Book Club Friends Discussion Guide For:
Still Life by Louise Penny
Still Life is Book #1 of the Chief Inspector Gamache series
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal.
Published: 2007-05
Still Life Discussions
Please note that all discussions may contain spoilers.
Truncated topics below. Full questions available in the forums via direct links.
Topic
Date
Direct Link
Multiple points of view
This book is written from multiple points of view. Why do you think this choice was made? Was it well done? Was it effective? Why or why not?02/03/2025Why do you think the village of Three Pines is not on any map?
Why do you think the village of Three Pines is not on any map? Is this a benefit or disadvantage? Does it make the village special?06/03/2025Other than a murder mystery, what else is this book about?
Louise Penny’s books are murder mysteries, but at their heart they are about other things. What else is this book about? What are some other themes?08/03/2025What happened to the Three Pines community
What happened to the Three Pines community as a result of Jane Neal’s death? What did Clara mean by having “Surprised by Joy” engraved on Jane Neal’s tombstone?14/03/2025Still Life flaws
What flaws did you have issues with in Still Life? Are these flaws forgivable? Why or why not?15/03/2025Louise Penny incorporates foreshadowing throughout the Gamache series
Louise Penny incorporates foreshadowing throughout the Gamache series, hinting at events and relationships that unfold in later books. How does she use foreshadowing in Still Life to set up future plotlines and character arcs?17/03/2025Louise Penny’s writing throughout the Gamache series since Still Life
Every writer’s style evolves over time. How has Louise Penny’s writing evolved throughout the Gamache series since Still Life? Have you noticed any changes? If so, what are they and how have they impacted the stories and your enjoyment of the books?18/03/2025Common themes throughout the Gamache series.
Louise Penny revisits many of her favourite themes throughout the Gamache series. What are some of the themes she introduces in Still Life?19/03/2025First impression of Three Pines and the characters
What was your first impression of Three Pines and the characters? When you finished reading Still Life were you eager to read a second book? Why or why not?20/03/2025Character arcs in the series
What character(s) do you think have grown the most since they were introduced in Still Life? Which one do you think has grown the least? Was there a character you disliked in Still Life? Has your opinion of them changed as the series has progressed? Is there any resident of Three Pines who you feel deserves more of a backstory and would like to know more about?21/03/2025Additional Discussion Questions
Answer posted questions or pose your own questions for the group to answerDetecting The Wisdom of Gamache
Sleuth work: The Wisdom of Gamache in Still Life: Identify phrases in this book that embrace Gamache’s approach to life. ONLY comment with the phrase! Discussion of the selected phrase will take place next week after Louise reveals her phrase.11/06/2024The spirit of the Three Pines community
Identify a phrase or scene that embraces the spirit of Three Pines in Still Life. What does the phrase mean to you? How does it inspire you?12/06/2024The humour of Louise Penny
Tell us about your favourite phrase or scene that demonstrates Louise’s humour in Still Life.13/06/2024An insight into human nature
Identify a phrase or scene that demonstrates an insight into human nature in Still Life. Discuss the quote or scene and what it means to you or how it has impacted you.14/06/2024A historical detail of interest
In Still Life, did you pick up on any historical or geographical details of interest? Tell us about it and what you appreciated learning about in Still Life.15/06/2024An enticing food moment
Tell us about your favourite food moment in Still Life! Has the food in this book inspired you to try a new dish or bake/cook something new?16/06/2024Discussion of The Wisdom of Gamache phrase chosen by Louise Penny
“They are four sentences we learn to say, and mean.” Gamache held up his hand as a fist and raised a finger with each point. “I don’t know. I need help. I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Discuss this phrase that Louise has chosen. What does this phrase mean to you? How does it inspire you?18/06/2024We are told “violent death still surprised” Chief Inspector Armand Gamache
Why is that odd for a homicide detective, and how does it influence his work? What are his strengths and his weaknesses?18/09/2023How would you characterize the relationships of the three couples in this book?
There are three main couples in the book: Clara and Peter, Olivier and Gabri, and Gamache and Reine-Marie.19/09/2023Can you find other echoes of Paradise in Three Pines, and what role do snakes—real or metaphorical—play there?
The village of Three Pines is not on any map, and when Gamache and Agent Nicole first arrive there, they see “the inevitable paradox. An old stone mill sat beside a pond, the mid morning sun warming its fieldstones. Around it the maples and birches and wild cherry trees held their fragile leaves, like thousands of happy hands waving to them on arrival. And police cars. The snakes in Eden.”20/09/2023How do their choices affect the principal characters in the novel? Do any of their choices remind you of ones you have made in your own life?
Consider Gamache’s advice to Nichol: “Life is choice. All day, everyday. Who we talk to, where we sit, what we say, how we say it. And our lives become defined by our choices. It’s as simple and as complex as that. And as powerful.” Similarly, Myrna stopped practicing psychology because she lost patience with people who lead “still” lives, “waiting for someone to save them….The fault lies with us, and only us. It’s not fate, not genetics, not bad luck, and it’s definitely not Mom and Dad. Ultimately it’s us and our choices.”21/09/2023Do you see Still Life as a typical “cozy”? Why or why not?
Clara has “very specific tastes” in murder mysteries: “Most of them were British and all were of the village cozy variety.”26/09/2023
St. Rémy
Reference: Gamache remembers skiing on a mountain behind the town…
Rue Bernard, Outremont, Montreal
Reference: Mentioned when Yvette Nichol picks up Gamache to drive…
Cleghorn Halt
Reference: Where Dr. Sharon Harris lives. Real world location: Cleghorn…
Three Pines
Reference: Home! Real world location: The Town of Brome Lake…
Published on Book Club Friends with permission from Louise Penny.
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Want to know more about Ruth Zardo’s Poetry?
“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.
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Lady Mink: A Sort of Requiem
&
God Be In My Head
by Marylyn Plessner
from Vapour Trails
“For those that are interested in Margaret Atwood’s work in association with her poetry referenced in Louise’s books, I encourage all to read her newly published short story compilation Old Babes in the Woods. She is an amazing writer! I saw some similarities in writing styles with Louise. I listened on audio, and Margaret read several. These stories have a broad range and some may be considered odd. If you don’t like one, just move on. I particularly loved several stories about long-married Tig & Nell, if you need help with aging and loss as many of us do.”
Three Pines Poetry Sources
Morning in the Burned House
These beautifully crafted poems, by turns dark, playful, intensely moving,…
The Essential Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen’s album “Essential Leonard Cohen” contains the song “Anthem”…
All the Poems: Stevie Smith
The essential edition of one of modern poetry’s most distinctive…
Just Released and Now Available:
A gorgeous 20th Anniversary Edition of Still Lfe
Still Life Deluxe Edition
The award-winning debut of the beloved, unforgettable, #1 bestselling Armand Gamache series, back in hardcover in a gorgeous 20th Anniversary Edition.
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