compass_rose's review against another edition
I really wanted to love this. It has all the elements for me - the setting is the big one -- loved the research ship/tourism and Antarctica, romance, science. But I'm giving up (for now?). I had trouble keeping the timeline and that has me frustrated. Part of that is because I audiobooked much of it. Maybe I could have kept track better with eye-reading. I might pick it up another time.
stopped at page 101
stopped at page 101
nessa_8l's review against another edition
5.0
I’m being completely honest here. Before the last two chapters I was going to give this book 4 stars because it was really good really interesting and love the romance and all that. Reading the last chapters I bawled my eyes out (still am) which gave my rating an extra star. Why? Because books that make me feel something especially sadness lots and lots of sadness enough to make me cry deserves five stars.
WHYYYYY THOUGH?!? WHY DID THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN?!? I CANT STOP CRYING!!
WHYYYYY THOUGH?!? WHY DID THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN?!? I CANT STOP CRYING!!
cher_n_books's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars - Meh. Just ok.
Set primarily in Antarctica, the imagery and descriptions are vivid and create a wonderful escapist atmosphere. However, there is an extremely heavy handed focus on a romance, and it is unfortunately a tepid and forgettable one. Had the novel focused more on the environmental issues or generalized drama instead of a dispassionate cliché relationship, it would have been far more enjoyable. I would be interested in reading nonfiction by this author should she ever write such a book about Antarctica or penguins.
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Favorite Quote: Most want to hear about the victims, not the rescuers. They don’t yet know that we are one and the same.
First Sentence: As I lead tourists from the Zodiacs up rocky trails to the penguin colonies, I notice how these visitors – stuffed into oversize, puffy red parkas – walk like the penguins themselves: eyes to the snowy ground, arms out for balance.
Set primarily in Antarctica, the imagery and descriptions are vivid and create a wonderful escapist atmosphere. However, there is an extremely heavy handed focus on a romance, and it is unfortunately a tepid and forgettable one. Had the novel focused more on the environmental issues or generalized drama instead of a dispassionate cliché relationship, it would have been far more enjoyable. I would be interested in reading nonfiction by this author should she ever write such a book about Antarctica or penguins.
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Favorite Quote: Most want to hear about the victims, not the rescuers. They don’t yet know that we are one and the same.
First Sentence: As I lead tourists from the Zodiacs up rocky trails to the penguin colonies, I notice how these visitors – stuffed into oversize, puffy red parkas – walk like the penguins themselves: eyes to the snowy ground, arms out for balance.
textpublishing's review against another edition
5.0
‘Half adventure, half elegy, and wholly recommended.’
Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
‘Refreshingly different, vivid and immediate. Midge Raymond has an extraordinary gift for description that puts the reader bang in the middle of the action, bang in the middle of its dangerous and endangered world. Her clean, sparse prose pulls us irresistibly into the story and the wider issues it raises. She is clearly a writer in command of her craft.’
M. L. Stedman, author of The Light Between Oceans
‘An original and entirely authentic love story…It recognises that love is seldom simple or exclusive, and that the things that bring us together can also keep us apart.’
Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project
‘An atmospheric tale of love discovered, and losses endured, in Antarctica…The unpredictability of the splendors and terrors of life at the southern pole creates a backdrop of foreboding entirely appropriate for the story’s cinematic resolution [and] the authentic rendering of the setting distinguishes Raymond’s novel from other stories of love in perilous times and places.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘Moving and raw…The combination of the icy Antarctic and the warmth of human feeling make for compelling reading.’
Book Bag
‘[Raymond] has evoked the various landscapes of the continent and its offshore islands superbly. Deb’s determination to protect the environment and wildlife of Antarctica is compelling, while the various threats to its future are symbolised by the dramatic disaster that provides a gripping and exciting conclusion.’
Stuff NZ
‘My Last Continent is a complicated love story and an education in the plight of penguins in Antarctica, showcasing the beauty and terror unique to one of the world’s most remote terrains…Raymond skillfully captures the stunning and singular landscape and its special inhabitants.’
Publishers Weekly
‘Atmospheric and adventurous…The story and vivid writing will keep readers glued to the pages.’
Library Journal
‘I can say, this novel is going straight onto my year-end best of list, I loved everything about it. I was engaged from the opening pages, but from the moment that Deb and Keller meet, two lost souls finding each other at the end of the Earth, I was invested in their outcome, their romance, their sense of adventure as well as the dangers of the beautiful, icy wilderness of the Antarctic. Perfect summer reading for me. (10/10)’
AnnaBookBel
‘Unexpected and unique, this is a beautiful novel to immerse yourself and become lost in…Full of danger and suspense, it transports you to another world, and encourages reflection and compassion.’
LoveReading
‘A beautifully written, moving and gripping debut novel. I hope there will be more to come from this author.’
Otago Daily Times
‘As refreshing as it is poignant… a completely absorbing and sobering tale… [It] leaves you with a far greater appreciation of a searingly beautiful world, whose fate we are squandering so casually.’
Independent
‘The quality of Raymond’s prose struck me from the opening lines. An uncompromising, multi-layered story of love and admiration—of people, animals and environment—in which authenticity and beauty is born from their imperfections. Vivid and emotionally astute, both heartrending and hopeful, Midge Raymond’s My Last Continent is a novel I recommend without reservation.’
Top 10 International Reads of 2016, Booklover Book Reviews
Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
‘Refreshingly different, vivid and immediate. Midge Raymond has an extraordinary gift for description that puts the reader bang in the middle of the action, bang in the middle of its dangerous and endangered world. Her clean, sparse prose pulls us irresistibly into the story and the wider issues it raises. She is clearly a writer in command of her craft.’
M. L. Stedman, author of The Light Between Oceans
‘An original and entirely authentic love story…It recognises that love is seldom simple or exclusive, and that the things that bring us together can also keep us apart.’
Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project
‘An atmospheric tale of love discovered, and losses endured, in Antarctica…The unpredictability of the splendors and terrors of life at the southern pole creates a backdrop of foreboding entirely appropriate for the story’s cinematic resolution [and] the authentic rendering of the setting distinguishes Raymond’s novel from other stories of love in perilous times and places.’
Kirkus Reviews
‘Moving and raw…The combination of the icy Antarctic and the warmth of human feeling make for compelling reading.’
Book Bag
‘[Raymond] has evoked the various landscapes of the continent and its offshore islands superbly. Deb’s determination to protect the environment and wildlife of Antarctica is compelling, while the various threats to its future are symbolised by the dramatic disaster that provides a gripping and exciting conclusion.’
Stuff NZ
‘My Last Continent is a complicated love story and an education in the plight of penguins in Antarctica, showcasing the beauty and terror unique to one of the world’s most remote terrains…Raymond skillfully captures the stunning and singular landscape and its special inhabitants.’
Publishers Weekly
‘Atmospheric and adventurous…The story and vivid writing will keep readers glued to the pages.’
Library Journal
‘I can say, this novel is going straight onto my year-end best of list, I loved everything about it. I was engaged from the opening pages, but from the moment that Deb and Keller meet, two lost souls finding each other at the end of the Earth, I was invested in their outcome, their romance, their sense of adventure as well as the dangers of the beautiful, icy wilderness of the Antarctic. Perfect summer reading for me. (10/10)’
AnnaBookBel
‘Unexpected and unique, this is a beautiful novel to immerse yourself and become lost in…Full of danger and suspense, it transports you to another world, and encourages reflection and compassion.’
LoveReading
‘A beautifully written, moving and gripping debut novel. I hope there will be more to come from this author.’
Otago Daily Times
‘As refreshing as it is poignant… a completely absorbing and sobering tale… [It] leaves you with a far greater appreciation of a searingly beautiful world, whose fate we are squandering so casually.’
Independent
‘The quality of Raymond’s prose struck me from the opening lines. An uncompromising, multi-layered story of love and admiration—of people, animals and environment—in which authenticity and beauty is born from their imperfections. Vivid and emotionally astute, both heartrending and hopeful, Midge Raymond’s My Last Continent is a novel I recommend without reservation.’
Top 10 International Reads of 2016, Booklover Book Reviews
kalliebr's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
snowmaiden's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good book, but it could have been so much more. Something about the whole cruise ship setting seemed wrong to me, too vague, as if the author was writing about things she had only imagined. The penguin research parts had more of the ring of truth to them, but still didn’t pull me in. The only part that completely sold me was the love story. If Raymond had written the whole book the way she wrote the relationship stuff, it would have been breathtaking.
oceanreign's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
daynpitseleh's review against another edition
3.0
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 1/2 stars
This is a good, somewhat straightforward literary fiction novel. It deals with a romance, but I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a romance, because I think it's more than that. Although it's not told linearly, I found the story easy to understand, with characters that were easy to relate to. If you're intrigued by the plot summary, I would definitely recommend it - finished this one on my lunch break at work and definitely got a little misty eyed.
3 1/2 stars
This is a good, somewhat straightforward literary fiction novel. It deals with a romance, but I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a romance, because I think it's more than that. Although it's not told linearly, I found the story easy to understand, with characters that were easy to relate to. If you're intrigued by the plot summary, I would definitely recommend it - finished this one on my lunch break at work and definitely got a little misty eyed.
readwithnikki413's review
4.75
This novel was surprising. I enjoyed the environmental message and character development. Watching their humanity and vulnerabilities was mesmerizing, as was the author's ability to portray these themes with sensitivity and empathy. It had all of the elements of a great love story mixed with suspense, making it an enjoyable read that has an important lesson about human aggression in a harsh environment.
throwmeabook's review against another edition
2.0
In My Last Continent, Deb Gardner, a naturalist studying the Adelie penguins of Antarctica, prefers the isolation and solitude Antarctica provides. Keller, a former lawyer, spends endless seasons in this icy and remote landscape working odd jobs in order to escape the painful reality of his life back in the US. Drawn together by their research into the impact of tourism on this fragile ecosystem, their relationship is tested by long periods of separation, personal tragedy and culminating in one fateful moment that will change their lives forever.
For all its desolation, remoteness, frigid temperatures and endless ice, Antarctica is a vibrant, mesmerizing, constantly evolving and changing landscape that has for centuries completely entranced us with its mysterious beauty. Although written as the love story of Deb and Keller, My Last Continent is in fact a love story, an ode to the wonderous continent of Antartica.
I was really looking forward to reading this; I mean the cover alone is reason enough but I am absolutely fascinated by Antarctica and really love reading about it and the promise of a love story made it hard to resist. Unfortunately though Deb and Keller’s love story was so uninteresting and unappealing that I actually had a hard time finishing My Last Continent. It’s saving grace is the vivid imagery of Antarctica and the fact that I learned more about the penguin population than I ever thought I would!
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
For all its desolation, remoteness, frigid temperatures and endless ice, Antarctica is a vibrant, mesmerizing, constantly evolving and changing landscape that has for centuries completely entranced us with its mysterious beauty. Although written as the love story of Deb and Keller, My Last Continent is in fact a love story, an ode to the wonderous continent of Antartica.
I was really looking forward to reading this; I mean the cover alone is reason enough but I am absolutely fascinated by Antarctica and really love reading about it and the promise of a love story made it hard to resist. Unfortunately though Deb and Keller’s love story was so uninteresting and unappealing that I actually had a hard time finishing My Last Continent. It’s saving grace is the vivid imagery of Antarctica and the fact that I learned more about the penguin population than I ever thought I would!
Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.