43 pages 1 hour read

Louise Penny

Still Life

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2005

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“His little secret was that in his mid-fifties, at the height of a long and now apparently stalled career, violent death still surprised him.”


(Chapter 1, Page 2)

Penny’s characterization of Gamache implies that he and, to some extent, his team members are unique within the police force. While others are hardened, cynical, and competitive, Gamache is sensitive, optimistic, and cooperative. Those qualities turn out to be more than incidental, as they provide a foundation for Gamache’s personal—and highly successful—method of investigation.

Quotation Mark Icon

“The truth is I don’t know whether Fair Day is a brilliant example of naïve art, or the pathetic scrawling of a superbly untalented, and delusional, old woman. That’s the tension. And that’s why it must be part of the show.”


(Chapter 1, Page 14)

Here, the chairperson of the local art society explains her reasoning for accepting Jane’s painting. At first glance, it appears childish and immature, unschooled as Jane was in artistic technique. Over time, and throughout the novel, Jane’s art reveals a great depth of wisdom and insight, even contributing to the solving of two murders.

Quotation Mark Icon

“No, inspector, people don’t change.”


(Chapter 3, Page 51)

Ben expresses his cynical view that people tend not to change. His statement turns out to be a confession of sorts, since we later learn that Ben commits murder in an attempt to keep his life—and the ease with which he lives it—from changing. His view of the possibility for personal change is contrasted with that of Myrna and Gamache.

Related Titles

By Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

A Fatal Grace

Louise Penny

A Fatal Grace

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

A Great Reckoning

Louise Penny

A Great Reckoning

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

All the Devils are Here

Louise Penny

All the Devils are Here

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

A Rule Against Murder

Louise Penny

A Rule Against Murder

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

A World of Curiosities

Louise Penny

A World of Curiosities

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

Bury Your Dead

Louise Penny

Bury Your Dead

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

How the Light Gets In

Louise Penny

How the Light Gets In

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

State of Terror

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Louise Penny

State of Terror

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

The Beautiful Mystery

Louise Penny

The Beautiful Mystery

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

The Brutal Telling

Louise Penny

The Brutal Telling

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

The Cruelest Month

Louise Penny

The Cruelest Month

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

The Long Way Home

Louise Penny

The Long Way Home

Louise Penny

Study Guide

logo

The Nature of the Beast

Louise Penny

The Nature of the Beast

Louise Penny