Reply To: The Madness of Crowds: What did you think of it and why?
I have enjoyed every book in the series and this was no exception. Three things I particularly liked: LP writes a story where I do not foresee the ending and continue to find clues when I re-read it even after I know the ending, she continues to develop characters of increasing depth and complexity (in this book, Jean-Guy and his anguished struggle with Annie’s and his decision to continue a pregnancy knowing the fetus had a chromosomal anomaly and “the Asshole Saint” come to mind but so do Ruth and Isabelle) and, finally, I appreciate how LP weaves historic and contemporary events into her writing. I recall previous comments about people struggling with the inclusion of examples of research abuses and graphic accounts of violence against women in Africa but I thought they added to the complexity of the story and characters. I specifically appreciate how LP acknowledges the COVID 19 pandemic and its impacts; it would have been odd to move on with life in Three Pines without any consideration of such a profoundly impactful period of time.