La última noche que pasé contigo

by Mayra Montero

Celia y Fernando deciden emprender un crucero por el Caribe en un intento de recobrar una intimidad diezmada por la rutina matrimonial. El viaje por las islas, que ocultan no obstante extraños misterios, se inicia al ritmo dulzón de los boleros. Poco a poco, el lector remonta el pasado aparentemente recatado de la pareja y, al hilo de sus recuerdos, llega a esa otra vida, infinitamente más rica y sugerente, donde las parejas suelen ocultar intensos y apasionados secretos inconfesables y, sobre todo, inconfesados. Así, las fantasías de la pareja irán haciéndose realidad sin freno alguno, hasta un exorcismo liberador que transformará sus anodinas existencias para siempre.

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2001

About the author

Well-known Cuban-Puerto Rican author and columnist.

Reviews

[PirateSteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the other reviews of this book are fun to read.
Such a wide variety of opinions.
Reviewers say it's a story of graphic midlife crisis and flamboyantly sexual.
One says this book is not distasteful or vulgar while another says it's simply a filthy, dirty book.

I will say that I think the overview written on the back cover could have done a better job of warning readers.
It only speaks of the characters and "their own heady lust". So "their own heady lust" is not my own heady
lust but I shall try not to judge. I just think readers could have been warned that they were about to get into
some perverse fetishes.

This was the first Mayra Montero written book for me. I liked her voice within.
The theme reminded me of stories written by Marquis de Sade, only better.
Remove de Sade's dislike of government and religion, then allow the story to flow.
Ms.Montero did a good job as is the translation by Edith Grossman.

[Christie (The Ludic Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last Night I Spent With You is a slim volume, only 115 pages. Translated from the Spanish, Montero’s novel tells the story of Celia and Fernando – a middle-aged couple on a cruise. Their only daughter has just been married and Fernando’s friend, Bermudez, has sagely offered this advice: “women lose their inhibitions on ships.”

Actually, it seems as though everyone does.

Both Fernando and Celia are trying to come to terms with suddenly being cut loose from the strings that tied them to their daughter and each other. Fernando, too, seems to be experiencing a bit of a midlife crisis: death is looming. As their ship sails and docks, Fernando falls into an affair with Julieta, a middle-aged passenger. For her part, Celia reminisces about an affair she’d had several years ago, when she’d been taking care of her ailing father.

Everything about this voyage is sexually charged in a way, one gathers, things haven’t been for several years between this married couple.

"At last we were alone, it was true, after almost twenty-three years of winters and vacations, springs and birthdays, when Elena had been the axis of our lives. Elena growing up, becoming pretty, becoming taller than Celia, much more slender, infinitely more flirtatious. Our daughter Elena."

The Last Night I Spent With You is graphic and the writing is – despite it being a translation – good. The characters are selfish and often behave inappropriately. It’s hard to say what they are searching for. It’s even harder to say whether, by the novel’s end, they’ve found it.

[Zaira S. Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Pero que libro! Historias entrelazadas que no te das cuenta hasta el final. Es un libro pequeño pero que tiene una historia tan bien desarrollada dentro. Recomendado.

[Reed Schwartz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much crustacean imagery.

[Charleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Now that their daughter has gotten married, this couple decides to go on a cruise to rekindle their love. As the book progresses we learn of the many infidelities this couple has committed against each other. The husband had numerous infidelities and can't seem to keep his hands of one of the passenger. The blatant display of infidelity doesn't seem to upset the wife so much anyways. To tell you the truth this book is not that good. It's literary value is diminished by how the author's portrayal of the characters. They are flimsy, not well developed and devoid of anything that makes them interesting.

[Jax · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a filthy book! like..really really dirty and not always in a good way. I guess for such a short book I wasn't really expecting it to be mostly sexually explicit, so the plot is super lost (i think it only may be about a page long anyway).

dirty.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leído en Noviembre del 2015

Le iba a poner 2 estrellas por que no me gusto para nada. Pero ese final! Las cartas durante todo el libro me tenían en intriga y ese final por dios. Pónganle ese final a cualquier libro y lo amare.

[Mariana Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro intenso pero interesante. Muy facil de leer y te mantiene leyendo hasta el final! El lenguaje erotico convierte la historia en una "posible" loca realidad en el caribe.

[rndgmoat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this slightly exaggerated work of semi-realism that explores existential angst, sexual desire, and a lot more as an older couple goes on one of the wildest cruises in literature. I'm frankly unsure how to process the constant and (from an American, post-PC culture) shocking objectification of black people by the main characters in the work (I have some theories), but other than that, it's a perfectly bizarre book that combines a lot--including some laugh out loud moments of black humor--to tell its unique story.

[Herly Sabino · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
El libro trata de una pareja que salen de viaje después que su hija se caso, y viven una a ventura por separado, y durante la historia hay flashback de unos pequeños secretitos que tiene en su matrimonio.

[Andrea Martínez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historias eroticas. Buen enlace de historias.
Personajes bien desarrollados.
Historias cortas.

[Naslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buena historia por el tercer capitulo se siente que la lectura se va como agua, maneja los personajes tan bien que haces cómplice de todos, y el final no hay forma de verlo venir muy bueno!!

[Davide Vitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quel neo tra le cosce

[Ithamar Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pasiones, lujuria, erotismo

[Marce · Rating 3 out of 5]

loquillo, no sé por qué me dio por leerlo de nuevo

[Julian · Rating 1 out of 5]

book was only 100 pages but i still did not finish lol

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Translation was great, but I wasn’t a fan of the story.

[Gian Jara · Rating 5 out of 5]

delicioso de leer, y oh dios, que final.

"no hay que saber perder, porque no hay que perderse nada de la vida"

exquisito

[Lisa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting as I didn’t read the back before buying it (I liked the cover), but it definitely wasn’t what I got and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The Last Night is a well written tale of how a marriage changes over the years, how old passions and new can affect how a couple sees each other, and how in the end, most people stay with the comfort they have always known. I enjoyed the story overall, even if it was a bit more flamboyantly sexual than my usual reads. Montero uses boleros throughout the story to link characters and scenes, over time and across peoples interactions, even as the chapter titles, which I thought was a great idea, maintaining the Latin American vibe even though very little of the story takes place there. Overall, I did enjoy the book. It was short (115 pages) and interesting, with a quickly progressing story. I did think that the ending was a bit flat after the excitement of the affairs but it really was the only way for the story to end.

While I’m not sure if it’s everyone’s style I would recommend it to anyone interested in Latin American literature or if you are looking for something new to try, it is a good (if slightly odd) place to start.

This review was originally posted at BaffledBooks

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book, the kind you pick up and can't put down until you're done. It's not the kind that leaves a permanent imprint on you but it was a great addition to my collection. It's the first novel I read by Mayra Montero and I found her writing style somewhat unique. The plot isn't what stands out, a middle-aged couple embark on a cruise after their only daughter gets married. It's not only a physical trip, but also an emotional one. The reader travels along with the couple in a dream-like state. The narration is often interrupted by letters that a character, not part of the main plot, writes to a woman. It isn't until the very end that the reader learns who this two characters are. I loved the letters very much. They're very romantic and the absolute opposite of Celia and Fernando's relationship. There are many sexual encounters that are pretty graphic but this doesn't diminish the value of the story at all.

[Juju · Rating 3 out of 5]

A middle aged couple take a luxury cruise through the Caribbean and erotic adventures ensue. Beware, this book is not for the easily offended. I found myself laughing, somewhat shocked, as I was reading this to my lady before bed. That said, I enjoyed this book and Mayra Montero seems to have enjoyed herself writing this brief, spicy novella.

[Natalie Vazquez Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

La última noche que pasé contigo fue uno de los primeros libros que leí en español, ya que quiero fortalecer mi lectura en el idioma. Aunque la historia es breve y llena de emociones, a veces me costó entenderla debido al estilo de escritura y el vocabulario que utiliza la autora, por lo que tuve que leer algunas partes dos veces. Aun así, es una historia intensa y reflexiva que deja huel

[Gabbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant enough read. It was a bit peculiar and filled with sex but not in a distasteful vulgar way. The book itself was very well written. I really liked how everything kind of came around full circle.

[Art · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hope midlife crises are not all like this. I found this very entertaining, but a little frustrating with the amount of actual scenes and their brevity. I would have liked to see a deeper involvement in one or two of the "adventures" and the twist in the end to be more explicit.

[Eddy Estrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

La verdad lo ame, es un libro muy crudo de lo superficial y lo íntimo que pueden ser los matrimonios largos, la monotonía y los escapes de cada quien a su propia isla privada. Creo no es un libro para todos pero definitivamente se convirtió en uno dd mis preferidos de este año.

[Moraima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in spanish