Ever since legwarmers were cool, best friends Tara, Katherine, and Fintan have survived small-town ennui, big-city heartbreak, and endless giddy... read full description
reviews
Jan 11, 2009
Faith
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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 for More...
But Last Chance Saloon is actually different. Kinda more serious. The message is that we shouldn't presume life is for More...
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Dec 31, 2008
Antof9
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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. T 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. T More...
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Feb 09, 2012
Karo
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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
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Jan 15, 2012
Cara
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Sep 15, 2011
Jo
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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 res More...
Tara, ok maybe the bit about the weight I could identify with, but the res More...
Jun 03, 2011
Rebecca
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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.
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Feb 17, 2010
Arielle
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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 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 More...
Dec 05, 2009
Miftahul
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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 be 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 be More...
Mar 03, 2011
Michele
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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
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Feb 05, 2011
Carolyn
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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 ca 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 ca More...
May 17, 2010
Dwhren
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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
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Jul 29, 2008
Becky
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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!
Nov 06, 2011
Gail
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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
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Oct 13, 2011
Moira
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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 o
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Jun 26, 2009
Amanda
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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
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Jul 27, 2011
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 per
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Jan 14, 2009
Sherri
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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,
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Feb 07, 2010
Rachel
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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
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Apr 23, 2010
Debbie
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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
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Sep 11, 2011
Kendra
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Finally…a Keyes book that I enjoyed! The story is about a group of friends living in London in 1999 who learn that one of them has a devastating illness. Each of them makes great changes in his/her life and we follow each of them through it all. Some of the writing is touching and poignant…but at other times I had to skim as I scoffed and rolled my eyes. I have a difficult time accepting that a character as strong and poised as Katherine could fall apart so completely…but, as with all of Key
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Aug 02, 2011
Jayne
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One of the better books I read during my mid-twenties Chick-Lit phase. This was written with a generous helping of wit. I particularly liked the smug media character who considered it a bad week when he didn't get at least one pair of knickers in the post. Like most books of this genre, it is frequently clear which way the plot is going, making the journey there seem to drag a tad. The dieting plotline I found a bit patronising. On the other hand, this was one of the few books I have read to fea
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Oct 29, 2008
Abby
rated it:
One of my favorites by my favorite author!
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Jul 12, 2007
Ferina
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Buku ini bercerita tentang persahabatan. Dan menurut aku, buku ini bagus, karena gak hanya sekedar haha-hihi and talking about sex, tapi juga tentang sebuah sahabat yang selalu ada dalam saat senang dan sedih.
Para tokoh ini buku ini ada Tara, Katherine, Liv dan Fintan. Tara, Katherine dan Fintan berasal dari kota yang sama di Irlandia. Kemudian Liv masuk ke dalam kehidupan mereka ketika jadi teman seapartemen Katherine dan Tara di London.
Cerita dimulai dengan pesta ulang More...
Para tokoh ini buku ini ada Tara, Katherine, Liv dan Fintan. Tara, Katherine dan Fintan berasal dari kota yang sama di Irlandia. Kemudian Liv masuk ke dalam kehidupan mereka ketika jadi teman seapartemen Katherine dan Tara di London.
Cerita dimulai dengan pesta ulang More...
Jul 31, 2011
Nicole
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At first I didn't think I was going to like this book. It seemed to me that Keyes struggled a bit to get the story going. It started out a bit choppy, and I couldn't stand two of the three main characters. However, something made me push ahead and give the book a chance. When a climactic event happens a quarter of the way in, Last Chance Saloon does a complete 360. The story becomes stronger, the characters begin to grow and learn, and Keyes takes the plot to a whole different level. Although I
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Nov 13, 2011
Beth
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I really enjoy Marian Keyes novels. She adds a little bit of a different twist to chick lit. This one was a little bit "deeper" than most books of this genre -- but still funny and fun to read. I also enjoy all of the different characters that Keyes includes in her novels. If I find myself frustrated with the way that one of them is acting, I can usually find another that I can better relate too.
This book was like real life, about taking the good with the bad and learning to grow
This book was like real life, about taking the good with the bad and learning to grow
Feb 12, 2012
Kat
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The more I read, the more I love. Excellent! As engaging as Sushi for Beginners this is another ensemble story about three best friends and their lives and loves. I literally could not put it down. I just wanted to know what happened! I really liked the characters of Tara and Katherine, and their back stories and that although everyone didn't end up happily ever after, the potential to be happy was there. I'm on to another Walsh book, the last because she hasn't written one about Helen yet. Look
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Feb 03, 2010
Amy
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With all characters aged 31, this book talks a lot about relationship problems, and how girls are so worried of not getting married. This book also shows good friendships between the main characters, a really good point that makes me love all the main characters. So many examples of bad guys here and it really annoys me. I really wish I will not meet one. Overall, this book is quite fun. I enjoyed reading it, although I wish they make a more detailed happy ending.
Jul 09, 2009
Heather
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Ugh. I picked this up years ago after I read the Bridget Jones books, thinking that another sassy Brit single-girl book was just what I was looking for. However, where Bridget's issues with her weight and relationships were charming and bittersweet, I just found the characters in this book completely shallow and unlikable. I think I got about 50 pages in before I re-shelved the book, where it still sits, gathering dust and taunting me.
Aug 22, 2010
Tara
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I find it fascinating how if I am interested in a book, I read it that much quicker. Although I find the character of Tara annoying, I love the camaraderie of her friends. I have read the first two hundred pages in a 24 hour period. I am not sure if it is due to my melancholy or that I am enjoying the book. I like it, and genuinely want to know what is going to happen to the characters, but I cannot say that I LOVE the book.
Feb 13, 2008
adventurat
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I really enjoyed this book. The three main characters were believable and real, as were the secondaries, and even the tertiaries were well individuated. The plot was well crafted, and if not intricate, at least well woven. The exploration of human emotional damage, old and new, was very well done, and the parallel of physical suffering equally realistic and well done. I laughed out loud, I cried, I despaired and then hoped, I was angry and I forgave and moved on, along with the characters.
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