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Kureishi expends a lot of space pontificating on the relationship between love and desire and whether both are compatible. It seems they are not, if honesty be made the judge. Taylor Adams creates another unique cat-and-mouse game with a strong, resourceful mouse that the cat has underestimated. I love the story's premise and applaud Adam for pulling it off and bringing something new to the table. I loved Emma, her golden retriever, and their taut, entertaining, enduring dialogue. That is enough to give it five stars but be aware that there is some danger for him as well. I wouldn’t say I spend a lot of time on my clothes, but I do take pride in my appearance. A fashion journalist once told me that I had a “playful London street style.” I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I was extremely flattered. I wear sunglasses everywhere I go—I have several pairs, partly because I lose them a lot, but also because they are the easiest way to accessorize without making much effort.
I sigh. “Because he can offer a big spread in a prominent monthly magazine. It’s rare publicity, especially for a play—the glossies are usually reserved for actors promoting commercial films.” I bite my lip. “Audrey Abbot is an icon. She deserves better than Jonathan Cliff.” This becomes not just a creepy stalker story but one that escalates into an action thriller category. I won’t say too much more for fear of spoilers but know that the story all comes together brilliantly and poignantly. I nearly threw the book across the room at several points when the story wasn’t going the way I wanted (haha) but if you feel the same, keep reading…there are twists upon twists that are fun and unexpected. Reading his book, I recalled a nice example where evolutionary programming fails unless a certain species can reason.Overall, I really enjoyed the ride and it is my absolute pleasure to give this book an excellent review! (I promise I’m not just saying that to avoid retribution!) I don't want to give away why she ran away because we don't find it out for quite a while, but I didn't like it (obvi) and I don't know why they were trying to convince her she wasn't at fault because she absolutely was. Those seeking a battle of wills as promised by the blurbs are bound to find themselves disappointed with The Last Word, as it simply doesn't deliver. Hanif Kureishi could have used the premise to ask interesting questions. What is the real nature of an artist? Do artists who have created great works need to be great people? Can we truly ever separate an artist from their art?
This book does require a lot of suspension of disbelief. But it's wildly entertaining and keeps up a decent pace throughout, throwing in a few surprises and twists along the way. I didn't buy a lot of what happened, but the whole premise is so wild and tongue-in-cheek that I have to give the writer props for that. Also it is so much better than his last book ( Hairpin Bridge) , which I gave 1-star to by the way, and since Adams lives in my state I guess I should be glad he didn't hunt me down but I digress... Is it possible to have an objective framework from which to view the outside world or are we perpetually doomed to view it through the narrow lens of local customs and historical contingents. Nagel, widely regarded as a modern giant in the field of Philosophy takes on this task of equal proportions in this compact yet deceivingly dense book. He applies a Rational approach to disciplines such as Logic, Science, Mathematics, Language and Ethics to show why Subjectivism is self refuting and false. Even though I saw many of the twists coming a mile away, it didn't damper my enjoyment of them one bit. I was still completely engaged and loved sitting by as Adams revealed it all in his own time. Not yet … this is a very well-kept secret. But I heard one of the producers saying that he’d be worth considering.” By the time I arrive at my flat, I’m convinced I’m the only person who should write about Audrey’s return to acting.Each, when it comes to spirit-boosting, to their own – which is why, maybe, self-help manuals never quite cut it. Hope needs to fit the seeker. Whether we seek our uplift through a begonia, a bargain, a book or a bra, hope’s locus cannot always be planned for. It has a crafty way of taking us by surprise. So much a part of our everyday lexicon (“I hope you are well”, “let’s hope for the best”), that it’s easy to overlook its small, understated poetry. Tentative, temporary, hope turns up when you least expect it. Not always – but, in the words of Sheenagh Pugh, ‘sometimes’: This story centers around Emma Carpenter. Emma is house sitting at a beach house, known as The Strand, and she hasn’t told anyone where she is. Emma has just experienced a terrible trauma, and so she is self isolating herself at the beach house. She is not answering/using her new burner phone (after having gotten rid of her original phone), and she is reading books all day to pass time and take her mind off things (totally relatable). Lyss and I had some great discussions regarding this plot, both while we were reading it and after. I would absolutely recommend reading this with a friend. There really is a lot to discuss, as far as themes, structure and character development. This is my third Taylor Adams thriller, and in true fashion, it includes non-stop action that will have readers on the edge of their seats, reeling from the killer twists that just…keep…coming! With vibes of The Woman in the Window and Misery, this book is extremely clever and expertly plotted!
The Last Word is getting a lot of buzz right now and IMO, it's totally warranted. This is Adams returning to his No Exit-style and a lot of people, myself included, are eating it up. Remember that moths fly towards light. Well, they also fly right into a light bulb and die from its heat. They do so one after another. It's possible that moths have an escape-route mechanism related to light. They evolved to follow that path. But they cannot reason that light bulbs are to be avoided.
The Last Word
We have the naive woman that conveniently isolated herself and stubbornly refuses to believe any warning or answer her phone even though she knows it’s important. She’s upset that no one has a gun in the book she read, but tries to defend herself with boiling water.
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