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Amazon.co.uk Review
Anita Shreve, who has long since cornered the market with her finely written romantic thrillers, has proved herself a true mistress of the genre with her latest novel, The Last Time They Met. Since her 1994 debut with novels such as Eden Close and Where or When, Ms Shreve has come a long way, skilfully blending both historical and more up-to-date story-lines into her novels alongside recurrent themes that transcend time and place: love, loss and death. Long-time Shreve fans and newcomers alike will find The Last Time They Met a gripping read but it is also rather unusual as it features, as one of its two main protagonists, a minor character from a previous novel, The Weight of Water, and attempts to explain how and why he becomes the man he is. This is rather fascinating and if you've read the original novel in which Thomas, the alcoholic poet, features, you'll recognise him and feel immediately drawn to him. And if you haven't, by the end of this book, you'll want to read more.
The Last Time They Met is based on a tale of childhood sweethearts and a theme Shreve writes about so passionately and with such conviction one can't help wonder if she spends her nights dreaming of her first love. Ambitiously, she tells her tale of Thomas and his lover (Linda) from the present backwards, travelling from a poet's convention in Toronto via politically repressive Nairobi to Massachusetts and small-town 1960s' schooldays. The grand passions, the loveless marriages, abuse, lost children and, most heart-wrenchingly, the utterly wasted lives unfold majestically and with intense pathos. If the greatest test of a good book is not just that you can't put it down, but that it haunts your memory for far longer than it takes to read, then this is a cracking read with an end that will leave you reeling. --Carey Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A luminous combination of stylistic simplicity and emotional complexity... (The TIMES )
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She had come from the plane and was even now forgetting the ride from the airport. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
She had come from the plane and was even now forgetting the ride from the airport. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read a number of Anita Shreve's books now and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. It seems that a recurring theme of her books is that 'love hurts' - there is lost love, painful love, love that is imperfect or flawed in some way. 'The Last Time They Met' is no different - Thomas and Linda appear to be made for each other but will fate actually permit them to be together forever...?
The ending is truly astonishing - I just didn't see it coming and it is literally the last paragraph so make sure you don't sneak a peek at the back page!! I didn't go back and read the whole book again like other reviewers but I certainly flicked back through various pages and re-read chunks of it to see if there were ANY clues or how it read differently once you knew what was coming.
The only slight criticism that I would say is that, for me, to begin with, it didn't seem to read as easily as some of Shreve's other books - there seemed to be huge sentences in brackets all over the place which threw me slightly. I think that was more in the Toronto section as it certainly picked up with the move to Africa - it's only really a minor niggle anyway.
This is highly recommended - a wonderful narrative, beautiful love story and that ending....WOW!
Of her others, try Eden Close - a cracking read.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Anita Shreve is one of the greatest writers i have ever read. This book had me glued to my seat unable to put it down. It is a story of true passion, love that transcends time and distance and it has a truly awesome ending. The characters are real and Shreve writes them with such elegance, delving into their vulnerabilities and emotional complexities with a style that is all her own. I would highly recommend any of her books.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The three time sequences take some time to adjust to because as in real life memories are disjointed and incomplete. It is unusual to start with the present and work backwards and the story compels you to fill in the gaps with each sequence. This is one of a very few books recently that as soon as I got to the end I had to start again. Re-reading in light of the ending makes second reading a completely different experience. This has certainly been a unique experience for me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
That ending - lazy
The ending is a real let down. I was intrigued to find out how it would all play it out but she doesn't bother - a very lazy trick. Shame I was looking forward to something clever.
Published 4 months ago by sallybettymary
This book changed my outlook on life.
I read this book approaching the same age as the main character. I was experiencing those feelings which the character felt about getting older. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Helen Burns
Powerful
The story of Thomas and Linda told in reverse chronology, a device I found mildly irritating until I reached the last page and understood completely why the author had taken that... Read more
Published 10 months ago by JoTownhead
the ending makes it!
I couldn't disagree more with the reviewers here who say the ending ruins the book. On the contrary it's what lifts it to a whole other level. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ms. Kim Vernon
The ending makes sense
I have read this book whilst in a book group: it is not a book I would be inclined to buy normally. Having said that I did enjoy the storyline - particularly the section in Kenya -... Read more
Published 12 months ago by BrynG
love story with a twist - excellent
Another excellent Anita Shreve!
Linda and Thomas meet again decades after they were first in love. Read more
Linda and Thomas meet again decades after they were first in love. Read more
Published 12 months ago by SusieH
Annoyed beyond belief
I would have given this book 4 or 5 star rating until the very end. WIthout wanting to give too much away, beware it isn't what it seems. Read more
Published 17 months ago by lady hare
Amazing!
Having read all the coments, I had to add my own as I was so delighted to see so many other people "wowed" by the ending of this book! Read more
Published 21 months ago by Vicky
The biggest Shreve shock ever
A lot has already been written about this novel so I am keeping this short. Shreve is a favourite author but this book is outstanding and left me breathless as the fundamental... Read more
Published 23 months ago by tynegal
Lost the plot!
It's true to say that I was gripped by this book once I'd worked my way through the first 30-40 pages so the ending came as a huge disappointment to me. Read more
Published on 7 Dec 2009 by Ms. H. Webster
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