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What did you think of Still Life and why?
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Still life was the first book I read of the twenty so really must go back and reread. It certain piqued my interest to read all of Ms Penny’s works and am eagerly waiting for The Black Wolf! Since we will certainly NOT be travelling to the south for any reason, perhaps a few days in the Eastern townships is in order.
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I have read the entire series and decide to go back and read from the beginning in order before her next one is published. So I just re-read Still Life, finished about two weeks ago. It’s intriguing to read the early introductions of the now well-known characters. I don’t know if the intent was the long series, but I think this first book sets the readers up to want to know more about the back-stories of many of the regulars. I am always gleaning a bit more about why Ruth is who she appears to be, I had forgotten some of her story that surfaces in Still Life. About to start my second read of A Fatal Grace.
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I’ve also just started to re-read the series in anticipation of The Black Wolf and this discussion and wonder also if LP had a series in mind all along? Her characters are all quite distinctive and interesting right from the get go, although I felt like Gamache was more a member of an ensemble rather than the “star of the show”, as he becomes in later books.
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I very much enjoyed my revisit to Still Life to see Gamache, Jean Guy, Isabelle, and the Three Pines regulars as they first appeared on the page. I had forgotten many of the smaller details such as Brebeuf was also introduced, Gamache had a moustache, Yvette Nichol was difficult right from the start, and I found myself wishing Jane Neal had stuck around longer. Like Wendy, I thought the first book is a very good set-up for a series.
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I still love it, after having read it several times over the last few years. Whether I read it on the page or listen to Ralph Cosham narrate it, the story never fails to draw me in, and it hits me like comfort food. And I still find myself laughing out loud at certain turns of phrase, like, “Gamache wondered how low the bar was set when all a man had to do to attract a woman was not smell of decomposing bears.” Not only did I have fun reading this book, but I was also immediately drawn to the main characters, and wanted to get to know them better. Armand, with his decency and intelligence; Jean-Guy, with his youthful competence and buttoned-up heart; the assortment of Three Pines residents; I was anxious to learn more about them and hear their stories. The mystery itself was entertaining, but it was the characters and the setting that made this tale extra special for me.
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“Still Life” was my gateway to Armand and company and I was hooked. I ordered some books in batches so I could go right to the next one.
Like others, I have reread it multiple times and each time, I notice something new, some detail or nuance I missed. It has everything I want in a book, an intriguing plot, a setting that captures my interest and characters I want to get to know. In that, Susan and Tara’s comments fit perfectly.
Thank you to the admins and those who voted for a BCFs discussion that starts from the beginning.
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The first time I read Still Life, I was a little underwhelmed. I think that’s because I had read and loved How the Light Gets In, and Glass Houses before deciding to go back to the start of the series. I was expecting the same level of sophistication in Still Life, and I felt it wasn’t there. I then proceeded to read the whole series, and re read Still Life on my second journey through the series. I’m so glad that I did. The writing is not as sophisticated or as nuanced as the later books. The characters are not as deeply developed. Three Pines doesn’t yet offer the salve that it does in the later books, but it’s where it all begins, and that makes it very special. It’s wonderful to be part of Louise Penny’s journey as a writer.
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I completely agree, LP’s latter books are far more intricate and sophisticated, especially the two you mention. Yet, like you say, Still Life is the beginning, like a seed planted in the soil.
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I enjoyed Still Life as my introduction to LP. A librarian friend had really emphasized the quality of the series. Although I liked Still Life, I didn’t completely understand her enthusiasm, to be honest. But I only discovered the series about 9 years ago, so my friend had already read many of the books when she had tipped me onto LP. Having read the entire series now, I understand her enthusiasm completely.
I did read somewhere on BCF that it’s not uncommon for some readers to not completely enjoy Still Life and that LP herself agrees that there’s another book further in the series that she’d recommend starting with. It didn’t take many books for LP to hit her stride, but there is quite a difference between Still Life and The Grey Wolf.
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I was enthralled with 3 Pines when reading Still Life. I started this series having moved to a new home, far away from my kids and in a political climate of ramped up hate. So Three Pines and its villagers were my respite. The rest is Louise Penny history and I agree, her writing has taken off.
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I loved Still Life! Like Susan, I’m a listener, so my first experience was with Ralph Cosham. Oh, what a gift to hear him read. I have since re-listened to the book with Adam Sims and I do appreciate his narration as well, but Ralph Cosham is quite special.
This book was also my first of the series and I was hooked! I blazed through the series after that, often rushing through them too quickly. So, I’m with Jane. I do appreciate this opportunity to read the books again and review the works more carefully.
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I don’t recall how I stumbled on Louise Penny, but I was hooked from the beginning. I liked the simplicity of Three Pines in this book; it is almost like comfort food. There is almost an innocence in the characters and newness, like they almost don’t fit into what they will become. Like Jane, I bought her books in batches, so I could just continue reading and savor their deliciousness.
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As some of you have said I was a little underwhelmed with Still Life. I did not realize that these interesting people would be in all the books and I felt like they were not developed enough. Luckily a friend had recommended the book and she had never led me wrong so I immediately got the next one and was excited when I realized that the characters would be in each book and grow and grow in my mind (and on the page). Someone said, I think it was LP but I am not 100% sure, that she writes books about a community first and there is just always a murder involved. Love the community of Three Pines and I love this community of insightful fans!
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I had the same feeling reading Still Life. I liked the characters well enough, but thought the mystery was “middling.” But I am glad I decided to continue on to the next books and stuck with it because not only did the characters get better and better but the mysteries did too. And I think you’re right about the quote being LP’s.
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