In The Beautiful Mystery, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec are admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. If it’s been awhile since you’ve read the eighth book in the series, we invite you to refresh your memory of the novel with our Re-Read led by Barbara Peters. You can also learn more about the real-life inspirations behind the settings and cultural references in the book, try a recipe the characters enjoy in The Beautiful Mystery, and explore more of all things The Beautiful Mystery here at GamacheSeries.com.
Privacy. And with privacy, of course, came something else. Safety. That was, Gamache knew, what people valued most of all. Do you see a correlation between privacy and safety? Let us know in the comments!
9 replies on “THE WISDOM OF ARMAND GAMACHE: THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY”
Read and reread every book-and anticipate the new book every fall!
Interesting question. I just finished How the Light Gets In and thought about this too.
I love the man, his wisdom and the books! I look so forward to the upcoming book. Thank you Louise and to Lucyella Foster, (my wonderful103 year old friend [who passed away in 20/22]) who introduced me to your work. I cherish all of you!!!
Privacy is wonderful but only to a point. We need to feel safe and have contact also with others for comfort and companionship
Two words so interconnected, both necessary, but should not always be connected. I need privacy, at times, to feel safe. I have to be careful of isolation or becoming judgmental of others. Too much time with myself doesn’t always work…this is one of my favorite books in the series.
Thank you for the greatness that is Armand Gamache. His kindness and humanity are lessons we humans need everyday. I find myself re-reading the many wise passages and lingering in their insights.
It seems to me that privacy and secfecy are often linked? Or confused with one another? I haven’t thought this through but, I do know that I am a person who values my privacy and has sometimes been mistakenly accused of secrecy. Perhaps because I’m content with my own company and do not confuse alone with lonely.
There is a certain danger in too much safety and privacy. It can lead to loneliness and isolation, which can kill the mind. However, privacy has the ability to make the mind reach beyond its capabilities. It allows for creativity to blossom and beauty to grow. In THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY, the silence and creativity led to ethereally lovely experiences of sound and light that went far beyond the normal experience. The fact that the music became a god to some was the dangerous part, leading to murder.
I absolutely think there’s a correlation between the two and a balance to strike to avoid that same safety becoming stifling. This week’s quote instantly reminded me of another quote from the series:
“No good ever comes from putting up walls. What people mistake for safety is in fact captivity. And few things thrive in captivity.”