Blurb
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.
My Review
Unfortunately, this supposedly romantic novel is no where near romantic. It took me quite sometime to finish this book. I just couldn’t focus on the story. We start with 2079 and go back to 1981, the beginning of the story. In 2079, it seems like the world is ending which has nothing to do with the story. Author didn’t elaborate on what really was happening in 2079. It was pretty slow with irrelevant rambling. Many thoughts, questions or ideas were left unanswered in her plot. She has a nice amount of characters in which she could have developed a superb story. None of the characters really were likable. When their father passed the unfortunate events spiraled from there. Fiona was the most annoying character in this family. She was a huge cause of most of the dilemmas they lived through. I was hoping they would grow up with fantastic lives after having to live in the circumstances they endured. I had my happy ending after I finished this book. I rated 2 out of 5 stars.
Author Biography
Tara Conklin was born on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Yale University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and New York University School of Law. A joint US-UK citizen, Tara now lives in Seattle. Her first novel, The House Girl, was a NYTimes bestseller, #1 IndieNext pick and Target book club pick. Her second, The Last Romantics, will be published February 5, 2019.
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