Reply To: Still Life: Louise Penny’s writing throughout the Gamache series since Still Life
Susan, your outline of the evolution of Louise’s writing is excellent. Her villains are most definitely more nuanced and complex, which I appreciate, as I found her earlier villains to be almost comical at times. Excellent observations too on how the Gamache/Jean-Guy rift arc was executed so well. I think HTLGI is one of my favourites because so many plot threads came together so well. I was not a fan of Long Way Home, but as you said, I can appreciate she’s willing to take risks and maybe felt a departure was needed after the events in HTLGI. I very much enjoyed Gamache’s Parisian adventure but I know many didn’t like that Three Pines did not play a part. But I think again, this was Louise taking risks. Certainly, her plots, the motivations of her characters, and the relationships in the books have become more complex.
