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Last Night at the Ritz
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Last Night at the Ritz
Published
(first published January 1st 1973)
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It was very tempting to give this one 5 stars. I don't give 5 stars lightly so I didn't do it for this one. However, I really, really enjoyed this one.
It isn't only the "plot", which some argue doesn't exist. It isn't the time period, although I felt it was a very good rendition of the early 70's. It isn't the setting, which was mainly Boston and done quite well, at least in terms of describing the layout of the city around the Commons and the State House and the surrounding businesses.
I think o...more
It isn't only the "plot", which some argue doesn't exist. It isn't the time period, although I felt it was a very good rendition of the early 70's. It isn't the setting, which was mainly Boston and done quite well, at least in terms of describing the layout of the city around the Commons and the State House and the surrounding businesses.
I think o...more
The narrator of this interesting novel is never named and that makes her all the more mysterious and untrustworthy. The last night referred to in the title of the novel is a visit to the Ritz hotel in Boston by three long time friends – Len, Gay and the narrator herself. Len and Gay are married and the narrator’s husband is not present though a friend of hers appears in a carefully stage managed accidental meeting. But it is not the evening itself which takes up most of the book but the narrator...more
I was in the mood for a classic type of literary fiction & so I finally got to this on my Kindle. I'm very glad that I did. Our narrator is unnamed & not wholly reliable but she has a wit & way about her that really makes the story. She & her married friends Gay & Len are boozing it up one "last" time & as the drinks flow, so do some not so pretty truths & long held secrets about each of them. At just over the midpoint I was getting a little bored of her tangents &...more
"There is no knowledge like the bitter knowledge of old loves." This sentence, appearing early in the novel, pretty much sums it up. The unnamed narrator has had a complicated relationship with her "best friend" Gay since they first met in college 30 years before. Their story is told in interior monologue formed of reminisces and flashbacks over the course of a day in which the two women meet at the Ritz in Boston, but this is a tricky novel and all is not as it first appears. As revelations dev...more
This is one of the Nancy Pearl Book Lust Rediscovery series, and it is well worth being back in print. The story was fine, though the ending was a little weak. But the thing that shone about this book was the clever turns of phrase and sheer number of quotable lines. From the more whimsical - "I didn't think I needed a nap, but in the first half hour after lunch one is never absolutely sure." - to the passages that put human emotion so beautifully into words - "At seventeen, Charley didn't beli...more
A fabulous slice of interior life. Don't expect action - the narrator herself, describing an early attempt at writing fiction, says "... I thought that if you got a whole bunch of characters that far along {two-thirds into the book} they were bound to finish up by themselves, just as they would in real life. What I didn't understand was that in real life people seldom die or fail or triumph at the right time, and that they almost never coordinate their ends with those of others. So that if you j...more
The most concise description: Mad Men-ish: cocktails but no advertising. But this was actually about the evolution of all types of relationships over twenty years, in addition to the transition of the time periods. The unnamed narrator is a snappy lady - and I'm so happy I've finally met a character who can be described that way. This book makes you thirsty for cocktail hour in a place where handbags don't sit on the floor or hang from a hook under the bar.
"It is very dangerous to get caught wit...more
"It is very dangerous to get caught wit...more
I can't not love a book set mainly in my own 'hood (the Ritz is now the Taj, but not much has changed) and it's worth reading as much for the historical and cultural content as it is for the character interaction.
The narrator is drunk for a good deal of the story, so if that's not your thing, you might skip this. In her defense, though, Savage does drunkenness REALLY well, and it contributes a really great tone to the narrator's voice.
Walter, if you are out there, I hope your book got published,...more
The narrator is drunk for a good deal of the story, so if that's not your thing, you might skip this. In her defense, though, Savage does drunkenness REALLY well, and it contributes a really great tone to the narrator's voice.
Walter, if you are out there, I hope your book got published,...more
“It is very dangerous to get caught without something to read.”
The Last Night at the Ritz
I think I may make this into a sampler--or at least a family motto. There are other memorable lines in this book that is not for everybody. Set in the late 60's, two old friends meet for a lunch, dinner, and lots of drinks, reliving their college years and the current state of their lives. This is like a time capsule that some of us will appreciate much more than others--when women were truly in a different...more
The Last Night at the Ritz
I think I may make this into a sampler--or at least a family motto. There are other memorable lines in this book that is not for everybody. Set in the late 60's, two old friends meet for a lunch, dinner, and lots of drinks, reliving their college years and the current state of their lives. This is like a time capsule that some of us will appreciate much more than others--when women were truly in a different...more
I listened to the audio read by Janet Metzger. This witty novel is firmly rooted in its time period--the early sixties with flashbacks to when two friends were in college together. The narrator is unnamed, a flippant heavy-drinking, book-loving, loyal friend to a married couple, Gaye and Len. Or is she? And how much does her friend know? I especially enjoyed the narrator's relationship with Gaye and Len's son, Charlie.
I always love to hear Nancy Pearl on NPR. This her Book Lust Rediscoveries edition of the novel and she wrote a wonderful intro telling why she loved it so much. So I was primed. It's a story of a long friendship between two women who met in college and takes place during one drunken night in Boston. Insightful, interesting (as secrets are revealed), and mainly I enjoyed the cool and breezy wit of the narrator's voice.
A true to the heart story about life, choices, effects, and enduring relationships - with a twist of alcohol related behaviour thrown in. I didn't realise this was written in 1973 while I was reading it - its threads are and always will be current. How much do you share with those you love, and what do you sacrifice for the security of love, then to keep it real, throw in a few litres of martinis, dubonnet and gin.
I really loved this. It practically zings with great lines and sly, perfectly formed observations about women's inner lives. It concerns two young women who met in college in the 60s and where life and love takes them. It delves into subjects like affairs and abortion in a pre-Roe v. Wade world. And it captures a truly interesting friendship between two women who love each other but hold their cards close to the chest.
Librarian Nancy Pearl has partnered with Amazon to publish out-of-print books that she loved written from 1960-2000. This was a good novel about two women who have been best friends since college. They are meeting 20 or so years later in Boston to spend an evening together, and the unnamed narrator reflects on their lives while going about the day.
Two Best friends from college and a former lover are invited to the Ritz for a birthdate celebration with the narrator. As drinks flow, the mood becomes somber and truths surface. This book has great characterization. It is a novel
Of friendship and love ane the ways we deceive each others and ourselves. It is quite unforgettable.
Of friendship and love ane the ways we deceive each others and ourselves. It is quite unforgettable.
They met in college. Doesn't everyone? Now, in middle age, they meet in the bar at the Ritz. One drinks Dubonnet, but the others drink for real as their intertwined histories are carefully revealed. Although the book was published 40 years ago, the deft descriptions of relationships, women's sexuality, and parenting still beg to be read aloud.
This was the first book from the Book Lust series that I've read and I found it to be captivating. Though it moved slowly, I was enthralled by the characters, especially Len. I love a character who changes, along with my opinions of him. I wanted to learn more about the unnamed narrator but in the end it really didn't matter who she was. I knew her anyway.
I love listening to Nancy Pearl on NPR, and the Last Night at the Ritz is one of her BookLust series of rediscovered works. Originally published in 1973, with most of the action having occurred 25 years earlier, it still works. Great characters. As one of the other reviewers said, Mad Men minus the advertising!
I think this is a great book to compare and contrast with Rules of Civility. I love the literary references and importance the written word is throughout the book. The characters are rich and unique yet trapped in their roles/time period too. A great book for discussion.
A very sweet, nostalgic and quaint portrait of the women's lives, centered around lunching at the ritz. I loved that it recalled much of my old neighborhood, and the characterizations are spot on. Great book to get lost in for a day or two.
This is a book about friendship and relationships, and it's a wonderful read. Maria will love it, I think!
A very interesting book about friendship and women's struggles with their place in the world and their relationships.
As a side note, it has some wonderful quotes about books & reading.
As a side note, it has some wonderful quotes about books & reading.
I have no idea how to explain this book. It’s about everything and nothing. A woman and her friends go out for drinks and dinner and through flashbacks we learn about her life.
Sounds boring put that way, but it wasn’t! I liked this woman very much and “enjoyed her company” so to speak. I also enjoyed the fact that it was set in Boston – I went for the first time last December and really enjoyed it; since it’s still fresh in my mind it was easy to picture the story… never mind that it’s set in t...more
Sounds boring put that way, but it wasn’t! I liked this woman very much and “enjoyed her company” so to speak. I also enjoyed the fact that it was set in Boston – I went for the first time last December and really enjoyed it; since it’s still fresh in my mind it was easy to picture the story… never mind that it’s set in t...more
Really liked this book about the changing relationships over time.
I think I'd like to read this again. It's very cleverly written and I imagine I've missed things and it'd stand up to multiple readings.
Mar 09, 2013
Jennifer
added it
Great writing, great character development, in a completely convincing voice. A book and author I never heard of, but I was completely sold.
Witty. The original chick lit, I think.
Sep 07, 2012
Amy
marked it as to-read
Nancy Pearls recommends this title.
Apr 21, 2012
Lisa
marked it as to-read
one of Nancy Pearl's top five novels.
Having lived in Boston,it was treat to read this book. So many layers,such great ways of telling the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wish it was longer!
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“It is very dangerous to get caught without something to read.”
—
2 people liked it
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Feb 23, 2013 11:35am