Currently Reading Podcast

A Journey to Three Pines – Episode 10: The Long Way Home

Hosts: Meredith Monday Schwartz & Roxanna Kasankara
Date: November 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this tenth episode of “A Journey to Three Pines,” Meredith and Roxanna dive deep into Louise Penny’s The Long Way Home, the halfway point of this special series dedicated to every book in Penny’s beloved Three Pines mysteries. This installment stands out as one of the more divisive entries, and the hosts explore its meditative tone, glacial pacing, and the ways in which it shifts the series’ trajectory. They reflect on the book’s unique structure, its reception by critics and readers, and its central themes of art, redemption, and the struggle to return home—literally and figuratively. As always, the discussion is full of literary insight, personal perspectives, and a heartfelt appreciation (and critique) of the series' core cast.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context & Reception

• Publication Details:
  • Published August 26, 2014
  • 376 pages
  • Goodreads rating: 4.07 (lowest in the series)
  • Agatha Award finalist, but no major wins
• Critical Reception:
  • NYT praised Penny’s “stately pacing” reflecting Gamache’s slow regeneration; noted the focus on artists and art-making; underlined the book’s introspection and emotional depth (04:18).
  • Kirkus called it “masterful” but pointed out the disjointed physical journey versus the emotional one; readers may feel “unprepared” for the ending.
  • Both hosts observe reviewers danced around criticism, hinting at sluggishness but unwilling to directly disparage Penny’s work, given her devoted fanbase (06:03).

2. Reading Experiences & Editions

• Roxanna read the book twice (Kindle, then paperback); initially found it challenging, especially as her least favorite in the series (07:23).
• Meredith read it in print and for the second time on iPad, noting new insights gained in a close read.
• Discussion of the hardback cover:
  • Unique canvas texture, inverted painting (“like the book itself: inward, quiet, meditative”) (09:46).
  • Symbolism in the cover and its intentional inversion reflecting themes of the book and Louise Penny’s outlook—directly quoted from Penny’s Goodreads (10:36).

3. Book Setup & Tone

• Opening Scene:
  • A reflective start: Gamache’s subtle, repeated gesture with his book and unmoved bookmark as a metaphor for internal pain and stasis (15:50).
  • Roxanna highlights, “that first paragraph already you're getting heavy symbolism. And this book is rife with symbols and icons and passages and quotes” (16:13).
• Transition from Action:
  • The book follows the high-drama of How the Light Gets In (#9) with introspection and “glacial” pacing—hosts agree this is both a strength and a pitfall (17:16).
• Pacing:
  • “Woe to anyone who starts the series with this book,” Meredith quips (18:36).
  • The slow (and sometimes circular) journey reflects a deliberate literary choice, but tests reader patience.
  • Major deviation: This is the first in the series where the main “mystery” is not a murder, but the disappearance of an unlikable character (Peter Morrow) (21:42).
• Structural Observations:
  • “It really does feel like a long way home,” Roxanna admits, finding the journey physically grueling and emotionally draining (19:45).

4. Thematic Deep Dive

• Redemption & Self-Realization:
  • Central question: “What will it cost to bring [Peter] home?” (13:21).
  • Peter as both villain and tragedy—a mirror to everyone’s capacity for self-doubt and envy.
  • Notable theme: Peter’s refusal to recognize his own fortune, paralleled with others’ failures (28:24; 29:43).
• The Nature of Art & Creation:
  • Symbolism of the Tenth Muse—art as a means to self-understanding.
  • Peter’s journey towards chaotic, “bad” art signals his personal growth and surrendering of perfectionism (67:48).
• Three Pines’ Role:
  • “Three Pines is something you carry with you,” Roxanna notes—its community and compassion travel with the cast beyond the village (44:08).
  • Recurs as physical home and metaphorical “balm in Gilead.”

5. Character Analysis and Dynamics

• Clara Morrow:
  • Gains newfound self-worth, agency in the investigation, and clarity about her relationship with Peter (“I'm reason enough, Armand, for a man to give up everything” – Clara, 49:30).
• Peter Morrow:
  • The series’ unpopular core character finally gets a redemption arc; his actions in the end and preceding year humanize him (68:21).
• Ruth:
  • Deeper characterization; instrumental in solving the mystery, serves as a poetic seer, and deepens friendships within the group (43:32).
• Myrna:
  • Acts as therapist, interpreter, and “Wayfinder” for Clara and the others (46:08).
• Jean-Guy:
  • Maturing, measured, quietly courageous; “confidence replaces bravado” (46:06).
• Renée-Marie:
  • Low-key MVP, emotional anchor at home (66:03).
• Clara & Myrna’s Ship Experience:
  • A highlight injecting humor and lightness: The women get the luxurious ship accommodations while the men suffer below deck (50:44).

6. Series Structure & “Skippability”

• Both hosts adamant: This book is not skippable despite its challenges:
  • Essential for resolving Peter’s arc, resetting character dynamics post-Book 9, and marking a “closing of the first ten-book arc” (71:07).

7. Canadian Context & Symbolism

• Origins of Three Pines:
  • Inspired by a real story of three pine trees as a signal of safety to loyalists during the American Revolutionary War—a central metaphor for refuge and acceptance (58:15).
• Quebec Settings:
  • The journey’s geography mirrors the emotional stripping-down of the characters (60:23).
• Tenth Muse:
  • Intriguing historical note: There are nine muses, but none for art—mirroring Peter’s search for inspiration and wholeness (62:27).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Cover and Symbolism:
  • “The COVID is canvas. This is not a normal hardback cover. It's canvas… It's actually woven like a canvas of a painting.” – Meredith (09:46)
  • “The Long Way Home is one of my personal favorite books. Perhaps because it's very quiet, inverted, even. Like the COVID we travel deeper and deeper into the search for Peter, into Quebec, and into Armand's pain, but always, always with awareness that there is a balm that can make the wounded whole.” – Quoting Louise Penny (12:39)
• On Pacing:
  • “We can be less than glowing about a Louise Penny book, but it is still meeting a very, very high bar.” – Meredith (02:58)
• On Peter:
  • “There was just one bit of misfortune in his life, and that was that Peter Morrow seemed to have no idea how very fortunate he was.” – Meredith quoting Penny, p.92 (26:03)
  • “Peter is nothing but a really unhealthy enneagram 3.” – Roxanna (32:10)
  • “I think Peter consistently wears [the villain] hat all the way through because… the person that he is so horrible to is Clara, who is our heroine of the series.” – Meredith (31:55)
• On Clara’s Growth:
  • “[Clara] sets her boundaries. She loves Peter. She wants to go find him, but she won't minimize her success to fit Peter's ego.” – Roxanna (47:07)
  • “And I'm reason enough, Armand, for a man to give up everything.” – Clara (49:30)
• Favorite Light Moment:
  • “The fact that Clara and Myrna got that they're different experiences, and then Zhangi and Chartrand and Gamache are in this horrible, cramped space and they're up there having high tea in their gigantic [room]… That whole thing just made me laugh.” – Meredith (50:44)
• On the Series’ Structure:
  • “…within the series that this book is skippable? Absolutely not… it resets kind of the series post book nine… there is some closing of the circle coming home…” – Roxanna (71:07)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [00:16] – Series purpose and approach (“deep exploration of each book”)
• [04:18] – Review roundup from NYT, Kirkus, and Goodreads
• [09:46] – Hardback canvas cover and its symbolism
• [13:21] – Book setup and plot summary
• [18:36] – Pacing discussion / “glacially slow”
• [26:03] – Peter’s fortune and character themes
• [35:07] – Revisiting Peter’s family, Book Four context
• [39:52] – Clara’s emotional journey and power-sharing with Gamache
• [44:08] – Ruth’s expanded, more poetic role
• [58:15] – True Canadian origins of Three Pines
• [66:03] – MVP characters and underappreciated supporting roles
• [70:34] – Favorite food/community scene (the steak and tea-lights dinner)
• [71:07] – Discussion on whether the book is skippable (it isn’t)

Wrap-Up

Despite its slow pacing and heavy symbolism, The Long Way Home is essential reading in the Three Pines series. Meredith and Roxanna agree that it rewards patient, attentive readers who are invested in Penny’s characters. The hosts’ close reading and spirited discussion help bring out the novel’s quieter virtues—its redemptive quality, depth of character, and its meditation on the meaning of art, love, and belonging.

Next Episode: Book 11, The Nature of the Beast, dropping in about eight weeks.

For more bookish content:
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• @currentlyreadingpodcast
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Final thought: “If you have the context, the patience, and the willingness to look deeply, The Long Way Home gives you a new and richer understanding of Three Pines, its people, and the journey we all make toward redemption.”