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Loading... The Last Town on Earth (2006)by Thomas Mullen
This is the young author's first novel. He's definitely one to watch. I like the historical edge to the book even though it is based on fiction due to the fact that there is not much factual history on this particular subject. Good read! (  ) admccrae | Apr 3, 2013 |  Joanie just read...... ( ) genejo1 | Sep 19, 2012 | This starts out slowly – achingly so. I gave up twice but on the third attempt, finally made it past the first third and that’s when the thing really takes off and a corking good tale emerges. The characters are remarkably well done, rounded and real, the writing in general is tremendous; twice, I went to bed so angry with outrage and indignation that I couldn’t sleep which wasn’t a good experience for me but is testament to the author’s a ability to tell a story. (  ) MayaP | Jun 16, 2012 | This is a story about Commonwealth, a little mill community at the end of a road in the forests of Washington state. It is 1918, WWI is drawing to a close, and the Spanish Flu epidemic is in full swing in America, but has not yet come to Commonwealth. So the residents decide to quarantine themselves. No one comes in and no one leaves. But two different soldiers show up at two different times, under suspicious circumstances and things start to fall apart. I found this book very disappointing after hearing about all the praise it received. While the premise of the book sounded good in summary, Mr. Mullen has a very difficult time getting to the point, inserting LOTS of pointless description on every page. I don’t care about how someone runs their finger around the rim of their cup or how tendrils of hair flutter in the breeze. It doesn’t contribute to the story at all. Without all that description, this story could have been told in half the number of pages and been a much better read. (  ) justpeachy | May 31, 2011 | Historical novel set during WWI that gets too sluggish and eventually too boring with its obvious political commentary and skin-deep allegories and parallels. The setting promised much more. ( ) AramisSciant | May 17, 2011 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0812975928, Paperback)Wow. This stunning book succeeds on so many different levels--as an engrossing story, a character study, a history lesson, a modern day political allegory--I don't even know where to begin the praise. The Last Town on Earth centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever.Although this is Mullen's first published work, there are none of the usual verbal pyrotechnics or high-wire "look how well I can write" balancing acts one sees with beginning authors. How refreshing to read a younger author who has already progressed beyond his ego and knows that it's all about story, story, story. Mullen tells his tale cleanly, simply and plainly--making the ironies and allegories all the more potent. I knew almost nothing of the flu epidemic of 1918 and even less about the political climate in the US during WW1. These are not subjects I would go out of my way to read about, but Mullen has made them compelling and interesting. In fact, the author's voice has the same level of confidence and maturity that one only finds in writers with decades more experience (I kept thinking of Wallace Stegner and Alice Munro while I was reading)--authors who earn your trust and confidence so early and easily that you completely relax into the writing and the voice. It's already on my Ten Best List; I can't imagine I'll read ten better books this year. It's easily the most impressive and heartfelt book I've read in a long while. --Terry Goodman (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:44:20 -0500) As the deadly Spanish Flu claims victims nearby, a small town in the Pacific Northwest votes to quarantine itself. |
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