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annamolpus's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Like all of the other Emily St. John Mandel novels I've read, she jumps around in time and switches character perspectives and in doing so creates a kind of mystery. Characters allude to events in incomplete ways, and you hop around with them in time trying to piece together the details and connections. I was content to be along for the ride, especially with such strong writing. I found the main character difficult to connect with, but I think her inaccessibility is intentional. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but Sea of Tranquility is still my favorite book by this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Child abuse
annemaries_shelves's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars
Even as a debut author, I can see the writer Emily St John Mandel matures into.
It's good - but not yet great.
But first and foremost it's so damn melancholic. At its heart, Last Night in Montreal is about what lengths family will go to protect those they love, and the lengths some people will go to find someone so tangential to their lives who nevertheless makes a huge impact.
It's philosophical (or tries to be - which is part of commentary by characters themselves) and obsessed with the idea of performing life and performing art, rather than living it.
Much of the literary content are seeds that will bloom in her later novels. There were a lot of passages that I've dogeared because of they were so eloquently expressive of an idea or emotion.
My favourite element is the partial Montreal setting. It's one of my favourite cities, and I was delighted by my personal connections to those scenes. That said, I'll never look at Place des Arts metro the same way again, which is a shame because it's one of my favourite stations... kidding (kind of). The characters are also weirdly obsessed with the language divide and how cold Montreal gets in the winter... I mean it's cold but not *that* cold.
Because it was written in 2009, the novel does feel of its time and she sometimes errs too close to "manic traumatized dream girl" with Lilia's characterization.
Overall, a strong (and short) debut and it scratched the itch for more of St John Mandel's writing after reading Sea of Tranquility.
Even as a debut author, I can see the writer Emily St John Mandel matures into.
It's good - but not yet great.
But first and foremost it's so damn melancholic. At its heart, Last Night in Montreal is about what lengths family will go to protect those they love, and the lengths some people will go to find someone so tangential to their lives who nevertheless makes a huge impact.
It's philosophical (or tries to be - which is part of commentary by characters themselves) and obsessed with the idea of performing life and performing art, rather than living it.
Much of the literary content are seeds that will bloom in her later novels. There were a lot of passages that I've dogeared because of they were so eloquently expressive of an idea or emotion.
My favourite element is the partial Montreal setting. It's one of my favourite cities, and I was delighted by my personal connections to those scenes. That said, I'll never look at Place des Arts metro the same way again, which is a shame because it's one of my favourite stations... kidding (kind of). The characters are also weirdly obsessed with the language divide and how cold Montreal gets in the winter... I mean it's cold but not *that* cold.
Because it was written in 2009, the novel does feel of its time and she sometimes errs too close to "manic traumatized dream girl" with Lilia's characterization.
Overall, a strong (and short) debut and it scratched the itch for more of St John Mandel's writing after reading Sea of Tranquility.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Car accident and Child abuse
aimsro's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Suicide
sorcha's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Infidelity, and Drug use
jaymayhenn's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
sarahbirch's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use
bookishbrittany's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Drug abuse
davidbowie's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
jsboomhouwer's review
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Stop looking for me. I’m not missing; I do not want to be found. I wish to remain vanishing. I don’t want to go home - Lilia”
Just Finished Last in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel, which was a fantastic debut novel from one of my favourite authors.
Lilia Albert is not able to stay in one place, and has been leaving people behind ever since she can remember. Leaving people and abandoning places drives her. This story is what happens when one of her lovers, Eli, decides to follow her from New York to Montreal.
The writing in this book is fantastic. It felt like reading poetry, especially with both Lilia and Eli’s characters being obsessed with dying, endangered, or extinct languages.
This story explores themes of loss, loss, healing, memory, obsession, trauma, and the difficult choices people make to protect one another.
Emily St. John Mandel excels in writing complex, lyrical stories from multiple perspectives and I can’t wait to read another of her books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Child abuse
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