The Last Town on Earth
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Review
‘Thomas Mullen is an old-fashioned storyteller, and his epic novel dramatises the complex tensions between individual rights and group responsibilities. Mullen is both merciless and measured in his depiction of the natural forces that can drag idealism down to earth.’ Daily Telegraph
‘A subtle, robustly written novel of compelling contemporary resonance. The ensuing crisis involves the entire community, pitting principles against passion, values against instinct.’ Observer
‘Thomas Mullen’s debut novel is an exceptionally powerful portrait of a community losing its soul under intense pressure.’ Waterstones Books Quarterly
Waterstones Books Quarterly
'An exceptionally powerful portrait of a community losing its soul
under intense pressure.'
under intense pressure.'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I started out thinking this would be fascinating telling of the almost forgotten 1918 influenza. It set off at a good pace with some key action early on but then somehow the emphasis of the story went in another direction. This story of a north west US town that isolates itself to try and prevent being infected by the rampant virus turns into a bit of political ramble about the burgeoning American trade union and pacifist movements rather than a sociological insight into the effects this terrible epidemic had on the times.
It is a powerful story for all that and Thomas Mullen is an author of promise. I was disappointed by the ending which seemed to be a bit of action to bring everything to a climax. Some parts of the narrative were rather drawn out and repetitive but I have to admit that I enjoyed the reading of it overall. Possibly Mullen could have benefited from some for tighter editing to make this a really well crafted book. It misses the mark but not by much.
It is a powerful story for all that and Thomas Mullen is an author of promise. I was disappointed by the ending which seemed to be a bit of action to bring everything to a climax. Some parts of the narrative were rather drawn out and repetitive but I have to admit that I enjoyed the reading of it overall. Possibly Mullen could have benefited from some for tighter editing to make this a really well crafted book. It misses the mark but not by much.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I confess this tale of an isolated town in the American Northwest during the influenza pandemic of 1918 took me a while to read, but overall I found it an interesting book without being compelling. The story is a good one of a liberal timber mill owner and his workers, many of them socialists and misfits, who quarentine their town from the ravages of the flu which is decimating the whole country and indeed, the world. As the author says, this is not an episode in history that is particularly well known and is largely overshadowed by the events of the First World War, and yet it killed many millions more than those who died in the war.
The characters are well drawn and believable from Philip, the mill owner's adopted son, to JB Merriweather, a banker from the neighbouring town. The plot involves young Philip allowing a deserter into the town and what happens thereafter to him and his friend and idol, Graham, and the rest of the inhabitants. Despite a canvas that encompasses many different characters, Mullen holds it all together very well, and succeed in creating a believable and interesting story.There are obvious parallels to the events of the last few years, specifically Bush's War on Terror, but the author never overdoes it and he largely leaves it to the reader to make the connections.
Why only three stars then? Well, firstly it lacks a fiery sense of passion at the injustices suffered by the characters. It is at times a little too polite and the writing is rather dry. Secondly, as others have mentioned, there are some anomolies, and thirdly the ending feels unresolved and makes the book a less satisfying read because of it. Nevertheless, I would still recommend it.
The characters are well drawn and believable from Philip, the mill owner's adopted son, to JB Merriweather, a banker from the neighbouring town. The plot involves young Philip allowing a deserter into the town and what happens thereafter to him and his friend and idol, Graham, and the rest of the inhabitants. Despite a canvas that encompasses many different characters, Mullen holds it all together very well, and succeed in creating a believable and interesting story.There are obvious parallels to the events of the last few years, specifically Bush's War on Terror, but the author never overdoes it and he largely leaves it to the reader to make the connections.
Why only three stars then? Well, firstly it lacks a fiery sense of passion at the injustices suffered by the characters. It is at times a little too polite and the writing is rather dry. Secondly, as others have mentioned, there are some anomolies, and thirdly the ending feels unresolved and makes the book a less satisfying read because of it. Nevertheless, I would still recommend it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
When Spanish flu reaches the area where the town of Commonwealth is situated - 50 miles northeast of Seattle - in 1918, the community responds by shutting itself off from the outside world in the hopes of escaping this deadly virus. Two strangers approach the town to be met with a hostile reception from Graham, a former drifter whose newly settled life is threatened and Philip, a disabled 16 year old boy who has discovered a family life he had never known before.
As the story unfolds, the peace and tranquility of Commonwealth, a sort of alternative community run on socialist lines, is shattered. Not only do they not escape the flu but smalltown American politics, with its jealousies and narrow mindedness, catches up with them in the form of the American Protective League. These are legalised vigilantes, barely operating within the law, who roam the country looking for draft dodgers to send to the battlefields of World War I.
Violence and pestilence combine to produce a story full of bitterness and suffering, without much redemption. The hopes and dreams of the community seem to have been based on a false premise - the innate goodness of humanity. The ending is sad and contains little to suggest that things will get any better. I was left feeling rather depressed by Mullen's picture of the world and his clumsy expositional prose did little for me. A bit grim in fact.
As the story unfolds, the peace and tranquility of Commonwealth, a sort of alternative community run on socialist lines, is shattered. Not only do they not escape the flu but smalltown American politics, with its jealousies and narrow mindedness, catches up with them in the form of the American Protective League. These are legalised vigilantes, barely operating within the law, who roam the country looking for draft dodgers to send to the battlefields of World War I.
Violence and pestilence combine to produce a story full of bitterness and suffering, without much redemption. The hopes and dreams of the community seem to have been based on a false premise - the innate goodness of humanity. The ending is sad and contains little to suggest that things will get any better. I was left feeling rather depressed by Mullen's picture of the world and his clumsy expositional prose did little for me. A bit grim in fact.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pulls one forward... left me wanting
I sometimes wonder if the reviewers who write the reviews which appear on the covers of books have actually read the book at all. Read more
Published 1 month ago by V G Harwood
Wonderful Book
I don't normally review books I've read but I felt compelled to say a few words about this excellent book. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Steve W
Couldn't get into this one.
I have tried twice with this book, but I'm afraid it hasn't gripped or intrigued me at all, and so has been returned, barely read, to my shelf. Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2010 by E. Heckingbottom
A great piece of story telling
This book is highly topical at the moment, although I'm not sure that Thomas Mullen intended it to be that way. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2009 by E. Chittenden
Historical but topical
Set during the Great War this novel echos current, probably fallacious, pandemic concerns. In view of the number of reviews outlining the underlying plot behind the book I will... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2009 by Paul S. Ell
Puts swine flu into perspective
This novel is set at the time of the Spanish flu outbreak in the early 20th century. The residents of a small town in the state of Washington decide that they are going to close... Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2009 by Tealady2000
Starts out slowly...
This starts out slowly - achingly so. I gave up twice but on the third attempt, finally made it past the first third and that's when the thing really takes off and a corking good... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2009 by Mark Webb
Promising but ultimately disappointing
This book sounds like it will deliver but unfortunately just doesn't quite make it. The author has done his homework and wrings a lot from the setting. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2009 by Brian Hamilton
Good idea but very depressing and an incomplete ending
"The Last Town on Earth" is set in the USA, at the start of the 1918 infuenza epidemic that spread across the globe, brought back to the USA by soldiers from WW1. Read more
Published on 21 May 2009 by S. Diment
just couldnt get into this
The title of this says it all really.
I read the first 100 pages and I just couldnt get into it. Read more
I read the first 100 pages and I just couldnt get into it. Read more
Published on 28 April 2009 by Sian Louise
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