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Louise Penny Wrote a No. 1 Best Seller During Her Year Off

She meant to take a break but the Canadian author ended up doing what she always does: powering through a new novel.

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Louise Penny is sitting in front of a bookcase, wearing glasses and a multicolored dress. Her silver hair is tucked behind one ear.

By Elisabeth Egan

A funny thing happened when Louise Penny decided to take a year off from writing.

In 2021, the Canadian novelist ushered two thrillers into the world — “ The Madness of Crowds ” in August and “ State of Terror ,” written with Hillary Clinton, in October — so she was due for a break.

Penny, who has produced a book a year since 2005, had no plans for how she’d spend her newfound free time. “I hadn’t thought it all the way through,” she admitted in a phone interview. “The reality is, after 20 years of writing, I don’t think a day has gone by when I haven’t thought about the books, characters or plots or where to go next. It’s been wonderful; it’s not like it’s been this great anvil I’ve been lugging around. But as a result, when I decided to take a hiatus, there was this chasm. What do I fill it with?”

You can guess where this is going. Penny started to percolate a new story, which became “A World of Curiosities,” her 18th mystery starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. It debuted at No. 1 on the hardcover fiction list less than a week after Prime Video aired “ Three Pines ,” an eight-episode adaptation of her novels. Margaret Lyons, a New York Times television critic, described the series as “a show with real punch and panache.” On her website, Penny writes, “I’m sure you are wondering how true it is to the books. There are definitely changes, some I struggle with, but overall I am pleased and relieved.”

With “A World of Curiosities,” Penny believes space and time — and permission to enjoy both — made all the difference, leading to a more fluid and propulsive writing experience. “I didn’t feel the hot breath on my neck with this book,” she said. “I write because I choose to, and I never, ever want these books to turn into anything formulaic, or a sausage factory. I couldn’t do that to the readers or to myself.”

As with all of her novels, Penny drew inspiration from two lines by W.H. Auden in his elegy to Herman Melville: “Goodness existed: that was the new knowledge./His terror had to blow itself quite out/To let him see it.”

She explained, “Very few people see goodness, and see the profound impact of goodness, more than people who have known terror. We come out the other end, and we recognize goodness because we have known the terror. And so the books — even the early ones that appear to be more gentle — are actually about terror. But more than that they’re about goodness and decency, about belonging and love and friendship.”

Elisabeth Egan is an editor at the Book Review and the author of “A Window Opens.”

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A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES

by Louise Penny ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 29, 2022

Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together.

Welcome to Three Pines, the idyllic-seeming Canadian capital of murder.

At the heart of Penny’s series of mysteries set in the tiny Quebec town of Three Pines is the relationship between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the empathetic and capable head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, and his headstrong second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, now also his son-in-law. Gamache has a talent for finding officers who’ve been languishing in their previous jobs and turning them into trusted allies, and Penny has frequently mentioned the way Beauvoir had been “banished to the basement” in an out-of-the-way bureau and that there was something “lean and feral…something dangerous” about him before Gamache swooped in and brought him to the homicide squad. Now, in her 18th installment, Penny flashes back to the case that brought the two men together. A woman named Clotilde Arsenault has been found dead in a remote lake, and Gamache shows up at the local detachment to investigate the case himself. Clotilde had two children, 13-year-old Fiona and Sam, 10, and it turns out she had been prostituting them. In the book’s present-day strand, Fiona is graduating from college after having served time in prison for killing her mother; Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, have supported her, almost folding her into their own family, but they’ve never trusted Sam, who will also be at the graduation ceremony. This chapter in Penny's chronicle of Three Pines contains all the elements that she sometimes divides up between different books: There's a cozy-feeling present-day mystery concerning a hidden room Fiona discovers by looking at the roofline of Myrna's bookstore, and the strange painting found inside; the harrowing story of how Gamache and Beauvoir cracked the case of Clotilde's murder; and a story of corruption within the institutions that are supposed to be protecting us. The plotting is complex and the characters as vivid as ever, but the opportunity to watch Gamache and Beauvoir's relationship develop is what makes this book one of Penny's best.

Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-2501-4529-1

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Minotaur

Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022

POLICE PROCEDURALS | COZY MYSTERY | GENERAL FICTION

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New York Times Bestseller

LONG SHADOWS

by David Baldacci ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2022

Fascinating main characters and a clever plot add up to an exciting read.

A thriller with bloody murders and plenty of suspects and featuring an unlikely partnership between two FBI investigators.

FBI consultant Amos Decker has a lot on his mind. The huge fellow once played for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL until he received a catastrophic brain injury, leaving him with synesthesia; he sees death as electric blue. More pertinent to the plot, he also has hyperthymesia, or spontaneous and highly accurate recall. On the one hand, his memories can be horrible. He’d once come home to find his wife and daughter murdered, dead in pools of blood. Later, he listens helplessly on the telephone while his ex-partner shoots herself in the mouth. On the other hand, his memory helps him solve every case he's given. Now he's sent to Florida with a brand-new partner, Special Agent Frederica White, to investigate the murder of a federal judge. Both partners are pissed at their last-minute pairing, and they immediately see themselves as a bad fit. White is a diminutive Black single mother of two who has a double black belt in karate “because I hate getting my ass kicked.” (The author doesn't mention Decker's race, but since he's being contrasted with his new partner in every way, perhaps readers are expected to see him as White. Clarity would be nice.) Their case is strange: Judge Julia Cummins was stabbed 10 times and her face covered with a mask, while her bodyguard was shot to death. Decker and White puzzle over the “very contrarian crime scene” where two murders seem to have been committed by two different people in the same place. The plot gets complex, with suspects galore. But the interpersonal dynamic between Decker and White is just as interesting as the solution to the murders, which doesn't come easily. At first, they’d like to be done with each other and go their separate ways. But as they work together, their mutual respect rises and—alas—the tension between them fades almost completely. The pair will make a great series duo, especially if a bit of that initial tension between them returns. And Baldacci shouldn’t give Decker a pass on his tortured memories, because readers enjoy suffering heroes. It's not enough that his near-perfect recall helps him in his job.

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5387-1982-4

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022

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IndieBound Bestseller

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB

From the thursday murder club series , vol. 1.

by Richard Osman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2020

A top-class cozy infused with dry wit and charming characters who draw you in and leave you wanting more, please.

Four residents of Coopers Chase, a British retirement village, compete with the police to solve a murder in this debut novel.

The Thursday Murder Club started out with a group of septuagenarians working on old murder cases culled from the files of club founder Elizabeth Best’s friend Penny Gray, a former police officer who's now comatose in the village's nursing home. Elizabeth used to have an unspecified job, possibly as a spy, that has left her with a large network of helpful sources. Joyce Meadowcroft is a former nurse who chronicles their deeds. Psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and well-known political firebrand Ron Ritchie complete the group. They charm Police Constable Donna De Freitas, who, visiting to give a talk on safety at Coopers Chase, finds the residents sharp as tacks. Built with drug money on the grounds of a convent, Coopers Chase is a high-end development conceived by loathsome Ian Ventham and maintained by dangerous crook Tony Curran, who’s about to be fired and replaced with wary but willing Bogdan Jankowski. Ventham has big plans for the future—as soon as he’s removed the nuns' bodies from the cemetery. When Curran is murdered, DCI Chris Hudson gets the case, but Elizabeth uses her influence to get the ambitious De Freitas included, giving the Thursday Club a police source. What follows is a fascinating primer in detection as British TV personality Osman allows the members to use their diverse skills to solve a series of interconnected crimes.

Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-98-488096-3

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking

Review Posted Online: June 30, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020

COZY MYSTERY | DETECTIVES & PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS | MYSTERY & DETECTIVE | GENERAL MYSTERY & DETECTIVE

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Thoughts on books, reading, and life, review: a world of curiosities.

A World of Curiosities , Louise Penny. New York: Minotaur Press, 2022.

Summary: The arrival in Three Pines of a sister and brother involved in a murder case that brought Armand and Jean Guy and the opening of a sealed room and the strange painting found within confront Gamache with two of his greatest fears.

Bricks. They are all over this story. The instrument of murder in a case that brought Armand and Jean Guy together. The means used 160 years ago to seal up a room filled with strange objects and a copy of a famous painting altered in sinister ways signifying to Gamache that an old nemesis is on the loose.

The murder case and the room summon two fears in the mind of Gamache. The murder was of a drug-addicted prostitute who prostituted her children. Jean Guy, languishing in the basement of the district detachment under a corrupt boss, is called on to assist Gamache. As the mother had deteriorated, the children took over, and then murdered the mother. With a brick. The older girl, Fiona Arsenault, confessed, but Gamache was never certain. There was a chilling something about her brother Sam, something deeply broken and disturbing. And while Sam bonded with Jean Guy, he hated Gamache for ending what he and his sister had.

Fiona, against Gamache’s wishes, went to prison. While there, he sponsored her when she discovered an aptitude for engineering. He and Reine Marie became mentors to her. Sam survived, first in a foster home, then in a variety of jobs, traveling about, becoming a strikingly handsome young man.

In the present, Myrna’s niece Harriet is graduating, as is Fiona and they are all present. Fiona, now out of prison is staying with the Gamaches. Only Sam shows up as well, staying at the B & B. The contempt for Gamache is still there, and all his fears and instincts are aroused, even as Sam wins Harriet’s heart. Myrna, in her previous life as a Montreal psychologist, had interviewed Sam. She shared Gamache’s concerns that he could be a sociopath, or worse. Jean Guy disagrees.

Converging with all this, a 160 year old letter to Billy Williams reveals the existence of a hidden room bricked up by Billy’s ancestor, a stone mason. It is connected to Myrna’s loft and could make a great extra room for Harriet. Yet the reasons for bricking up the room and why this came to Billy at this time raise suspicions. And indeed, what they find in the room is “a world of curiosities.” There is an old grimoire , a book of potions, of herbal remedies, and more, that could get a woman killed for witchcraft. There is a statue that had gone missing after a strange guest stayed at the B & B, covered with strange markings. And there is a painting, a copy of The Paston Treasure with menacing additions from the present. It is the additions that increasingly disturb Gamache, as he figures out they are meant for him.

They signal that a nemesis thought to be locked away is afoot. How did these contemporary objects get into a sealed room? Only a meticulous mind could do this, a master of disguise. But he is locked away in a high security prison. Or is he?

Two who hated Gamache. Two with access to Three Pines. Even the home of the Gamaches, endangering all he loved. They both seem to know everything about Gamache. Can he get into their heads as they have his? And can he go deeper, and walk into his fears? And will it be enough?

So much has turned on the kindness of Gamache, especially to Fiona. Early on, a mentor had cautioned him with the words of Matthew 10:36, “And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Yet the Gamaches make themselves vulnerable in their care for Fiona, their tendency to take in the needy. They’ve also done this for Amelia Chocquet, even as years ago, they did so with Jean Guy, who has tried to show kindness to Sam. So much turns in this story on whether this is weakness, foolishness, or strength.

We also see two ways and their fruit: the way of a deep bitterness and how this consumes, and the way of facing one’s brokenness, the admission of wrongs and the power of forgiveness. Armand is forced by the evil that threatens to look in and wrestle with these two ways in his own life.

All I will say about the ending of this book is that if you have a heart condition, you may want to seek your physician’s advice before reading it. This is Louise Penny at the top of her game.

Review: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series. It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end? Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt? As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge. In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

A World of Curiosities is a story about reckonings, about settling up accounts and finding out that one has been found wanting. Even Armand Gamache. And that all of his mistakes, omissions and oversights have followed him home and put his family and friends in danger.

The roots of this story go deep, back to events that have been previously touched on but not described in detail, back to Armand’s own early cases as well as to the horrific case where he found Jean-Guy Beauvoir languishing in the basement of an outlying Sûreté office. Because Jean-Guy, being himself, was considered insubordinate. Because he wouldn’t play along.

A case that initially seems to be at the heart of it all. And is. But isn’t. But is after all. Again, one of Gamache’s oversight chickens that has come home to roost and shit all over Three Pines.

At first it all seems like an interesting bit of curiosity. A hidden room is found over the bookstore. It’s been bricked over – actually stoned over – for well over a century, lost to time and hidden from sight until a very old but newly discovered letter makes its way from an archive, to a dead woman, to the descendant of the man who bricked that room over all those years ago.

It’s not a straightforward path, rather a convoluted set of fits and starts that seems to have been in motion for years of its own. As was the intent of its patient and painstaking creator. A man who has been plotting his revenge against Armand Gamache for decades, and now has the perfect pawns in place to make Gamache pay.

Or so he believes.

The story opens at a combined commemoration and graduation ceremony at the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal. The massacre was a real event, a 1989 mass killing of female engineering students by a man who was outraged by women moving into what were formerly male-only preserves.

In addition to bringing this horrific crime back into the light, it also serves as a way of introducing two of the important characters of this entry in the series, two young women, Harriet Landers and Fiona Arsenault, who both graduate as engineers during the ceremony.

It’s Fiona who links back to the earlier case, and it’s that earlier case that is so very disturbing. Because it began as a missing persons case, which turned into a murder case, which led to the discovery that Fiona and Sam Arsenault, ages 13 and 10 respectively, were being pimped out by their now-dead mother. And the damage that was done to them, that echoed through their lives and their personalities from those foundational experiences to the present day.

One of the questions that echoes down through this entire book is the question about not whether they were permanently damaged by their early experiences but just how much they were damaged and whether they can ever be something that might be considered saved or rehabilitated. That Gamache believes that Sam is the true sociopath while Jean-Guy believes it is Fiona doesn’t alter the question about whether either of them can contain their true natures well enough not to spend their lives harming themselves, each other and everyone around them.

Part of what makes the story such a riveting tangle, however, is the way that the focus is solidly on the Arsenaults and the questions about will they, won’t they, did they, don’t they that the true evil hiding in plain sight isn’t even glimpsed until very late in the game.

A World of Curiosities , like so many of the books in this marvelous series, was just about a one-sitting read for me. I started it at dinner and finished just before bed. Which was after midnight and the only reason it was before bed was that something about the story shook me up enough that I didn’t want to take it to bed with me. It was also one of the rare cases with this series where I did thumb to the end about midway through, not because I needed to find out whodunnit – I was happy to follow that trail with Gamache – but because I needed the reassurance that all my friends, the characters who have come to inhabit the series and the village of Three Pines, were going to come out of this alive if not unscathed.

I also realized that the characters are what I love this story for, rather than the process of the investigation and the sheer brilliance of the detectives. Not that Gamache and his colleagues are not generally brilliant, but that’s not the point for me. Every book in this series is such a deep character study, of Gamache, his family and friends, the villagers, and of course the perpetrators and even the red herring characters. Not that forensics and all the trappings of modern policing don’t play a part in the ultimate solution, but Gamache solves crimes by knowing and understanding the people involved and that’s what makes the series so compelling.

While the mystery in A World of Curiosities is a page-turning twisting, turning, swirling – and occasionally stomach-churning whodunnit, the real charm of the series is in its characters, and the best way to get every single drop of that charm is to start at the very beginning with Still Life .

Now I have a year at least to wait for the hoped-for 19th book in the series. In the meantime, there’s a brand new TV series titled Three Pines , based on the novels, that begins tonight on Amazon Prime. I know what I’ll be watching this weekend!

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Review: 'A World of Curiosities,' by Louise Penny

Books in brief

By Ginny Greene

A World of Curiosities

By Louise Penny. (Minotaur Books, 384 pages, $29.99.)

Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Love found and love lost. Evil and good. Crime and punishment. Family and foes.

Have we really been through 18 books in the stellar Armand Gamache series?

Canadian author Louise Penny reaches a crescendo with her latest tale from Three Pines, a wondrous hamlet outside Montreal. All of the quirky characters are back, plus a few new faces that bring a dark dimension to the ensemble.

Chief Inspector Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, are the heartbeat of the village. Years before, Armand rescued a young girl and boy from an abusive life. Armand befriended the girl, but shunned the brother, in whom he saw a brooding cruelty.

After many years, the siblings reappear. Armand is thrilled to see the girl, but he's shaken by the brother's reappearance.

Meanwhile, a letter from a dead stonemason has been sent, referring to a hidden room in an attic. What is inside shakes the townsfolk to the core: a painting, morbid and detailed, containing clues to stories none of them care to acknowledge. And a book of spells.

Gamache sets off with his eclectic team to hunt down the painter — and the answers to the riddles it holds.

The trail leads to a despicable mass killer whom Gamache prosecuted and delivered to a maximum-security prison years before. Has he escaped, or is he performing monstrous miracles from prison?

Don't be afraid to dive into Penny's latest installment if you haven't read the previous books. You will get hooked, and eventually you will devour those stories, too.

Ginny Greene is a Star Tribune copy editor.

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, a world of curiosities.

A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, the 18th entry in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series, is brilliant and addictive. While it begins slowly as Penny is creating the backstory, that narrative becomes all-important later in the novel when the action and the connections are so fast and furious that it's almost impossible to put the book down.

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir originally met over a murder. The siblings involved in that long-ago violence are now in Gamache's hometown, the idyllic village of Three Pines, with its close-knit community. We don't know how much or how little they are responsible for the strange happenings there. When Myrna, the bookstore owner and retired psychologist, is made aware of an extra space in her attic, the citizens of Three Pines are intrigued.

"Can a novel be elegant and beautiful yet horribly violent? Penny achieves that juxtaposition just as she forces us to feel the gamut of human emotions as we read about chilling abuse, psychopaths, and those imperfect people who try to fight for what is right and just."

As longtime fans of Penny know, we expect elegance in her writing, and we certainly are not disappointed. As Myrna ponders the word "temple," which refers to a part of our head, she thinks that it was named by a man --- someone who thought that "the brain was the temple where knowledge was housed." Then Penny writes, "But she knew, as did her companion, as did the dogs, and Gracie, trotting beside them, that anything worth knowing was kept in the heart." The writing is filled with reflection and deep truths about life, especially when it comes to women.

One of the threads that runs through the book is the unfortunate reality of misogyny and how it led to one of the worst tragedies in Canadian history: the Montreal Massacre. On December 6, 1989, a man with a semi-automatic rifle went into a packed classroom at the Polytechnique engineering school, separated the 50 or so men from the women, and told the men to leave. He then went on a shooting spree, killing all the women he could find. The police established a perimeter and didn't enter the building until the gunman shot himself. This horrific event led to the eventual tightening of gun laws thanks to the persistent campaigning of Canadian women who were tired of being treated as lesser humans.

Penny stresses how men's fear of independent, successful and intelligent women leads to violence. She wants us to understand that this fear of "other" is not limited to the past. Hundreds of years ago, women who healed and were educated were called witches and were killed. In 1989, women who wanted to study engineering were called "feminists" and were slaughtered. And today, women who seek control over their bodies and the ability to make their own medical decisions are threatened with punishment.

Anne Lamarque, the founder of Three Pines, was accused of witchcraft. The poet, Ruth, says that the men back then didn't need proof of witchcraft: "All a woman had to be was alive. Just being a woman was, in the church's eyes, evil." When someone argues that there must be a reason, she responds, "Is there a reason gay, lesbian, and transgender people are attacked? Is there a reason Black men are shot? Is there a reason women are raped, abused, refused abortions, groomed and sold as sex slaves?" And centuries later, after the Montreal Massacre, Penny writes of the pushback against making changes to gun laws because some politicians and lawmakers thought it was an isolated incident not reflective of institutionalized misogyny.

We also meet evil of the most depraved kind in this story. Gamache and the others try frantically to solve the puzzle of the contents of the attic, unravel its intent and find the perpetrator before they are all in serious danger. Along the way, the dead bodies are stacking up, and the action becomes more present and of greater urgency. We feel the pressure that Gamache is experiencing, the dire need to act and protect his community and friends. He becomes emotionally distraught over the idea that he has let a madman into his mind and that the killer just might be controlling his every move, putting his family and friends in extreme danger.

Can a novel be elegant and beautiful yet horribly violent? Penny achieves that juxtaposition just as she forces us to feel the gamut of human emotions as we read about chilling abuse, psychopaths, and those imperfect people who try to fight for what is right and just. As I turned the last page, I had mixed emotions. I was satisfied that Gamache had managed to prevail, but I also wanted to go back and reread the whole book to see what clues I had missed about the outcome. I did pick up one or two, but the story is so filled with details and characters that it would take a meticulous reader to catch everything. But what fun trying!

Reviewed by Pamela Kramer on December 1, 2022

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny

Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Genres: Fiction , Mystery
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN-10: 1250145309
ISBN-13: 9781250145307

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A World of Curiosities

Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Volume 18)

Author: Louise Penny

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CHAPTER 1 “Oh, merde .” Harriet looked in the mirror, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. It was the first of June and she’d forgotten to say, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. She said it now, toothpaste foaming on her lips, but had the sinking feeling it was too late. The magic wouldn’t work. And if there was any day when she needed magic, it was today. “ Merde. ” “It’ll bring you good luck, little one,” Auntie Myrna had assured her niece when she’d taught her the incantation. “It’ll protect you.” That had been years ago, but the rabbit habit hadn’t wholly taken. Most months Harriet remembered, but of course this month, when she needed it most, she’d forgotten. Though she knew it was probably because she had so much else on her mind. “Shit.” Did she really believe repeating rabbit, rabbit, rabbit made a difference? No. Of course not. How could she? It was a silly superstition. There was nothing actually magical about those words. Where did it even come from anyway? And why “rabbit”? It was ridiculous. She was an engineer, she told herself as she prepared for her morning run. A rational human being. But then so was her aunt. Did Auntie Myrna even do it? Or had it been a joke the timid child had taken to heart? Setting aside the absurdity of magical incantations, Harriet marshaled her rational self and entered the day. Everything will be okay , she said as she ran through the warm June morning. All will be well. But Harriet Landers was wrong. She really should have repeated rabbit, rabbit, rabbit. * * * It was the beginning of November when the Chief Inspector first saw Clotilde Arsenault. He pulled his field jacket closer around him and knelt beside her, like a penitent at some awful altar. Do you want to hear my secret? “ Oui ,” whispered Armand Gamache. “Tell me your secret.” He heard a snort of derision behind him and ignored it, continuing to stare into the worried eyes of the dead woman at his feet. The head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec had been called away from Sunday breakfast with his young family. He’d flown hours northeast from his home in Montréal to the shores of this godforsaken lake to kneel beside the body that now bobbed in near-freezing waters. She was shoved half ashore by the gray waves that were growing increasingly insistent by the minute. Whitecaps had formed out at the center of the lake, and even in this fairly protected cove, they bumped up against the woman, moving her limbs in some mockery of life. As though she’d decided she wasn’t dead after all and was about to rise. It added a macabre element to an already morbid scene. It was a bleak day. The first of November. A wind blew in from the north, bringing with it the promise of rain. Perhaps sleet. Perhaps freezing rain. Even snow. It frothed up the already tumultuous lake, creating waves on the waves. Shoving the dead woman ever forward, offering her to Gamache. Insisting he take her. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Though all he wanted to do was haul her further onto the rocky shore. To safety. He wanted to wipe her face dry and close those glassy eyes. And wrap her in the warm Hudson’s Bay blanket he’d spotted in the back of the local Sûreté vehicle that had driven him there. But he, of course, did none of those things. Instead, with immense stillness, he continued to stare. To take in every detail. What could be seen, and what could not. It was hard to tell her age. Not young. Not old. The water, and death, had slackened her face, washing away age lines. Though she still looked worry-worn. She obviously had had good reason to worry. Blond hair, like string, was plastered across her face. A strand touched her open eyes. Gamache could not help but blink for her. He didn’t have to guess her age, he actually knew exactly how old she was. Thirty-six. And he knew her name, though they hadn’t yet searched her body for ID, and no formal identification had been made. Copyright © 2022 by Three Pines Creations, Inc

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INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Agatha Award Winner for Best Contemporary Novel Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series. It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has. As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines. But to what end? Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt? As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge. In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

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9781250145291

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Outstanding Praise for A World of Curiosities ONE OF WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS OF 2022 ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST FALL BOOKS ONE OF AARP'S BEST FALL BOOKS ONE OF CRIMEREADS' MOST ANTICIPATED FALL BOOKS ONE OF BARNES & NOBLE'S BEST BOOKS OF 2022 ONE OF BUSTLE'S MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEMBER 2022 BOOKS “Simply outstanding… Penny’s gift for intelligent and transcendent storytelling delivers light, bringing themes of forgiveness and redemption to society’s darker moments.” — Christian Science Monitor “Penny delves into the nature of evil, sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that, unusually for a crime novel, leaves you feeling better about the world once you’ve finished.” —The Guardian “Another superb achievement… Penny weaves together all these narratives—the series of modern-day killings, the decade-old bludgeoning murder and the haunting artwork that has remained shrouded in mystery across the centuries—with a master’s deft hand.” — BookPage (starred review) “For Penny, the novel is a narrative tour de force, drawing brilliantly on some dark moments in Québec history and leading Gamache and the residents of Three Pines to a hard-won, thoroughly unsentimental recognition that forgiveness is our most powerful magic.” — Booklist (starred review) “Virtuoso… blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense…This tale of forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Penny’s 18th Gamache novel is intense as the detective digs deep into his own fears. The darkness in this intricately plotted story forces readers to search for contrasting moments of hope.” — Library Journal (starred review, and Pick of the Month)

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A World of Curiosities

Louise penny. minotaur, $28.99 (400p) isbn 978-1-250-14529-1.

Reviewed on: 08/24/2022

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Compact Disc - 978-1-250-88738-2

Library Binding - 979-8-88578-483-2

Mass Market Paperbound - 544 pages - 978-1-250-88835-8

Paperback - 710 pages - 979-8-88579-460-2

Paperback - 400 pages - 978-1-250-14530-7

Paperback - 400 pages - 978-1-3997-0232-4

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A world of curiosities, louise penny, on sale 11/29/22, it’s spring and three pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. but not everything buried should come alive again., old enemies breed new danger.

A World of Curiosities

58 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-9

Chapters 10-19

Chapters 20-29

Chapters 29-39

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Introduction

A World of Curiosities (2022) is the 18th novel in the Inspector Gamache mystery series written by the Canadian author Louise Penny. Like the others, this one revolves around the small village of Three Pines, Quebec. The central mystery involves the discovery of a sealed and hidden room containing a strange and sinister painting; Gamache’s investigation of the painting leads him to confront frightening events from his past, as well as themes of forgiveness, redemption, and fierce bonds between family members. This guide references the 2022 Minotaur Books edition.

Content Warning : The novel and the guide include discussion of death by suicide, sexual abuse of children, mass shootings, and addiction.

Plot Summary

Myrna Landers is considering leaving the small and close-knit community of Three Pines, because her loft apartment is beginning to be too small for her needs. Fiona Arsenault , a recent graduate of an engineering program, thinks that there might be an additional room into which the loft could be expanded. This suggestion triggers a memory for Myrna’s partner, Billy, who explains to the residents of Three Pines (including acclaimed homicide detective Chief Inspector Armand Gamache ) that he received a mysterious letter more than a month earlier. The letter is more than a hundred years old and was originally sent by Billy’s ancestor, Pierre Stone. In the letter, Pierre (a stonemason by trade) describes a mysterious job in which he was hired to brick up a small room without asking any questions, seeing what was inside the room, or ever explaining what he did.

Billy, Myrna, Gamache, and other residents of Three Pines tear down a wall in Myrna’s loft and access a hidden room. The room contains a copy of the 17th-century painting The Paston Treasure , updated with additional objects added to it. Gamache and his second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beavoir, go to the residence where the letter was sent (before having been forwarded to Billy); this had been the home of Billy’s family for generations but has subsequently been sold to a man named Monsieur Godin and his wife, Patricia. When they arrive, Monsieur Godin explains that his wife died about five weeks earlier; Patricia had received the letter, forwarded it to Billy, and died almost immediately afterward. Moreover, while her death was ruled a suicide, Monsieur Godin is convinced that Patricia would not have killed herself. Gamache begins to investigate the case.

More than 15 years earlier, Gamache and Jean-Guy (a young agent at the time) were called to investigate the death of Clotilde Arsenault after her body was found in a lake. Gamache was concerned about Clotilde’s two children, Fiona and Sam, who had been the ones to report their mother missing. He was horrified to find that their mother had made money from adults who paid to have sex with the two children. Moreover, Gamache realized that members of the police department had been participating in these atrocious acts. While he was able to bring the police officials who were implicated to justice, he quickly determined that the two children had been the ones to kill their mother. Although he argued that they were acting out of trauma and in self-defense, Fiona was tried as an adult and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her sentence was especially harsh because Sam claimed that Fiona was the instigator of the plan and had also attacked him.

Gamache remained in close contact with Fiona while she served her sentence; he helped her to plan for her future, including completing an engineering degree after she was paroled. Gamache has always mistrusted Sam and believed that Sam is the more dangerous of the two siblings.

As Gamache investigates the death of Patricia Godin, he confronts a frightening possibility: that John Fleming , a serial killer, is somehow involved in the case. Fleming has been imprisoned for years after being found guilty of a series of horrific murders and has a vendetta against Gamache: Years earlier, Gamache needed information from Fleming related to a different case, and he falsely led Fleming to believe that he would secure the murderer’s freedom in exchange for his help. When Fleming realized he had been deceived, he vowed revenge against Gamache, even though it initially seemed impossible that he could achieve this while confined to prison. He secretly escapes, though, and as Gamache learns this, he becomes increasingly afraid that Fleming is coming after him and his beloved family.

As Gamache’s worries increase, he attempts to keep his family safe and narrows down a pool of men who could be Fleming in disguise. He also gradually pieces together how Fleming, obsessed with revenge, concocted an elaborate plan: It was he who inserted a series of clues into the painting, arranged to have it concealed it in the hidden room, and then also arranged for the discovery of the letter. Fleming knew that the discovery of Stone’s letter would lead to the hidden room being uncovered, which would in turn lead to the discovery of the mysterious painting. By studying the painting, Gamache realizes the menacing threat that Fleming poses.

That threat comes clear when Fleming, aided by both Sam and Fiona (the latter is his biological daughter), holds Gamache and Jean-Guy captive. Even worse, Fleming has also abducted Gamache’s beloved wife, Reine-Marie. He plans to murder Gamache, Reine-Marie, and Jean-Guy, and then go after their children and grandchildren. Fortunately, Agent Amelia Choquet, a young agent with a troubled past who began working with the police force after Gamache helped her get into the police academy, comes to their aid. At the last minute, Fiona also rejects Fleming’s plan and secretly helps the police forces interrupt a standoff. In the end, Gamache ends up striking and killing Fleming; Sam and Fiona are both brought to justice for their role in the crimes Fleming was planning.

Despite the traumatic events (which take place in their beloved house in Three Pines), at the end of the novel, Gamache and Reine-Marie are able to feel a sense of peace, calm, and safety in their community. Reine-Marie is also even able to forgive Fiona for her role in the terrible acts that took place.

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A World of Curiosities: A Novel Paperback – June 27 2023

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Book 18 of 19 Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries
Print length 400 pages
Language English
Publication date June 27 2023
Dimensions 13.72 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
ISBN-10 1250145309
ISBN-13 978-1250145307
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Outstanding Praise for A World of Curiosities ONE OF WASHINGTON POST'S BEST MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS OF 2022 ONE OF PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S BEST FALL BOOKS ONE OF AARP'S BEST FALL BOOKS ONE OF CRIMEREADS' MOST ANTICIPATED FALL BOOKS ONE OF BARNES & NOBLE'S BEST BOOKS OF 2022 ONE OF BUSTLE'S MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEMBER 2022 BOOKS “Simply outstanding… Penny’s gift for intelligent and transcendent storytelling delivers light, bringing themes of forgiveness and redemption to society’s darker moments.” ― Christian Science Monitor “Penny delves into the nature of evil, sensitively exploring the impact of the dreadful events she describes while bringing a warmth and humanity to her disparate cast of characters that, unusually for a crime novel, leaves you feeling better about the world once you’ve finished.” ―The Guardian “Another superb achievement… Penny weaves together all these narratives―the series of modern-day killings, the decade-old bludgeoning murder and the haunting artwork that has remained shrouded in mystery across the centuries―with a master’s deft hand.” ― BookPage (starred review) “For Penny, the novel is a narrative tour de force, drawing brilliantly on some dark moments in Québec history and leading Gamache and the residents of Three Pines to a hard-won, thoroughly unsentimental recognition that forgiveness is our most powerful magic.” ― Booklist (starred review) “Virtuoso… blends nuanced characterization with nail-biting suspense…This tale of forgiveness and redemption will resonate with many.” ― Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Penny’s 18th Gamache novel is intense as the detective digs deep into his own fears. The darkness in this intricately plotted story forces readers to search for contrasting moments of hope.” ― Library Journal (starred review, and Pick of the Month)

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Product details.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (June 27 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250145309
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250145307
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 340 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.72 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
#37 in Canadian Province & Local History
#38 in Province & Local History of Canada
#124 in Canadian Detectives

About the author

Louise penny.

LOUISE PENNY is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels. She has won numerous awards, including a CWA Dagger and the Agatha Award (five times) and was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. She lives in a small village south of Montréal.

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A World of Curiosities: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

"Robert Bathurst performs this 18th Inspector Gamache mystery with the assurance of one who knows the village of Three Pines and its (mostly) gentle residents well....fans are in for a treat."— AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner)

"Robert Bathurst's narration is calm, collected, and earnest, reflecting the blend of emotion and professionalism that Gamache embodies as an investigator. It's perfect for listeners seeking both captivating intrigue and insightful reflection."— BookPage

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New York Times bestseller Louise Penny's beloved series.

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.

But something has.

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines.

But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

Book 18 of 19 Chief Inspector Gamache Mysteries
Listening Length 13 hours and 15 minutes
Author Louise Penny
Narrator Robert Bathurst
Audible release date November 29, 2022
Language English
Publisher Macmillan Audio
ASIN B09ZBM6MF3
Version Unabridged
Program Type Audiobook
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Listening Length	13 hours and 15 minutes
Author
Narrator
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	November 29, 2022
Publisher
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09ZBM6MF3
Best Sellers Rank	#4,501 in Audible Books & Originals ( ) #19 in #22 in #55 in

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Customers say

Customers find the book suspenseful, surprising, and enticing. They describe it as a wonderful, spectacular, and well-written mystery. Readers also find the characters engaging, rich, and empathic. They praise the writing quality as lyrical. Additionally, they say the book is thought-provoking, with ample introspection. Opinions are mixed on the pacing, with some finding it nice and quick, while others say it starts out slow.

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Customers find the book suspenseful, interesting, and clever. They say it's thrilling from beginning to end and keeps them guessing. Readers also mention the stories capture realistic thought and emotion.

"What an excellent job of plotting ! It will keep you guessing, then guessing again, and even then you won’t have the whole puzzle solved...." Read more

"...It’s a good read for those who enjoy mystery and whodunits." Read more

"I enjoy these mysteries in the familiar setting. Nice pace, clues , and misdirection. And of course the satisfying happy ending." Read more

"Highly recommend - magical, mystical, exciting . This story has all the great elements: engaging characters, good pace, great intrigue, fun story." Read more

Customers find the book wonderful, riveting, and spectacular. They describe it as a page-turner, rich, and fulfilling. Readers also mention that the main characters keep their consistent personalities.

"... They never disappoint . The characters feel like old friends, and the books are well written...." Read more

"... One of the best in the series , but I’m pretty sure I’ve said that about all of them." Read more

"I think it is one of the best of the series . Really enjoyed! Recommend you read it. You will enjoy it." Read more

"...Still the book is engaging , as Penny always is.But the impact of the massacre was what really struck me...." Read more

Customers find the characters interesting, complex, and rich. They also appreciate the wonderful storyteller and amazing details.

"...Wish I could move to Three Pines, lol. Such a charming setting and cast of characters that you wouldn’t mind the occasional mayhem." Read more

"This book was well written with good character development . It’s a good read for those who enjoy mystery and whodunits." Read more

"...They never disappoint. The characters feel like old friends , and the books are well written...." Read more

"...This story has all the great elements: engaging characters , good pace, great intrigue, fun story." Read more

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, captivating, and lyrical. They also say the descriptions are honest and real. Readers appreciate the Biblical quotations and poems scattered throughout the book.

"This book was well written with good character development. It’s a good read for those who enjoy mystery and whodunits." Read more

"...The characters feel like old friends, and the books are well written . However, in my opinion, they are best read in the order written...." Read more

"...Love these books. Author is AWESOME " Read more

"...A World of Curiosities” is well-written literary fiction ...." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, suspenseful, and surprising. They say the background to each story is well-researched, and the story meanders from past to present. Readers appreciate the deep messages and incredible details. They also say the book is chock-full of beautiful bucolic descriptions and references to art and literature.

"Highly recommend - magical, mystical, exciting. This story has all the great elements : engaging characters, good pace, great intrigue, fun story." Read more

"...As the plot unfolds in intricate detail, laced with ample introspection and intricate mind games, Penny weaves in accounts of the horrific 1989..." Read more

"...This is a dark, dark story . It has a fascinating, involved premise based on the painting. Penny writes a good story; she’s a wonderful storyteller...." Read more

"...would not be among my favorites, however, due to some key, but unlikely details , and the pace...." Read more

Customers find the book compassionate and committed. They appreciate the theme of forgiveness and its importance to the vulnerable human heart. Readers also appreciate the intricate plot, emotional details, and good dose of human psychology and spirituality. They mention the book often brings tears as well as warmth.

"...combination of mystery plot, history, and a good dose of human psychology and spirituality sprinkled with just enough occasional humor for comic..." Read more

"...Her characters are true to life and often bring tears as well as warmth . The people in his home town are those I wish to really know...." Read more

"...It gave me more to think about. I love that it ended with healing - extra time for family and smudging themselves, their homes and the village and..." Read more

"...There are so many deep messages and besides forgiveness there is acceptance . I am so in awe of Louise Penny. Please, please hurry with book 19." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some mention it moves quickly, while others say it's slow in the beginning and has continuity issues.

"I enjoy these mysteries in the familiar setting. Nice pace , clues, and misdirection. And of course the satisfying happy ending." Read more

"...This story has all the great elements: engaging characters, good pace , great intrigue, fun story." Read more

"...As with several books in the series, it starts slow . Remains so till it doesn't. Seemingly from one page to the next, it takes off. Always engaging." Read more

"... Fast-paced , at times almost frustratingly obtuse, keeps you guessing, and even after the case was wrapped up and they’ve had a chance to debrief..." Read more

Customers find the book hard to put down. They mention it's riveting, touching, and wonderful. However, some readers have trouble getting time and place settled.

"...Funny, intuitive and clever - she is the author I wannabe when I grow up! Thank you for this gem, Louise- and welcome BAAACK!" Read more

"that is both difficult to put down and at the same time in parts I had to put it down because my anxiety levels were trending upward!!..." Read more

"...This is a great read. Hard to put down !" Read more

"...The book will enter your soul. It is a difficult , all encompassing, psychological study of a shattered mind. Penney superbly allows the..." Read more

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September 17, 2024

Book Review: Powerful Myths Shape a Postapocalyptic World

In a postapocalyptic world on the verge of its next crisis, history gets rewritten

By Alan Scherstuhl

In The Ancients , an environmental disaster radically changes the landscape.

SENEZ/Getty Images

The Ancients: A Novel by John Larison. Viking, 2024 ($30)

The Ancients opens with a bravura set piece of two sisters and their younger brother traversing a mountain range alone, on the brink of death. In author John Larison’s depiction of a world that is both postapocalyptic and preapocalyptic, each sentence breaks as blunt as the stones the siblings must sleep on. Here, in this brisk, bold adventure of tribal migration, Larison confronts what it means to be human amid shifts in climate across millennia.

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Some 230 generations after a great environmental disaster, villagers who have long fished or hunted elk find themselves once again forced to decamp from their homes in the face of a terrifying change. Deserts are swallowing lands that, readers soon learn, once were known as Alaska. On their journey the siblings encounter other tribes, other ways of living and thinking, and even a city that teems with all that’s great and cruel in civilization.

As Larison examines the crucial role of storytelling in humanity’s survival, the characters sing, chant, read, dance and even act on a stage, recalling the words of the ancients. These tales and warnings embody the practices, customs and rituals that have helped each far-flung group survive. They prove so powerful, in fact, that the plot turns on people’s efforts to control passed-down narratives. They stage myths and fake scrolls to make it easier for the powerful to shape understanding of the present.

With themes of slavery, bloody vengeance and the greed of the civilized, Larison’s own storytelling likewise draws on ancestral predecessors, including tribal origin stories and religious texts. The novel’s imaginative sweep connects the ages of papyrus, pulp fiction and 20th-century epic potboilers such as Leon Uris’s Exodus .

As survival fiction, the first chapters of The Ancients measure up to the work of Jack London and other greats of the genre in the attention paid to how much of what’s human gets stripped away in the wild—and how much endures. But the story edges toward an action extravaganza as the novel barrels on, restlessly jumping among a host of storylines. Larison, who brought such welcome humanity to the outlaw Old West in Whiskey When We’re Dry , here risks doing to readers what his great city does to his villagers: overwhelm them.

For all its warnings and violence, The Ancients still celebrates humanity’s perseverance even as it asks what future societies that develop after ours might learn from the failings of our current one.

Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917

Rating:	★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Title:	Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917
Author:	Patrice Dutil & David MacKenzie
Audience:	University
Difficulty:	Medium
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Published:	2017
Pages:	362

In the midst of one of the most turbulent periods in Canada’s history, Patrice Dutil and David Mackenzie delve into what they deem as the most significant and tumultuous elections since confederation. Their work, 'Embattled Nation: Canada’s Wartime Election of 1917 ', meticulously explores the 1917 election between Conservative leader Sir Robert Borden and the Liberal opposition of Sir Wilfred Laurier.

Patrice Dutil and David MacKenzie provide a detailed and well-researched account of Canada's political and social landscape during World War I, focusing on the 1917 election and the issue of conscription. The book is commendable for its extensive use of evidence and meticulous documentation of events, offering readers a thorough understanding of the period's complexities. Their use of diary entries and personal accounts from Borden, Laurier, and those around them gives a sense of authenticity to the events being described. The book also provides a thorough context for the period with extensive maps, statistics, election information, and statistics of the war effort that effectively paint the scene of 1917. Finally, this book helpfully contextualizes the existing linguistic and cultural divides between French and English Canada which would aid readers greatly in future discussions.

However, despite its solid evidentiary foundation, the book falls short in convincingly arguing that the 1917 election was the most contentious in Canadian history and that it nearly saw the collapse of the confederation. The authors emphasize the deep divisions between English and French Canadians and describe how conscription became a central and divisive issue. Yet, they also acknowledge that there was majority support for the Union government and conscription, which complicates their argument about the election nearly breaking up the country.

Portraying the election as a moment that almost led to the dissolution of Canada seems somewhat overstated. While the authors provide ample evidence of French-Canadian opposition and the resulting social unrest, they do not fully reconcile this with the broader national support for the Union government and the conscription policy. This oversight weakens their central thesis about the election's unparalleled contentiousness. While it is true that perhaps this election did deepen the divide between French and English Canada, it did not do so to the extent to which one could say that the country was near collapse, at least not with the way this book presented its evidence.

While it is true, by the provided evidence, that much of French Canada vehemently opposed conscription, they did not oppose the country as a whole, with a referendum to succeed, having only marginal support and never actually making it to a vote on the Quebec parliamentary floor. There were indeed protests and riots during the time. Still, they were fed by feelings of alienation and betrayal by the Borden government, not the Confederation, with Laurie receiving much support from French Canada. It is accurate to say that both the Liberal and Conservative governments were almost torn apart, yet, in the end, both parties survived relatively unscathed under the united leadership of Laurier and Borden, respectively.

Patrice Dutil is a Professor in Toronto Metropolitan University's Politics and Public Administration Department while David Mackenzie is a Professor in the university's History Department. Overall, Embattled Nation is a valuable resource for understanding the political dynamics of wartime Canada and the cultural rift between English and French Canadians. It provides an often unexplored context to the First World War in Canada, giving insight into the French-English divide, one of Canada's most prevailing conflicts. To understand the impacts of the First World War on Canada, one must first understand how the war impacted the home front. However, its assertion that the 1917 election was the most divisive in Canadian history could have been more convincingly articulated, given the authors' admissions of widespread support for the Union government and conscription from a majority part of the Country. Perhaps refining the thesis to focus more on the French-English connection rather than the election itself with an increased focus on the protests and riots would make for an overall more convincing argument. Meanwhile, it is accurate to say that the 1917 election was pushed by issues surrounding conscription; the election itself was fairly unanimous thanks to the political maneuvering by the Borden government. With more focus on those aspects and a closer examination of the reactions to said maneuverings, the argument that this period in Canadian history was the most tumultuous becomes more evident and more convincing.

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The Evacuation of Children in Wartime Britain

Rationing in Wartime Britain

American Invasion of Quebec

Cite this work.

venceljovski, S. (2024, September 18). Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917 . World History Encyclopedia . Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/review/471/embattled-nation-canadas-wartime-election-of-1917/

Chicago Style

venceljovski, Stefan. " Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917 ." World History Encyclopedia . Last modified September 18, 2024. https://www.worldhistory.org/review/471/embattled-nation-canadas-wartime-election-of-1917/.

venceljovski, Stefan. " Embattled Nation: Canada's Wartime Election of 1917 ." World History Encyclopedia . World History Encyclopedia, 18 Sep 2024. Web. 18 Sep 2024.

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Louise Penny Wrote a No. 1 Best Seller During Her Year Off
A funny thing happened when Louise Penny decided to take a year off from writing. In 2021, the Canadian novelist ushered two thrillers into the world — " The Madness of Crowds " in August ...
A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES
The plotting is complex and the characters as vivid as ever, but the opportunity to watch Gamache and Beauvoir's relationship develop is what makes this book one of Penny's best. Penny will have you turning the pages as fast as you can to see how she'll manage to tie everything together. 3.
Book review: A World of Curiosities, by Louise Penny
In 'A World of Curiosities,' Penny melds fact, fiction and the otherworldly in a tale that's suspenseful, daring and thought-provoking. Mysteries, as their very name indicates, are stories ...
Review: A World of Curiosities
Review: A World of Curiosities. A World of Curiosities, Louise Penny. New York: Minotaur Press, 2022. Summary: The arrival in Three Pines of a sister and brother involved in a murder case that brought Armand and Jean Guy and the opening of a sealed room and the strange painting found within confront Gamache with two of his greatest fears.
Review: A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
My Review: Armand Gamache's chickens come home to roost - and lay rotten eggs all over Gamache's past cases, his present peace, and even Three Pines itself in this 18th book in the series. A World of Curiosities is a story about reckonings, about settling up accounts and finding out that one has been found wanting. Even Armand Gamache.
Review: 'A World of Curiosities,' by Louise Penny
A World of Curiosities. By Louise Penny. (Minotaur Books, 384 pages, $29.99.) Heartwarming and heartbreaking. Love found and love lost. Evil and good. Crime and punishment. Family and foes. Have ...
A World of Curiosities
A WORLD OF CURIOSITIES, the 18th entry in Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series, is brilliant and addictive. While it begins slowly as Penny is creating the backstory, that narrative becomes all-important later in the novel when the action and the connections are so fast and furious that it's almost impossible to put the book down.
Book Marks reviews of A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
A World of Curiosities is told in alternating past and present sections, as old crimes foreshadow current evils. Shocking events occur in quick succession. Chilling coincidences prove to be anything but chance. Eras blur and stories entwine ... This is a spooky and sometimes hair-raising book, perhaps Ms. Penny's best.
Louise Penny paints a dark picture in 'A World of Curiosities'
He charges into the fray, in this book going hand to hand with a whole family of terrifying villains. And he's got the scars to prove it. Three Pines is indeed a cozy haven. But Gamache knows ...
A World of Curiosities
A World of Curiosities is Louise Penny's 18th novel in a series featuring the fictional character Chief Inspector Armand Gamache.. The 2022 crime mystery book follows the investigation into a series of murders in Quebec, and briefly references the real life 1989 École Polytechnique massacre.. It was well received by critics and an immediate number one best seller in the hardback fiction charts.
A World of Curiosities
Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and ...
A World of Curiosities
A World of Curiosities. Minotaur: St. Martin's. (Chief Inspector Gamache, Bk. 18). Nov. 2022. 400p. ISBN 9781250145291. $28.99. In 1989, a young Armand Gamache was on the scene of a mass slaying when 14 women were killed at Montreal's École Polytechnique. It changed his life and propelled him into a career in homicide.
A World of Curiosities: A Novel Hardcover
Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and ...
A World of Curiosities: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 18
A World of Curiosities: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 18) - Kindle edition by Penny, Louise. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading A World of Curiosities: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Book 18).
A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
A World of Curiosities. Louise Penny. Minotaur, $28.99 (400p) ISBN 978-1-250-14529-1. Bestseller Penny's virtuoso 18th novel featuring Chief Insp. Armand Gamache of the Québec Sûreté (after ...
A World of Curiosities (Chief Inspector Gamache Series #18)
editorial reviews. outstanding praise for a world of curiosities. one of washington post's best mysteries and thrillers of 2022. one of people magazine's best fall books. one of aarp's best fall books. one of crimereads' most anticipated fall books. one of barnes & noble's best books of 2022. one of bustle's most anticipated november 2022 books
World of Curiousities
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Leaves you feeling better about the world once you've finished. The Guardian Suspenseful, daring, and thought-provoking . . . intricately plotted and harrowing. The Washington Post A spooky and sometimes hair-raising book, perhaps Ms. Penny's best. Spellbinding prose, Dickensian revelations, and nail ...
Mystery: Louise Penny's 'A World of Curiosities'
While brave and capable in the face of danger, he's more of a thinking man; some might mistake him for a college professor. In "A World of Curiosities," the chief inspector is faced with an ...
A World of Curiosities Summary and Study Guide
A World of Curiosities (2022) is the 18th novel in the Inspector Gamache mystery series written by the Canadian author Louise Penny. Like the others, this one revolves around the small village of Three Pines, Quebec. The central mystery involves the discovery of a sealed and hidden room containing a strange and sinister painting; Gamache's investigation of the painting leads him to confront ...
A World of Curiosities: A Novel Paperback
Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there's more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and ...
A World of Curiosities: A Novel
The original painting, on display today in England, depicted a collection of curiosities an English father and son had collected during their 17th century travels around the world. This included decorative art objects, such as mounted seashells, ostrich eggs, musical instruments, goblets, a globe and a clock — as well as a young girl and a ...
PDF A World of Curiosities Discussion Questions
How does this verse relate to the events of A World of Curiosities? 9. We're used to Gamache keeping his cool during tense moments, but during his conversation with the warden of the SHU, he reacts "beyond anger, beyond rage, into a territory Beauvoir had never seen in the Chief Inspector. Gamache was losing it.".
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In the 1950s, a securities analyst found herself climbing the fire escape of a private club to attend her own presentation on stocks; the club that invited her banned women from entering.
Book Review: Powerful Myths Shape a Postapocalyptic World
The Ancients opens with a bravura set piece of two sisters and their younger brother traversing a mountain range alone, on the brink of death. In author John Larison's depiction of a world that ...
Embattled Nation by Patrice Dutil & David MacKenzie (Book Review)
The book also provides a thorough context for the period with extensive maps, statistics, election information, and statistics of the war effort that effectively paint the scene of 1917. Finally, this book helpfully contextualizes the existing linguistic and cultural divides between French and English Canada which would aid readers greatly in ...

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