The Last of Something

by Susan Kelly

"A reflective, smoothly written novel. . . . The denouement is strong and affecting."— Publishers Weekly They've been friends since their college days—Shotsie, Bess, and Claire-and the twenty years since have gotten them husbands, children, mortgages, assorted body patches, one handgun, a hysterectomy, and lots of neurosis. Still, at least once a year they again have each other. And Ian.

This year, in this affecting, sly, bittersweet novel, they are gathering along with their husbands at Dune Ridge on the coast of North Carolina near the close of summer. Only this year their circle is incomplete. Because Ian—wildly irresponsible Ian, "the enigma" Ian—does not show. His young, new wife does, however, and no matter what romance Ian may in the past have shared with Shotsie, Bess, and Claire, it's the dewily beautiful Nina who is bearing his child.

For sure, a hurricane is heading menacingly their way, and neither friendship nor memory, any more than a creaky seaside cottage, can grant them safe harbor. In old stories new truths unfold.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

I've lived most of my life in North Carolina, and have set my books here, at both the mountains and the beaches. I have a BA in English from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson's Program for Writers. Warner Books published my first two novels (believe it: the first one, HOW CLOSE WE COME, won a contest and got picked up by the big boys) and Pegausus Books is my current publisher. I've had a checkered publishing past, including 5 agents, and a book that came out concurrent with 9/11... and vanished. My complete bio can be found on my website, http://www.susanskelly.com

Reviews

[Katherine Pederson · Rating 1 out of 5]

My comment: Drivel, but I read it anyway.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgia for the past and present realism aren't always the same. When we look back we want to remember the good old days, but we're they the good old days or just a hungering for what might have been. When you take off the rose colored glasses the past can put the present into perspective.

[Jo Dervan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of 4 women who were sorority sisters have been meeting annually since their college graduation in the mid 70s. The group also included Ian, another college friend who had a connection to each of the women. Twenty years later they meet for a week at the rundown oceanfront cottage owned by one of the group's family as a hurricane is headed toward the area.. This reunion is also attended by the husbands of the women as well as a Ian's new pregnant bride who is to meet him there. The women use the occasion to reminisce about their lives since college and old wounds are opened. Marital discord is exposed and they find out that their lives are very different from what they expected. When Ian first postponed his arrival and then cancels, the women are forced to see him as the person he really is, not the perfect male friend that they each knew in college.

This was a quick beach read. I enjoyed it but would have preferred more references to things like the name of the alma mater and even the year of the reunion. Without this information, I was not able to relate to the story.

[Stacie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whiny 40somethings sitting around their friend's beach house waiting for their token male friend to show up mixed with a bunch of stories about the way their life once was and what it's like now. ZZZZZZZZZ snoozeville. Plus it was overly prosey and used too many adjectives to describe things. Really did not care for this book at all.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book went absolutely no where and if it tried to go somewhere was completely predictable. I ended up skimming the last half of the book hoping something of interest was going to happen and was sorely disappointed.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was overall an easy read. You can read it in a weekend. Women in their 40's, with children and husbands can probably relate to it. At times it seemed a little whiny and you wanted to scream get on with it but it does make you think of that one what if situation from your youth.

[Lauri Rottmayer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an easy read. It was rather a downer. It seemed like the long time friends who got together annually for a reunion would have had more happy things to talk about. I sincerely figured the hurricane was going to hit them the way things were going.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book through NetGalley.

In a word, this book is dreadful. There are myriad grammatical errors and the sentences/paragraphs lack structure. In 35+ pages, nothing happened. A good editor might have made this more readable. I reached the point where I just gave up on this book.

[marylou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Been there, done that. A bit cliche.

[Julie Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept wanting something to happen.....but it never did! Had potential but really let me down. Disappointing read!

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one day (it's pretty short). It was a nice summer read, not too predictable - some plot twists I didn't see coming.