Hill Coffee – Organic Knowlton Blend
Virgin Hill Coffee – Knowlton Blend
Three Pines: Season 1 (Amazon Prime series)
“Can’t imagine what Gamache thinks of us,” said Myrna. “Every time he shows up there’s a body.”
“Every Quebec village has a vocation,” said Clara. “Some make cheese, some wine, some pots. We produce bodies.”
He watched Beauvoir sit up, “How was it?”
“No one died.”
“That’s a bit of an achievement in Three Pines.”
Three Pines Characters
We all know the characters who live and work in Three Pines and after reading the series, these characters have almost become our friends in many ways. In addition to our series regulars there have been so many more characters we have been introduced to.
We’re working on a new database that will enable us to list character details and backstories, organized by books in which each character appears. Hopefully coming soon!
Thanks to our amazing Louise Penny Book Club Friend, Jordan Palesano DuBois, we received the start of a simple list of characters from the books.
This is a reference list only and not connected to our database containing character details, but while we work on the framework for the database, we will keep this list available.
The Grey Wolf characters are at the bottom of the list and for some characters, there may be spoiler alerts, which require you to scroll to the right to see the details.