The Last Season

Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: Earlier this month, I was asked to read this novel. Being a SciFi reader, I hesitated before opening the cover and before I knew what had happened, I was engrossed. The detail of the period was great (gotta love those old V-12 Packards!) and the characters were so real that you felt true emotions for them. You can see that the author has done his research on many different levels.

Believe it or not, I had the same "can't wait to sit down and read" feeling with _The Last Season_ as I did when I read Stephenson's _Snow Crash_ even though the subject matter is completely different. For me, that is saying a lot... Good work Ronald Florence! You can't go wrong this _The Last Season_!

The only reason this is a 4/5 is that I am reserving that for the author's first SciFi novel. :-)

Rating:
Summary: Not my thing, but... !
Review: Earlier this month, I was asked to read this novel. Being a SciFi reader, I hesitated before opening the cover and before I knew what had happened, I was engrossed. The detail of the period was great (gotta love those old V-12 Packards!) and the characters were so real that you felt true emotions for them. You can see that the author has done his research on many different levels.

Believe it or not, I had the same "can't wait to sit down and read" feeling with _The Last Season_ as I did when I read Stephenson's _Snow Crash_ even though the subject matter is completely different. For me, that is saying a lot... Good work Ronald Florence! You can't go wrong this _The Last Season_!

The only reason this is a 4/5 is that I am reserving that for the author's first SciFi novel. :-)

Rating:
Summary: Good drama
Review: In 1941, the war in Europe has captured the fascination of everyone in the Newport area whether they are part of the social elite, fishermen, or members of the Naval War College. The war has forged strange relationships. For instance, naval student and son of scions, Russell Westcott III noticed the beautiful young lady watching while he was winning a yacht race. He later learns her name is Sera and she is the daughter of a Portuguese fisherman living in Stoningham, Connecticut.

While Russell decides to make a play for Sera, her buddy Jake Werth wants her to see him as a lover not a friend. However, Jake knows he cannot compete with the charismatic, win at all costs Russell even as both attend the war college. Jake's role is to be a mole, trying to uncover who is giving away war gaming secrets. At the same time, a slickster wines and dines Russell into revealing those same secrets that he figures are nothing but silly adult games. As both Mike and Russell vie for Sera's affections, their adversarial roles will force a confrontation just as Pearl Harbor is around the corner.

THE LAST SEASON is a superb historical fiction work that brings Newport into clear focus just months before America enters World War II. The lead triangle is formed quite nicely in front of a vivid and descriptive backdrop. Although Jake's morality seems too perfect, readers will fully understand the motives of him, Russell and Sera. Ronald Florence provides a fabulous period piece that thrillingly turns THE LAST SEASON into a splendid novel that will leave genre fans seeking more works such as the authors' GYPSY MAN.

Harriet Klausne

Rating:
Summary: Good drama
Review: In 1941, the war in Europe has captured the fascination of everyone in the Newport area whether they are part of the social elite, fishermen, or members of the Naval War College. The war has forged strange relationships. For instance, naval student and son of scions, Russell Westcott III noticed the beautiful young lady watching while he was winning a yacht race. He later learns her name is Sera and she is the daughter of a Portuguese fisherman living in Stoningham, Connecticut.

While Russell decides to make a play for Sera, her buddy Jake Werth wants her to see him as a lover not a friend. However, Jake knows he cannot compete with the charismatic, win at all costs Russell even as both attend the war college. Jake's role is to be a mole, trying to uncover who is giving away war gaming secrets. At the same time, a slickster wines and dines Russell into revealing those same secrets that he figures are nothing but silly adult games. As both Mike and Russell vie for Sera's affections, their adversarial roles will force a confrontation just as Pearl Harbor is around the corner.

THE LAST SEASON is a superb historical fiction work that brings Newport into clear focus just months before America enters World War II. The lead triangle is formed quite nicely in front of a vivid and descriptive backdrop. Although Jake's morality seems too perfect, readers will fully understand the motives of him, Russell and Sera. Ronald Florence provides a fabulous period piece that thrillingly turns THE LAST SEASON into a splendid novel that will leave genre fans seeking more works such as the authors' GYPSY MAN.

Harriet Klausne

Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: This is a page-turner written with style. Initially, I was attracted by the period spy plot set in 1941 pre-war society Newport. However, equally engrossing are the portraits of racing boats (and the craftsmen who create them) and pre-war ethnic Connecticut village life. Normally a speed reader, I slowed down to savor the details. The picture of "society" reminded me of The Remains of the Day, except that Florence's boat races and chase scenes are more exciting.