In for a penny
I just finished Still Life by Louise Penny - a new author to me.
I enjoyed the mystery and the rural setting, and was pleased to see it each time it came out of my rucksack (this was my woodland dog-walking reading for the last few weeks).
I note that it has had stacks of reviews so I won't try to reprise the plot.
Perhaps of more interest would be my observations?
I found the continuity, moving from narrative to dialogue and vice-versa, quite clunky at times - this surprised me given the awards the book has racked up.
Early on, the reader is bombarded with characters - I make it 14 in the first 12 pages. For someone like me, who forgets people's names within about 5 seconds of being introduced, this posed quite a challenge. I could have done with a glossary.
Most curious - and I'll try to avoid a minor spoiler here - is a character who is introduced as a possible protagonist, and who then gradually fades into oblivion.
There are several contextually inappropriate jokes thrown in - some of these surprisingly risqué. However, I did laugh out loud - an unusual achievement - at the moment Inspector Gamache is tempted to take the change left behind by the previous occupant of a dining table.
I am always puzzled when the authorial voice successively reveals selected thoughts of a series of characters - this happens quite often. It does create a contradiction - especially when one of them is the murderer!
I read this book hot on the heels of the all-time-classic The Maltese Falcon - which is one tough act to follow. I guess overall I prefer the hard-bitten to the 'comfy' - but I can see the attraction of the latter and I should like to read the next in the series.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
I enjoyed the mystery and the rural setting, and was pleased to see it each time it came out of my rucksack (this was my woodland dog-walking reading for the last few weeks).
I note that it has had stacks of reviews so I won't try to reprise the plot.
Perhaps of more interest would be my observations?
I found the continuity, moving from narrative to dialogue and vice-versa, quite clunky at times - this surprised me given the awards the book has racked up.
Early on, the reader is bombarded with characters - I make it 14 in the first 12 pages. For someone like me, who forgets people's names within about 5 seconds of being introduced, this posed quite a challenge. I could have done with a glossary.
Most curious - and I'll try to avoid a minor spoiler here - is a character who is introduced as a possible protagonist, and who then gradually fades into oblivion.
There are several contextually inappropriate jokes thrown in - some of these surprisingly risqué. However, I did laugh out loud - an unusual achievement - at the moment Inspector Gamache is tempted to take the change left behind by the previous occupant of a dining table.
I am always puzzled when the authorial voice successively reveals selected thoughts of a series of characters - this happens quite often. It does create a contradiction - especially when one of them is the murderer!
I read this book hot on the heels of the all-time-classic The Maltese Falcon - which is one tough act to follow. I guess overall I prefer the hard-bitten to the 'comfy' - but I can see the attraction of the latter and I should like to read the next in the series.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
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[deleted user]
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Jul 14, 2014 04:34PM
I enjoy your comments Bruce, especially on my favorite authors. It doesn't take away from the fact I love them still but adds to the conversation. I too like the hard-boiled ( bitten) but a cozy mystery series can take me away from the norm for weeks if needed. Thanks for reading my recommendation. Gratefully yours, D.
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Not all all - many thanks for the recommendation - I shall certainly read more - I want to know why that girl was so prominent at the start, and just when you think she is going to crack the case, she disappears from the story!As an author (still learning his craft), I hope I can give a different perspective when I do a review - not so much a reprise of the plot, but some views on the technical aspects of the writing itself.
Take care!
