The Last Convertible

by Anton Myrer

Anton Myrer's beloved, bestselling novel of America's World War II generation is as powerful now as it was upon its publication. An immediate classic, it tells the story of five Harvard men, the women they loved -- and the elegant car that came to symbolize their romantic youth. It is also the story of their coming-of-age in the dark days of World War II, and of their unshakable loyalty to a lost dream of Camelot, of grace and style, in the decades that followed. "The Last Convertible is a gripping tribute to a way of living that immortalized the "Greatest Generation."

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, War, Classics, Historical, World War II, Novels

624 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1978

About the author

Anton Myrer, who died of leukemia in 1996, was a best-selling author whose themes were America's loss of innocence and the use and abuse of power. He is particularly remembered for The Last Convertible (1978), a summation of the American experience during and after World War II, and for Once an Eagle (1968), which traces the life of a regular Army officer and his family from before World War I to Vietnam. Orville Prescott, in The New York Times wrote of Once an Eagle: "Myrer is a superb story teller....who cares about the narrative and is a master." The Army War College Foundation, which is republishing the novel this year, describes it as "a perceptive study of the profession of arms an a chilling overview of armed conflict... Myrer forces us to smell and feel the battlefield as well as hear and see it."

Myrer also wrote Evil Under the Sun (1951); The Big War (1957), of which one critic wrote, "I doubt if it is possible to come much closer... to an American War and Peace"; The Violent Shore, (1962); The Intruder: A Novel of Boston (1965); The Tiger Waits (1973); and A Green Desire (1981). The Library has copies of all eight novels in much-read first editions and, in the case of six of the eight, in leather-bound volumes recently donated by Mrs. Myrer.

Born in Worchester, Massachusetts, Myrer grew up in the Berkshires, Cape Cod, and Beacon Hill -- all settings for his novels. A 1941 graduate of Boston Latin School, he interrupted his education at Harvard after Pearl Harbor to enlist in the Marine Corps and spent more than three years in the Pacific. He rose to the rank of corporal, took part in the invasion of Guam, and was wounded. He returned to graduate from Harvard magna cum laude and subsequently lived on the Cape, in Portugal, and at the time of his death, in upstate New York where he received books by mail from the Library

All who have read Myrer's novels know the strength and passion of his moral vision.

by Barbara H. Stanton

http://www.nysoclib.org/notes/notes4-...

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

2014- You can't go home again, or at least not always. I do so love this book, but this time through, the central device struck me as a little shopworn, the ending rushed and annoying from the standpoint that these characters are summing up their lives and they are younger at the end of the book than I am now. But the achingly nostalgic tone, the homage to the music of the protagonist's adolescence, that car, oh, that car... all of that still works for me, and will keep me coming back again and again.


2009- I tried, this time, to read this book analytically- to figure out why it means so much to me, why it looms so large in my head. I don't know that I have a rational answer- the protagonist is a Puritan, bound by duty and hampered by unnecessary suffering. His wife is presented as completely unlikeable, a martinet and a shrew. Really, there aren't a lot of characters here with whom I can identify even a little bit- but it doesn't matter. Somehow, for me, this novel exemplifies a generation. It explains things to me about World War Two, about the people who were caught up in it and changed by it, and how the sixties were born. It's a huge, sweeping portrait of a time that seems golden in retrospect. I adore it still.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ADORE this book. One of my all time favourites. I even found a hard copy version in an old bookstore on Cape Cod. Couldn't get more perfect. Such a good story, such good characters, oh how I wanted that car!! And would have taken Dal as well....he was the best.

[Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read by Anton Myrer several times and have thoroughly enjoyed it every time. I've just added it to my all-time favorites list. It tells the story of 5 Harvard men and the women they loved in the carefree years leading up to World War II where their biggest worries where the next dance of the Big Band Sounds of those days would be and who would be driving the huge, beautiful Packard convertible they called The Empress. Their lives are turned "upside down" with the beginning of WWII. It is a wonderful tale.

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never understood my dad until I read this book. This book so completely makes you feel a part of the whole pre-WWII generation and the music that kept them going despite the great depression.

HIGHLY recommended!

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorite books... When I wish to be caught up in a time that only existed for a fragile moment in lhe lives of a select group, this is one of the best to capture the experience and anguish of joy, sorrow, love, laughter, and longing all in one. (0ther books that have the same effect for me are The Best of Families by Ellen Berlin, and Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy.) I think at least one of these is probably due for a re-read soon.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! The Greatest Generation - from pre-war college days to post war readjustment; trying to make up for time lost and friends lost; finishing school, jobs, marriage, kids. A very personal yet sweeping view of the war, the homefront, swing, and friendships, seen through a small group of college buddies, thrown together, torn apart, and thrown together again, all held together by memories and a beautiful old Packard convertible called, The Empress. Makes you want to mix a stinger and listen to Glen Miller.

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as razor-sharp as Myrer’s war critique Once an Eagle, but still an interesting look both at the WWII generation and the progression of life from idealistic youth to realistic middle age. It just barely avoids being soapy in places, but is enjoyable from beginning to end.

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anton Myrer creates masterful character development in his novel revolving around Harvard students, WWII and ensuing family years filled with love, grief and personality conflicts. Following the book’s title a classic four door green late 1930’s Packard convertible nicknamed Empress is featured throughout the book providing transportation for dates, football games, Boston’s Back Bay as well as memorable jaunts to Nauset Beach on Cape Cod.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how many years ago I read this but it was passed around the office and everyone loved it, including me. However, I didn't relate to it in the same way as I'm sure I would now, now that I'm older and have a greater sense of how time works on old friendships and relationships.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book of all time

[Robert Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good novel. This is a grand sweeping epic that is reminiscent of the style of novels that were big in the 1970's. Nostalgic, soapy, melodramatic stories that seemed to be the norm. This one stands out as one of the best from that period. Tells the story of five friends from Harvard in 1940 and we see how their lives and loves play out through the second world war years and beyond. The novel incorporates wonderful old big band songs into the story which really helps to set the time and places in the novel.I really enjoyed the middle third of this book and I believe it to be the strongest part of the novel. The first third was a bit over the top dialogue wise. All that snobby and pretentious Ivy league crap (Old chum, old chap, old stick, Grog-o, Wog-o, Trog-o sheesh!). I would be surprised if people actually spoke that way. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and I swear if I listened hard enough, I could hear the big band sounds of Glenn Miller in the distance.

4 stars out of 5

[The Celtic Rebel (Richard) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time in my early 20s. It was another book in which I saw the TV mini-series version first and then sought out the book later. I loved the mini-series but the book quickly became one of my all-time favorite books.

The book captured the innocence and hopes of 4 friends who meet in college, and carries you on their journey through the Ivy League, World War II, the Big Band Era as well as the world of unrequited love. It brings home just how much World War II devastated so many lives, and how it changed and effected the relationships of friends and family.

It's a poignant, nostalgic, beautifully written novel that starts with the romanticized time of four young friends who thought they had the whole world ahead of them. The War comes and all their lives are changed; the path ahead for them is never the same. At the center of it all is their friendship and the love of that beautiful green convertible.

I can't recommend this book enough.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books.

[Zuzana Schedová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poslední kabriolet je kniha, o ktorej som nepočula, až kým som ju nedostala ako darček k narodeninám. Ide o klasický príbeh jednej generácie zasiahnutou druhou svetovou vojnou. Je to príbeh pred, počas a po vojne. Na skupine piatich kamarátov sledujeme ich bezstarostné osudy od začiatku štúdia na Harwarde a postupne tak, ako sa blíži vojna, je cítiť, že aj príbeh je stále ponurejší a chmúrnejší. A všetko je spojené jedným autom kabrioletom, ktorý postupne putuje medzi kamarátmi a na jeho stave v podstate sledujeme stav sveta a ich priateľstva. Autorovi sa krásne podarilo zachytiť emócie hlavných postáv a predať to na čitateľa. A emócie sú to hlavné, čo vám táto kniha dá. Je to príbeh jednej generácie, zachycuje vzťahy, lásky, sklamania, priateľstvo a nechá nás, aby nám postavy tohto príbehu prirástli k srdcu. Prežívate s nimi všetko. Autor si neberie servítky a zobrazuje realitu a vojnu takú aká bola, drsnú a krutú. Zaoberá sa problematikou začlenenia do spoločnosti v povojnovom období ľudí, ktorí zažili vojnu. A hlavne konflikt, ktorý v závere vznikne medzi jednotlivými generáciami. Podarilo sa mu zobraziť rozdiely v názoroch, ktoré vzniknú medzi genráciou rodičov a ich detí. Veľmi silný príbeh, ktorý mne osobne prirástol k srdcu. Mohla by som to prirovnať k svojim obľúbeným Trom kamarátom od Remarqua, podobný príbeh, atmosféra, emócie, len Poslední kabriolet nie je až taký známy. A to je škoda. Som veľmi rada, že sa mi táto kniha dostala do rúk a hneď som si ju musela zaradiť medzi obľúbené.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I laughed and shed a few tears. In the book you follow the lives of 5 Harvard men. You meet them as they are starting there first year of college. They are normal kids. Going to school, having parties and driving to football games. Then their world turns upside down when a little thing called Pearl Harbor happens.
The book spans a 30 year time period. You follow them through the war and after. Marriage & kids. It's interesting seeing how things were then. I didn't quite understand all of the movie and music references, but you catch the drift.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cape Cod, friends, war, love....I loved this book. My ex told me to read it 25 years ago. I finally found it in the storage room where all of our discarded marital furniture had been sitting for 13 years. Although The furniture was all around me, I walked out with only The Last Convertible in my hand. I remembered the way my ex had commented on the book - I could tell he was moved by it and now I understand why. The scenes, descriptions, characters, prose are unforgettable. Definitely a novel that will stay with me for many years to come.

[Stephen Dutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cannot not recommend this book because of the explicit sex scenes. The book is rated NC-17 R. Other than that it is a great story. The dance scenes are really great if you love dancing to 1940's Big Band. He really does a great job of conveying what it must have felt like as you entered into the great war after Peal Harbor.

Given my religious views on things the ending is particularly disappointing by encouraging sex without bothering with marriage, because after all, sex = love.

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up of one generation - pursuing their dreams, losing their hopes and at the end being, in one way or another, crushed by the reality. The life is not as glamorous as we all dreamt it. The realism of the book is relevant also nowadays when we are all raised being exceptional, with high expectations, but only some of our dreams might come true. The book shows us to live through the disappointments of life - and accept them. Very relevant still today.

[Tereza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, awesome, funny and sad in the same moment. From the very start I knew it will be one of my favorite books.
The book shows us THE WAR from the many many views. Story about people living through the war, about changes in their lives and personal dramas. Story full of love and friendship, danger, tension, emotions. Story about how hard is to find yourself...

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glamorous, sad, fragile, beautiful and true. Even though the second world war chapters are terrifying (and splendidly written) the weird thing is that you end up envying the characters anyway due to the Harvard years that came before that. And- let´s be honest- because of the Last Convertible, too =D.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book. It paints such vivid word pictures. The last time I read it was 35 years ago. I was afraid it might not last be up to my memory of it, but it did. So interesting to read it with the benefit of life experiences. I want wait another 35 years to read it again. Well, let’s face it. Likely, I cant😏

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while to get into this novel of some members of The Greatest Generation but once it did I was pretty hooked. The one drawback is what seemed a little tedious to start did contain multiple events that were referenced later on so I had to go back more than a few times for a quick recall. A big sweeping epic with more than it's share of tragedy but ultimately very redeeming.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book and one of my favorite novels ever. It's the story of five boys who meet at Harvard in the fall of 1940 and there lives for the next thirty-five years or so. The characters are all interesting and it is a great book to read.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure in the beginning because I felt it kinda dragged and there were too many characters to follow. But I eventually became invested in them and wanted to know what happened.

[Pavla Christophová · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read.
It's a little bit naive in some parts but so true as a whole book.

[Елвира · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this story quite encompassing. What I really liked was the monologue and self-reflections of George, especially when he spoke of and partly analyzed the entire generation whose youth coincided with WW II and the two decades after it. Indeed, there are so many characters in this book and their portraits were really fascinating. Their attitudes and inter-relationships also impressed me by being so... non-stable and multifaceted. Indeed, life can be very complicated... This book shows this sad conclusion in a beautiful way. To be honest, Jean-Jean remained my favorite person (maybe because he did not have the time to spoil this as the others did) and I despised a lot of the other characters' actions. Yet I found a lot in common with Russ and Terry.

The only thing which was too much for me as a non-American was all the slang and local jokes/modes of speech and behavior which I could not entirely grasp and which did not interest me in any way (and which I more than often skipped). But I presume this is to be expected :-)

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just splendid. I raced through it, not wanting to put it down. It covers what I think of as "The Greatest Generation" from their college years into their own children's adulthood. It is so very well written that the reader feels it all - the carefree yet angst and drama filled college days (because adolescents), then plunged into the maelstrom of WWII, then back out into a world they no longer know how to navigate, with spouses they no longer know, and the grim determined 'carry 'on' life in which somehow they have to find satisfaction. I feel I 'learned' more about being a soldier in WWII than my father ever would have shared - it wasn't fit conversation for women and children, he would say flatly whenever it came up. I also realized that the Greatest Generation didn't see themselves that way, just as doing the best they could through depressions and wars and riot. When I get a novel that frequently makes me put it down to think about it, and its relation to my own life, and the people inside it, I know that is greatness.

[Virginia Hume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this first in high school and then many times after. I am reviewing it just after reviewing Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety because one reminded me of the other. (Though Stegner is, of course, the superior writer). Like Crossing to Safety, it's a wonderful, insular story. This one os about a group of friends who go to Harvard together before WWII. Though the book traces the characters into the 1970s, it remains redolent of the Big Band era.

In my late teens and early twenties, I cited this as my favorite book.

[Baxter Clare Trautman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book in my early twenties I had to call my mother, who was the same age in WWII as the book's characters, and ask if she was really as innocent as the author made her generation out to be. She assurred me they were, which dumbstruck me, but looking back thirty years later, I think even my generation in their own cynical way was just as naive. No matter the age, innocence is a function of youth, and Myrer captured that. I recently reread it for the historical content and wasn't nearly as impressed as I was thirty years ago.

[Jim B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by a dear friend as a book that captured college life and the experience of the Greatest Generation, the students who left college to fight in World War II. The story covers up to the time when the next generation goes to Viet Nam.

The story revolves around "The Fusiliers" a group of friends from Harvard and "The Empress" a green Packard Super 8 convertible, passed back and forth to each other. Various degrees of happiness in relationships and success in life are described in realistic fashion.