Last Year’s Resolution is a novel about Edmund Stovender, a famous author who falls in love with Marie, a journalist who calls him for an interview just before the performance of his hit play. Their lives accelerate through an epic adventure testing their faith, strength, and love for each other, as they discover that their story might pivotally influence the fate of the world.
Robert Lampros is an author of Christian poetry, essays, and fiction who lives in St. Louis. He earned a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. His books include Fits of Tranquility, Afternoon, Last Year’s Resolution, and Undivided Lines.
This is the second book that I’ve read from the author Robert Lampros. I did enjoy the first one more than this, but they are both good. It’s a fictional story about the days of apocalypse and post-apocalypse events from the view point of Christianity, especially in relation to the Book of Revelation. It is a short book but a good read for devoted young Christians, perhaps a warning. Though I’m not a Christian, I do believe of Jesus returning to earth during Judgement Day.
The story is about a writer whose fictional stories revolve around the matter of truth. As he faces obstacles, he finds the love of his life and finally has a child. I wasn’t expecting this, but in the middle of the book the horrific supernatural events started to unleash on earth. With the protagonist’s belief and guidance from God, he finds safety for the remainder of days. The main theme of Lampros’ book is to read because it leads someone as life goes on.
The cover is simple as always with a cloudy sky, trees with no leaves like they would appear in fall in front of a river. The protagonist Eddie appears many times looking up to the sky as he communicates with someone. One of the best lines by Lampros, “…where the moon appeared through a gap in the passing blanket, as if to say hello.” p. 20 I wonder why people look up in the sky when praying or speaking to God? Though we are told that God is everywhere, but as a Muslim I even look up into the sky for God’s presence.
Salem, who is a friend of the protagonist, prays to God about saving himself and others from the fire in the sky on page 53. If God does saves them, then thousands of people would believe in Him. I think if any supernatural things appear to any ordinary people, they would believe it no matter whether it is good or evil. I do feel a connection to Salem in the way he prays if God shows up with miracles, people would believe Him. I’m not a devoted Muslim, but I believe in God, and everything around us is a miracle by Him which we choose to ignore, forget, or just think it’s an everyday life. On a later scene, the same guy Salem, says while praying,“…because deep down, I love humanity.” (p. 155) I wish all people acted like that.
One of the best metaphors Lampros provides is the scenario of three lawnmower guys. Two were riding the lawnmowers and making straight paths while the third one was listening to music and acting crazy with his weed eater. The story and author doesn’t specifically talk about this, but when Eddie got married to Marie and they had a child together Max; Max could be Jesus resurrected in the form of a baby. It’s just my assumption and speculation, I don’t know when or how Jesus will return, only God knows that.
There are three things that I would like to talk about which Lampros has mentioned in his book, though I’m not critiquing him, but the society. First, the liquor store is compared to real life while there are stores of liquor next to churches, more noticeable in small towns and in poor neighborhoods? I don’t get this, isn’t alcohol one of the prime diseases for the destruction of families and societies. Not to say that you can’t find liquor in Middle Eastern nations and other Muslim nations. To me, both societies have been playing hypocrisy games. Secondly, the false assumption as it is in the book when people saw the fire in the sky; they thought it was terrorism first. Not all acts of natural or unnatural events relates to terrorism. Third, towards Lampros’ story line, if such apocalyptic chaos or even if it’s a natural happening around the world; I don’t think people will be calm and doing things like they usually do except perhaps praying or running blindly. Don’t forget, all the elites probably would travel to Mars (being sarcastic). Perhaps then all the religions of the world will come together…
Thank you for the book and the good reading. Mr. Lampros needs to keep writing more. I recommend this book to devoted young Christians.
I felt that this book was too simple. There was so much potential in this story line, and it was sad to see not see it in that light. This was a very simple read, the writing was a little too lacking for me as far as content and character development. I really wish that the story could have been drawn out more. I just never really got attached to this book.
I was given this book by the author to give an honest review.
Robert is a beautiful person. He has a humble and gentle soul, and it comes through in his writing.
The tempo was different than what I usually read, But I came to really enjoy it, even look forward to it... which was surprising to me as the topic of the book has haunted me from childhood. Yet, before I finished, I realized God had worked all things out for good (Romans 8:28), And I was ready and willing to have a baby, even if the end comes. Thank you Robert for helping to set me free from an old fear.
Here's some quotes from the book that stuck out to me:
"You woke me up, when I didn't even know I was sleeping, and the waking was sweeter than my sleep."
"... it's really just a stage, and what each of us does here, our work, our families, our dreams, the best part of our lives, that's what our true homes are going to be like... heaven."
"Reminds me of the end, when God's going to come back."
I read this book last year, sorry for the tardiness of the review.
I am going to re-read it, now! I've been thinking about it a lot the last few days.
First things first, I am not a Christian. Yet as a believer in God I can comprehend the underlying meaning being conveyed by the story.
The plot is about how a famous writer finds love and as circumstances change, he uses his writings to help people around him. The storyline brings in trials and sufferings with lots of biblical references. Some of the references were a bit difficult to comprehend because of lack of knowledge about the Holy Bible. However, I am sure there would be similarities in the scriptures world over. After all, all religions are different paths to the same God.
The author quotes from the Bible and many of the references have deeper meaning as well. The story does evoke lot of visual and auditory imageries. However, I felt there was a bit of disconnect at some places. May be it is my perception.
The characters have been well-defined. Yet, it could have been better. The concept appealed to me but since I am not a Christian it was difficult for me to draw parallels.
To sum up, the book is worth reading since it helps bring out the power of devotion. Notwithstanding religious preferences, belief in God does give the strength to face adverse situations.
P.S - Thank you Robert for a story that reasserted my faith in God as the supreme power, belief in whom can move mountains.
I really enjoyed this book. Besides the fact that I had to review it, I genuinely liked reading this book from beginning to end. The writing was simple and felt like a classic book I should have read years ago. The characters were well developed and the gentle romance felt sincere and really carried the story well. I don’t have any complaints about this book and I’m very glad I had the chance to read it.
First, I want to say that this book is about faith. It is Christian enough to be called Christian romance but it’s also secular enough to pass as a simple love story. One of the things I liked most about this book was that it intertwined the characters’ faith with romance and realistic events. It was a comfortable cross between contemporary fiction and love. I don’t remember when I got this review request but in the time between accepting the request and actually sitting down to read the book, I must have forgotten that it was a book centered somewhat on faith because the bits about God and the strength of the characters really surprised me.
The aspect of faith was mostly a personal thing with the protagonist. I wouldn’t call it a theme throughout the book where he acted on God’s Will and Commandments but it was definitely his driving force and that was evident throughout the book. It was subtle but definitely there.
I also enjoyed the fact that the protagonist was an author. I love reading books about characters who write books! It’s like watching a version of yourself. I couldn’t help but compare myself to the protagonist here because he was so passionate and hardworking, I always thought, do I work as hard as he does? Do I have the drive and determination that he has? I felt like I could relate to him on a deeper level, but even readers who aren’t writers will love this character. His desire to be the very best at what he does is something that anyone with a passion can relate to.
I loved the romance. It was sweet, clean, but still passionate. Those are the best kinds of romance, the kind that leads you on but never quite goes there. It left me deeply in love with the characters and definitely eager to read more. I liked the development of the relationship and the fact that it all began with a simple business related phone call. It kind of shows that anything can happen when it comes to love, especially when God is involved.
My hat goes off to Lampros. I would recommend this wonderful book to readers of all ages and faith. If you like well-developed romance and clean love stories, then this is the book for you.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Author: Robert Lampros Title: Last Year's Resolution Genre: Fiction, Literacy, Literacy Fiction,
First of all l would like to say a big thank you to Robert Lampros for sending me his book and giving me the chance to read it. I was sent this book in exchange for a honest review. I am glad this book is in my eBook library.
I would tell people to step outside your comfort zone with books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your reading portfolio even if you do not read books like this. I normally do not read books of this genre but l stepped outside my comfort zone with authors and genres l am so glad l did because l have read some many great books and come across some great authors.
I highly recommend this book to anybody.
This book is available in paperback but l got it in eBook.
Synopsis: Last year's resolution is a novel about Edmund Stovender, A famous author who falls in love with Marie, A journalist who calls him for an interview just before the performance of his hit play. Their lives accelerate through an epic adventure testing their faith, strength, and love for each other, As they discover that their story might pivotally influence the fate of the world.
Review: I found this book real easy to get in to l was hooked after reading the first page. I am really enjoyed reading about Edmund and Marie.It was great to read that Marie went from ringing Edmund for a interview to falling in love with him. I enjoy reading books about romance. Edmund writes plays and Marie writes news which makes them a perfect match. Marie is a journalist. they sound like they make a great couple. 1 can not put in to words how great this book is l would tell people to read it for themselves to know how great it really is. It did not take me long to read this book.
This book has 173 pages in which made it easy to finish in one day.
Star Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars
About The Author: Robert Lampros is an author of christian poetry, essays, and fiction who lives in St. Louis. He earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Washington university in St. Louis. His books include fits of tranquility, Illuminating sidewalks, Om-Bork, afternoon, eleven floors, what is sacred, And last year's resolution. The author is really nice.
I got this book sent to me in eBook by the author after l seen him looking for people to review his book on goodreads.
This is a short read about Edmund Stovender who is a very famous author and play-writer. Edmund falls in love with Maria who is a journalist who calls him for an interview, right around the time the apocalypse starts. The apocalypse follows the outline of the bible and sticks very close with the Bible.
I loved that aspect of religion that is followed in the book. The author stayed very loyal to the topic and never strayed. We got a full picture of what was going on in the world and what was going to happen in the end of the book right from the beginning. The author quoted Bible versus and kept everything in context. The author also did a great job creating the love story between Edmund and Maria we could see their similarities as well as disagreements in his writing.
I enjoyed Edmund as a character. He did go through a difficult event as a child, but was able to move passed it through religion. He also felt his writing was to help people find religion. I think he was a very strong lead character and had a lot of ideals that he was able to pass along through his writing. I also think that during difficult periods of time such as an apocalypse people look for outlets and his writing was an important outlet.
Things I didn't really like was the premise that events where only taking place in major cities. The fire storm was taking place in the city, but the country side was safe. I felt like it went after very highly dense places versus the entire nation or world. Edmund and Marie where able to escape to Iowa in which the apocalypse was sort of not occurring at the same rate as in other locations. It was talked about more as a back thought when they were in Iowa, but when they went back to the city it picked up again.
I suggest this as a nighttime read when you need something to take your mind off the day. This books deals with religion and the apocalypse as the major topic, but I never felt it was overwhelming to read about and had natural stopping points.
I received a copy of this book from Robert Lampros for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I was given an e-version of Robert Lampros' Last Years Resolution for review.
Last Years Resolution is a quick, thoughtful read focusing on the book of Revelation from the Bible.
We follow the early manifestations of the end of days as experienced by a famous writer. He is a God-fearing man who actually listens to God. He is not immune to the effects of some of the judgments visited on mankind, but as an obedient Christian, he is not consumed by them.
At the same time, Last Years Resolution is a love story. We witness the growing relationship between our writer and his new found lady fair.
Throughout all the turmoil, our couple maintain their love of and obedience to, God. The benefit of doing so is clear throughout the story.
I realize I'm sharing more of the actual story than I usually do. But I find it kind of necessary with this particular book.
Last Years Resolution is a well written, clean, Christian story. One of the more thoughtful depictions of a popular theme. It is not an over the top horror-fest, but it is not sugar-coated either. It portrays situations that a large portion of the Earths population believes will occur at some point in time, and shows the benefit of being properly prepared.
Last Years Resolution by Robert Lampros is a non-sensationalist telling of Biblical Prophesy. Those readers interested in such a topic will find this telling both entertaining and faith affirming. Not a bad feat to accomplish. Enjoy!
Let me first say that I received this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
I truly did not know what to expect from Last Year’s Resolution, but the story that Robert Lampros told kept me enthralled. In the beginning, it started to seem like it was a love story, or was going to end up that way, but when *spoiler* the sky turned to fire, the book took a decided turn to the apocalyptic. I did not want to put the book down from that point on, if for nothing more than to be able to see where Robert was taking it.
The description of the judgments was straight forward, but I was curious as to why a Christian would be left behind after the rapture, unless the author took a post-trib view of when the rapture was to come. Robert Lampros has done his homework on the book and the ending left if open for possible sequels taking place after the return of Christ. I would recommend the book to anyone looking for a quick read and something to keep them occupied for an afternoon as the book was only 168 pages.
This is a very well written Christian novel, with a plot running in fast pace and main theme is the apocalypse and the return of Jesus.The author did a superb job creating characters that are lovable and definitely the book is a boost to our faith. Our hero (Edmund) is a famous Christian writer and he meets his girlfriend (Marie) when she called him out of the blues to ask him about his play. When they start their relationship a series of events start happening, linked to the return of Jesus. I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers who appreciate a well written novel, very entertaining, with a strong Christian theme. I received this book from the author and I was not requested to post a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own.
A+! Really liked this book! Great writing, great story! I could've read it in just a few days but you kind of want to take your time with it and reflect on some of the passages and things that happen. I gotta be honest, I thought it'd be a goody-goody righteous type of book, but no, it's a great book, fun and exciting and even edge-of-your seat action at times. I highly recommend it! (oh yes, and thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of it, thank you!)
Enjoyable read that makes a person think ... this little story is a quick and enjoyable read that makes you think about life, love, and your beliefs. The end of days and Revelations mixed in with the story of two people who found each other in this crazy life keeps you turning pages to see what will happen next. I received this book from the Goodreads free book giveaway! thanks Goodreads and Robert Lampros for this enjoyable religious read!
A good christian fantasy book, based on the book of revelation, with a good social message of spreading positivity among the other through our work. However, I felt the book lack the details.
What would you do if the Apocalypse happens today? In Last Year's Resolution by Robert Lampros our characters live more or less normal lives through the plagues and trials. They marry, have children, all the while deepening in faith. Excellent novel. Read my full review here: http://www.morebooksthantime.com/deal...
While I enjoyed reading Robert Lampros other book, I found I had a hard time getting into this one.
The book is about Edmund Stovender and Marie. Edmund is an author who falls in love with Marie (a journalist) who initiated contact with a request for an interview.
The story follows their lives, ups and downs, and everything in between.
I received Last Years Resolution in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story. I found it easy to follow and fell in love with the characters. Love that THE BIBLE and GOD was referenced throughout.
I was given this as an additional book to the one I won.
So this story had potential. It ended up being a quick read for me. I hoped for more character development. It's the end times, but there's still time to carry on with life like nothing is happening? Not realistic, in my opinion.
I read this to write a review for the author. This story is about a couple in love and a fiction version of how the biblical apocalypse unfolds. I want to be honest to help the author without being a harsh critic but I’m not sure if I am the one that’s right to give a review. The story was short and I thought the characters dialogue was written in a childish manner. The author developed the two main characters as a young couple but I felt they were too immature.
However, Eddie’s character is a blooming writer with several novels already highly published and a play written that’s a smash hit on Broadway. Plus, his girlfriend, later his wife is a young literary reporter and their both living in New York City at the start of the story until they decide to move to a small community after to Apocalypse begins. They both have the gift of words but I felt like they were young teens in an immature conversation. Eddie I assumed was wealthy so I believe he should have been developed with more maturity. The fact that he keeps his fame and riches to himself, not sharing with the needy, animals, or charities is fine. Maybe if he did contribute to something it would have upgraded his character. I vision Eddie as a spiritual stick figure who needs personal grooming and a better personality. Eddie’s friend Salem had more character then the leading man.
Marie’s character could have used more maturity too. The scene where they get married on the flat roof of an establishment with young children and other adults even if the roof edges had some protection but it wasn’t a solid wall, it sounded like Eddie just had some kind of flimsy barrier put in place just for the wedding.
When the Apocalypse happens it doesn’t feel believable. I know the story is based on Christianity and the author has written plenty about what is happening around the people and describing what they were feeling but there were too many gaps. I think the story could be stronger if there were more scenes described and added more information to make them longer and finished to create more substance within the story. There’s two many scenes unfinished and not much is described to enhance the story. The story needs emotions, description, to fill in the gaps because as a reader I was doing too much assuming between the lines. That’s okay sometimes but not throughout the whole story.
I did like the Christian influence the story formed. Who knows the younger generation might love the novel because I would class it as, “Young Adult”. I will rate the story a three because I feel it might have an influence towards the younger generation.
This is a human interest story about a couple who fall in love as the cartoon version of the biblical apocalypse unfolds. Eddie is an emerging literary star with several well received novels and a smash hit Broadway play to his credit. He falls in love with a young literary reporter just as the first horrific events of the apocalypse begin in NYC. He and his fiancé escape to the Midwest and evolve into devotedly religious people. Eddie takes on the task of inspirational writing to help mankind prepare for the coming trials. His initiatives have a truly positive effect on those who listen and he is led by God into the desert to escape the worst of the final plagues.
This is as someone suggested, is a short story, with brief chapters, lots of white space and blank pages. The story is extremely disjointed, literally bouncing all about the place. There are a number of dead-end tangents, one where his book rights are purchased by Hollywood and another where he is unceremoniously thrown in prison. The reader is given little insight into what Eddie actually writes, only that everyone loves it. Eddie is a one dimensional, TV version of a man coming to grips with the potential demise of the world, who goes around randomly spouting religious platitudes. Although the author's version of the end times could make for strong storyline and high drama, the text here just fails to use the opportunity in any meaningful way. Overall the characters are thin and the story lacks substance. No one seems to have any serious responses to the coming end of the world. Just as the final doom is about to commence, the couple stops for Mexican food. Everyone is free to interpret the third epistle as they choose, but the author seems to ignore the reams of scholarly work about the root goals of apocalyptic literature, e.g. protecting the writer from contemporary retribution. Some attempt to reconcile these views for the sake of the story would seen in order. Overall, I would have difficulty recommending this one.
Last Year's Resolution by Robert Lampros could be better than the Left Behind series! 3 stars 275 words
Robert Lampros' Last Year's Resolution is an enjoyable quick read and guess what? Robert has written a wonderful piece of Christian romantic prose with not one single swear word, imagine that. Alas, I would not call this a novel because it is comprised of about 20,000 well-chosen words but it is a great short story, making it a great commuter read.
The cover is attractive and easy to read. The formatting is very easy on the eyes with wide margins and more than ample spacing between sentences.The texture and quality of the cover is excellent. I read this in just a few hours and I was disappointed when I got to the end; I wanted it to continue. I could imagine Last Year's Resolution becoming much more than it is, a full-length novel or even a block-buster Christian trilogy.There is so much room for additional development.
Eddie Stovender is a writer currently on top of the world, riding the waves of success. He meets and falls in love with a no-nonsense journalist, Marie Altnikov. Eddie's deep Christian faith presents him with a nagging dilemma. He sees a world on the brink of extinction and he can't help thinking that he must try to do something to prevent it. I won't spoil it for you but the events that follow are quite amazing.
Sadly, the title, Last Year's Resolution, has me a bit boggled. I don't get it. Perhaps it's in the story but I missed it.I was also confused when I walked into a coffee shop and saw Eddie drinking a beer. Do coffee shops serve beer? I didn't stay there; I turned around and left, just shaking my head.
While I enjoyed the story very much, I know it could be so much more. This would make a fantastic movie. Robert, please consider all the possibilities. This has the potential to be on par with LaHaye's Left Behind series.
I found this book to be a quick read. It is not necessarily a bad thing. Last Year's Resolution is about an author who wants to save the world through his work. There are gaps that remind me of the Bible. The main character starts off as a teenager, and then quickly jumps ahead many years. Jesus is a baby, and then he is in his thirties. It left a desire in me to want to know what happened in that time frame. There are not many details, but the message of the story is strong. There is power in prayer, and the Lord is coming. Towards the end of the book we find our character (Eddie) trying to save his family from the beasts, and plagues that have started to destroy the world. I truly wish more detail were put into what Revelations had foretold. The end of the book did answer a couple questions I had at the beginning of the book, however, it left me wanting more. If there is a sequel, I will definitely be reading it.
Despite lacking some detail, and jumping through stages of the main character's life, I found the book to be a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
"When I open a book I want to relax, not hear a bunch of religion"
If you plan on doing that, do not read this book. The whole time I feel like the author is patting himself on the back with all his greatness.
There was barely any pages on this book. The fact that he had to include excerpts on the MC's novel is such a waste? Like it didn't even add anything to the plot.
Not a 1 star because the author means well (and I'm Catholic lol).
This is a mix between romance and religion, a very clean story. Stories like this are rare and when comes around, anyone fortunate enough to read it, should. It's about a God-fearing writer, who is close to God. There becomes a conflict between love and the devotion to God, and it's a great journey for any reader. The lines of devotion may not be written but it becomes clear. The story almost has that hint of a moral within it. Highly recommended.
At first I was enjoying this book even though I will admit that I'm not a very religious person (but I do consider myself spiritual and do believe in God and Heaven). But towards the end things started to confuse me and I'm not going to give things away, but I felt like I couldn't really understand how the main character could have done what it's revealed he did and have the life he did.
This book had so much potential. The End of Days started... then it skips to the writer and a his girlfriend in the country... continuing on with their lives as if nothing is happening. So weird.
I'm sorry, my husband is a prepper and I hear him talk about this topic all the time... and nothing was described about how to live after the apocalyptic events began.
I am not exactly sure what I think. This is a quick read.I would be reading and seem to be on a good streak that made good sense and then it would veer off somewhere. Sort of like I was reading in a maze.I mean,I enjoyed the content and feel if fleshed out it could be a whopper of a book.If you can follow my thread well... I received this book through Goodreads and the author Robert Lampros.
This book was a very quick read and maybe that is why I never connected with the characters. They were very flat. There were events in the book that didn't make any sense to me. I would have given up oni the book if it had been any longer.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, but that did not impact my opinion.