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50th out of 691 books
—
1,045 voters
Last Chance Saloon
by
Marian Keyes
Ever since legwarmers were cool, best friends Tara, Katherine, and Fintan have survived small-town ennui, big-city heartbreak, and endless giddy nights out on the town. But now that they've graduated to their slightly more serious thirties, only Fintan has what can honestly be called a "love life." With Tara struggling daily with her eternal diet—and her dreadful, penny-pi...more
Paperback, 528 pages
Published
February 5th 2008
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published 1999)
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Just "out of the book"! Just finished in other words. Last Chance Saloon really captured me. Definitely better than the Marian Keyes I've read lately (that is Lucy Sullivan ans Sushi). First Last Chance Saloon also seamed just too much like them. Almost boring to read about the same things (low self-esteem etc) again. But of course MK is ALWAYS entertaining.
But Last Chance Saloon is actually different. Kinda more serious. The message is that we shouldn't presume life is forever, so we should mak...more
But Last Chance Saloon is actually different. Kinda more serious. The message is that we shouldn't presume life is forever, so we should mak...more
Book review from BookCrossing: I'm a disaster at remembering to write journal entries while I can still remember the book! Sheesh! And the only reason I'm going to write a journal entry on this one is because it's getting in a box with some magazines to go to an American in Japan.
Back to the journal entry on this book -- I have several spots marked, so let's see if I can remember what I marked!
I don't know why I marked page 70, but I hated Thomas from the beginning. The conversation on this page...more
Back to the journal entry on this book -- I have several spots marked, so let's see if I can remember what I marked!
I don't know why I marked page 70, but I hated Thomas from the beginning. The conversation on this page...more
1. This books starts off with three best friends, Tara, Katherine, and Fintan are out celebrating Tara's 30 birthday. They sped the evening drinking and trying to prove that age is just a number. Tara goes home to her boyfriend Thomas, Fintan goes home to his boyfriend Sandro, and Katherine stays by herself. Throughout the story you follow their lives separately but together at the same time. Tara doesn't know what to feel towards Thomas anymore because they don't believe in the same things, but...more
Mar 02, 2012
DuniaFriskaIndah
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
chicklit-bagus,
persahabatan
Tara : Wanita yang memiliki pekerjaan bagus di konsultan computer, mandiri, cantik tapi memiliki ketakutan untuk hidup sendiri karena di umurnya yang 31, Tara masih belum mendapatkan seorang pendamping hidup yang ‘benar’ dan ‘seimbang’ dengannya. Memang dia masih berpacaran dengan Thomas, seorang guru geografi yang memiliki latar belakang masa kecil yang kurang menyenangkan dan hanya memiliki gaji jauh lebih kecil dibandingkan dengan Tara ;( Dengan harapan bisa mengubah Thomas menjadi sosok calo...more
I've read all of Marian Keyes' novels now, and I have to say that this might be her best yet. Watermelon was great, Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married a bit disappointing, Rachel's Holiday mildly depressing and frustrating, but Last Chance Saloon had me hooked. I very much enjoyed the cast of characters, each very well sketched out. The book really is a clever look at how easily one can become complacent, how easy it is to settle or simply float through life. The novel was a perfect mix of having...more
Boring. Took too long to get any 'oomph' about it. I disliked the Thomas character from the beginning, but, I suppose that was intentional. Lorcan's character set my teeth on edge - he was more of an irritant and just made me want to skip his parts completely. Benjy was a whining pathetic puppy trailing after Lorcan and I wasn't enamoured with him either. What did he actually DO in the story apart from whinge?
Tara, ok maybe the bit about the weight I could identify with, but the rest? I was uni...more
Tara, ok maybe the bit about the weight I could identify with, but the rest? I was uni...more
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A long, drawn out story about not much. Dated, which I never like very much. What is the point of putting down exact dates? I can trace back to where I was in 1986 and it's not pretty. And I hate when the gay-boy best friend has some sort of disease, even if it's not the typical AIDS. I always enjoy the comic relief gay-boy character, but all the British authors stereo-type them with an illness and I find that condescending and annoying. Also filled with loads of characters that where pointless....more
No, this is not great literature. It isn't perfect, it may not even the one of the best Marian Keyes books. What it is is funny, gentle, sweet and relatively calm - exactly what I've been needing to read.
In typical Keyes fashion, the characters are all terrible flawed and all the more likeable for it. I really think Katherine is not up there with my favourite Keyes characters, as is the lovely Fintan (which makes the usual heartbreaking plot-line of the book even more heartbreaking). (view spoi...more
In typical Keyes fashion, the characters are all terrible flawed and all the more likeable for it. I really think Katherine is not up there with my favourite Keyes characters, as is the lovely Fintan (which makes the usual heartbreaking plot-line of the book even more heartbreaking). (view spoi...more
I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of months ago and only got to it now. I read books depending on what I feel like next, and after my last one I really needed a chick lit book. I was so glad I had this one at hand! I have read several of Marian Keye's books and I like her style, so I was looking forward to immerse myself in her characters.
Last Chance Saloon is the story of three best friends, Tara, Katherine, and Fintan. Now in their early thirties, they have known each other since the...more
Last Chance Saloon is the story of three best friends, Tara, Katherine, and Fintan. Now in their early thirties, they have known each other since the...more
Seperti chicklit kebanyakan, buku ini bercerita tentang 3 orang bersahabat yang berasal dari kampung yang sama di pedalaman Irlandia, sama-sama bernasib kurang beruntung dan dikucilkan dari kehidupan masyarakat di tempat asal mereka, dan sama-sama merantau ke London demi kehidupan yang lebih baik.
Katherine dalam kehidupan sehari-harinya berusaha menerapkan disiplin yang tinggi, kaku, cenderung menolak segala bentuk kedekatan dengan laki-laki, berusaha menghapus image ibunya yang sering berganti...more
Katherine dalam kehidupan sehari-harinya berusaha menerapkan disiplin yang tinggi, kaku, cenderung menolak segala bentuk kedekatan dengan laki-laki, berusaha menghapus image ibunya yang sering berganti...more
I bought a stack of Marian Keyes novels at a book store a few years ago and I'm still working my way through them. They go pretty quick once I start an I know that I'll always enjoy them, so I tend to keep them around when I need something to keep me occupied.
Lately I've needed a lot more books to keep me occupied. My mind is so full of thinking about the coming baby that I need something that will help me not think about how much new responsibility I'm about to have!
This book is a bit dated- a...more
Lately I've needed a lot more books to keep me occupied. My mind is so full of thinking about the coming baby that I need something that will help me not think about how much new responsibility I'm about to have!
This book is a bit dated- a...more
Tara, Fintan and Katherine have been good friends for a long time ever since they were teenagers in Ireland. The three of them now live in London with only Fintan who has what could be called a love life. Tara is staying with her verbally abusive, penny-pinching boyfriend because she feels that he is the last chance that he has for marriage and children. Katherine who was heart broken from a past relationship keeps her single life organized and is happy being single. Fintan is in a long term ser...more
"They are about to discover that if you dont change your life, life has a way of changing you......"
Having read The Other Side of the Story & Sushi for Beginners , I had certain expectations from the book and it didnt disappoint me! It is the most charming read with the right doses of drama, romance, pain, humour and also reality.
The characters are fresh and miles away from each other. Tara is the girl who is so afraid of being alone that she would rather be with her jerk of a boyfriend....more
Having read The Other Side of the Story & Sushi for Beginners , I had certain expectations from the book and it didnt disappoint me! It is the most charming read with the right doses of drama, romance, pain, humour and also reality.
The characters are fresh and miles away from each other. Tara is the girl who is so afraid of being alone that she would rather be with her jerk of a boyfriend....more
Saloon was my first book read by this author Marian Keyes, an Irish author. Well, Keyes certainly puts the ick, in chick lit!
That being said, I did like the converstational style of her writing. It was like I was chatting with some good friends.
The three main friends, Tara, Katherine, and their gay friend Fintan have grown up together and now are in their 30's thinking that that they are stuck in their last chance saloon with relationships and life. But if they each can shed something in their p...more
That being said, I did like the converstational style of her writing. It was like I was chatting with some good friends.
The three main friends, Tara, Katherine, and their gay friend Fintan have grown up together and now are in their 30's thinking that that they are stuck in their last chance saloon with relationships and life. But if they each can shed something in their p...more
I read this book for one of my book clubs. I never, ever would have read it otherwise because I pretty much detest chick lit, which this book is. This book in no way dissuaded me of my dislike for the genre, but I will say that Keyes writes well enough that I did find myself wanting to continue reading the book to find out what happened. The story revolves around a group of friends, who grew up in Ireland together and then moved to London together. Tara is a slightly overweight woman who is livi...more
This was pretty good, i wasnt as impressed by it as i was by Brightest Star in the Sky, very chick litty, almost out of date, well i mean it was sorta like reading historical fiction because of the lack of technologies, the current health fears, etc. It's funny reading a book about people in their thirties who would now be in their forties...while im in my thirties.
Three friends from Knockavoy IR are living in London now, one has successful fashion career (token gay male), another is a successf...more
Three friends from Knockavoy IR are living in London now, one has successful fashion career (token gay male), another is a successf...more
This book was definitely a page-turner. It's chick-lit, but it's about Irish people living in London, so I wasn't embarrassed to read it in public. I loved the character of Tara, who is a bit like an Irish Bridget Jones. I think we can all relate to her. Thanks, Katy!
1 like · like · see review
This is three friends from a western Ireland small town—Tara, who’s been overweight most of her life and thinks she must have a boyfriend to survive; Katherine, the town bastard who’s determined not to re-live her mother’s life and afraid she might be and so has closed herself off; and Fintan, a gay man whose life is in better shape than his girlfriends’ until he gets sick. Keyes also tosses in Tara and Katherine’s old roommate Liv, from Sweden who is having an affair with a married (Swedish) ma...more
This was another Marian Keyes book that I liked the sound of and was looking forward to reading.
Straight away I got a sense of fun from the main characters, they had a great friendship and were comfortable and relaxed in each others company. Tara had a bit of a problem with food and I could totally relate to that! Any parts that mentioned her hunger either had me nodding my head because it’s something I do, or laughing out loud at how hilariously she behaves when she’s hungry. Seeing everyday ob...more
Straight away I got a sense of fun from the main characters, they had a great friendship and were comfortable and relaxed in each others company. Tara had a bit of a problem with food and I could totally relate to that! Any parts that mentioned her hunger either had me nodding my head because it’s something I do, or laughing out loud at how hilariously she behaves when she’s hungry. Seeing everyday ob...more
This book is not as deeply hilarious as the cover states, in fact I didn't find it hilarious at all. What I did find was that it is unexpectantly good. When I first started reading it one of the characters I found annoying and I really could have cared less about the other ones. As I continued to read it, I couldn't put it down. It is heart felt and realistic. It is about a group of really close friends who live mundane lives until one day when tragedy strikes they are forced to try and improve...more
I had no prior expectations of this book. It was just something that i picked up and read on a holiday by the beach. I am so pleased that i stumbled across it, because i fell in love with this book almost immediately.
The characters are well developed and i found myself forming a real emotional connection to each person and their story. There are plenty of laughs, and just as many tears, and gut-wrenching worry, and relief. Each plot line is completely believable and wonderfully told.
There isn't...more
The characters are well developed and i found myself forming a real emotional connection to each person and their story. There are plenty of laughs, and just as many tears, and gut-wrenching worry, and relief. Each plot line is completely believable and wonderfully told.
There isn't...more
Marian Keyes is such a weird combination of heavy topics and light-as-air comedic writing that I gobble through her books in a fraction of the time it would take me for any other author writing a 500+ page tome. Actually think I read this one before. There is a decidedly "Sex and the City" feel to this with all the drinking and shopping and designer name-dropping and focus on toxic relationships and gay boyfriends. I really did not enjoy the Lorcan plotline, although I understand its overall sig...more
This story is all about making the most of your time and not wasting your life. Tara is so afraid of being alone and Katherine can't get over her past, and both have to be forced into making a change in their life so they can find happiness. I liked the contrast of the stability of Fintan and Sandro's relationship, though I thought it was heartbreaking that Sandro had to go through all he did for a second time. No one should have to do that more than once. I found it interesting the way Lorcan's...more
Jul 27, 2011
Jayne
added it
Not about one of the sisters in her other series. It's about a group of friends who each have their own set of weaknesses or nutjob headcases. Tara has a fear of being alone and would rather have a jerk who mistreats and takes huge advantage of her, than be without a boyfriend. Katherine would rather be alone than risk her heart and Fintan is gay and actually his life is not too shabby. Everything changes when Fintan becomes ill and with the thought of only 6 months left to live, everyones persp...more
I really enjoyed this Marian Keyes book. I have read about 3 or 4 of hers now. Sometimes they start slow. This is about a group of friends, their relationships, jobs, romance. It winds itself around until you're not sure where one new character will fit in the book down the line, interesting format. The characters pops up throughout the book but doesn't lock in with the others for quite some time. This book is funny, at times a bit rauncy and surprised me by being sexy. I loved the title, also,...more
This is my favourite Marian Keyes book. The characters are funny and flawed but in an all too familiar way. I can see myself and people I know in each of the main characters.
I've read this book many times over the years and I can happily pick this book up and start from a page chosen at random. The storyline is really engaging and I've laughed and cried reading this book.
I think this was one of the first chick-lit books I read but I feel it's more than that. It's about the sometimes complicated...more
I've read this book many times over the years and I can happily pick this book up and start from a page chosen at random. The storyline is really engaging and I've laughed and cried reading this book.
I think this was one of the first chick-lit books I read but I feel it's more than that. It's about the sometimes complicated...more
I bought this for what it was: trashy book to read on a plane. And I did read the entire thing, but it wasn't trashy enough. Nor, like other chick-lit, redeeming enough. The characters are tooo square in many ways, and the book is easily 100 pages longer than it should be. One, and perhaps the only, thing I like about chick-lit of this nature are the happy endings. Unlike other novels, you can read these types of books knowing there will be a feel-good ending where almost everyone wins and live...more
I like Marian Keyes' books. Her characterizations always seem fairly realistic to me. I was glad that no cliches were really met with this story. There were three major characters that were best friends although you did not get the story through Fintan's point of view, just Tara and Katherine. Everyone worked through their issues and I was glad to see that no one really got a trite, unrealistic ending. As is the case with most Keyes' books, I especially enjoyed the minor characters as they add a...more
This is another of those chick lit books that I read over and over. The characters at this point are like old friends, and while there are romantic dramas included the focus of the story is on the friendships between the main characters and overcoming what life throws at them. While I don't really think this qualifies as a 'book club' book (it's not one of those that really calls for deep discussion), it's still one I recommend to anyone looking for a light-ish read with interesting twists and t...more
I picked this up from the hotel office in Luxor since it was the only book in English. thought it wouldn't really be my thing but it was witty, well-written and entertaining. I really coudn't put it down after rather a slow beginning.
Marian Keyes describes single life in London for office workers. The humour is great - I found the obsession with dieting and eating tedious but her account of one of the characters diagnosed with cancer was poignant.
I understand why she is a best seller. Frivolou...more
Marian Keyes describes single life in London for office workers. The humour is great - I found the obsession with dieting and eating tedious but her account of one of the characters diagnosed with cancer was poignant.
I understand why she is a best seller. Frivolou...more
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Marian Keyes, born September 10, 1963, is a popular Irish writer, considered to be one of the original progenitors of "chick lit". Keyes' first novel, Watermelon, was published in Ireland in 1995. Since then she has published seven further novels and two collections of non-fiction, and has sold 15 million copies of her books in 30 languages.
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“Love is blind, there was no doubt about it. In Tara's case it was also deaf, dumb, dyslexic, had a bad hip and the beginnings of Alzheimer's”
—
44 people liked it
“Show me a person who doesn't have a past and I'll show you a boring bastard”
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27 people liked it
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