The Long Way Home: Louise Penny Paperback – 25 Feb. 2016

A fantastic begining for Armande Gamashe in retirement. I have been waiting for this to be released for ages and have tried to savour it over a few days; it's an incredible piece of writing. I don't want to say too much as to give away any spoilers with this would be such a shame. Suffice it to say Armande is in retirement dwelling now with his wife in Three Pines among his newly found friends and community. A problem has arisen; Peter Morrow, estranged husband of Clara has not returned after their year's separation as arranged and Clara is wondering why. The premise of the novel is quite simple, Peter needs to be found so the group of 5, Armande, Rene-marie, Beauvouir, Clara and Myrna set out to track him down. They are following a lead from some mysterious paintings which Peter left in the care of his neice, paintings which indicate Peter might not be in a stable frame of mind. I don't want to say anymore as this is such a complex story of emotions and to take away any of the imapct it has would ruin the read. It reminded me somewhat of The Beautiful Mystery; (more psychological than murder story.) in that it is an exploration of feelings, entanglements within a relationship and the damage to a person's mind when all is not right in their world. Armande is still recovering,as is Beavouir after the massacre at the Surete, Clara is bewildered as to the motives behind Peter's disappearance and Rene-marie and Myrna are the support, holding them altogether. The other villagers blend in and out of the chapters, Ruth with her hillarious yet surprisingly tender observations, Olivier and Gabri having their say at intervals (not forgetting Henri the dog and Rosa the duck!) But this story is so emotionally charged you feel as if you are travelling with this group on their difficult journey to fine their friend. I was so moved by this, so engrossed and lived each moment as the search became more complex and sinister. It's tightly plotted, fabulously imaginative, definitely addictive and an absolute must read if you are a fan of this series. I have one wee comment; it can be read as a stand alone but I would highly recommend you to read the previous novels to be able to appreciate the depth of storytelling here and some previous knowledge of these fantastic characters Louise Penny has imagined would most certainly be an advantage. It's a remarkable novel and the perfect begining for Armande and Rene Marie as they begin their retirement in Three pines.The comedy elements, of which there are many are priceless ( and surprising in context with this sensitive plot) and the exerts and quotes of poetry divine, really setting the scene in many places. Highly, highly recommended.

I almost have up on this book, my first from author Louise PennyPenny. The beginning seemed to be a a cosy village with a mix of characters who all seemed to enjoy one anothers friendships were an odd mix of personalities. Persevering, I found, very worthwhile as the story built to a mystery and finally an answer I did anticipate.

I thought that after the humdinger which preceded it, this bok might be one too many. In fact, I nearly didn't buy it as I loved the Gamache series so much, I didn't want to spoil it. How wrong I was. Gamache returns weary, damaged at a depth few people could see, and is depending on the love of Reine Marie and extraordinary place and people of 3 Pines to heal him. Then Clara needs his help, and we embark with Gamache and Beauvoir on a new investigation.I love this series for the humanity and compassion Louise Penny instils into her novels. she writes with an beautiful economy of words which does not embellish the dreadful with gratuitous violence but nevertheless portrays the horror and evil of a situation. Similarly, we get glimpses of the extraordinary in ordinary lives.My Reading Group recently read the very first novel. Some were hooked, others thought is a bit slow and samey. All I can say is persevere. The who series is a slow burner. To dismiss the first one is to open a box of treasure and close the lid because all you can see is dull silver. But persevere, and the gold starts to shine through and hidden gems emerge in abundance.Louise Penny writes often with restraint, sometimes with passion and always with insight, and quiet humour. As you might be able to tell, I love her!

I never thought I would struggle through one of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books, I even skipped pages, lots of them, unheard of. I am such a fan of these books, I look forward all year to the next one and this one was my Christmas read. I didn't read any of the reviews deliberately I knew it was going to be great as they all are, I was so disappointed, I couldn't believe it, I thought it was me, not receptive enough, clever enough sensitive enough. I felt let down, not as much I did when I came across a TV film of Still Life with Nathanial Parker cast as Gamache though. Outrageous!I've been trying to think what went wrong for me. The writing is superb, lyrical, sheer poetry in places. I got bored with the endless philosophical discussions regarding the intent of the artist. The relentless repetition of the plight/woes/angst of the struggling painter. I felt that it sometimes came over as a lecture. I know that art and artists feature heavily in all Louise's books and I have enjoyed this element and learned a lot from it. The mystery was there but it was so convoluted that I lost interest. I didn't care if Peter Morrow was found or not and I'm still not a fan of Clara, (I keep trying to be!). Gamache is wonderful and Beauvouir is getting better and better.I am still a HUGE fan of Three Pines and everybody in it, still hope for Clara even. I've fallen in love with Henri, (Gamache's dog) even though he loves Rosa, (Ruth's duck).Maybe, I wonder, was it because the previous book, How The Light Gets In, was such a cracker I was expecting more? I will always rave over these books and recommend them to all, (just read them in order, essential), but this one was not for me.

I don't feel I need to write about the storyline because the series speaks for itself. It's very engaging. The characters are well developed. I have read every book in this series and I look forward to the next one.This copy A Long Way Home is for a friend; in fact, I have a few people I am gifting the series to, one book at a time. . . . .

Didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. Found this one quite wordy. I was able to skim over a lot of it without losing track of the story. The story was good, good to be away from Three Pines.