Last Time They Met, The

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Summary: profound
Review: As with all of Ms. Shreve's novels, this one is extremely moving. I was shocked and astounded by the characters and the story they tell. Reality finds a new and profound voice in the work of this author.

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Summary: the last time they met
Review: While the first fifty pages were difficult to understand, I soon realized that these pages revealed some of the back stories of the characaters in "The weight of water." The thrill of this discovery was fascinating. I could not put this book down. But do yourself a favor and read "the weight of water" first!

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Summary: What other reviewers have left out about this one...
Review: I don't think this book works completely without reading The Weight of Water first..that is Anita Shreve's previous book. They are really a set, to my way of thinking. The Last Time They Met follows one of the characters from that book, Thomas Janes, as he reunites with a former lover, a woman poet. Not only that, but The Last Time They Met reveals what truly happened after The Weight of Water concludes, something I truly wanted to know. While I enjoyed The Weight of Water (and you can go to that book's page to read my review of it) I have to say that I enjoyed The Last Time They Met even more, and my enjoyment was definitely enhanced by knowing something about Thomas's past. I don't think anyone can fairly evaluate this book without reading the previous one, although it could certainly be read by itself. But why water down the full experience and lessen the broader perspective of knowing both the past and the present about the people in these 2 books? I'm amazed that this hasn't been emphasized in previous reviews!

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Summary: The Last Time They Met: a Novel
Review: Disappointing! I also do not want to spoil the ending but I found it extremely contrived and not satisfying. Almost like the T.V. series that have some "strange" endings.

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Summary: I had to walk away
Review: I scoured bookstores and wanted in anticipation for this book. Unfortunately, I have to admit that this is the first book from Shreve that I had to put down and walk away from. I just couldn't get into the book. Maybe it's because I'm easily confused, I don't know. I kept finding myself flipping back between chapters trying to figure out who's who and of what significance they were to the main characters, Linda and Thomas. This book was just not what I expected.

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Summary: A powerful novel of love, loss and tragedy.
Review: Anita Shreve's latest novel, "The Last Time They Met," has three parts. It starts out with a bittersweet reunion between two former lovers, Linda Fallon and Thomas Janes, both of whom are published poets. Linda and Thomas meet at a literary festival where they will both read from their works. Now in their fifties, Linda and Thomas first fell in love in high-school, but they parted and lost touch for ten years. When they were in their twenties, they met by chance while they were both living in Africa. As the novel opens, Linda and Thomas get together to catch up on how they have spent the last several decades of their lives, and they analyze their painful past. The next two parts of the book go back in time, first to their days together in Africa, and then to the time when Linda and Thomas were teenagers in love. Shreve sets up the book like a jigsaw puzzle. We get to know Thomas and Linda, and little by little we understand how and why they made the choices they did in life. Shreve explores many themes in this book, such as how some devastating experiences can never be put behind us and how words are often inadequate to accurately capture the full range and depth of human emotion. Although the ending is shocking and unanticipated, it is also powerful and gripping. Shreve is an expert on how people, sometimes unwittingly and at other times, consciously, destroy one another and themselves.

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Summary: The Last Time they Met by Anita Shreve
Review: I have found all of Miss Shreve's books mesmerizing in some way or another, but this one hooks the reader almost immediately.Not just another "star crossed lovers" tale, although there is that,but an absorbing biography of two fascinating and talented people. Linda, who overcomes so much in her young life,deserves a love that is boundless and timeless and receives it from Thomas. Thomas's tragedies, so wholly undeserved, as are most people's,but his seem all the more so, given his loving nature and his passion for Linda. The ending, while stunning, seemed to be a cop out by the author, and left, at least this reader with the impression that she just got tired of the story and thought of a sort of "gimmick" to end it...however captivating the language...

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Summary: Shreve's dishonesty unfairly tricks the reader
Review: I too have liked several of Anita Shreve's novels. I actually liked this novel until the ending. I don't want to give it away, but it seems to me unfair to have the 312 pages that have gone before completely overturned by the final page. Writers should not set out to deceive readers unfairly. Yes, Thomas and Linda have a beautiful relationship, and Shreve writes with evocative images, a taut plot (even if a few too many coincidences), and terrific scenes--especially in Kenya. But the ending undermines all that has gone before. A huge disappointment.

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Summary: Stunning!
Review: I have loved Anita Shreve since Pilot's Wife, then went back and have read all but Strange Fits of Passion. I had been disappointed with Fortune's Rocks, but she has cerainly made it up to me with this book! One really grows to love the characters, and the only way I can describe the ending is stunning. One of the best books I've read, and I can't wait to read it again.

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Summary: The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve
Review: I'll be the first to admit, I am a big fan of Anita Shreve! I have read all of her books and had the opportunity to hear her read the first chapter of this book during a recent book tour. She peeked my interest at the book reading and I walked away wanting to know the rest of the story. Well, I couldn't put this book down. In my opinion, it is the very best of all of her novels. Definitely, a page turner and the ending was amazing. She does an excellent job of tying in little details that move from the present relationship between Thomas and Linda to the first day they met. Their relationship made me think of Romeo and Juliet in the fact that they experienced true love at such a young age. Anita Shreve does an excellent job of writing about love that can last a lifetime no matter what twists and turns a life can take. I too reread the last few pages again and actually went back and reread the beginning as well.