With a good 80s (and book world!) setting, did this book deliver?
The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess
Published on July 9, 2019 by Henry Holt
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: In the summer of 1987, 25-year-old Eve Rosen is an aspiring writer languishing in a low-level assistant job. With her professional ambitions floundering, Eve jumps at the chance to attend an early summer gathering at the Cape Cod home of famed New Yorker writer Henry Grey and his poet wife, Tillie. Dazzled by the guests and her burgeoning crush on the hosts’ artistic son, Eve lands a new job as Henry Grey’s research assistant and an invitation to Henry and Tillie’s exclusive and famed “Book Party”— where attendees dress as literary characters. But by the night of the party, Eve discovers uncomfortable truths about her summer entanglements and understands that the literary world she so desperately wanted to be a part of is not at all what it seems.
Review of The Last Book Party
This is a topic for another blog post, but in short, one of my reading goals this summer is to get back into reading more adult fiction. I chose The Last Book Party as one of my summer reads because of the beachy 1980s setting.
At its core, this story was about an idealistic young woman working in the literary world who learns some harsh realities about the people around her. For me, it was really interesting to read a coming of age story that wasn’t YA. Maybe my YA-centric reading habits are hard to break, but I think this book would have worked better with a younger main character, like a college-age intern. For a 25 year old, Eve struck me as almost too naive for her age.
The overall setting and vibe of the book were great – I’ve spent a fair amount of time on Cape Cod (though not back in the 1980s) and since this summer has me stuck in the city, I loved being transported to the Cape. The literary setting was fun too – Eve works at a publishing house in New York for a bit of the story. I wished for even more 80s details, though!
Coming of age-type stories are never all that surprising – usually featuring a main character who discovers that someone he or she looks up to isn’t what they seem or that his or her idealistic version of the world is all wrong – and as I read, I could pretty much guess how this story was going to play out. If you’re looking for a dramatic, twisty, page-turning story, this isn’t the one for you. But if you think you’d like an atmospheric story with a beachy, retro setting, definitely give The Last Book Party a try!
Want to try a different book with summer and coming of age themes? Try Stay Sweet – check out my review here!
Ok, this book sounds like a nice relaxing Sunday morning read. I think I’ll put it on my book list. Thanks.
I am always up for growth and change no matter what the age. I like to think that we never stop improving as people. I am not a huge adult fiction fan, but the 80s setting could go a long way with me.
I think you could like this, as the main character is in her twenties and seems younger!
The 80’s setting and the Cape Cod location as well definitely sound fun! And coming-of-age stories can be hit or miss, for sure, but sometimes they hit the spot! Glad this one was mostly good!