Rating: 
Summary: Well Written But Hardly a Classic
Review: Warning: This is not actually a love story. This is the tale of a weak, broken man with a deranged mind. It is interesting and well-written, but the character of Thomas (both the real person and Thomas as he sees himself in his own mind) is not likable. Linda is likable, but once you find out the truth about her, you'll realize that there was no one likable at all in the first two sections of the book. The middle part was what made me detract two stars from the rating of five; there was no point in having Thomas go to Africa except to describe it endlessly, and the repeated hints of the Mary Magdalene myth were totally overblown. As to the book's seceret: I got it, I got it, but there wasn't much to get.
Rating: 
Summary: So interesting!
Review: I am a HUGE fan of Anita Shreve. I think it's interesting that the reviews are so mixed. I loved this book but was also confused and somewhat angry with the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it's because I'M fifty-two....
Review: but I loved this book. I am surprised by reviews complaining about the "boring" opening section (when Linda is 52). The descriptions of the hotel were lovely and evocative to me. As for the "annoying" italics used in the conversations of the first two sections, how could it be otherwise (in view of the ending)? A stunning, knock-your-socks-off last page is terse and just right. And why not? I find myself reliving the past and wondering about the what-might-have-beens in the first half of my life. Shreve is a wonderful wordsmith, a poet in every paragraph.
Rating: 
Summary: Betrayed
Review: I felt utterly betrayed by the last pages of this book. Anita Shreve is a talented and gifted writer and while I have enjoyed her other work, I will hesitate before reading her again.
Rating:
Summary: Love Shreve, Didn't Love this Book
Review: I had a hard time getting into it. The main character was really irritating, the story moved with the speed of a striking slug.Great prose in some sections, fantastic descriptions. It wasn't my "cup of tea."
Rating: 
Summary: Speechless
Review: Wow. I finished this book late last night and was left speechless. I also had an awful night's sleep....hmmm....any connection? I agree with one reviewer who said the ending may leave some shattered -- I felt wrecked and, for awhile, highly confused. But I do get it, I'm just disappointed. Not in Shreve, or in the book, but because I was truly wrapped up in the characters by the end of the book, in a way I wasn't in the beginning or even the middle. By the end I loved them both and couldn't wait to hear how they would end up (I assumed the book would bring me back to present day). Not so, and the revelation on the last page saddened me SO.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling read
Review: I have to say, after reading the controversy swirling around this book, I had to dive into it. And I wasn't disappointed. Anita Shreve knows how to spin a web, to pull her readers in slowly before they realize that they're hopefully entangled in her story. Usually, I speedread and skim over a novel to get to the "good parts." But every sentence in this novel deserves attention. Shreve is an exquisite poet who plys her craft well. "The Last Time They Met" is a love story of epic proportions, a love that knows no boundaries of time or space. A love that consumes. A love that demands immense sacrifice at its altar. Of course, this is Shreve writing, so she layers an intruiging mystery throughout the book that keeps you turning page after page. When the story ends, you may be left speechless, you may be overcome with anger or grief, you may hate it, you may love it. But you will feel something. And isn't that what great literature is all about?
Rating: 
Summary: Thank God I checked it out for free at the library!
Review: I didn't think this book would ever get going. I literally had to force myself to read it. Especially in the beginning. B-o-r-i-n-g! And then after reading the part about Africa, I kept telling myself over and over again that I will NEVER visit that country. The book finally started to pick up some speed in Africa and then I began to enjoy it.........until the ending. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. I don't think I care to read another of Anita Shreves books.
Rating:
Summary: Endings Do Not Have to Come in Nice Tidy Happy Packages
Review: I loved this book. It was beautifully written in Shreve's very distinctive style. The ending, rather that annoying me as it did some other readers, fascinated and delighted me as it put into perspective the unimagineable depths of Thomas's sadness. I highly recommend the book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed--Like So Many Others
Review: When I finished this book, I felt like I had been slapped across the face. I had thought it so very good, beautifully written and cleverly structured. The sections on Africa were truly well-done and enlightening. And then came the end. I don't believe I have ever been so angry with a book--with an author. My face actually burned. To me, the ending cheapened the entire work. It was NOT clever. And no, it is not that we always have to have a happy ending. I wept at the end of Cold Mountain but know that book could not have ended any other way. I would love to hear what must have been some very interesting discussions between the author and her editor. It takes so long to write a book. You care about it, you're with the characters and the story every single day. And then to do this? As if it has all been a trick, a joke? While reading this book, I was excited about it and had planned to rave about it to all my friends. Not now.
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