The Last Refrain

by John S.C. Abbott

Losing a record deal can be devastating for a band, especially a family band. After this setback, rock band Shiloh Red decides to head out on the road, touring the fairgrounds of the Midwest, instead of calling it quits. Through a series of miscommunications, Ken, the band’s front man, gets everybody believing that they really do have a record deal which transforms their performances, their relationships, and, ultimately, the attention they receive from reporters, disc jockeys, rock critics, and fans. Told from the point of view of various band members, The Last Refrain follows the complex relationships as the band tries to finish out their tour.

238 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2013

About the author

John Stevens Cabot Abbott (Andover Theological Seminary; Bowdoin College, 1825) was a historian, Congregationalist pastor, and pedagogical writer. With his brothers, including Gorham and Jacob Abbott, he was a co-founder of Abbott Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies in New York City.

Reviews

[Anne Wilensky · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Last Refrain' - - A riveting book covering a family's struggle for either fame and fortune or destruction. The story of a band in search of a new record deal or a path to extinction. Woven in this fast moving, hard-driving story is the theme of unrequited love, a dysfunctional family trying to maintain its balance on one last tour of the fairgrounds of the Midwest. A great summer read with great character development.

[Emilywilensky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hung on to every word as the author painted a faded portrait of a long, humid Midwestern summer and a family slowly coming unhinged. This nostalgic tale is set against a backdrop of rambling state fair midways, Tilt-A-Whirl's, townies and carnies--intricately woven together with the disparate perspectives of each member of a family that is inextricably linked by history and the band that they are each trying to figure out how to walk away from.