The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
"Oh my... I just loved this book. In telling the story of the four Skinner siblings from their first childhood brush with grief through their adulthood and even their old age, Conklin gives us a sensitive and beautifully-rendered tale that made me consider the length and weight of a lifetime, the ways that siblings relate to each other (especially as adults) and the seemingly-small moments that resonate so many years later. If you love a big, sweeping family drama as much as I do, then this should absolutely be your next read." - Recommended by Erika
When the renowned poet Fiona Skinner is asked about the inspiration behind her iconic work, The Love Poem, she tells her audience a story about her family and a betrayal that reverberates through time.
It begins in a big yellow house with a funeral, an iron poker, and a brief variation forever known as the Pause: a free and feral summer in a middle-class Connecticut town. Caught between the predictable life they once led and an uncertain future that stretches before them, the Skinner siblings—fierce Renee, sensitive Caroline, golden boy Joe and watchful Fiona—emerge from the Pause staunchly loyal and deeply connected. Two decades later, the siblings find themselves once again confronted with a family crisis that tests the strength of these bonds and forces them to question the life choices they’ve made and ask what, exactly, they will do for love.
A sweeping yet intimate epic about one American family, The Last Romantics is an unforgettable exploration of the ties that bind us together, the responsibilities we embrace and the duties we resent, and how we can lose—and sometimes rescue—the ones we love. A novel that pierces the heart and lingers in the mind, it is also a beautiful meditation on the power of stories—how they navigate us through difficult times, help us understand the past, and point the way toward our future.