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The Last Time They Met (Abridged): Booktrack Edition Audiobook
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(3.00) - 9,929 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A dazzling story about marriage, forgiveness, and chances not taken, by the bestselling author of Body Surfing and A Wedding in December.
At a literary festival a poet named Linda Fallon meets for the first time in years a fellow poet, Thomas Janes, whose fame has grown during a decade of seclusion.
This is no chance meeting. Thomas saw that Linda was scheduled to appear, and chose this moment to re-establish contact with a woman he had passionately pursued years earlier. Their affair was disastrous for them both, a turning point in their lives, and the damage they did in those years still haunts them both.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET moves backward in time from Linda at age 52 to explore her life years earlier, at age 26, and still earlier, at 17. Anita Shreve examines the extraordinary resonance a single choice, even a single word, can have over the course of a lifetime.
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"Reverse chronology wasn't a necessary element of the story for me, and though it started a bit slow, the book was hard to put down by the time the Africa storyline developed. Great imagery! Surprise ending made me literally gasp, and that hasn't happened in awhile. Worth reading."
— Melinda (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A flat-out, can’t-put-it-down page-turner…A riveting story that teases and confounds.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“A poignant novel…So astonishingly well constructed that when you’re finished you’ll want to reread it all at once.”
— People -
“Compelling…Shreve can render her character’s dark interiors with a tenderness void of judgement, thereby capturing the essential frailty of the human condition…Riveting.”
— Boston Globe -
“A fluid weave of past and present, subtly mounting suspense, an unabashed insistence on the primacy of love.”
— Newsday -
“Shreve…meticulously interweaves past and present with total credibility. Her fluid narrative perfectly mirrors her protagonists’ evolving temperaments and viewpoints, while her overall restraint serves to intensify the novel’s devastating conclusion.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The Last Time They Met is yet another example of the kind of book Shreve does best—one that’s as skillfully plotted as a thriller, but with writing that lingers long after the last plot twist is unfurled. No matter whether people actually have affairs like these. Reading this book only makes you wish that they did.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review -
“A worthy, readable novel that reaches its conclusion all in good time.”
— Booklist -
“The tragic relationship of these two connected souls will stick with you for days. Oprah-pick Shreve does it again with this achingly emotional novel. Stock up.”
— Library Journal
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
The Last Time They Met Listener Reviews
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" I read this book over a month and a half - I didn't have much time for reading - but doing this made me become more attached to the characters, and Anita Shreve broke my heart in the ending.....But wow, is this book wonderful. "
— Claudia, 2/12/2014 -
" I was so disappointed in the ending. I would have given this book at least 2 stars until I read the end, now I wish there was a way I could give it 1/2 star. It was awful. "
— Malan, 2/5/2014 -
" She's a good witer but this was confusing and had a terrible and unsatisfying ending "
— Aimee, 2/2/2014 -
" very clever plot-line and ridiculously romantic, with a twist. :) "
— Kirby, 1/31/2014 -
" Anita Shreve never disappoints. Very interesting way it was written - working back in time, might have to read the beginning again. "
— Jane, 1/26/2014 -
" I couldn't understand where this book was going, and when I found out (on the last page) I was so disappointed. "
— Chris, 1/25/2014 -
" So disappointed -- very slow book but kept with it thinking it would get better. The ending is awful! "
— Terry, 1/24/2014 -
" An absolutely amazing book! One of my all time favorites. A twist at the end had me re-reading portions of it again immediately after finishing it. "
— Jennifer, 1/15/2014 -
" i loved this story ! "
— Ana, 1/13/2014 -
" This book is a good love story with a surprise ending. I won't spoil it here...made me bawl my head off. "
— Valerie, 1/7/2014 -
" I really did not like this book. "
— Kelly, 12/17/2013 -
" Be sure to read the 'Weight of Water' first! "
— Laura, 12/11/2013 -
" I stayed up all night and read this book in one sitting. For some reason it resonated with me. "
— Katie, 12/10/2013 -
" Really good....but I could almost read it again...to make more sense of the end. "
— Cassey, 12/3/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book right up until the end. I felt "tricked". "
— Lynn, 12/1/2013 -
" Kind of slow in the middle, but interesting. "
— Mackenzie, 8/23/2013 -
" Hmm..what to say. I was engrossed. Then perplexed. A Jodi Picoult twist. Didn't need it. "
— Perrin, 5/31/2013 -
" This book hit a real romantic spot with me seven years ago; I'm thinking of re-reading to find if it still generates the same appeal since I am not a fan of her other novels. "
— Michelle, 4/12/2013 -
" I liked this book until the very last page. Then I was just angry that I'd wasted my time. "
— Missy, 2/10/2013 -
" did not care for the subject matter of the book. "
— Tammy, 8/19/2012 -
" This is my favorite novel by Anita Shreve. This a book I will read again every few years. I just LOVE it. "
— Quinna, 6/25/2012 -
" I was disappointed in the ending of this book. "
— Christine, 2/2/2012 -
" Wow! Loved this book--the first book I read by Anita Shreve and definitely not my last. Hope this one didn't ruin me for her other ones. "
— Ashleigh, 1/24/2012 -
" Interesting tale, with some unique twists in time. Some great cultural information weaved into the story. "
— Yonah, 11/9/2011 -
" I love that her plots are never predictable and always make you think. Her writing style is beautiful; this was a heart-wrenching story with many thought provoking themes. Unfortunately, not a happy ending...I want her to write one that ends happily!!!! "
— Katie, 10/12/2011 -
" Not as great as Sea Glass, but you can't stop reading about the former lovers, both writers, who rediscover each other after many years. Sometimes feels a little bit romance novel, but Shreve rescues it from that. "
— Ruth, 10/9/2011 -
" It was a very interesting read, and I love how Shreve ended the story. "
— Aubrey, 8/6/2011 -
" The ending came as a complete shock, yet looking back I could see how it had been slightly and cleverly forshadowed. Great what-if-to-the-second-power kind of book! "
— Cheryl, 6/26/2011 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed this. I love Shreve's style, characterization, and general way with words. I especially love how the book is filled with . It pulled at my emotions and left me thinking about it well after I put it down. "
— Stephanie, 6/23/2011 -
" Man and Woman Share a Lifelong Passion for Each Other Even Tho They Only Meet 3x in Their Lives. I was totally shocked by the ending. Did not see it coming at all. <br/> <br/>My rating: 3.5 stars. "
— Rebecca, 6/20/2011 -
" I love Anita Shreve. Every book just grabs you and makes it impossible to put down. "
— Tracy, 6/14/2011 -
" What the eff, Anita? All that I went through reading the book and that last page, was, God, can't say it, but, damn, man! Not fair! "
— Sue, 6/13/2011 -
" A lovely read with unexpected twists. "
— cassie, 6/8/2011 -
" Ok. Interesting how she wove their lives together. Didn't realize it was an extension of The Weight of Water. Her books seem dreary and always have so much loss. "
— Virginia, 6/3/2011 -
" It was ok. It kept me reading, and yes the ending was a bit of a shocker, but I didn't really like the ending. "
— Misty, 6/1/2011 -
" I stayed up all night and read this book in one sitting. For some reason it resonated with me. "
— Katie, 5/31/2011 -
" The start of the book almost made me stop reading. I am glad I decided to keep going. It was a very good book, with an ending that will make it worth reading. "
— Sarah, 5/19/2011 -
" Loved the writing style - thought it was beautiful. This is one that will probably make me think about it for some time to come. I would give it 3.5 stars if that was possible on Goodreads. Who knows, might change my mind after a bit. "
— Chris, 5/12/2011 -
" An amazing story -- A gripping tale from start to its surprising finish! "
— Susan, 5/12/2011 -
" Just finished it. All I can say is my jaw is still on the floor after reading the last page. It wasn't a page turner for me, but was shocked by the ending...good book club pick. Can't wait to discuss! "
— Becky, 5/11/2011 -
" Follow up book to The weight of water. "
— Cathy, 5/10/2011
About Anita Shreve
Anita Shreve is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels, including Rescue; A Change in Altitude; Testimony; The Pilot’s Wife, which was a selection of Oprah’s Book Club; and The Weight of Water, which was a finalist for England’s Orange Prize.
About Blair Brown
Blair Brown is an award-winning narrator and a Tony Award–winning actor. Besides earning several AudioFile Earphones Award, she received the prestigious Audie Award for Best Fiction Narration in 2020. She has appeared on Broadway, in film, and on television in numerous miniseries and TV movies and received five Emmy Award nominations for her starring role in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.