The Last Girl

by Penelope Evans

Featured BBC book at bedtime, read by Warren Mitchell.
Described by Ruth Rendell as "a remarkable first novel with qualities seldom found today: a strong story, characters that are alive from the first page, and brilliant authorial control over the narrative"
Larry Mann, a lonely old lodger in a north London boarding house, is delighted when Amanda moves in downstairs. Desperate for companionship, he brings her gifts, fixes her drinks--makes her want to like him. Amanda is too kind-hearted to hurt Larry's feelings. And when Amanda's lover begins to spend long and passionate weekends with her, Larry becomes troubled and afraid--afraid of losing her, afraid of his own dark past.
Larry is not typical of the work of Penelope Evans, he is a one off monster.
Sunday Times: The Story is tense, compelling and psychologically perceptive.
Vogue: A genuine spine chiller.
Daily Mail: A warning: don't be home alone when you reach the shocking, ghastly final chapter.
The Spectator: The best psychological thriller I've read in years. It's extraordinarily powerful, beautifully constructed, and goes deep into the minds of both the psychopath in his evil dreams and the innocent in her awful loneliness. It would not leave me………..Graham Greene would have admired this book.
Time Out: Evans has captured the inner workings of a twisted male mind with all the perception of a mind-reader….building the tension and suspense of this chilling tale right up until the last line on the last page.
Reader Review - This chilling book not only held my attention but while reading it, I bit off several nails, something I don't usually do. The story is taut and creepy. I felt Penelope Evans did an excellent job with the characters and of keeping me riveted to an unusual psycho thriller. I've been thinking of this story, and wanted to read it again, but my library doesn't carry it anymore. A shame.
For more about Penelope Evans and her books see www.penelopeevans.co.uk

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Moodycat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea of this book but it went on a little bit too much for me. Larry needed to do more sinister acts earlier in the book for me to enjoy it more, I got a bit bored half way through. The ending also fell a little short, I wasn't sure what he'd actually done to Mandy in the end as the narrative was all over. Overall an interesting concept and I liked the idea of Larry but the story plodded without enough suspense.

[C.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and reread it from time to time.

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was horrible.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read. Enjoyed the mounting tension and impending sense of tragedy. Larry’s narrative voice grated a bit at times but that really is part of the strength of the characterisation.
I would have liked a 3rd person narrator at times, perhaps just as a postscript, but maybe that would have spoiled it. Not sure.
Anyway I recommend the book to anyone who likes a psychological thriller. I will look out for more by this author.

[BarbaraNathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chilling book not only held my attention but while reading it, I bit off several nails, something I don't usually do. The story is taut and creepy. I felt Penelope Evans did an excellent job with the characters and of keeping me riveted to an unusual psycho thriller. I've been thinking of this story, and wanted to read it again, but my library doesn't carry it anymore. A shame!

[Emma]

i did not really care for it

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really strange book.

[angela pertusini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinister and seedy

In the shabby bedsit land of north London lives elderly Larry, the most unreliable of narrators. Bitter and vindictive, he becomes obsessed with Amanda, a young student who is the latest lodger to move into his boarding house. It is clear from the outset that this is not a story that is going to end well but just where will Larry's gift for self-delusion take him?

[Ingrīda Tikiņa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Viegli lasāma, bet psiholoģiski ārkārtīgi smaga grāmata, jo...šādi maniakāli tipi tiešām ir sastopami, turklāt neiedomājami rafinēti. Un šajā grāmatā - izcils portrets! Turklāt dramatiskās beigas ļoti ticamas.

[Wiebke Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a creepy book, focusing on an older man and his obsession with a young woman, with typical British turns of speech, appearing harmless in its first person narrative.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Het laatste meisje

[Carrie Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

so fun -- so creepy. A letter from a psychopath to you, the reader. I loved it.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear....the Amazon page where her name is written Penelope evans should've tipped me off. If not that then in the table of contents all the chapters are capitalised apart from sixteen.....but no, I ploughed on in. To say the presentation is lacking is a gross understatement. I paid for this and I'm pretty angry Amazon or the publisher think it's just dandy to sell a book in this mess.
Speechmarks and fullstops are lost then fullstops just appear mid-sentence as do capital letters quite needlessly. The was dropped from a sentence and bad was used instead of had.
She's decided to spell the American way too for some reason-realizes/sympathize/apologizing...
The story itself sounded pretty fascinating and brought to mind Rillington Place for me. Sadly I'll never know what happens since I've packed it in in disgust. Bearing in mind I'd only managed 17% yet found all these mistakes. It's really not good enough. I'm even reporting this one to Amazon as I'm so irritated !!

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book for 3Euros in Austria and wanted a challenge reading something in German. If it weren't for my interest in the language I was reading, I don't know that I would have finished it. It did a decent job at creating a psychological profile of a creepy stalker, but almost the whole book took place in one spot, and most of it was internal dialog. It is also fairly predictable, though you don't get to see your prediction come to light until literally the last paragraph of the book. It was an interesting idea for a novel... it's always kind of cool seeing events unfold through the eyes of the antagonist, but this was just too slow to do so effectively.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billed as a psychological thriller, I eagerly tried to get into this book. I kept reading, hoping it would get good. The last three pages rewarded my time investment. Unfortunately, they weren't enough to make me really like this book. However, I did appreciate the way the author laid out the plot line, and the ending did give me chills.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting perspective of the relationship between to tenants from different generations. Larry is controlling and possessive of a much younger lady, Amanda. He controls and manipulates their friendship in a sad and somewhat terrifying way.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

good but really creepy

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking for a cutting edge psychological thriller when I picked this book up. It was a serious letdown. I ended up throwing it away before I finished it. Serious waste of time.

[Sandy Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odd British novel.

[Yvonne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't really get ınto thıs book much. Mıght have been because I was on holıday but I dıdn't thınk ıt was very good. I hate gıvıng up on books.

[Kelaine Blades · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!