Rating: 
Summary: A Dream Within a Dream
Review: The first thing I did when I finished this book was to turn to page one and begin again, frantic for clues to the shocking and unexpected ending. And the next thing I did was to acquire "The Weight of Water," hoping to find further clues. This is the first Shreve novel I have read, and I have been left in a state of questioning disbelief. Was that her intent? Is the reader meant to untangle the twisted paths of a tortured mind and discover the truth within? I'm not really sure. What I can say with certainty is that I found the story of Thomas and Linda, high school sweethearts who meet again at age 26 and 52, touching and troubled. Through the lyrical if spare prose of the author, one can feel the almost palpable yearning of the two lovers. And because the book travels backward in time instead of forward, one gets a unique perspective on the two people involved. Is it intentional that the beginning section, where they meet at age 52, is slow and almost staid? I found Linda one-dimensional in this section, which may be a clue in itself. The middle section, which takes place in Kenya, is bright and beautiful, full of sumptuous descriptions of places, colors, foods, and people. The sensuous meeting of Thomas and Linda at this stage in their lives, their mid-twenties, is breathtaking, even when their separation is inevitable. But it is in the last section, where the lovers are 17, that the reader finally begins to know them in all their youth just ready to flower. I found the tone of each section distinctly different, and my reactions to the characters different as well. This made me even more unprepared for the ending. I don't know whether I am confused, or whether the book bewitched me, or both--but I will say that this is an extraordinary piece of writing, and will stay with me for a long, long, time.
Rating:
Summary: Saved by the undercurrent
Review: The underlying current of first and true loves saved this book for me. I was disturbed by the italics, the fractured way of moving back through time, and of course the jolting end to the story. However, Anita Shreve caresses the emotions of first love with words, making me warm with remembrance.
Rating: 
Summary: Startling, very unexpected ending. Very intense book.
Review: What a thrill to read this book. The ending will leave you very startled and like another reviewer said, you will want to flip back and make sure you didn't miss something. You will think about the ending for days afterward.
This book is very well written. Lots of emotion with intense characters that you feel like you know personally. I loved this book and can't wait to read more of her work.
(I also want to say that I was extremely disappointed to read a review that a person had left that gives away the ending - WHAT A SHAME!!)
Rating:
Summary: The Last Time I was Entertained
Review: Anita Shreve's "The Last Time They Met" is a story about life and love with a startling ending that leaves the reader in shock, days after you are finished reading the novel. Shreve develops the characters of Linda and Tomas in an engaging way, allowing the reader to become emotionally attached to the characters and their love for one another.
As the story ended, I was hungry for more of the intense dialogue and themes that accent the story. Throughout the novel, I felt as though I was a part of Tomas and Linda's thirty year love affair. I am a huge fan of Shreve's writing and I was especially impressed with how the plot in "The Last Time They Met" unfolded. The intensity of Shreve's style amplifies the tragedies and events that take place throughout the novel.
If you enjoy Anita Shreve's writing style, I highly recommend reading this book as well as "The Weight of Water." I would actually read "The Weight of Water" first since it is basically an introduction into the tragic life of Tomas.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, but haunting!
Review: I thought this book was well written. It displayed wonderful emotion and scenery. I knew a shocking ending was in store, but was not prepared for what it turned out to be! It threw me off and I re-read the first section to try and make sense of it, but am still left somewhat confused. I can't say why without giving away the ending, but I will say to prepare to be jolted!
Rating:
Summary: Breathless and speechless!
Review: I finished this book just 10 minutes ago and am still in a state of mild shock at the ending.I simply hadn't realised that Anita Shreve was capable of writing such magnificent prose ! She lifts you up and floats you along on such an ethereal cloud-filmy but magically intense-so that you can literally forget where you are. I don't normally rabbit on about prose but this is very special. The story is simple and I don't want to give anything away as it would ruin the reading of the book. Girl meets boy in teenage years--they part and meet again in middle age to discover that the deep feelings they had for each other have never gone away. I suppose that most women have an old love about whom they wonder-"what if "? I gave it only 4 stars as the ending left me curiously stranded and ambivalent about the final outcome.
Rating:
Summary: An adventure to perceive in various ways
Review: The book although seemingly simple wove a very deeply and distinct variety of interpretations. Was Thomas dreaming of how life would have been had Linda lived OR did he always need her near him when he felt desperate and lonely in his life OR was it Linda's interpretation of how their journeys through life would have been as her life flashed before her in the last seconds of life. I think Anita leaves this decision to the reader. Never clearly drawing a conclusion any of these themes could be a viable one.....
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: I was extremely disappointed in this book. I thought it odd that the book was written out of sequence and stopped reading it several times. I finally finished it. After reading the ending, all I could think about was the time that I had wasted reading the book when I could have been reading something worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Shreve got tired of this book too!
Review: What a disappointment! It was like Shreve became tired of her own story and just gave up. The Pilot's Wife was great! The Last Time They Met isn't even in the same league. After finally being drawn into the story, I felt completely cheated by the ending! I've never felt compelled to write one of these reviews, by doing so this time, I hope I can save someone from wasting their time and money on this book!
Rating:
Summary: Hated this book
Review: As soon as I read the last page of this book....I was angry. I LOVED Pilots wife, so I decided to buy this book. I found it slow moving...the only time the book finally picked up for me was when I got to where Thomas and Linda met. Then it started moving along. The end of the book was for me a disappointment. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. If I hadn't turned down the corners of some of the pages....I would try to return this and get my money back. I will NEVER read one of her books again.
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