8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging novel explores a nation divided, August 14, 2002
Tragic but always amusing tale of two friends, both divided and united by complex issues. Moves quickly, full of style and moments of brilliance. Probably one of the better novels about what it means to be hip, late sixties fashion.
McInerney has always liked creating parallel plots and metaphors in his writing; he does it best in this novel: Civil War, North and South, hip and square, gay and straight, black and white are explored in this very enjoyable if not exactly flawless novel.
McInerney is uneven in his conveyance of the language and taste of the hip, circa 60's and 70's: sometimes brilliant (descriptions of haute hippie home decor) sometimes bad (makes one character say "cut to the chase", a late 80's phrase, in the early 70's). But even when a character or some dialogue doesn't ring true, his writing certainly leads the reader into realms that do.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
May be last, but definitely not least..., October 16, 2006
Patrick Keane is recounting the history of his life, but as he's doing this we realize that really it's the history of his life as it pertains to Will Savage, his best friend and roommate from prep school who went on to become a huge record producer. A bit of the present is thrown into the mix, I guess to remind us that this is, in fact, history, but 95% of the book takes place in the past. At first this is a little strange and you wonder when the REAL action is going to take place, but once you realize that the back story IS the story, it's quite enjoyable.
McInerney makes his way through the 60's, 70's, and 80's, interweaving real events with fictional ones and real characters with fictional characters. It's an exciting read, and the writing style is very much in character for Patrick Keane, the narrator. At times you feel like big vocabulary words are thrown in just to impress, and when Patrick does just that in a letter to Will, it solidifies the idea that Patrick Keane, the grown-up, is the one telling the story. Patrick recounts the life of Will Savage in relation to the Savage family history, almost like a modern-day telling of the life of a prince, asserting that we do still live in times where royal families exist, and lineage does matter, when we're talking about money.
It's a great read, and definitely worth the time.
This novel is the fourth I've read by Jay McInerney (Bright Lights, Big City, Story of My Life, Ransom) and the first one that convinced me that he's actually a very talented writer. Ransom was a mediocre novel (at best), and both Bright Lights, Big City and Story of My Life were written in a meandering, almost intentionally pointless style. Last of the Savages has very well developed characters and tells an interesting story in a fairly complicated way.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Underrated, February 8, 2008
This book is highly underrated - I couldn't put it down, as the characters were so interesting and different.
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