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A review by emjay2021
The Last Cruise by Kate Christensen
1.0
Am I getting soft in my old age? I just finished reading this all the way through even though I probably should have abandoned it. I just thought something would happen, or that it would surely pick up. It had a great setting and a great premise. It’s told from the point of view of three characters, reluctant participants on an old luxury steamer’s last cruise: Christine, an American farmer who has joined her journalist friend who is working on an article about the cruise ship industry; Mick, the Hungarian ship’s chef; Miriam, an elderly Israeli musician playing in the ship’s string quartet. Of the three, I was most fond of Miriam and liked her story the best.
The first 50% of the book is spent on background and buildup to the inevitable disaster you know is going to happen onboard. This is WAY too much background and it moves WAY too slowly. Then, when the Event happens, it’s still too slow! Everything crawls at a snail’s pace. The author squandered the setting and the potential for interesting conflict. I just ended up not caring about anyone at the end. And the ending! I’m fine with an unconventional ending, but I literally turned the last page thinking there would be more.
The writing seemed oddly stilted and awkward at times, as though in need of a good edit. I’m surprised this isn’t the author’s first book.
This is the second book I’ve read that was set on a cruise ship, and the other one, [b:Do Not Become Alarmed|33155774|Do Not Become Alarmed|Maile Meloy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482644401l/33155774._SY75_.jpg|53849349], was much better. Neither made me want to go on a cruise anytime soon though.
The first 50% of the book is spent on background and buildup to the inevitable disaster you know is going to happen onboard. This is WAY too much background and it moves WAY too slowly. Then, when the Event happens, it’s still too slow! Everything crawls at a snail’s pace. The author squandered the setting and the potential for interesting conflict. I just ended up not caring about anyone at the end. And the ending! I’m fine with an unconventional ending, but I literally turned the last page thinking there would be more.
The writing seemed oddly stilted and awkward at times, as though in need of a good edit. I’m surprised this isn’t the author’s first book.
This is the second book I’ve read that was set on a cruise ship, and the other one, [b:Do Not Become Alarmed|33155774|Do Not Become Alarmed|Maile Meloy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1482644401l/33155774._SY75_.jpg|53849349], was much better. Neither made me want to go on a cruise anytime soon though.