The Last Romantics is the poignant, beautifully-written story of a family struggling to overcome tragedy. The author, Tara Conklin, portrays the complexities of the bonds between sisters and brothers, and the way those relationships bolster us through every stage of life.
Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:
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:
I definitely judged this book by its cover. It was sitting on the New Releases shelf at the library, and the jacket copy was really intriguing. I loved the writing – Ms. Conklin’s descriptions are surprising and familiar, as if she’s using the words you don’t even realize are absolutely perfect. I loved the way she framed the story – as if Renee, one of the sisters, is telling it to an audience at her poetry reading long after everything transpired.
Although there were moments of hopefulness and happiness in the story, and the characters compelled me to keep reading, doing so was an emotional process that left me drained and fulfilled, kind of like a really good cry does.
Here’s an excerpt that serves as a perfect example of Ms. Conklin’s writing mastery:
“Finally the woods thinned, and Joe lifted me down. Before us was a shallow, sun-speckled brook that twisted through the trees. ‘Ta-da!’ Joe said, as though he were a magician and this was his finest trick. It was cool here, calm, the water talking quietly to itself, the fizz of dragonflies and the airy whine of mosquitoes. ‘Let’s stay,’ I said. For the enxt few hours, we played on the rocks beside the brook. We did not speak. We threw stones. We crouched and watched the spindly-legged water bugs skitter across the surface. We fashioned fishing poles from sticks and bits of long grass tied to the ends, but we had no bait and the quick, darting minnows ignored our efforts, instead flashing silver as they poked and picked algae from the rocks like housewives choosing melons.”
Bottom line:
I recommend this book IF you like to experience myriad emotions when you read – it’s not an uplifitng story with a happy ending, although it’s a beautiful portrayal of family and all that comes with it.