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One Last Glimpse
A novel about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway and a 1929 travel through France.
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
4 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
James Aldridge
69 books31 followersFrom Wikipedia: Harold Edward James Aldridge is a multi-award winning Australian author and journalist whose World War II despatches were published worldwide and formed the basis of several of his novels, including the prize-winning The Sea Eagle about Australian troops in Crete.
Aldridge was born in White Hills, a suburb of Bendigo, Victoria. By the mid 1920s the Aldridge family had moved to Swan Hill, and many of his Australian stories are based on his life growing up there. Aldridge moved to London in 1938; he currently lives in Battersea, South West London.
The stories that are based on the real living conditions of his hometown of Swan Hill include his 1995 Children's Book Council of Australia book of the year "The True Story of Lilli Stubeck", one of his St Helen series of children's books. He lived in Cairo for many years, writing several books about the Middle East, including "Cairo - Biography of a City" and the novels "The Diplomat" and "Heroes of the Empty View". His 1973 children's novel "A Sporting Proposition" was adapted for the 1975 Disney film "Ride a Wild Pony".
Aldridge was born in White Hills, a suburb of Bendigo, Victoria. By the mid 1920s the Aldridge family had moved to Swan Hill, and many of his Australian stories are based on his life growing up there. Aldridge moved to London in 1938; he currently lives in Battersea, South West London.
The stories that are based on the real living conditions of his hometown of Swan Hill include his 1995 Children's Book Council of Australia book of the year "The True Story of Lilli Stubeck", one of his St Helen series of children's books. He lived in Cairo for many years, writing several books about the Middle East, including "Cairo - Biography of a City" and the novels "The Diplomat" and "Heroes of the Empty View". His 1973 children's novel "A Sporting Proposition" was adapted for the 1975 Disney film "Ride a Wild Pony".
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 4, 2023
Не мога да се нарека почитател на Скот Фицджералд (чела съм само “Великия Гетсби и не ми хареса особено) и Ърнест Хемингуей (познавам бегло творчеството му и нямам сформирано твърдо мнение), но определено романа ме заинтригува и ще прочета още и от двамата.
“Един последен поглед” насочва прожектора към отношенията между Фицджералд и Хемингуей. Не знам дали приятелство е точната дума за това, което проследих из страниците на книгата. Според мен по-скоро желание за себедоказване, състезание, порив да блеснеш. Стила на Олдридж е изчистен, без претенции. Страниците летяха неусетно. Много обичам да чета истории за писатели, художници, изобщо хора на изкуството, от началото на миналия век. Носят ми огромна наслада.
Идеален старт за първите дни на книжната година след предозирането със шампанско в новогодишната нощ.
Книгата ме намери абсолютно случайно. Ася, благодаря ти! Не ми беше попадала в полезрението до този момент.
В мен се затвърждава усещането, че издателство *Ентусиаст* има много интересен каталог и подхожда смело съм заглавия, които не са по вкуса на масовия читател и е ясно, че няма да пожънат хитов успех, но са фини, елегантни, естетски.
“Един последен поглед” насочва прожектора към отношенията между Фицджералд и Хемингуей. Не знам дали приятелство е точната дума за това, което проследих из страниците на книгата. Според мен по-скоро желание за себедоказване, състезание, порив да блеснеш. Стила на Олдридж е изчистен, без претенции. Страниците летяха неусетно. Много обичам да чета истории за писатели, художници, изобщо хора на изкуството, от началото на миналия век. Носят ми огромна наслада.
Идеален старт за първите дни на книжната година след предозирането със шампанско в новогодишната нощ.
Книгата ме намери абсолютно случайно. Ася, благодаря ти! Не ми беше попадала в полезрението до този момент.
В мен се затвърждава усещането, че издателство *Ентусиаст* има много интересен каталог и подхожда смело съм заглавия, които не са по вкуса на масовия читател и е ясно, че няма да пожънат хитов успех, но са фини, елегантни, естетски.
November 24, 2021
Хемингуей&Фицджералд Light.
В тази измислена, но далеч не недостоверна история Ърнест и Скот хвърлят един последен поглед към себе си - такива, каквито са били преди да се отправят към легендата, (само)заблудата и замръзналата вечна литературна слава. Франция през 1929 г. е идеалният декор, а снимките в изданието на L’Europeo в комплект с изисканата и интригуваща малка книжка с биографични очерци за тези две изтерзани души само допълват атмосферата.
Нямам слабост към нито един от тези двама представители на изгубеното поколение, но Олдрич е успял ненатрапчиво и елегантно да постави доста въпроси за приятелството, смисъла на живота, любовта и творчеството, както и изборът как да живеем със страховете си и с околните.
⭐️3,5 звезди⭐️
В тази измислена, но далеч не недостоверна история Ърнест и Скот хвърлят един последен поглед към себе си - такива, каквито са били преди да се отправят към легендата, (само)заблудата и замръзналата вечна литературна слава. Франция през 1929 г. е идеалният декор, а снимките в изданието на L’Europeo в комплект с изисканата и интригуваща малка книжка с биографични очерци за тези две изтерзани души само допълват атмосферата.
Нямам слабост към нито един от тези двама представители на изгубеното поколение, но Олдрич е успял ненатрапчиво и елегантно да постави доста въпроси за приятелството, смисъла на живота, любовта и творчеството, както и изборът как да живеем със страховете си и с околните.
⭐️3,5 звезди⭐️
September 12, 2023
Scott naeris pisut hüsteeriliselt. Ta tōmbas kaabu peast, kägardas selle nutsakusse, viskas ōhku ja virutas jalahoobiga jōkke «Sinus, Ernest, ei ole vähem naist kui minus,» ütles ta. «Igas mehes on ju naine peidus. Sina reedad seda sellega, et näed tohutult vaeva oma tohutu mehelikkuse tōestamisega. Aga miks me peaksimegi seda varjama, kui igas vähegi korralikus kirianikus on midagi naiselikku, küll silmaripsmetes, küll juustes, ninas ja isegi suguelundites. Kui asi oleks teisiti, Ernest, siis sa ei oskaks ju sellest kirjutada. Meis kōigis on naine varjul, seitsme, vōib-olla kaheksa loori taga. Ja igatahes, kui mina joon nagu naine, siis sina, tont vōtku, tülitsed nagu naine, Just sellepärast sa ei suudagi kunagi tōsiselt armastada tōelist naist. Sa isegi ei tea, mida naine endast kujutab.»
Fantast lugemine!
Fantast lugemine!
June 8, 2023
Глупава, безсмислена, зле написана и обидна към хората, които намесва.
May 30, 2017
Приятелството - лесно постижимо ли е то?
Цялото ревю тук: https://seasonsofaya.wordpress.com/20...
Чуди ли ли сте се дали приятелството просто се случва? Всички знаем, че се налагат компромиси, но в какво количество? "Един последен поглед" от Джеймс Олдридж е книгата, която дойде в точния момент при мен, и ще ви накара да се замислите за доста неща: дали си заслужава, какво коства и всъщност колко различен е всеки човек, с когото общувате.
В книгата се срещаме с емоционалната стихия Фицджералд-Хемингуей. Решили да разрешат поредния литературен спор, те предприемат пътуване от Париж до Фужер, за да видят кой прав, кой крив. Но вътрешно и двамата знаят, че не отиват за спора. Връхлетялата ги слава ги превръща в нещо друго, различно от тяхното аз, което би попречило не само на техните отношения, а и на целия им живот.
"Един последен поглед" е книга за различията, за приятелството и изпитанията, през които преминава всеки от нас. А стила на Джеймс Олдридж се лее леко по страниците и неусетно се оказва, че вече сте прочели книгата.
Цялото ревю тук: https://seasonsofaya.wordpress.com/20...
Чуди ли ли сте се дали приятелството просто се случва? Всички знаем, че се налагат компромиси, но в какво количество? "Един последен поглед" от Джеймс Олдридж е книгата, която дойде в точния момент при мен, и ще ви накара да се замислите за доста неща: дали си заслужава, какво коства и всъщност колко различен е всеки човек, с когото общувате.
В книгата се срещаме с емоционалната стихия Фицджералд-Хемингуей. Решили да разрешат поредния литературен спор, те предприемат пътуване от Париж до Фужер, за да видят кой прав, кой крив. Но вътрешно и двамата знаят, че не отиват за спора. Връхлетялата ги слава ги превръща в нещо друго, различно от тяхното аз, което би попречило не само на техните отношения, а и на целия им живот.
"Един последен поглед" е книга за различията, за приятелството и изпитанията, през които преминава всеки от нас. А стила на Джеймс Олдридж се лее леко по страниците и неусетно се оказва, че вече сте прочели книгата.
April 6, 2025
Глупава книга, повърхностна, без вътрешна логика, безсъдържателна, съшита от клишета и кухи гръмки изявления. Сюжет няма, повтаря се едно и също, обещаният литературен спор се изчерпва на 3 страници и след това е забравен. Постоянното настояване колко велики са Хенингуей и Фицджералд и колко колосално важно и мъжкарско е противоборството им е колкото досадно, толкова и смешно. Размислите им за живота са взети от стандартния репертоар на редовните клиенти на коя да е провинциална кръчма - просто двама пияни дървени философи. Макар че ако трябва да сън честна, аз точно така си представям Хемингуей и без това...
Единствените две смислени реплики - за вечния стремеж да се върнем в младостта - са изречени от Зелда, та това поне е реалистично.
Общо взето скучна хоморомантична история, в която героите са двамата известни писатели единствено за привличане на вниманието. Аз се вързах. Вие не правете тази грешка.
Единствените две смислени реплики - за вечния стремеж да се върнем в младостта - са изречени от Зелда, та това поне е реалистично.
Общо взето скучна хоморомантична история, в която героите са двамата известни писатели единствено за привличане на вниманието. Аз се вързах. Вие не правете тази грешка.
May 28, 2025
"Aga meie teised armastame ainult seda, kes me ise kunagi olime. Selles me häda ongi, Kutt. Me kõik oleme kohutavalt hirmul, et midagi meist läheb vähehaaval kaduma. Ja läinut enam tagasi ei saa. Mitte kunagi, Kutt."
Vaga vesi, sügav põhi the book. Aga väga meeldis.
Vaga vesi, sügav põhi the book. Aga väga meeldis.
August 2, 2017
4-тата звезда заради последните 20 страници... иначе историята за драмите между Хемингуей и Фицджералд ми се стори доста скучна и малко нелепо разказана... Предпочитам да си остана със спомена от единствената книга на Хемингуей, която успях да прочета (без бой), където той казва, че талантът на Фицджералд е като цветния прашец по крилете на пеперудата, който алкохолът съсипва... нещо в този дух...
Ето го:
"His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly’s wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later he became conscious of his damaged wings and of their construction and he learned to think and could not fly any more because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless."
Ето го:
"His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly’s wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later he became conscious of his damaged wings and of their construction and he learned to think and could not fly any more because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless."
July 26, 2014
Объркваща книга. Дълбока и в тази дълбочина ужасно тъжна. За изкушени да "видят", себе си включително. Изисква смелост.
December 12, 2020
Personally, I like book titles to mean something. Thus, the inevitable question that pops into my mind with this particular title is: one last glimpse of what? As all good authors do, James Aldridge is leaving it to readers to answer the question as they reach the end of the book. Is it one last glimpse of the French countryside on an ill-fated road trip? Or one last glimpse at what it means to fall in love? Or one last glimpse of the volatile, fractious dynamic between two of the most important writers of the twentieth century, namely, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway?
The title in this case almost doesn’t matter, for this fabulous fictionalized account of a road trip taken by Fitzgerald and Hemingway in 1929 France is a fast and highly-entertaining read. The first-person narrator is a 19-years-and-two-months old, unworldly Australian, who, to kill time before beginning a job at a London newspaper, ends up accompanying Fitzgerald and Hemingway on a whimsical road trip to Fourgères to settle an argument about who was a better author—Honoré de Balzac, favored by Fitzgerald, or Victor Hugo, Hemingway’s pick.
A fourth person in the form of beautiful, 18-year-old Bo Mannering also accompanies the three men. Though Fitzgerald and Hemingway seem to be weirdly drawn to one another, they do nothing but quarrel the whole time. Their natures and temperaments are completely different. Hemingway accuses Fitzgerald’s writing of being too poetic; Fitzgerald fires back that Hemingway is a reporter rather than a writer. Hemingway is brawny and favors the action of hunting and shooting; Fitzgerald is a fragile alcoholic. They are constantly driven to pit their wits against one another.
And yet, the underlying motivation of their mutual hostility seems to be a desire to make the other a better person. Despite this being a fictionalized account, Aldridge, through his narrator Kit, has readers scarcely doubting that this Is exactly how Fitzgerald and Hemingway were. Naturally, all three men fall in love with Bo, who has her own reasons for taking this trip. She herself seems on the brink of some kind of self-discovery.
Sudden tragedy puts an end to the trip, and even though the writers’ destination was reached, that is more than can be said for the resolution of their initial dispute. At the beginning and end of the book, readers also encounter Zelda and Hadley, wives of Fitzgerald and Hemingway respectively, as well as wealthy expatriates Gerald and Sara Murphy. Aldridge has written a short but precious gem of a book, and during this reviewer’s consumption of any future nonfiction works on these legendary authors, it will be unavoidable to fondly recall One Last Glimpse.
The title in this case almost doesn’t matter, for this fabulous fictionalized account of a road trip taken by Fitzgerald and Hemingway in 1929 France is a fast and highly-entertaining read. The first-person narrator is a 19-years-and-two-months old, unworldly Australian, who, to kill time before beginning a job at a London newspaper, ends up accompanying Fitzgerald and Hemingway on a whimsical road trip to Fourgères to settle an argument about who was a better author—Honoré de Balzac, favored by Fitzgerald, or Victor Hugo, Hemingway’s pick.
A fourth person in the form of beautiful, 18-year-old Bo Mannering also accompanies the three men. Though Fitzgerald and Hemingway seem to be weirdly drawn to one another, they do nothing but quarrel the whole time. Their natures and temperaments are completely different. Hemingway accuses Fitzgerald’s writing of being too poetic; Fitzgerald fires back that Hemingway is a reporter rather than a writer. Hemingway is brawny and favors the action of hunting and shooting; Fitzgerald is a fragile alcoholic. They are constantly driven to pit their wits against one another.
And yet, the underlying motivation of their mutual hostility seems to be a desire to make the other a better person. Despite this being a fictionalized account, Aldridge, through his narrator Kit, has readers scarcely doubting that this Is exactly how Fitzgerald and Hemingway were. Naturally, all three men fall in love with Bo, who has her own reasons for taking this trip. She herself seems on the brink of some kind of self-discovery.
Sudden tragedy puts an end to the trip, and even though the writers’ destination was reached, that is more than can be said for the resolution of their initial dispute. At the beginning and end of the book, readers also encounter Zelda and Hadley, wives of Fitzgerald and Hemingway respectively, as well as wealthy expatriates Gerald and Sara Murphy. Aldridge has written a short but precious gem of a book, and during this reviewer’s consumption of any future nonfiction works on these legendary authors, it will be unavoidable to fondly recall One Last Glimpse.
June 20, 2017
Не е от четивата, които попадат в моите полета на интереси, но въпреки това ми хареса.
А повече можете да намерите тук - http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2017/06/...
(Любезно предоставено от друг Книгоядец)
А повече можете да намерите тук - http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2017/06/...
(Любезно предоставено от друг Книгоядец)
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November 25, 2023“Ehkki minuga juhtus hiljem hullematki, oli see esimene päev nagu mingil määral ettevalmistuseks järgnevale, sest kohe algusest paistis, et Scott ja Hemingway püüavad teineteisel moraalses mõttes kõrist kinni haarata.”
August 20, 2024
Raamat teisele ajastule ja teistsugustele inimestele. Raamatu puhul oli raske vastata küsimusele miks ma seda loen ja mida ma selle lugemisest saan.
November 21, 2013
„Всички очаквахме нещо и бяхме по средата на предстоящи вътрешни преврати, почти оформени (поотделно) във всеки един от нас. Всички ние се канехме да предизвикаме боговете.”
_ _ _ _ _
– В хотела ми казаха, че преди шест дни минал някакъв американец – Хофмайстер, който търсел друг американец – Смит. – Бо се засмя и извика келнера. – Интересно кои ли са били пък тия…
– Известни акробати – рече Скот. – Хофмайстер и Смит. Хемингуей и Фицджералд. Елиът и Паунд. Известни на хората от цял свят. От петте континента. Бо – продължи той, - искам само два пръста джин. Не повече.
– Още ли не си пил? – попита Бо.
– Нито капчица. Честна дума. Питай Кит.
Бо не попита Кит. Дори с поглед не ме удостояваше. Беше се съсредоточила върху Скот, а когато Бо се държеше с някого по този начин, то тя почти не забелязваше другите около себе си.
Поръча някакъв pot-au-feu, а Скот си поръча питието. Докато чакахме да ни сервират, Бо ни остави за момент, за да си измие ръцете (така ни каза). Но ние се досетихме, че отново отиде да търси Хемингуей. Гледахме я как върви със стегнатата си, лека, почти подтичваща походка – така вървеше винаги, когато бързаше за някъде.
– Знаеш ли, Кит, че сексът е единственото смислено божие дело? – попита ме Скот. – Знаеш ли, а?
Отговорих му отрицателно. « Не го знаех »
– Мен са ме учили, че е измислица на дявола.
– Погрешно и безбожно схващане – каза Скот. – Протестантска лъжа! {…}
Бо се появи и ние се загледахме в нея. За миг тя бе напълно непресторена и това, което Скот и аз – с невиждащите си очи – видяхме, бе едно целомъдрено, съвършено, удивително-самовглъбено момиче, което бе сякаш неземно и истински одухотворено. Имаше малък бюст, овално английско лице, мека момичешка коса, ярко червени устни и изтънени вежди. И двамата си мислехме за секс, когато Скот ми прошепна:
– Не е възможно да не се влюбиш в Бо. Тези прекрасни английски крака! Боже господи, откъде е взела всичко това?
Всъщност истинското име на Бо Манеринг беше Селест, но някой в колежа, на нечия вила, някой близък или приятел я нарекъл със звучното Бо Селест, след което си останала просто Бо. Не познавах човек като нея. Но, така или иначе, никога не бях сигурен за каквото и да е, което я засягаше.
Единственото момиче на земята, изтъкано от плът и прецизност.
_ _ _ _ _
– В хотела ми казаха, че преди шест дни минал някакъв американец – Хофмайстер, който търсел друг американец – Смит. – Бо се засмя и извика келнера. – Интересно кои ли са били пък тия…
– Известни акробати – рече Скот. – Хофмайстер и Смит. Хемингуей и Фицджералд. Елиът и Паунд. Известни на хората от цял свят. От петте континента. Бо – продължи той, - искам само два пръста джин. Не повече.
– Още ли не си пил? – попита Бо.
– Нито капчица. Честна дума. Питай Кит.
Бо не попита Кит. Дори с поглед не ме удостояваше. Беше се съсредоточила върху Скот, а когато Бо се държеше с някого по този начин, то тя почти не забелязваше другите около себе си.
Поръча някакъв pot-au-feu, а Скот си поръча питието. Докато чакахме да ни сервират, Бо ни остави за момент, за да си измие ръцете (така ни каза). Но ние се досетихме, че отново отиде да търси Хемингуей. Гледахме я как върви със стегнатата си, лека, почти подтичваща походка – така вървеше винаги, когато бързаше за някъде.
– Знаеш ли, Кит, че сексът е единственото смислено божие дело? – попита ме Скот. – Знаеш ли, а?
Отговорих му отрицателно. « Не го знаех »
– Мен са ме учили, че е измислица на дявола.
– Погрешно и безбожно схващане – каза Скот. – Протестантска лъжа! {…}
Бо се появи и ние се загледахме в нея. За миг тя бе напълно непресторена и това, което Скот и аз – с невиждащите си очи – видяхме, бе едно целомъдрено, съвършено, удивително-самовглъбено момиче, което бе сякаш неземно и истински одухотворено. Имаше малък бюст, овално английско лице, мека момичешка коса, ярко червени устни и изтънени вежди. И двамата си мислехме за секс, когато Скот ми прошепна:
– Не е възможно да не се влюбиш в Бо. Тези прекрасни английски крака! Боже господи, откъде е взела всичко това?
Всъщност истинското име на Бо Манеринг беше Селест, но някой в колежа, на нечия вила, някой близък или приятел я нарекъл със звучното Бо Селест, след което си останала просто Бо. Не познавах човек като нея. Но, така или иначе, никога не бях сигурен за каквото и да е, което я засягаше.
Единственото момиче на земята, изтъкано от плът и прецизност.
January 3, 2018
Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I'm a little bit obsessed with F. Scott Fitzgerald. All aspects of him fascinate me, from his works to his toxic marriage to his slightly bizarre and kind-of homoerotic (in my opinion, at least) friendship with Ernest Hemingway. Therefore, when I discovered that this book - a dramatisation of their famous road trip through France which Hemingway describes in A Moveable Feast - existed, I almost screamed with joy. There were so many things that I wanted and expected from this book. I was craving a melodramatic Scott and a Hemingway who appears gruff to disguise his vulnerability and wisecracking appearances from my beloved Zelda and possibly a little bit of mild banterous flirtation. Seriously, I had a mental checklist of all the things I wanted to see in One Last Glimpse... yet, unfortunately, barely any of them were ticked off when I got around to reading it. And that was crushingly disappointing for me. I mean, it's not like One Last Glimpse is a bad book. Whilst it's no literary masterpiece, it has its moments, and it's good fun. It just could have offered so much MORE than it did. No literary friendship has more potential for exploitation than Fitzgerald's with Hemingway and yet Aldridge decided to produce... this? Honestly, it's quite gutting. I'm contemplating writing Scott/Hem fanfiction of my own to get over the disappointment. That's how strongly I feel about this.
Whilst the use of a first-person narrator who observes the actions of the main characters from a slight distance is undeniably Fitzgeraldian and therefore quite a clever idea, I don't think it worked in One Last Glimpse like it worked in The Great Gatsby or even the confusingly constructed draft of The Last Tycoon. The circumstances which led Kit to joining Hemingway and Fitzgerald were sketchy to say the least, and there really wasn't enough about Kit to make me care for him. He had no reason to be there. No. Reason. For the first part of the book, I kind of let his uninteresting personality and general uselessness slide because he was in the background, but then, as the chapters flew by, the narrative became increasingly about Kit and I just DID NOT CARE. To the surprise of no one at all, not least Aldridge, I did not pick up this book because of a burning desire to read about some Australian kid called Kit!!! So stop shoving Kit down my throat and give me the portrait of two literary icons I signed up for!! That shouldn't be such an outrageous thing to ask for in a book with this premise! Siiiiiiiiigh.
The love square/triangle/hexagon thing was also supremely unnecessary and kind of gross, to be honest. I will be the first to acknowledge that neither Fitzgerald nor Hemingway was a good husband. They were also both far from being feminists. Every time I read a Hemingway novel I'm struck by the incredible misogyny of it all and, whilst my view of Fitzgerald's female characters is that the majority of them are strong and complex and fascinating, there are definitely sexist tendencies in his works too. That doesn't mean that someone had to come along and write a novel about Hemingway and Fitzgerald being embroiled in a fight over some woman called Beau with some random Australian kid. Beau, like Kit, was largely irrelevant. It was so obvious that she was only there to be the love interest... because obviously what every novel needs is some enforced heterosexuality!! The objectification of Beau and the possessiveness all three men showed towards her when THEY BARELY EVEN KNOW HER was deeply uncomfortable. And THEN there was that bit when Scott panics after Hemingway and Beau go off into the woods together in case Hemingway takes the opportunity to rape her. Like??? This isn't even a love triangle; it's three men inappropriately chasing a manic pixie dream girl without the smallest regard for the impact this has on her. I was not interested in the 'romance' plot in the slightest and I 100% believe this book would have been so much better without it. If Aldridge was so desperate to fill his narrative with romantic drama, he had a goldmine of material to draw on in the shapes of Hadley and Zelda. But no. We bring in a sexy young female character that all three men can fight over. Why did I ever expect anything else from a 1970s novel written by a male author?
There were other, smaller things that bothered me about One Last Glimpse too. For one thing, it bears no resemblance to A Moveable Feast, which is supposedly its source material. For another thing, Hemingway is largely anonymous for much of this narrative, which is odd considering that he's one of the main characters. It came across pretty clearly to me that Aldridge was a bigger fan of Fitzgerald than Hemingway, which is obviously something I 100% agree with him on, but that doesn't give him license to not develop Hemingway as a character in a narrative largely ABOUT Hemingway. Then, finally, there was the naming. Why oh why did every single character (in dialogue AND in narration) have to refer to Fitzgerald as 'Scotty'? It was annoying, and, considering that Scottie was his daughter's name (who is weirdly absent from this novel, now that I think about it), I doubt that it was a nickname that he actually went by. The inconsistencies when it came to referring to Hemingway were annoying too. Whilst Fitzgerald was almost universally Scott or Scotty, Hemingway was sometimes Ernest and sometimes Hemingway, with characters often swapping between the two. That's only a tiny thing, but it got on my nerves a bit, hence, in a book which I wanted to be perfect, it felt worth mentioning.
HOWEVER, despite all this, I did actually like some things about One Last Glimpse! I thought that the characterisation of Fitzgerald was pretty spot on. This was probably my favourite fictionalised version of Fitzgerald that I've read before, which, given how particular I am about the way he's characterised (see: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald), is high praise coming from me. Aldridge definitely delivered in the melodrama stakes too, which is always appreciated. Despite his anonymity through large stretches of the text, I liked Hemingway for the most part. Given how easy it would be to characterise him as a complete asshole, that's an achievement. Then, of course, I have to spend a moment on my beloved Zelda Fitzgerald. Zelda is shamefully underused in this novel, but whenever, she appears, she sparkles. Her language is evocative and witty, and Aldridge's use of foreshadowing through her is GOLDEN. This book would have been a whole lot better with more Zelda in it. But, then, so would the history of American literature. That's a rant for another day though.
I think that perhaps I set my expectations unrealistically high for One Last Glimpse. I was so fixated on the type of Hemingway/Fitzgerald story that I would write that I maybe overlooked the fact that someone else was bound to tell a different story. Regardless of my personal bias, though, I really do think that this book had the potential to be way more interesting than it was. What Aldridge goes for is quite a conventional, distracted narrative, which baffles me considering that both of these writers lived craaaaaazy lives which hardly needed unnecessary love triangles added in. One Last Glimpse is largely an opportunity wasted, in my humble opinion. Perhaps I really will have to take to writing fanfiction to get my own interpretations of this most fascinating of literary friendships out into the world.
Whilst the use of a first-person narrator who observes the actions of the main characters from a slight distance is undeniably Fitzgeraldian and therefore quite a clever idea, I don't think it worked in One Last Glimpse like it worked in The Great Gatsby or even the confusingly constructed draft of The Last Tycoon. The circumstances which led Kit to joining Hemingway and Fitzgerald were sketchy to say the least, and there really wasn't enough about Kit to make me care for him. He had no reason to be there. No. Reason. For the first part of the book, I kind of let his uninteresting personality and general uselessness slide because he was in the background, but then, as the chapters flew by, the narrative became increasingly about Kit and I just DID NOT CARE. To the surprise of no one at all, not least Aldridge, I did not pick up this book because of a burning desire to read about some Australian kid called Kit!!! So stop shoving Kit down my throat and give me the portrait of two literary icons I signed up for!! That shouldn't be such an outrageous thing to ask for in a book with this premise! Siiiiiiiiigh.
The love square/triangle/hexagon thing was also supremely unnecessary and kind of gross, to be honest. I will be the first to acknowledge that neither Fitzgerald nor Hemingway was a good husband. They were also both far from being feminists. Every time I read a Hemingway novel I'm struck by the incredible misogyny of it all and, whilst my view of Fitzgerald's female characters is that the majority of them are strong and complex and fascinating, there are definitely sexist tendencies in his works too. That doesn't mean that someone had to come along and write a novel about Hemingway and Fitzgerald being embroiled in a fight over some woman called Beau with some random Australian kid. Beau, like Kit, was largely irrelevant. It was so obvious that she was only there to be the love interest... because obviously what every novel needs is some enforced heterosexuality!! The objectification of Beau and the possessiveness all three men showed towards her when THEY BARELY EVEN KNOW HER was deeply uncomfortable. And THEN there was that bit when Scott panics after Hemingway and Beau go off into the woods together in case Hemingway takes the opportunity to rape her. Like??? This isn't even a love triangle; it's three men inappropriately chasing a manic pixie dream girl without the smallest regard for the impact this has on her. I was not interested in the 'romance' plot in the slightest and I 100% believe this book would have been so much better without it. If Aldridge was so desperate to fill his narrative with romantic drama, he had a goldmine of material to draw on in the shapes of Hadley and Zelda. But no. We bring in a sexy young female character that all three men can fight over. Why did I ever expect anything else from a 1970s novel written by a male author?
There were other, smaller things that bothered me about One Last Glimpse too. For one thing, it bears no resemblance to A Moveable Feast, which is supposedly its source material. For another thing, Hemingway is largely anonymous for much of this narrative, which is odd considering that he's one of the main characters. It came across pretty clearly to me that Aldridge was a bigger fan of Fitzgerald than Hemingway, which is obviously something I 100% agree with him on, but that doesn't give him license to not develop Hemingway as a character in a narrative largely ABOUT Hemingway. Then, finally, there was the naming. Why oh why did every single character (in dialogue AND in narration) have to refer to Fitzgerald as 'Scotty'? It was annoying, and, considering that Scottie was his daughter's name (who is weirdly absent from this novel, now that I think about it), I doubt that it was a nickname that he actually went by. The inconsistencies when it came to referring to Hemingway were annoying too. Whilst Fitzgerald was almost universally Scott or Scotty, Hemingway was sometimes Ernest and sometimes Hemingway, with characters often swapping between the two. That's only a tiny thing, but it got on my nerves a bit, hence, in a book which I wanted to be perfect, it felt worth mentioning.
HOWEVER, despite all this, I did actually like some things about One Last Glimpse! I thought that the characterisation of Fitzgerald was pretty spot on. This was probably my favourite fictionalised version of Fitzgerald that I've read before, which, given how particular I am about the way he's characterised (see: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald), is high praise coming from me. Aldridge definitely delivered in the melodrama stakes too, which is always appreciated. Despite his anonymity through large stretches of the text, I liked Hemingway for the most part. Given how easy it would be to characterise him as a complete asshole, that's an achievement. Then, of course, I have to spend a moment on my beloved Zelda Fitzgerald. Zelda is shamefully underused in this novel, but whenever, she appears, she sparkles. Her language is evocative and witty, and Aldridge's use of foreshadowing through her is GOLDEN. This book would have been a whole lot better with more Zelda in it. But, then, so would the history of American literature. That's a rant for another day though.
I think that perhaps I set my expectations unrealistically high for One Last Glimpse. I was so fixated on the type of Hemingway/Fitzgerald story that I would write that I maybe overlooked the fact that someone else was bound to tell a different story. Regardless of my personal bias, though, I really do think that this book had the potential to be way more interesting than it was. What Aldridge goes for is quite a conventional, distracted narrative, which baffles me considering that both of these writers lived craaaaaazy lives which hardly needed unnecessary love triangles added in. One Last Glimpse is largely an opportunity wasted, in my humble opinion. Perhaps I really will have to take to writing fanfiction to get my own interpretations of this most fascinating of literary friendships out into the world.
June 17, 2017
"Един последен поглед" ме накара да се замисля кое крепи приятелството. Кое го поддържа, за да не рухне под тежестта на различията и опитите да се променим един друг?
Продължава в блога: http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2017/06/...
Продължава в блога: http://knigoqdec.blogspot.bg/2017/06/...
September 24, 2020
Reading this story made feel that I am also part of this adventure with Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Great storytelling.
January 25, 2022
A brutal F Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway crossover fan-fiction guised as a novel. If I could give it a half star I would.
Honourable mention to the misogynistic descriptions of Bo.
Honourable mention to the misogynistic descriptions of Bo.
July 25, 2014
Събирането на едно място на толкова различни и противоречиви герои е рисков елемент за развитието на сюжета. Олдридж обаче се е възползвал максимално умело от него. Сблъсъкът на сложните личности на Хемингуей и Фицджералд поражда хиляди въпроси, в търсенето на чиито отговори читателят е въвлечен заедно с героите в книгата.
Присъствието на младия австралиец Кит и очарователната англичанка Бо катализират разрушителното съперничество между двамата писатели. Красотата и невинността на тези младежи са допълнителен адреналин за тях. Те се опитват да се влюбят в Бо, за да престанат да бъдат влюбени в самите себе си и в това, което някога са били.
Всеки от героите в книгата иска да промени живота си по различни причини. Невероятното е, че авторът успява да ги събере заедно по едно и също време в една и съща книга.
Прочети повече: http://knizhka-s-mishka.eu/
Присъствието на младия австралиец Кит и очарователната англичанка Бо катализират разрушителното съперничество между двамата писатели. Красотата и невинността на тези младежи са допълнителен адреналин за тях. Те се опитват да се влюбят в Бо, за да престанат да бъдат влюбени в самите себе си и в това, което някога са били.
Всеки от героите в книгата иска да промени живота си по различни причини. Невероятното е, че авторът успява да ги събере заедно по едно и също време в една и съща книга.
Прочети повече: http://knizhka-s-mishka.eu/
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews