Glass Houses by Louise Penny

Release Date:   August 29, 2017

I have, most of my life, had a list of authors I've considered my "auto-buy" authors. 

Slowly, over the years, the list has changed, and it has dwindled. 

There is now a very small group of outstanding writers remaining on that list. Louise Penny has been there, at the top, since I happened upon Still Life. 

Honestly, I do not think there's anyone writing today who is writing as well as she. 

She has taken pen to page and created a group of people her readers have grown to love. Some have stories we're still waiting to learn. Some have broken our hearts. Ms. Penny takes the pieces of broken hearts, puts them back together and raises them high - to the light. And she does it fearlessly. 

She's able to write about tough topics, as she does in Glass Houses, with a deft and sure hand. Helps us remember that even when we're doubting the world we live in, there is goodness. 

Glass Houses kept me on my toes. It had some surprises that made me think. And, as always, there was the irreverence and subtle humor that have become a Louise Penny signature. 

I loved Glass Houses. 

I want to stumble into Three Pines and never leave.

Note:  I received an advance reading copy from the publisher with no discussion regarding whether or not I would review the book.

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

I stayed up way later than my normal bedtime last night. There was no way I could put down my book until I read the final page. Once again, I am left without words. (almost). There are quite a few authors I enjoy. A few that I adore - those few who, I find, to be brilliant writers and storytellers, able to give their readers a very special experience while reading their work. Louise Penny is an author of unique appeal. There must be other authors who are able to see into, understand and so perfectly express in beautiful words and phrasing the human psyche with subtle humor and pathos. I just don't know who they might be. The woman continues to surprise me. Continues to bring me to tears, fill my heart and have me laughing out loud with her words. She tells a story with care, subtle humor and sly nods. Shows respect, always, for her characters. The characters who dwell in her work, especially in Three Pines, are infused with more life, more feeling, than a lot of "real" people I've met. I finished my arc of "A Great Reckoning" satisfied and filled. And sad, once again, to have finished. To leave the world of the much-loved Chief Inspector Gamache, knowing I'll have to stay away from fiction for awhile until I'm ready to let go of his world and those who inhabit it by his side.

Louise Penny's THE LONG WAY HOME

I read an advance copy of Louise Penny's THE LONG WAY HOME. Then I sat down to write my own pitiful version of a review. But instead, I did what I sometimes do. But only with books that have touched me deeply. I turned back to page one and read it a second time. But I'm still having a very difficult time writing a review for this book. Mostly, I think, because I'm so lacking in review writing skills, but also because many of you might find  my words empty and false for the simple reason that I think I have said every single one of Ms. Penny's books are "exquisite." I think I have said each leaves me "breathless" and that I always wonder how she could continue to surpass herself with each addition to the Three Pines series. Well, guess what - I'm saying it again. She has taken us on a journey that was quite difficult for our beloved Three Pines residents, and therefore difficult for the readers who love them. Taken us to places of beauty and of beautiful desolation - both geographically and emotionally. Like no one else can, in my opinion. Heartbreaking, but still sprinkled with subtle humor. She always finds a way to make us laugh out loud in the midst of pain. The conversations ring real and true - and could only happen among dear and close friends sharing outrageous and irreverent quips, teasing and taunts with those they love enough to feel safe in doing. And a perfect ending. I always feel magic in Louise Penny's words and I love being able to allow them to caress my heart, while at the same time poke my mind into seeing and feeling all the things I'm not observant enough on my own to see and feel. She is, without a doubt, a master of observation and has an understanding of people that is simply amazing - their needs, their wants, their strengths and weaknesses. This series is, I believe, a long long way from running its course. I hope it lasts forever. Disclaimer:  an arc of The Long Way Home was provided by the publisher.  No review was promised and the above is my unbiased opinion.

BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny

 Cover for the Canadian and UK version

I was the lucky recipient of an ARC of Louise Penny's newest - BURY YOUR DEAD, which is scheduled to be released in late September.

wow.  

Repeating myself - this is, I think, one of the best series being written today.

Repeating myself yet again - I felt as though her last book, THE BRUTAL TELLING, was masterful and that it carried Ms. Penny to a new level. 

I know sometimes when a book in a series reaches as high as THE BRUTAL TELLING, we've been known to feel a bit let down with the next entry.  Not to worry.  I can't imagine anyone feeling that way about BURY YOUR DEAD.  The magic of Ms. Penny's writing continues.  The subtle humor, the restrained poetry of word play and the emotions emanating amongst the characters, along with meticulous research.  


This one is a bit of a departure for Ms. Penny.  There's a plot line dealing quite extensively with the history and founding of Quebec City which I found to be fascinating.  I love well researched novels and this one strikes me as having been exceptionally and lovingly meticulously researched.

Mentioning that I felt this was a bit of a departure is not to mean we don't still have everything we've come to expect and love in one of Ms. Penny's Three Pines novels; as I said - the magic is still there.  The  intricate plotting we expect is there. The gentle subtle humor is there.   Its also got a surprise or two.  or three.  It's also profoundly sad. I found myself wiping away tears more than once.

We don't spend quite as much time in Three Pines as we sometimes do, but the time we do spend there is as quirky as ever.  Where else are we going to find favorite characters having dinner in their local bistro in their  jammies, with no one batting an eye?
For fear of giving anything away, I'm going to hold off on saying any more . . .   

Well - okay - one more thing . . .  there's a major aspect concerning our beloved Gamache that is heart wrenching - keep that box of tissue handy!

Last year after reading THE BRUTAL TELLING, I think I immediately knew it would be at the top of my 2009 favorites, and told you all I thought you should add it to your "gotta read" list.  Well, I'll repeat all that this year for BURY YOUR DEAD.  

And now that I've finished it and know what happens, I'm going to immediately bury myself in it again to just savor the poetry of the writing, the ambiance of setting, and pure joy of words put together perfectly to tell a perfect tale.  

I adore this book.

and its author.

FTC Disclosure

An Advance Reading Copy of

BURY YOUR DEAD

was sent to me by the publisher

in hopes that I might review it.

No additional compensation was made

or offered.