25th out of 100 books
—
57 voters
The Last Blind Date
by
Linda Yellin
A fun, charming memoir about a woman who falls in love, packs her bags, and starts over in the city that eats its young.
Paperback, 316 pages
Published
October 4th 2011
by Gallery Books
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Yellin writes with tremendous heart, wit and tenderness. Although her first book (a novel, but from references in her memoir, I suspect much of the novel’s story is true) is often bittersweet, both books are humor-filled and written with a warmth and a personal feel. If you can, you might want to read Such A Lovely Couple first (and you will want to read both) – because after the sad events that take place in it, you will share the author’s joy at the turn her life takes in the second book.
Nov 04, 2011
Kelly Knapp
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Romance readers
Recommended to Kelly by:
Goodreads Firstreads program
This book is perfect for those that need a little sunshine and romance in their lives. Smooth, easy, and fast paced, it grabs you from the first sentence and holds on to you throughout its last pages. In between, you enjoy a rollercoaster of real life dating, marriage, and relationship issues told without the sarcasm so prevalent in today’s autobiographical memoirs. Perfect for the stage or even the big screen, if they can stay true to the book.
I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway...more
I received this book through the Goodreads Giveaway...more
I adored this memoir! Yellin has a razor-sharp wit that ranks right up there with Dorothy Parker. You'll laugh from cover to cover. This is for anyone who has loved, lost and found the courage to love again. You will fall in love with Linda Yellin and THE LAST BLIND DATE. It's hilarious, honest and heartfelt. I seriously milked the last 40 pages because I didn't want it to end! Cannot wait to read more form this author!
The reader will learn about Linda's life to an almost embarrassingly honest degree. Linda provides some background information for the reader: who she married, why she divorced, what she did with her free time, and her regrets. She manages to recount her experiences to the reader without making everything sound depressing. Readers don't always like depressing, especially for long chapters-no need to worry with this book.
Linda attempts to date some other men that she is set up with, the vast maj...more
Linda attempts to date some other men that she is set up with, the vast maj...more
Linda Yellin is a riot. After her ex-husband -- whom she took care of for a year -- died, she was fixed up with a variety of blind dates. A born and bred Chicagoan, Linda was told about "the perfect guy," who lived in NY, and assumed they would just have a long-distance relationship. Then they fell in love. This memoire is an account of her adapting to being a new wife; becoming a step-mother; working at jobs where she didn't fit in; trying to make friends with any woman she encountered at vario...more
Is it possible to find love later in life, especially after your first love is no longer living? For Linda Yellin the future wasn’t certain and her sudden friendship with a man who lived a plane ride away was far from a sure thing. After two and a half years of plane hopping, phone conversations and meeting his children they finally take the plunge and begin their lives together. What begins as a “no strings attached” phone call turns into a love story readers will fall head over heels for.
I’m c...more
I’m c...more
I'm not usually one to read Non-Fiction, especially memoirs. I just really don't find them interesting. I am so glad that I decided to step outside of my reading comfort zone and give The Last Blind Date a chance. I loved this book. It was full of humor, honesty, and insight. From the first page, I couldn't put it down and devoured it.
I won't give too much away, but the author writes about her long distance courtship with her husband and her decision to move to New York to marry him. The book i...more
I won't give too much away, but the author writes about her long distance courtship with her husband and her decision to move to New York to marry him. The book i...more
As a general rule, memoirs irritate me. It's the lack of objectivity and the natural inclination to paint oneself as a heroine or use self-deprecating humor that still paints oneself as a heroine. I also tire of histrionics and airing other people's dirty laundry. I have found only a very few authors who have been able to write with enough objectivity while maintaining their own humanity that I have become a believer in some memoirs. This is one of them. (The other is Glass Castles by Jeannette...more
A genre that continues to surprise me as one that engages me from cover to cover is the memoir. I never thought nonfiction would read like fiction and be so interesting. I mean my life is pretty boring. And Linda Yellin is an ordinary woman, but I think that is what makes her book so interesting. She's not a movie star, a talk show host or a broadway star. She's just a married woman like me trying to find her place in the world.
From the first page, Ms. Yellin's humor shines through, but there is...more
From the first page, Ms. Yellin's humor shines through, but there is...more
A great book written by one funny lady. Heartwarming, relatable, hilarious, and inspiring...I really, really, really loved this book.
Brief summary: The author lives in Chicago and has had her share of heartache and bad dates. Randy lives in New York, is newly separated and has two kids. He does not want any serious relationships so he calls Linda at the urging of a friend and because he assumes he won’t have to get tangled up with someone who lives far away. Of course they fall in love but then...more
Brief summary: The author lives in Chicago and has had her share of heartache and bad dates. Randy lives in New York, is newly separated and has two kids. He does not want any serious relationships so he calls Linda at the urging of a friend and because he assumes he won’t have to get tangled up with someone who lives far away. Of course they fall in love but then...more
I won The Last Blind Date in a Twitter contest by the author, Linda Yellin. Honestly, I didn't quite know what to expect when I won, much less when the book came in the mail. I don't usually read romance, although I'm willing to give some books a try.
Thankfully, The Last Blind Date is not a typical romance. Sure, there are anatomical descriptions of Linda's love interest, including underwear. She never rubbed my face in it, though. There were no washboard abs and voluptuous breasts that heaved w...more
Thankfully, The Last Blind Date is not a typical romance. Sure, there are anatomical descriptions of Linda's love interest, including underwear. She never rubbed my face in it, though. There were no washboard abs and voluptuous breasts that heaved w...more
I've been mourning Wendy Wasserstein for years - and here's an author with the same warm, funny wit and insightful charm. Welcome, Linda Yellin! So many memoirs are just plain out depressing and this one kept me smiling throughout. There are real issues - taking a risk for love - should you give up your life to move to a new city when you can never really be sure if the guy's worth it (this one definitely is); taking on stepchildren (the family scenes are reminiscent of the best of Erma Bombeck)...more
I heard comparisons to the author with Nora Ephron and Wendy Wasserstein and was eager to read the book. The comparisons are not only apt but Linda Yellin's voice as a writer is relatable in a fresh way from any other funny women writers. This woman lays it out there with her heart and a sublime sense of humor. As soon as I finished the book I wished I could call her up and say: how about coffee? That's how approachable and captivating an author she is. Whether you've been through a later in lif...more
This is one big warm happy book. The author lives in Chicago and is working her way past a broken heart after the death of her first husband, but despite her grief she is willing to step out of her comfort zone, so when Randy calls her from New York and the conversation kicks off like the best dialogue in those old Katherine Hephurn-Spencer Tracy movies, a long distance romance begins. When they finally get together and Linda gives up her well-established life to move to New York she takes us al...more
I was home with the flu and in great need for some distraction. I'd been given this book as a Christmas gift and started to read it. What a feel-good tonic! This book is hilarious. During the chapter about the co-op interview I laughed so hard that I was unsure whether my stomach hurt from the flu or from laughter.
The relationship between Yellin and her husband is a prime example of a loving marriage. I'm happy that this is a true story. It's good to see marriage depicted in a way that's neithe...more
The relationship between Yellin and her husband is a prime example of a loving marriage. I'm happy that this is a true story. It's good to see marriage depicted in a way that's neithe...more
Even somebody who is just a "regular" person, not a hero or a celebrity or anyone who'd ever have their name in the newspaper, can be a role model for courage and a great positive attitude. Linda Yellin's transition from single in Chicago to married stepmother in New York starting a new career in television (which goes disastrously) is an inspiration. Setback after setback she still keeps her terrific sense of humor and big warm heart at the forefront. She understands what it's like to be an eve...more
Jan 14, 2013
Doreen Fera
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone looking for an upbeat, fun book on finding a loving relationship in mid-life
A fun, memorable, warm, intelligent and hopeful look at finding love (again) in mid-life, and making it last. Yellin's talent is unmistakable—from the very first sentences, you'll be hooked. Her fabulous ability to connect with the reader through her heartfelt, often painfully honest and often hilarious revelations gives this memoir a sweetness that many lack. Maybe it's her midwestern charm, her self-deprecating humor, or her insightful observations on life, love, work, change and adaptation —...more
Reading this memoir is the perfect time to put on jammies, find a comfy chair and immerse yourself in a delightful story about someone finding true love. At first the romance does not go smoothly. Linda and Randy live in Chicago and New York respectively. She is hesitant to get involved with anyone and he is only into casual dating. Because they are long distance they each go into the relationship feeling there’s no risk and then much to their surprise they fall in love.
The second half of the b...more
The second half of the b...more
The echelon of smart, knowing, hilarious women writers is a rarified group. Tina Fey. Nora Ephron. At one point Fran Leibowitz. Maybe it’s more difficult for us to laugh at ourselves, maybe we were taught at a young age to laugh at the boys’ jokes but not tell our own. Whatever it is, when I discover a woman humorist who puts herself out there and makes me laugh with genuine glee – I want to share the news. The Last Blind Date is reason to wonder where Linda Yellin has been hiding. Her voice is...more
I normally don't read memoirs, but this one looked so cute that I decided to give it a try when I had the opportunity to read it. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot! The author, Linda, is a very likable person and following her through her trials with relationships was great. Usually I don't like reading books about older couples either, but with this one it really opened my eyes to how relationships really aren't that different no matter how old you are. It was really sad in the beginning how her...more
A special special book. I started over in a new city as an adult (New York to LA) and Linda Yellin's wry observations about the challenges of making new friends (both painful and hysterical) and learning her way around a new city felt like my own emotions. It's not easy to begin anew later in life and she presents her story with tremendous humor and warmth. The scene where her girlfriends "stepmom experts" advise her about how to meet Randy's two kids should be read by anyone on the verge of ste...more
I absolutely love this book! Linda is such a talent; her humor is so full, fresh, and never ending - I laughed out loud throughout the entire thing. Her ability to look at herself, her loved ones, and her not-so-loved-ones with such an honest eye is admirable and inspiring, and because she opens herself up so completely, by the time you're done reading you feel more like you've just finished a fabulous gossip sesh instead of a full-length memoir. Linda's insight and humble social critique is ill...more
I was fortunate enough to come across a copy of The Last Blind Date by Linda Yellin. I have to be honest –I became very absorbed very quickly. When I finally put the book down again, I saw the words “true story” on the cover and was stunned to realize that this was a memoir. Yellin recounts the trials of long-distance romance, becoming a stepmother and creating a life on the East Coast. Five years after a marriage that ended in heartbreak, the author finally acknowledged her loneliness. Filled w...more
I read this because it was chosen for my book club. It's the story of a second chance at love. The author gets fixed up with a man in New York and they have a long distance relationship. Half of the book is about what happens when she moves to New York, all the adjustments she must make including building relationships with his children, making new friends, and struggling through a job in television. There are many major themes that resulted in great discussion and debate but what everyone agree...more
I enjoyed this book and I think the three rather than a four star is mostly because I wanted to love it and didn't. Might not be fair to the book, my having great expectations and all. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone moving to New York from Chicago. Or from anywhere in the Midwest, for that matter. And that would be the very first audience I would think of when I think of this book: someone moving to New York from the Midwest.
There's a love story, sure, but it's more a love song...more
There's a love story, sure, but it's more a love song...more
The humor in this wonderful love story (love of the author's husband and of the city that she eventually adapts as her new home - New York) is at once subtle and overt. I often found myself nodding my head in recognition of Linda Yellin's observations saying, yes, that's exactly how it is. And just as often I found myself saying, yes - she's right, but I never quite saw it that way before. What a joy-filled journey Yellin takes us on - one that is not only witty and observant but helps show us t...more
Memoir with lots of humor, dry and otherwise. A read-alike for Nora Ephron. Thirty-something widow and Chicagoan Linda Yellin is disapointed in the blind dates her friends fix her up with until she meets Randy, a New York divorced father of two. She marries Randy, moves to New York and finds happiness. Filled with spot-on worries and observations. She imagines this conversation between her indifferent stepchildren and her doctor as they visit her in the hospital in her old age:
Benjamin: Doctor,...more
Benjamin: Doctor,...more
How do I love thee?! A whole lot! It's been awhile since I've read a memoir that was funny, endearing, vulnerable and wise. Being a Chicago gal myself, who moved to NY for love, I felt "The Last Blind Date" was part witnessing a bit of my journey along with listening to a dear best friend. It's refreshingly honest, brave, witty, fun and funny. For a light hearted yet soulful read on the adventures of living in NYC to taking chances on love this is the book to read. I do believe the late great ro...more
An absolute joy. I was given this book as a gift and started to read the first page as I usually do when examining a new book and next thing I knew I was engrossed. The writing is crisp and fresh, the humor the proverbial laugh-out-loud kind. I ended up reading lines and passages to my roommate which is indicative of how many topics are relatable. The author puts her heart and vulnerability on every page all while serving up a point of view that is optimistic and humorous. I called the friend wh...more
Can a book be any more fun that this one? I doubt it. I laughed so much while reading it on a bus home from work that the people sitting around me must have thought I was crazy. Well I am crazy about this author. Linda Yellin finds joy and humor in real life even when she's in the most painful or embarrassing situations. I'd give quotes from the book but I would not know where to begin. Just open the pages anywhere and start reading and you'll start laughing. I want a friend like Linda Yellin. A...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goodreads giveaway review | 1 | 2 | Nov 04, 2011 06:31am | |
| Great book!!! | 1 | 8 | Oct 02, 2011 05:01am |
Linda Yellin spent most of her responsible adult years writing advertising in Chicago for shampoos, cheese, yogurt and burgers. Then she fell in love, got married, and moved to New York, going through as many changes as a person possibly can without entering the Federal Witness Protection Program. Along the way she published short stories in Redbook and a sad-funny novel, Such A Lovely Couple. Her...more
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Feb 06, 2012 05:08pm