Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Last Girls

The Last Girls
The Last Girls
Author: Lee Smith
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER — LEE SMITH — Author of News of the Spirit — THE LAST GIRLS — A Novel — “Wise and insightful . . . The Last Girls deserves to be shared, pondered, and treasured.” — –The Dallas Morning News“[A] GENIAL, THOUGHTFUL, FUNNY NOVEL, WRITTEN WITH THE WIT AND ...  more »

“RICH AND DELICIOUS . . . THE STORY OF FOUR WOMEN . . .Years ago, they were girls, not women–the last generation of American females to be called ‘girls’–who traveled down the Mississippi River . . . on a makeshift raft while they were on summer vacation . . . There were twelve of them on that trip; now there are these four, brought together by tragedy. One of their classmates . . . has died in an automobile wreck (was it really an accident?), and her husband has asked the old friends to re-create the river journey and scatter her ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi. . . . It’s a reunion of classmates with all of the in-between revealed in intimate detail, as only a skilled and classy storyteller can do it.”

The Boston Globe

“AN HONEST PORTRAIT OF INTELLIGENT, WELL-ROUNDED SOUTHERNERS is always refreshing, and The Last Girls delivers. The book may be influenced by Twain, but Smith proves she has a voice all her own.”

USA Today

“BREEZILY WRITTEN AND DISPLAYING SMITH’S TRADEMARK PITCH-PERFECT EAR FOR DIALOGUE, funny but with the dark touches of all good comedy, the novel charts the course by which the ‘girls’ . . . seek love and self-fulfillment during the three decades approaching the end of the century. Call it Huckleberry Fin de Siècle.”

Time Out New York

“SMITH’S COMIC GENIUS SPARKLES . . . Under Smith’s deft hand, these woman bloom exceptionally authentic.. . Using the premise that both a reunion and a riverboat provide good lookouts on the past, she details the passing terrain as she details each woman’s emotional history, from child to adult, from dates to love affairs, from silly shenanigans to tragic accidents. And what details! The book is filled with memorable scenes. . . . Smith adds a purely feminine, deeply southern twist to the Mark Twain tradition of humor and precision applied generously to the subject of human weakness.”

Richmond Times-Dispatch

“Lee Smith’s genius is in her seamless weaving of the two stories, past and present, so that we realize what the stakes are for these women, and how they have arrived at the reunion as footsore pilgrims–a bit battered and bruised, but sailing on nevertheless. . . . Smith has that talent that all storytellers envy: the ability to dive deeply into the lives of her characters, to bring them to life in their rich fullness, warts and all. Each of these women could energize an entire book. Each brings something unique and captivating to a superb tale that will stay with you long after the reading is done. Together they compel each of us to ask what has brought us to the near shore, and how we set sail from here.”

The Boston Globe
Audio Books swap for two (2) credits.
ISBN-13: 9781565117020
ISBN-10: 1565117026
Publication Date: 10/14/2002
Edition: Unabridged
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 6

3.7 stars, based on 6 ratings
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Book Type: Audio CD
Other Versions: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Last Girls on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This book was "OK". I enjoyed getting to know the characters, which I thought were a little odd, but it sort of left me wanting to know more, as if something was missing. Not one of my most favorite reads, but it's an interesting story of old friends looking back at the past, and we see how their lives turned out after many years.
LadyBook81 avatar reviewed The Last Girls on + 60 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I couldn't get into this book and only made it through the first 3 chapters.
DsuzieC avatar reviewed The Last Girls on + 159 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A Drama novel...I have a hard time staying focused on straight drama. It's about a group of girls and their lives through womanhood...romance, memories, etc.
reviewed The Last Girls on + 711 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Rich and delicious....the story of four women....years ago, they were girls, not women---the last generation of American females to be called "girls"---who traveled down the Mississippi River...on a makeshift raft while they were on summer vacation...There were twelve of them on that rip; now there are these four, brought together by tragedy. One of their classmates...has died in an automobile wreck (was it really an accident?), and her husband has asked the old friends to re-create the river journey and scatter her ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi...It's a reunion of classmates with all of the in-between revealed in intimate detail, as only a skilled and classy storyteller can do it.
reviewed The Last Girls on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Chic lit through and through...old college chums of a certain age going on a reunion cruise on an old-style river boat, renewing old friendships,new adventures, walking down memory lane...it is a good one.
Read All 34 Book Reviews of "The Last Girls"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

MKSbooklady avatar reviewed The Last Girls on + 983 more book reviews
This book dragged on longer than a 27 episode miniseries. I was never quite sure who was who. Started out full of hope, but ended up sad.
justreadingabook avatar reviewed The Last Girls on + 1726 more book reviews
This was a very slow moving story that really didn't develop well, it takes a group of girls from college that took a Huckleberry Finn trip down the Mississippi and are reliving it somewhat to spread the ashes of one of their friends.
It is the back and forth in time that is very confusing and disorienting to the reader.
Just don't understand how this became a New York Times Best Seller.
novelswapper avatar reviewed The Last Girls on + 16 more book reviews
Some reviewers instruct the new reader to sit back, relax and enjoy the trip. That being said, the author gives us a bit of a look at the bond of women who define themselves as friends to each other with the fierce loyalty and frank honesty long-time women friends have for each other


Genres: