Title: The Last Romantics
Author: Tara Conklin
Published: February 2019, William Morrow
Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
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.
“The
greatest works of poetry, what makes each of us a poet, are the stories
we tell about ourselves. We create them out of family and blood and
friends and love and hate and what we’ve read and watched and witnessed.
Longing and regret, illness, broken bones, broken hearts, achievements,
money won and lost, palm readings and visions. We tell these stories
until we believe them.”
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 thoughts: I read Tara Conlin’s debut novel, The House Girl, back in 2013 and have been waiting for her next novel, knowing that I would read it, no matter what the subject. Well, let me tell you, the wait has certainly been worth it – this second novel was absolutely as stunning and amazing as her first.
I am such a fan of family sagas – probably because I come from such a large family myself and can so appreciate all the drama and messiness that comes with siblings. It’s inevitable and I just cannot get enough of it, and when it’s done really well, you can tell – it’s real, it’s relatable and it’s full-on messy and that is what we have here!
This book is about the bonds between the Skinner children and we get a look into each of their lives throughout the book. In some cases, it reminded me a bit of Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists, which I also loved! I felt we got an intimate portrait of each of the four siblings, even though the story was mainly told from Fiona’s point of view. These siblings did not have the easiest of upbringings yet, they were there for each other and that came across the pages loud and clear. This story highlights the deep, unconditional love that is found in a family, and that even though you might fight and scream at each other, that love never goes away.
This is the type of book that I love recommending to people – I love reading family sagas and I know I will be telling everyone I know about this book. It’s also the type of book I know I will be rereading at some point in the future – not only for the story, but for the beautiful prose that Tara Conklin uses to tell her story. This is fiction at its best!
About the Author: Tara Conklin has worked as a litigator in the New York and London
offices of a corporate law firm but now devotes her time to writing
fiction. She received a BA in history from Yale University, a JD from
New York University School of Law, and a Master of Arts in Law and
Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. Born in St.
Croix, she grew up in Massachusetts and now lives with her family in
Seattle, Washington.
Authors Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Purchase Links: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtags: #TLCBookTours & #thelastromantics).
I saw this one at Barnes and Noble this week. It looks good! Will have to see if our library has it yet.
There is a local book club to me that is reading this one for March, I'm going to try to get in and join them. Thanks for being on this tour!
Sara @ TLC Book Tours