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The Last Romantics

The Last Romantics, February 2019
by Tara Conklin

William Morrow
368 pages
ISBN: 0062358200
EAN: 9780062358202
Kindle: B072F14LGX
Hardcover / e-Book
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"Family always comes first..."

Fresh Fiction Review

The Last Romantics
Tara Conklin

Reviewed by Sharon Salituro
Posted March 17, 2019

Women's Fiction

This is the story of the Skinner family Renee, Caroline, Joe, and Fiona. Their father passed away when they were pretty young. Their mother couldn't deal with the death of her husband and goes into a deep depression, known by her children as "the pause," which lasted for several years and through it all they were on their own.

Now in the year 2079, Fiona, a famous poet, is asked why the name Luna is in one of her most popular books of poetry. Is Luna real or just a name she used? Fiona now will tell the story behind the name, which means telling to story of her family. Fiona is the youngest and closest to Joe. Renee was the one who took over while their mom went through her pause period. Caroline was the sensitive one. What really held them all together was how much they all cared about Joe. As time went on, Joe became a great baseball player and he earned a scholarship to college. Caught up with partying, drinking and doing drugs, Joe is kicked off the team. His sisters keep this information from their mother, telling her had an injury. But things are set in motion during this time.

As grown-ups, they all have gone their separate ways, and while they all still care about Joe, his life continues to go downhill. Renee becomes a doctor and she thought she could help Joe. Caroline marries a boy from her old neighborhood and is a mother. Fiona starts out writing a blog of poetry and eventually becomes a celebrated poet. Fiona's blog was an account of her many sexual encounters. No boy understood why she was doing this, but she really didn't care. Each of the Skinner siblings had their faults, but once again when it came to Joe, they all felt he needed help.

Tara Conklin writes a story that goes from present to past times. THE LAST ROMANTICS is the kind of book where you fall in love with the characters from the beginning. And even though each of them has their own lives as they grow older, they come together when one of them truly needs their help. Conklin also shows how secrets will come out and sometimes they can really hurt a family. The story will suck you in - I found myself wondering what I would do in some the situations that come up throughout THE LAST ROMANTICS. So much happens, but I don't want to give too much away. Pick this one up, you won't be disappointed.

Learn more about The Last Romantics

SUMMARY

The New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl explores the lives of four siblings in this ambitious and absorbing novel in the vein of Commonwealth and The Interestings. "It is the strength and fragility of the siblings' bond, the evolving nature of love that is at the core of Conklin's novel....Gracefully rendered, The Last Romantics focuses on the familiar theme of family with great originality." -- Washington Post

When the renowned poet Fiona Skinner is asked about the inspiration behind her iconic work, The Love Poem, she tells her audience a story about her family and a betrayal that reverberates through time.

It begins in a big yellow house with a funeral, an iron poker, and a brief variation forever known as the Pause: a free and feral summer in a middle-class Connecticut town. Caught between the predictable life they once led and an uncertain future that stretches before them, the Skinner siblings—fierce Renee, sensitive Caroline, golden boy Joe and watchful Fiona—emerge from the Pause staunchly loyal and deeply connected. Two decades later, the siblings find themselves once again confronted with a family crisis that tests the strength of these bonds and forces them to question the life choices they've made and ask what, exactly, they will do for love.

A sweeping yet intimate epic about one American family, The Last Romantics is an unforgettable exploration of the ties that bind us together, the responsibilities we embrace and the duties we resent, and how we can lose—and sometimes rescue—the ones we love. A novel that pierces the heart and lingers in the mind, it is also a beautiful meditation on the power of stories—how they navigate us through difficult times, help us understand the past, and point the way toward our future.


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