This book takes place in Key West, and I thought would be a good one to be reading while we were there. I gave it four stars, chiefly because it was an enjoyable read and very appropriate to read during and just after a trip to Key West. Usually I avoid stories about homosexual love affairs, but this one was tastefully done and importantly, placed in the larger story and life context - as I guess they always are. Another reason I enjoyed it was that it is about older people. Also appropriate to Key West. I keep running across the same theme recently of someone planning to take their own life and it features in this book, the familiar story of someone trying to commit suicide but nothing goes right. The author leaves the ending, not of the attempted suicide but of the various relationships, up in the air, which may be the best ending. I think this is a book that would appeal to a niche audience, but wanted to give it its due as I found it such a pleasurable read. ( )

I read this years ago and was disappointed in it. I'd just fallen in love with Lurie via "The Truth About Lorin Jones," and didn't think this lived up to that. Also, I know Lurie loves drawing on her previous novels for characters, but I thought she took it a little too far here. A surprise appearance near the end of the novel strains credibility, especially given this book's relationship to "Lorin Jones."

I'm older now; and while I think my previous criticisms still stand, I found more to admire this time around. Lurie talks a great deal about mortality, aging and its accompanying discomforts. These concepts aren't comfortably distant for me, and I appreciate Lurie's take on them. Molly Hopkins, one of my favorite characters, has some of the book's finer, wittier thoughts in this respect. I enjoyed this passage especially:

"In Molly's mind, death appeared as a sort of invisible flying red dinosaur, like the one on a red rubber stamp marked AIR MAIL that she sometimes used. Or rather, considering everything, there was probably a whole company or battalion or army of flying red dinosaurs. These stupid, greedy reptiles cruised forever over the Earth, occasionally and randomly swooping down to snatch someone in their long carnivorous jaws. Sometimes, since they were not only stupid but clumsy, they dropped their victims again in a more or less damaged condition (heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, fractured hips). But, drawn by the scent of blood, they would be back.

"Molly herself was one of those whom the flying dinosaurs had snatched up and dropped. As a result she now had bad eyesight, a wonky heart, and crippling arthritis. Not too long from now, presumably, the dinosaurs would return for her. When her arthritis was worst, she hoped it would be soon.

"....But usually Molly wanted the flying dinosaurs to stay away a little longer, because the world was full of things she didn't want to miss: an upcoming party, a new detective story by Tony Hillerman or Susan Conant, a Thai restaurant that had just opened, a visit from a granddaughter back from an archaeological dig in Ireland. Also, always, there was her curiosity as to what would happen next. For her, both Convers and Key West were full of interesting characters and ongoing soap operas, and her children's and grandchildren's lives were like long-running, richly populated comic strips. ...It would be a sham, really, to miss the next installment." ( )

Nope. In spite of the fact that I fondly remember reading Lurie's earlier novels, THE WAR BETWEEN THE TATES and FOREIGN AFFAIRS, years ago, I simply could not get interested in this one, THE LAST RESORT. It seems to meander and wander and go nowhere with its story of a depressed and suicidal author and his sweet devoted wife who decide to leave New England to winter in Key West, where they meet a cast of somewhat grotesque characters. These include Jacko, who is HIV-positive, and his mother and cousin; a lesbian who runs an inn for women only; an aging new-age poet, and several others. I made myself read more than half of this half-baked novel, but could feel no sympathy or empathy for any of these half-realized stereotypes. It was billed as a "summer read." Maybe that should have warned me. Half of the book was enough; too much, actually. In fact I'm a little irked with myself for wasting even that much time. I know I was supposed to care about some or all of these people, but frankly, Alison, I just didn't give a damn. Not recommended. ( )

ok but not great. I think I read it before but can't quite remember. Not Alison Lurie's best, for sure. ( )

ok but not great. I think I read it before but can't quite remember. Not Alison Lurie's best, for sure. ( )