A Journey to Three Pines - Episode 5: A Brutal Telling

Currently Reading

We are so excited to journey with you to Three Pines, the fictional French-Canadian village created by Louise Penny for her Three Pines series, featuring Armand Gamache. This spin-off podcast series will tackle each of the books in the series in turn, in a spoiler-FILLED format. Be sure you’ve read the book before listening to the episode.

As you’ve come to expect with all Currently Reading content, Meredith and Roxanna will follow a regular episode format, with regular segments, so you know what to expect each and every time. We love staying focused on the book, rather than conversational rabbit holes.

Show notes for this series will not be time-stamped except for broad sections, but will include links to Bookshop dot org or Amazon for any books or resources referenced in the episode.

3:45 - Putting the Book Into Context

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

Published Sept. 29, 2009 by Minotaur Books

4.20 rating on Goodreads

Seasonal setting - Autum

Book Awards: Anthony Award for Best Novel in 2010

Critic Reviews

Meredith’s and Roxanna’s encounters with the book

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

10:50 - The Setup

16:22 - A Deeper Exploration

Setup and first paragraph

First paragraph hooks the reader so completely

Reminds Meredith of the Vera series by Ann Cleeves

The pacing of the novel

The deliberate pulling away from the “quaint village mystery”

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Quality of writing itself - if it could be written as a whole series in today’s publishing

Themes: human behavior, conscience, Thoreau’s Walden, contentment, fathers

p.172 quote about conscience

p. 298 quote about happiness

p.175 quote about Walden

P. 495 quote about fear and contentment

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny

Side plot with Jean-Guy and the notes left by Ruth Zardo

The Oddness Factor (is usually in superlatives but gets talked about early in this episode!)

The Ending

1:15:31 - Superlatives

Biggest Flaw

Character MVP

p. 403

Favorite Character

Biggest loser

Best food description

Fear Factor

1:29:47 - Within the Series

Is this book skippable?

Favorite Quote (gets asked after the skippable portion so I added it here for time stamp sake)

1:34:08 - SPOILERS AHEAD HERE

Next episode’s read: Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny

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