I hope there’s not a devoted reader out there who’s offended by all the Louise Penny this week, but getting a free audiobook copy of her latest, A Trick of the Light (2011), prodded me to write up my reviews of her other books so I could post this one right away (don’t get me started on the backlog of reviews that are half written, or worse).
The book begins with Clara’s long-awaited vernissage at the Musee d’Art Contemporain in Montreal; the mystery begins the next morning, when a body shows up her garden. Lillian Dyson was Clara’s best friend as a child, but after treating her badly one time too many, Lillian finally pushes Clara too far and their friendship ends. (And, by the way, has Peter finally done the same thing to their marriage?) Why is she in Clara’s garden after all these years, and why is she dead?
The book’s theme is chiaroscuro, the pictorial relationship between light and dark. This idea is first brought out at Clara’s show, where Gamache and an art dealer are viewing her painting of the drunk poet, Ruth, who’s portrayed as a bitter, elderly Virgin Mary. Some people who see the painting see only that; others, like Gamache, notice the speck of white paint in Ruth’s eye, which may signify hope — or may be nothing more than a trick of light. Similarly, Lillian Dyson used to epitomize dark, but she’s joined Alcoholics Anonymous and was apparently trying to turn her life around… or is that just a trick of the light, too? A number of other characters are struggling as well, most of all Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir, who must make some fateful decisions about his personal life.
I liked Bury Your Dead better, primarily because Gamache was so human in that book, but this is a fine addition to the Inspector Gamache series.
The audio, narrated by Ralph Cosham, is lovely. His voice is smooth and dramatic, but not over the top, and it never gets in the way of the story. Many thanks to Margot Kinberg, whose blog post put me in touch with the Macmillan Audio publicist, Esther Bochner, who sent me a copy of the audiobook.
Counts toward the Audio Book Challenge
I, for one, have enjoyed your reviews this week, Karen. I’m totally fangirl about Louise Penny and her marvelous series though.
I loved A TRICK OF THE LIGHT. Each and every book is my favorite while I am reading it or just after. I do think that Louise put a lot of her inner self into this one though. The whole theme of addiction was compelling and I love how we can see, if we look hard enough, the threads of possible stories to come. I won’t give spoilers, but you’ll know what I mean when I say Peter and Jean Guy (I worry about him). I think that this one will garner Louise more awards.
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I am a fan of the Penny books and haven’t yet read her latest as I’m waiting to savour it when there are no niggling duties interrupting my concentration. A TRICK OF THE LIGHT has certainly garnered a number of awards and her work has a huge following. She is a kind, thoughtful person who values her readers and fan base. I believe her books will continue to delight people well into this century. Enjoyed your review and thanks for not giving anything away.
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You are right, Kay, there are at least two big story lines to come — not to mention what will Clara decide? Since I’m 46 she gives me hope for later-in-life success.
H.L., good for you for holding out. I have to admit that listening to it in the car was not ideal because sometimes I had to get out of the car at crucial moments. However, it did make me appreciate it more. I try very hard not to be a spoiler, but I find it especially hard when one book follows up on another and the second depends on what happened in the first!
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Sorry to admit I have not read Louise Penny as yet, but you have reminded me to start! I’ll begin with Bury Your Dead!
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I’m not actually a huge fan of Louise Penny (mainly because I read book 2 first and was annoyed that it was almost unreadable without having read book 1 but also had so many spoilers for book 1 that I couldn’t be bothered going back – I really hate it when authors do that). I probably wouldn’t have bothered reading any more at all but our bookclub chose THE BRUTAL TELLING earlier this year which I liked and then I was told I had to read BURY YOUR DEAD which I must say I loved (in audio book form). So I will be reading this one too, I just checked audible and this audio version is not there yet but I’ll keep an eye out…that’s where I got the other one so I’ll live in hope eh.
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Harvee, the books really do build on one another so I recommend reading them in order. Still Life, the first, was also my least favorite, but it does introduce a lot of background that you need — see Bernadette’s comment!
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I’m so incredibly fortunate that my friend who told me about the series also told me to start from the beginning. She read #5 first and then read the others out of order and drove herself nuts.
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