The Last Anniversary: A Novel
Product ID: 217153364
desertcart.com: The Last Anniversary: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition): Liane Moriarty, Heather Wilds, Harper: Books Review: Well-written, enjoyable, and gets better as it evolves - My 5th read by Liane Moriarty - I can call myself a true fan now! - ended up being yet another fantastic read. The Last Anniversary started off at a more mellow pace compared to her other books, and I almost lost interest after the first chapter on Sophie, the protagonist, when we were doing the flashbacks to Connie & Rose and their secret past. Moriarty is not your typical romance/chick-lit novelist. She really isn't. I am not saying that because I don't see myself as the type to gravitate toward those books. In fact, I'd like to start appreciating ALL genres! But I say it because all her surface-level chick-lit novels (the 5 that I have read: The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies, The Hypnotist's Love Story, What Alice Forgot and The Last Anniversary) have underlying themes of great depth. Liane Moriarty doesn't just bring a variety of characters to life in order to spice up her novels. She seeps into the subconscious layers of thought and emotion and motive for every character and spits them out with such realness that you forget it's all fictional. She can bring to life an upstanding citizen with a horrible 20-year secret burning inside of him, a beautiful woman, adored by her husband and mother to a gorgeous baby and yet completely suicidal, a detached husband who suddenly fears that his wife may be cheating on him (she isn't), a bereaving mother who disappears into her grief and becomes obsessed with finding and killing the murderer of her child, an irritable teenager, a woman who has lost a decade of her memory and so on. All I can say is that when you start a Moriarty novel, you will not be let down. All of her novels have a great sense of humor, a lightness of heart, a shade of eccentricity and a deep layer of truth. Laughing and crying are guaranteed. Although, with The Last Anniversary, it was mostly a lot of chuckles and hardly any tears, at least for me. Having said all that, The Last Anniversary isn't my favorite novel by her because her later novels are so much more complex and developed and intriguing. You can feel the progression of a great artist in the making. I started with her latest work and went backward. Still, she's pretty awesome. Possible Spoiler Warning: I loved Sophie Honeywell's character. She reminded me of a friend with whom my friendship sadly fell apart, and I'm actually thinking about calling her. Sophie is put in a delicate situation when she inherits a HOUSE in an island from her ex-boyfriend's great aunt, someone she had met only a handful of times. We follow Sophie, who can be described best as the nicest, politest, kindest little charming creature you could imagine, as she moves into Aunt Connie's house and finds herself tangled up with the Munro Baby Mystery. The plot is clever. Very clever. The ending is well-done, and the novel got better and better as I kept reading. As I write this, I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport lounge, and my next flight is to Sydney, where most of Moriarty's novels are based, including the novelist herself. What fun it would be to make one of her events. I never thought I'd be drawn to a female Australian contemporary novelist, and this experience has shown me that we must be open to reading new genres, new authors, new styles of writing, and let our heart and mind - rather than reviewers or critiques - decide after the fact how we really feel about the work. As for how I feel about Liane Moriarty, she's now ranking in my top most five favorite writers. Review: I enjoyed this book. - I gave this book 4 stars because it held my interest and I felt that Moriarty handled the myriad of characters very well. Most of the details about the book have been covered in other reviews so there is no need for me to repeat those details. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Sophie Honeywell, an outsider of the Scribbly Gum clan, and occasionally switches to the point of view of a different character to foreshadow an important revelation. I disagree with those who said the characters were not likable. I found them to be very likable, for the most part. The Scribbly Gum Island family has been under the thumb of family matriarch, Connie. Her death brings about the changes that the characters experience and allows the unraveling of the mystery. The changes are positive for the individual family members. Connie's absence allows these characters to face the past and their demons and to take positive steps towards a better future. "The truth will set you free" is a true statement for this family. The story touches on many themes, such as postnatal depression and lesbianism, through a cast of quirky and seemingly dysfunctional characters who all impact Sophie’s life in one way or another, as her presence there impacts theirs. The twist surprised me - it was not what I expected. I applaud an author who can surprise me. My only criticism is that the wrap up of the mystery seems a little rushed. Sophie's future is not settled yet the reader is left with the feeling that she will make decisions that are right for her and will have the life she has wanted all along. I was also left with the feeling that the Scribbly Gum clan will live better lives now that their lives are not bound to the twisted mystery of the Monroe baby. Lianne Moriarty is adept at crafting fully realized characters. They are conflicted, vulnerable and capable of surprises. Overall an entertaining, sometimes compelling read with some deeper elements that your average chick-lit book. Definitely worth a read.
F**K
Well-written, enjoyable, and gets better as it evolves
My 5th read by Liane Moriarty - I can call myself a true fan now! - ended up being yet another fantastic read. The Last Anniversary started off at a more mellow pace compared to her other books, and I almost lost interest after the first chapter on Sophie, the protagonist, when we were doing the flashbacks to Connie & Rose and their secret past. Moriarty is not your typical romance/chick-lit novelist. She really isn't. I am not saying that because I don't see myself as the type to gravitate toward those books. In fact, I'd like to start appreciating ALL genres! But I say it because all her surface-level chick-lit novels (the 5 that I have read: The Husband's Secret, Big Little Lies, The Hypnotist's Love Story, What Alice Forgot and The Last Anniversary) have underlying themes of great depth. Liane Moriarty doesn't just bring a variety of characters to life in order to spice up her novels. She seeps into the subconscious layers of thought and emotion and motive for every character and spits them out with such realness that you forget it's all fictional. She can bring to life an upstanding citizen with a horrible 20-year secret burning inside of him, a beautiful woman, adored by her husband and mother to a gorgeous baby and yet completely suicidal, a detached husband who suddenly fears that his wife may be cheating on him (she isn't), a bereaving mother who disappears into her grief and becomes obsessed with finding and killing the murderer of her child, an irritable teenager, a woman who has lost a decade of her memory and so on. All I can say is that when you start a Moriarty novel, you will not be let down. All of her novels have a great sense of humor, a lightness of heart, a shade of eccentricity and a deep layer of truth. Laughing and crying are guaranteed. Although, with The Last Anniversary, it was mostly a lot of chuckles and hardly any tears, at least for me. Having said all that, The Last Anniversary isn't my favorite novel by her because her later novels are so much more complex and developed and intriguing. You can feel the progression of a great artist in the making. I started with her latest work and went backward. Still, she's pretty awesome. Possible Spoiler Warning: I loved Sophie Honeywell's character. She reminded me of a friend with whom my friendship sadly fell apart, and I'm actually thinking about calling her. Sophie is put in a delicate situation when she inherits a HOUSE in an island from her ex-boyfriend's great aunt, someone she had met only a handful of times. We follow Sophie, who can be described best as the nicest, politest, kindest little charming creature you could imagine, as she moves into Aunt Connie's house and finds herself tangled up with the Munro Baby Mystery. The plot is clever. Very clever. The ending is well-done, and the novel got better and better as I kept reading. As I write this, I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport lounge, and my next flight is to Sydney, where most of Moriarty's novels are based, including the novelist herself. What fun it would be to make one of her events. I never thought I'd be drawn to a female Australian contemporary novelist, and this experience has shown me that we must be open to reading new genres, new authors, new styles of writing, and let our heart and mind - rather than reviewers or critiques - decide after the fact how we really feel about the work. As for how I feel about Liane Moriarty, she's now ranking in my top most five favorite writers.
P**D
I enjoyed this book.
I gave this book 4 stars because it held my interest and I felt that Moriarty handled the myriad of characters very well. Most of the details about the book have been covered in other reviews so there is no need for me to repeat those details. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Sophie Honeywell, an outsider of the Scribbly Gum clan, and occasionally switches to the point of view of a different character to foreshadow an important revelation. I disagree with those who said the characters were not likable. I found them to be very likable, for the most part. The Scribbly Gum Island family has been under the thumb of family matriarch, Connie. Her death brings about the changes that the characters experience and allows the unraveling of the mystery. The changes are positive for the individual family members. Connie's absence allows these characters to face the past and their demons and to take positive steps towards a better future. "The truth will set you free" is a true statement for this family. The story touches on many themes, such as postnatal depression and lesbianism, through a cast of quirky and seemingly dysfunctional characters who all impact Sophie’s life in one way or another, as her presence there impacts theirs. The twist surprised me - it was not what I expected. I applaud an author who can surprise me. My only criticism is that the wrap up of the mystery seems a little rushed. Sophie's future is not settled yet the reader is left with the feeling that she will make decisions that are right for her and will have the life she has wanted all along. I was also left with the feeling that the Scribbly Gum clan will live better lives now that their lives are not bound to the twisted mystery of the Monroe baby. Lianne Moriarty is adept at crafting fully realized characters. They are conflicted, vulnerable and capable of surprises. Overall an entertaining, sometimes compelling read with some deeper elements that your average chick-lit book. Definitely worth a read.
N**N
Good Characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed 75% of this book. The author makes you feel like you are on the island and that you know the people. That being said, the last 25% of the story you start to not care about them. Perhaps the story goes on too long, or maybe, not long enough. The ending is not rewarding. It’s almost like some one else wrote the ending, it’s vague. The book has several storylines involving the family. Only one has a good closure ending. The others, it’s like “they are all happy now” THE END. It’s a good read but your left with “I spent several days reading this book for this!”.
D**E
Loved this story set on an island in Sydney Harbor. The characters are so believable. Feisty females dominate the story and I so much enjoyed their journey. This is not my usual genre to read as usually only read murder mysteries. There was a murder in this book but it only warrants 2 lines in the whole book. I have recommended this book to many of my friends.
C**E
This is the first book of Liane Moriarty that I read. I love this book so much.It is funny, a bit suspensful and amazing. I love every character in this book. Looking forward to read more book of this author.
C**A
Tardó un poco en atraparme, pero una vez enganchada en la lectura, me encantó. Un libro con temática diferente e importante. Me hizo reír, reflexionar. Recomendable.
J**A
A very improbable (and funny!) story written in a way that will make you believe it could happen anytime... Hilarious and relaxing (at least for me). Brilliant job, LM.
J**R
Perhaps not quite up to the standard of her other works, but Liane Moriarty does not disappoint, all the same. She combines the same mix of humour (in this case verging on farce) and poignancy in this tale of human foibles and wacky aspiratations, and holds the reader's attention to the end, which is, as usual, unpredictable. Much recommended, given the dearth of really good contemporary fiction writers at present.
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