Last Time They Met, The/ Unabridged

Rating:
Summary: I've never been disappointed by Shreve!!
Review: I had a good time reading "The Last Time They Met" by Anita Shreve. I gave it a four because it got boring sometimes & was hard to keep me paying attention to it. I thought it was very creative of Ms. Shreve to start from the end & end in the beginning, write the book backwards. I also would have to say that the ending was something I'll never forget & I never would have thought of it in a million years.I was so shocked. Because of this, this will be a book that always stays in my mind. It was just so original. I thought this novel had a great plot & characters. I did really enjoy reading & would recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious and Trite
Review: This book is so boring... You're led to believe that there is essence in the endless details, and so you trudge forward. Eventually, you determine to finish the book only because of how far in you've gotten; however, by the end of the book, you're sorely disatisfied. It reminds me of every time a lousy movie ends with the character waking up, only to realize they dreamed the whole thing. The audience is supposed to be shocked, but most of the time, we're just miffed.

Rating:
Summary: Think Dallas - the dream
Review: I think this author got tired of writing the story and decided to end it in a quick bizarre way. I was warned about the bizarre ending but I read the book through to the last page and was astounded by how she ended the story. It's the first book I've read by this author and it will be the last. I don't always ask for a happy ending but this ending left me feeling I wasted my time reading the book. It was very unsatisfactory.

Rating:
Summary: Poetic in Life and Death
Review: In the novel, The Last Time They Met, Anita Shreve skillfully mixes the themes of love and death in an enigmatic, poignant and haunting manner. ...
The two central characters of the story, Linda and Thomas, are lovers who are together during three different times in their lives. They first meet at the age of 17 and become high school sweethearts. The next affair is at the age of 26 in Africa, and the last is at a writers' convention at the age of 52. However, in a wonderful twist of writing, the story unfolds starting with the last time they met. The novel slowly retraces the tragedies Linda and Thomas have endured that make them both stronger people but have also torn them apart from one another. The most horrific and most frequently mentioned event is "the accident", which turns out to be much more influential than we first imagine...
While reading this novel, the word poetic comes to mind. Not only in Shreve's own writing style, but because both fictional and truly existing poems are inserted into the dialogue of the story. ... These carefully chosen poems speak to the outcome and theme of the book, while displaying the inquisitive yet young, demeanors of the characters.
In contrast, Shreve uses a series of love letters during the episode in Africa to detail the lovers' intense emotions of happiness at finding each other again and the torture of their love, forbidden due to life circumstances. As a reader, one can feel the heart wrenching quality of their correspondence by the graceful and thoughtful language:Both Thomas and Linda are poets in the story and the preceding samples of their writing portray a delicate urgency for one another, while maintaining their agonizing distance.
Having spent time in Africa herself, Shreve's descriptions of the land are beautiful and vivid. The images of the heat, sickness, political turmoil and generally morbid conditions, transport us out of reality into a hazy and mirage-filled world.
The reader's sense of reality is also altered by the overall effect of the retrospective story telling. Shreve keeps the reader anxious for more pieces of Thomas and Linda's history throughout the novel by strategically placing clues along the way. The artifacts of their history include a necklace of significance, references to the name Magdalene, and a courageous swim in the cold ocean off the pier. The intricately woven details and re-occurring characters keep the plot together without giving any secrets away too soon.
Another skill Shreve brilliantly utilizes involves quotation marks. The dialogue in the first two parts of the book is all noted in italics, whereas the last section of the book uses regular quotation marks to denote the speaker's words. The purpose of this technique would give away the ending, but one must be sure to recognize this creative touch upon finishing the novel.
Despite the skillfulness of Shreve's writing and literary techniques, The Last Time They Met may prove a bit sappy and overly lyrical for some readers' tastes. With such a passionate love encompassing the characters, one could not expect anything less when reading of such an all-consuming emotion; be forewarned. However, if a truly hypnotic and captivating book is what you're after, then read on and enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: The BEST Shreve Book Yet!!
Review: I started reading it while on holidays at my parents' home. I have to admit, when I first started reading it, I was wondering if this would be the first Shreve novel I would put back on the shelf without finishing. However, as I continued on, it got to the point that I was going to bed earlier each night just so I could find out what was going to happen next! My sister-in-law sort of let the cat out of the bag by saying that the very end of the book would shock me. To say I was shocked is an understatement. It's been two weeks since I finished it and I am still thinking about it. I too have gone back and re-read various portions of it, just as other reviewers have admitted to doing!

I love Anita Shreve's books. I always find them a bit difficult to get into at first for some reason but usually by the time I get about 30 pages into it, I'm hooked.

Get this book. Read it. You won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: I agree with both sides!
Review: I loved this book. I did NOT put it down for 3 days. The end devistated me. I was sad for days afterwards. It really was a good book, but it also was depressing. If you are up for some romance and lots of sadness, get this book!

Rating:
Summary: Not worth your time
Review: What a disappointment this book was! Even on a long plane ride, I was bored stiff! I had eagerly awaited something new from Anita Shreve because I enjoyed the Pilot's Wife. This book is boring, very weak plot. It takes up pages and pages describing the most unimportant details of surroundings.

Rating:
Summary: Too Depressing to Be a Good Read
Review: I am an avid reader and I read for enjoyment. Many novels have tragic events which cause the reader sadness; however, "The Last Time They Met" is too depressing to enjoy. Whatever hopes you have for the characters are terribly crushed by the ending. Do not look for any happiness in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Don't read this!
Review: I loved the first 311 pages of this book, I was into the characters, moved by their situation, loved the description of Africa, but the last sentence of the book ruined the whole thing for me. I felt cheated, manipulated, and deceived. I feel like I'm a good reader, that I pay close attention to details and plot and character development, and I didn't see and still don't see the clues to that ending...it was as if Shreve just didn't know how to end it. Even if there were clues, it wouldn't have been worth it. I would never recommend this book to anyone else and I will never read another of her books.

Rating:
Summary: What kind of ending is this!!?
Review: Anita Shreve could've gotten away with a happy ending. She is an enormously gifted writer and this book is a true testament to that. However, she truly blew-it in the ending. I felt cheated and used - like I was the blunt of some stupid joke. I would've put Shreve's talent above ending this book on the last page -- in the way it was done. An insult to both myself and the author.

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