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The Last Best Hope
PAPERBACK
- GenresFiction
657 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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About the author
Peter Tauber
12 books2 followersNovelist best known for "The Sunshine Soldiers" which recounted his experience in the United States Army Basic Training at Ft. BLiss, Texas in the late 1960's. Followed up with the novel "The Last Best Hope" in 1977 which enjoyed good reviews, but not the commerical success of his debut book.
Peter Tauber was born in the Bronx and graduated from Hobart College in 1968. He was a reporter for "The Geneva Times" in upstate New York and "The New York Times", to which he later contributed magazine profiles of Muhammad Ali and Gary Hart, among others, in the 1980's.
Mr. Tauber was also one of the first writers for "Saturday Night Live" on NBC television when it premiered in 1975.
Mr. Tauber died from a heart attack in 2004.
Peter Tauber was born in the Bronx and graduated from Hobart College in 1968. He was a reporter for "The Geneva Times" in upstate New York and "The New York Times", to which he later contributed magazine profiles of Muhammad Ali and Gary Hart, among others, in the 1980's.
Mr. Tauber was also one of the first writers for "Saturday Night Live" on NBC television when it premiered in 1975.
Mr. Tauber died from a heart attack in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 1, 2015
No one has reviewed this book yet, so I will. I bought my copy many years ago, when it came out in paperback back in '78, and just got around to it.
This was a Main Selection of the Book of the Month Club when it was published, which was a big deal at one time, especially for a relatively unknown author. Big hopes must have been pinned on it, but it seems to have been forgotten pretty quickly. (Is anyone aware that the Book of the Month Club is no more? It was a sort of American institution for many years, but when it disappeared a few years ago, no one seems to have noticed.) This is a big ambitious book, maybe too ambitious. The author was obviously a very intelligent guy, but he seemed to want to stuff everything he ever learned into its 700 pages. The aim was to write THE book about the sixties, and how those tumultous times affected a pair of young lovers. They are: Tyler, a young genius who's a kind of PR rep for a super-secret research facility in the Arizona desert, and Johanna, a free spirit who's unhappily married to a brilliant, conservative think-tanker, and who is, at the start of the book, writing puff pieces for the local newspaper.
The best parts of the book concern Willie, Tyler's brother, who's a grunt in Viet Nam. They are the most simply, directly written chapters. (The only people who seem to have commented on this book online are bloggers who are fans of the literature of the Viet Nam war. They really appreciated this book, though only about 100 pages are set "in country.") The long first half is mostly set in that research facility, and much scientific jargon and theory is covered. This was sort of interesting, but also sort of pretentious.
The love story is the part I liked least. A little of Tyler and Johanna's cutsey-poo pillow talk really went a long way. There is also a section about a rape trial, which seems to have nothing to do with the theme of the book, and only served to make it 100 pages longer.
The political aspects of the book were pretty interesting: Eugene Mcarthy, Bobby Kennedy and R. Nixon are all in these pages, and they, and the attitudes people had toward them at the time, all seem to be pretty accurately portrayed.
I have to say this book was not an easy read, and I kind of struggled through parts of it. I was a kid during the late sixties, so it was interesting getting this viewpoint of those times so many years later.
This was a Main Selection of the Book of the Month Club when it was published, which was a big deal at one time, especially for a relatively unknown author. Big hopes must have been pinned on it, but it seems to have been forgotten pretty quickly. (Is anyone aware that the Book of the Month Club is no more? It was a sort of American institution for many years, but when it disappeared a few years ago, no one seems to have noticed.) This is a big ambitious book, maybe too ambitious. The author was obviously a very intelligent guy, but he seemed to want to stuff everything he ever learned into its 700 pages. The aim was to write THE book about the sixties, and how those tumultous times affected a pair of young lovers. They are: Tyler, a young genius who's a kind of PR rep for a super-secret research facility in the Arizona desert, and Johanna, a free spirit who's unhappily married to a brilliant, conservative think-tanker, and who is, at the start of the book, writing puff pieces for the local newspaper.
The best parts of the book concern Willie, Tyler's brother, who's a grunt in Viet Nam. They are the most simply, directly written chapters. (The only people who seem to have commented on this book online are bloggers who are fans of the literature of the Viet Nam war. They really appreciated this book, though only about 100 pages are set "in country.") The long first half is mostly set in that research facility, and much scientific jargon and theory is covered. This was sort of interesting, but also sort of pretentious.
The love story is the part I liked least. A little of Tyler and Johanna's cutsey-poo pillow talk really went a long way. There is also a section about a rape trial, which seems to have nothing to do with the theme of the book, and only served to make it 100 pages longer.
The political aspects of the book were pretty interesting: Eugene Mcarthy, Bobby Kennedy and R. Nixon are all in these pages, and they, and the attitudes people had toward them at the time, all seem to be pretty accurately portrayed.
I have to say this book was not an easy read, and I kind of struggled through parts of it. I was a kid during the late sixties, so it was interesting getting this viewpoint of those times so many years later.
August 9, 2016
I read this book, published in 1977, because it was about events that I lived through in the very dramatic years of 1967-1970, especially 1968: Viet Nam, assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, moon walk, etc. I would give it 1 star if I were concentrating on the overblown, pompous style, full of arcane references to philosophy, baseball, chemistry, biology, mathematical models of populations dynamics, politics, etc. The characters are there mainly to discuss such things in a "I'm so smart and well-read" manner. I could also give it 5 stars if I were to evaluate how the books captures some of the feelings and events of that time from the viewpoint of passionate, idealistic-yet-cynical, well educated, searching young people. The author also uses humor and sarcasm to advantage, even in the midst of mind-numbing details. However, he excludes the civil rights traumas almost completely, which is a disservice to the era. It was an interesting read, but unless you lived through it, some of the events and people will be unknown to today's readers. A lot of them were unfamiliar to me and I had the advantage of being a contemporary of the author.
June 7, 2021
Upon its publication this novel was hailed as one of the definitive works about the Sixties. It was a maIn selection of the BOMC and has sat on my bookshelf for 44 years.
Tauber’s book is informed by his justifiable outrage and disgust with the Vietnam War and associated governmental abuses. It takes place from 1967 to 1970, culminating in the Kent State massacre. The principal character is Tyler Bowen, a gifted recent graduate of Cornell whose expertise lies in micro-biology. Tyler is drafted to serve as the spokesperson for a government lab which is ostensibly doing cancer research but is actually developing horrendous biological weapons. Tyler ultimately leaves the lab and goes to work for the Eugene McCarthy and later, the Bobby Kennedy campaigns.
At the center of the book is the romance between Tyler and Johanna, a bright and beautiful young woman of Tyler’s age.
Although serious in its aspirations and intent, the novel is unnecessarily wordy. The excess verbiage, at least to me, is not particularly illuminating. Tauber is clearly an erudite writer and very knowledgeable about the sciences; the text contains a number of clever poems and assorted musings about Unified Field Theory, etc. which are impressive in their own right. And I did find many passages right on the money. But just as often, I did not quite get the witty repartee of his characters. Tauber refers to actual events in an oblique manner which is probably difficult for readers who were not alive at the time to decipher. The overall effect is a bit excessive and self indulgent, making the reading experience tedious at times.
In the middle of the book Johanna survives a horrible abduction and rape. While his description of this event and the ensuing trial of the rapist is compelling, it seemed gratuitous and did little to advance the plot, especially since Johanna, after recovering from the initial trauma, is largely unaffected by it.
Finally, Tyler is a casualty at Kent State, a fitting if heavy-handed and tragic ending to an era.
Tauber’s book is informed by his justifiable outrage and disgust with the Vietnam War and associated governmental abuses. It takes place from 1967 to 1970, culminating in the Kent State massacre. The principal character is Tyler Bowen, a gifted recent graduate of Cornell whose expertise lies in micro-biology. Tyler is drafted to serve as the spokesperson for a government lab which is ostensibly doing cancer research but is actually developing horrendous biological weapons. Tyler ultimately leaves the lab and goes to work for the Eugene McCarthy and later, the Bobby Kennedy campaigns.
At the center of the book is the romance between Tyler and Johanna, a bright and beautiful young woman of Tyler’s age.
Although serious in its aspirations and intent, the novel is unnecessarily wordy. The excess verbiage, at least to me, is not particularly illuminating. Tauber is clearly an erudite writer and very knowledgeable about the sciences; the text contains a number of clever poems and assorted musings about Unified Field Theory, etc. which are impressive in their own right. And I did find many passages right on the money. But just as often, I did not quite get the witty repartee of his characters. Tauber refers to actual events in an oblique manner which is probably difficult for readers who were not alive at the time to decipher. The overall effect is a bit excessive and self indulgent, making the reading experience tedious at times.
In the middle of the book Johanna survives a horrible abduction and rape. While his description of this event and the ensuing trial of the rapist is compelling, it seemed gratuitous and did little to advance the plot, especially since Johanna, after recovering from the initial trauma, is largely unaffected by it.
Finally, Tyler is a casualty at Kent State, a fitting if heavy-handed and tragic ending to an era.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2020
I loved this book when it came out and after re-reading it, I still love it. It captures the era beautifully.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews