For those of you who just couldn't wait to dig in and want to comment on the book overall. I won't be making this thread visible for a while because I
don't want to see it either LOL.
WHO DUN IT? WHY? HOW?Follow the DIRECTIONS to join in  For THE BRUTAL TELLING Break Your Guesses in this way: Part I chapters 1-10 Chaps 11-18, Chaps 19-26, Chaps 27-35, Chap 36-end. |
SATURDAY Oct 17th WHO DUN IT: The Brutal Telling, Louise Penny |
0 Kudo
BRUTAL TELLING--The END ****SPOILERS
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 BCCJillster |
BRUTAL TELLING--The END ****SPOILERS |
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10/05/09 07:47 AM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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muchado2 |
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10/06/09 12:37 PM BCC BookieMonster |
I'll jump in... even though I know this comment won't be seen for awhile, it'll help me get it out! (LOL)
Had a love-hate relationship with this book. I couldn't put it down, but I *so* wanted it not to be Olivier. I'm still not convinced that it was, or that even Chief Inspector Gamache thinks it was... But without other solid evidence, Olivier had the most strikes against him. I realize that major characters do have flaws and do commit murder. I truly thought Peter was the culprit in the 1st book, and I seriously suspected him in the last book. Somehow, to me, Peter being taken out of Three Pines didn't bother me. I knew that Clara would feel his loss, but sometimes, I think she'd be better off without him. Funny, huh? Losing Olivier seems to be a big loss -- and an unexpected one. I could make a case for many other people that seemed more plausible than Olivier's motive. But then again, greed is a huge motive. And we learned some very unpleasant things about Olivier.... Lousie Penny seemed to "break the mold" this time. She basically told us, from the beginning who it was. How many of you believed her? I wonder what will happen to Three Pines now?
Currently reading: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Recently read: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny |
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Blanchard |
#2 | |||
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10/09/09 03:10 PM BCC Zen Bookie Master
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Well she got me again! I spent a lot of energy trying to think of another character who did it instead but I couldn't think of any and guess what?! He did
do it after all! I'll be sorry to see Olivier leave Three Pines and feel even sorrier for poor Gabri! I wonder where Louise will take him? I wanted so
badly to have Peter do this crime and be done with him but it wasn't to be, this time. Maybe next?
Betsy
Taking allergy pills is like having Snow White multiple personality disorder. You go from Sneezy/Grumpy to Sleepy/Dopey/Happy. from CEO of Zappo's, Tony Shieh |
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someonegetchristine |
#3 | |||
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10/10/09 02:38 AM BCC BookieMonster |
Well, there ya go!
I knew there was alot more to Oliveir, he was so cagey and secretive about things, but I didn't think it would be him, that would have been too obvious!! I'd made up my mind that it must be Roar Parra and his son as accomplice. It all seemed to fit with the Czech as someone who had shared a past with the hermit, who had discovered the treasures in the cabin, maybe seeking revenge for the loss of other's belongings. I remember Louise telling us at her last chat that BT would be focussing on the new occupants of hadley House, but I couldn't place them in the action really, even when I read about Marc's decision to remove the body to the B&B was a childish act of revenge, tit-for-tat agaisnt Olivier. Some gaps - what prompted Gamache to go the B&B and look in the fireplace for the menonah and the burlap bag? When Gamache was returning from the Haida people 'it dawned on him what the carvings meant' - but did he know who killed the Hermit at that point or just an understanding of what the carvings meant? And Rosa, will we see her again? Ruth should be shot at dawn, she really lost the plot this time! Lots to chat about with this one!
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 jodijoy |
#4 | |||
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10/10/09 12:28 PM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
Dear God!! I never, I wouldn't... how could? I'm incoherent. Gobsmacked! Somebody else please finish so we can discuss this!
If things go wrong, don't go with them - Roger Babson
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Pookie5 |
#5 | |||
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10/10/09 10:42 PM BCC Member |
Geeeez Louise! Brilliant! Stunning book--mostly for the atmosphere she built with the carvings and the allegory and Queen Charlotte's Island. But HOW
could she have Olivier do it? Even after I read that part I kept thinking, no, this is going to change. He couldn't have. Like Gabri, I'm having
trouble believing it even though Olivier's greed had come into play in an earlier book. Wow.
I was totally bamboozled by the Czech connection--thought for sure that was behind it, especially when she talked about the Brutal Telling. I was so sure some awful truth had come out and that it had triggered the murder. But as Gamache said, it's usually the simple explanation--the one right in front of us. Part of me can believe Olivier did it, I just don't want to. And then when it seemed to be Olivier, I couldn't understand why the allegory wasn't a product of his miserable childhood and his fantasies from then. It's so awful and mean that he did that to frighten and trap the Hermit. That's one of the odd things about Louise's books--she gets so uncomfortably close to what it means to be human, when no one is looking human. Like Peter's awful but realistic thoughts about Clara's genius. About Olivier's desperation and emptiness. She's an amazing writer--and really finding herself, like Clara. And btw, I adore Ruth. |
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jodijoy |
#6 | |||
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10/12/09 08:00 AM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
Geez Louise is right! The answer was in front of us all along, but we just couldn't (wouldn't) believe it. Poor Gabi!! Imagine being fooled like that
by someone you were so close to (shudder).
If things go wrong, don't go with them - Roger Babson
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BCCJillster |
#7 | |||
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10/12/09 11:44 AM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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So, if we go beyond the absolute shock of Olivier (!!!) what did you think about the rest of the book? Or should we call it Weekend at Bernies Part 3?
Did anyone understand why the Queen Charlotte Islands played such a big part, other than that Louise seemed to want to talk about it? I don't really see what it had to do with anything since the carvings would have made sense without the totems. After all, they were clearly a sequence just based on the events depicted. There was no big aha moment when someone identified the Hermit as having been there and knowing who he was. I would understand if he had committed a crime there and was expiating his guilt, but no. So what am I missing? All those clues re Charlotte. Was Louise just having fun? Do you think that Ruth letting Rosa go was akin to Gabri letting go of Olivier? She purposely didn't put clothes on her that day so she could rejoin her natural life. She must have loved her very much. What were your favorite parts?
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someonegetchristine |
#8 | |||
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10/12/09 01:32 PM BCC BookieMonster |
Well, there's a vacancy at th B&B now, I wonder who will fill it. I was gobsmacked when Gamach arrested Olivier and thought, oh no, he's made a
mistake surely.
My favourite bits are when the villagers all get together for social occasions, dinner and gossip, e.g. Ruth's dinner party. I thought of Still Life reading this, it was definitely better than the last book. I felt the Queen Charlotte section was unnecessary to the story, perhaps Louise was indulging herself. No Agent Nicolls this time ?
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BCCJillster |
#9 | |||
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10/13/09 08:54 AM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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What about that woman cook from the last book? LOL Poor Gabri--is he ever going to fall in love again or will Olivier somehow be returned to him in the next
book?
Does anyone understand what Ruth was on about in those poem fragments she sent to Beauvoir? Is she taunting him or getting closer to him or?
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Olle |
#10 | |||
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10/13/09 09:35 AM |
I thought Ruth was trying to help him in the only way she was capable of. Knowing full well he wouldn't get it or like it. She likes to poke and prod (and
would drive me nuts). She must like him or she wouldn't have bothered, don't you think?
Isn't Louise a brave author? Not many would dare to put a beloved character away. Gamache sounds convinced thus so am I. |
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Blanchard |
#11 | |||
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10/13/09 11:31 AM BCC Zen Bookie Master
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You're right, Olle, it was a brave thing to do! I really enjoyed this book altho I hate to break up that particular couple. Now if she'd asked me about
it, I would have definitely said to break up Pater and Clara's marriage! Peter's artistic jealousy drives me bonkers and I wish he'd be found
guilty in one of these books!
Betsy
Taking allergy pills is like having Snow White multiple personality disorder. You go from Sneezy/Grumpy to Sleepy/Dopey/Happy. from CEO of Zappo's, Tony Shieh |
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BCCJillster |
#12 | |||
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10/13/09 12:15 PM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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I may be all wet here, but I suspect that Louise somehow sees in Peter some aspect of either her own marriage or someone close. I can't quite remember why,
but something she said suggested that. Maybe from one of our chats? I don't think it was in email. The idea of Peter being a pain has come up several times
before and I think she pushed back on the basis that he's having human reactions. Not a bad man, just flawed.
We have less sympathy for him, in unison I think. But both being artists and Peter being used to being the celebrated one who gets lots of money for his paintings...well, it could be tough on him. Was anyone else shocked when Ruth was described early on as a drunk? I think of her as cranky, brilliant, crotchety, but with tons of compassion and caring, and a cruel sense of humor. I know she drinks, but it brought me up short to hear her described as a drunk. I also never thought of her as frail.
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wernoclue |
#13 | |||
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10/14/09 12:17 AM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
It was so obviously Olivier all along that it couldn't possibly have been Olivier, could it? Ah, well, it surely was.
Randomly because although I read all the posts I don't remember who said what. It says that Gamache figured it all out on his walk back to Three Pines from the Parra house; that he realized that there were a lot of 'whys' pointing to the Parras and a lot of 'whys' pointing to Marc and Dominique, the only one with terrific motive, opportunity, and against whom there was a ton of physical evidence, was Olivier. And no evidence against anyone else. I think once he realized that and called the search team back and had time to observe while a search was going on he also remembered the fires being built on a warm day that didn't need them. One last place to search and, bingo.... Poor Gabri! How long is the sentence for manslaughter in Canada? Olivier could be back in just a few years but, really, how easy would it be for the villagers to accept him knowing the full extent of his perfidy. His greed was somewhat extreme.... I'd love to see Clara's paintings, wouldn't you? And I'd still like to see Jane's painted rooms. Does all of this come from Louise's imagination, I wonder, or has she seen things that make her think of this. SOOOO glad about Clara's coming success. I felt a little more sympathy for Peter after learning about his family in the last book but his inner thoughts here are wearing away at that. Definitely! The cook from The Murder Stone has to move to Three Pines and start working her magic in the kitchen of the Bistro. Brilliant! I don't think of Louise as a drunk, just someone who likes her drink. All descriptions of and references to her seemed extreme this time; as I said elsewhere, I'v always just thought of her has cranky and unhappy, not crazy, not a drunk. I want to re-read the first two books and get some character elements more clear in my mind. Can anyone arrange for an extra week for me somewhere so I can re-read instead of reading new?
Karen
currently reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny; coming soon (with due dates) Birdsong (Oct 19) and The Girl at the Liion D'or (Oct 21) by Sebastian Faulks, The Yellow Lighted Bookshop by ? (Oct 24), The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen (Nov 2). Whew! |
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wernoclue |
#14 | |||
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10/14/09 12:25 AM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
And my final thought for the night -- there is something coming between Beauvoir and Annie. I direct your attention to pg 368, Beauvoir sitting in his basement
trying to sort out Ruth's poem:
Then his eyes moved to the furry little feet dangling over the shelf above his desk. At eye level, where he could see it. The stuffed lion he'd quietly taken from the B and B. First to his room, for company. He'd sat it in the chair where he could see it from his bed. And he imagined her there. Maddening, passionate, full of life. Fill the empty, quiet corners of his life. With life.That lion is definitely a symbol of Annie; her father describes her that way more than once. Gamache also talks about -- or at least thinks about -- an occasion when the only music that calmed her was the Weavers and singing along to The Lion Sleeps Tonight. And that maddening passion -- that's Annie. His life with Enid is filled with quiet corners. Edited to fix the quote bracket.
Karen
currently reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny; coming soon (with due dates) Birdsong (Oct 19) and The Girl at the Liion D'or (Oct 21) by Sebastian Faulks, The Yellow Lighted Bookshop by ? (Oct 24), The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen (Nov 2). Whew!
Last Edited By: wernoclue 10/14/09 06:41 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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BCCJillster |
#15 | |||
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10/14/09 06:26 AM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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Interesting Karen--you might be right. When I first read maddening passionate etc I did a mental jerk: Ruth? Beauvoir and Ruth? But Annie and your lion
connection make much more sense. LOLAlso, wasn't it Beauvoir who helped her when she was upset about work? Good detecting.
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wernoclue |
#16 | |||
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10/14/09 06:38 PM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
Yes, it was. She wanted to talk to Gamache and he wasn't available so Beauvoir "took care" of it.
Good detecting... *snort* My best friend (or favorite bistro owner) could be a murderer and I'd never figure it out, but I can see a relationship coming a mile away!
Karen
currently reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny; coming soon (with due dates) Birdsong (Oct 19) and The Girl at the Liion D'or (Oct 21) by Sebastian Faulks, The Yellow Lighted Bookshop by ? (Oct 24), The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen (Nov 2). Whew! |
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BCCJillster |
#17 | |||
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10/15/09 08:00 AM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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Moving Deb's post to the end thread:
THIS IS DEB: The only thing I realized right away was that Clara had painted herself in the 3 Graces. I'm not perceptive enough to recognize all the emotion that was in the paintings. I would think that Fortin would be too greedy to cancel a show over a difference of opinion. Just because Clara stands up for her friend he thinks she is not far sighted enough for an art show? That didn't make sense to me. I missed the point about the Charlotte Islands. Even after finishing the book I can't figure out why the trip was important. Even after being told that Olivier was the murderer I still don't believe it. Am I like the mom who stands outside the broken window saying, "Not my son."? He did some pretty horrible things but I still can't see him bashing in anyone's head. Of course I was shocked to learn that he put the hermit's body in the Inn. I was shocked that Marc would put the body in the B&B. (I can't fathom that many people in one town dragging bodies around!)I was Really shocked to learn that Olivier was the one who told the creepy story. Still don't see him as a head basher. I was crying my eyes out when Rosa flew away. My daughters are teasing me by singing that kid's song about Mother duck saying quack, quack, quack but no little duck came back. Pathetic, that's me! Ruth's poem to Beauvoir. Who ever wondered if he was falling in love with Annie, I think you are dead on. That was what the poem was about. How will Gamache deal with that? There are a lot of things I am hoping to be addressed in the next book. Not to mention the Agent Nichols and why Gamache was disgraced questions I still have left over from previous books. Oh, and what ever became of Morin? Did he impress Gamache or should he join a bluegrass band? |
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beachgal |
#18 | |||
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10/15/09 12:51 PM BCC BookieMonster |
If we all were not so attached to Olivier, rereading the beginning would have given us another view of him. It was a shock to me too, as the Czech couple
seemed more likely to be the villains. I also agree about the Charlotte Islands. Just a way to extend the story.
Another question I have is how Olivier was able to visit the Hermit all those times in the middle of the night without Gabi noticing he was missing.
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BCCJillster |
#19 | |||
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10/15/09 01:39 PM BCC ZEN BOOKIE COOKIE
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Rema, I think the visits went unnoticed because the Bistro didn't close until about 1 am on a Sat night, and Gabri probably was either asleep or not
expecting him to come right home. How did he get the antiques out? Or were they all small?
Aww Deb, you cried over Rosa? Awwww. Maybe Louise fell in love with the research she did on the Charlottes and couldn't resist? I can't tell you how many times I've written sections that I had to cut though it killed me. My mentors told me, "kill your favorites" unless they're necessary--don't keep them just cause you love them.
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wernoclue |
#20 | |||
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10/15/09 04:16 PM BCC ZEN Bookie MASTER |
Jill said: "Maybe Louise fell in love with the research she did on the Charlottes and couldn't resist?"
And I think that's probably what happened. Also, she's introducing us to another area of Canada so, for that, I'm grateful.
Karen
currently reading The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny; coming soon (with due dates) Birdsong (Oct 19) and The Girl at the Liion D'or (Oct 21) by Sebastian Faulks, The Yellow Lighted Bookshop by ? (Oct 24), The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen (Nov 2). Whew! |
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