From the Bookshelf of La Crescent Public Library…

[close] Our February book club pick was The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny. The book is #8 in the Armande Gamache series about a Chief Inspector and his progeny, Jean-Guy Beauvoir.

The book club was divided with a few of us having never read Louise Penny before and a little over half having read much of the Gamache series. Interestingly, those that were fans of the series said this book was their least favorite and suggested others go back to the beginning of the series and start there. The reason we started with #8 is because the book is very self contained and can be read as a standalone.

The group agreed that they all liked the characters, the writing style, and the research - there was LOTS to discuss and we went over our time! They also agreed that the book's pacing was slow and both fans of the series and those new to it struggled to finish it. Following the discussion, all decided it was worth it and enjoyed the more having talked about it with others.

Much of our discussion centered around dualities - good and evil, faith and doubt, divinity and humanity. The book is full of these paradoxes and places where themes blend and become gray areas.

For fans of historical fiction and nonfiction, there was lots of bonus content available online. We watched a video about the monastery Penny based St. Gilbertine on and we listened to clips of gregorian chants. What was also fun to discuss was how many of us in the group were musical or not and if anyone ever knew the history behind the plainchant and its neumes. Everyone found that research interesting from the book.

A solid read, most continued with the series or would try another Louise Penny book.