Karen DukessBesprekingen

Ready for some escape and expecting a bit of enjoyment, this collection of characters, time, and place seemed promising. But even light reading needs some satisfying thread that holds things together. I kept hoping to find that tread, hoping that the main character, the plot, or something would improve, but it never did. Disappointing.

I have complicated thoughts about this book that I'm pretty sure will only apply to me and not most readers. Parts of the book I wanted to give a solid 5 stars, but other parts I wanted to give 3. It was riveting - and I read it in less than 24 hours - but it felt bland in the end. I loved Eve's personal writing journey and professional career struggles, I loved how the author wrote about her struggles and doubts and insecurities, but...I found the "romance" portions of the book weirdly predictable and flat. I really felt like all of the characters were well developed and likable in very different ways, and I wanted to spend more time with all of them...it really was just the romance portions of all of their lives that I felt secondary when I wanted to know more about their creative stories and their other relationships not involving Eve.

This one was tricky to rate. A very enjoyable read for sure, but my personal taste varied greatly throughout.

Many mispronunciations - ugh. Kind of a terrible narrator.

Another coming-of-age type novel that really showcases that you don’t know what you don’t know and the folly of youth. I was a 25-year-old woman once and remember how thinking that youth was the end-all-be-all and trumped everything. That my youth and vigor could overwhelm and dominate any sort of situation. The inherent self-centeredness of being young, it's cute if maddening in how much she doesn't see/understand/notice. Eve thinks her affair with Henry should obliterate everything else in his life and her realization that it hardly touched him was cringe-worthy to watch (could I get any more hyphenated phrases in this review?).

Overall though, not much happens except that Eve comes to realize that she was fooling herself all along and that there’s no fool like an old fool - this is pointed at Henry who is left adrift in his life after decades of being the center of attention. At least Eve wasn’t as timid and afraid as the last young fictional woman I read about.

Could not finish this book at all. It was too wordy and I thought the plot was going nowhere. I didn't even get to page 50 which is my normal cut off for a book I didn't like.

The perfect beach read! We visit Truro at the Cape every year. Due to Covid-19, we might not get there this year, so it was a treat to virtually visit familiar places through this book. Add to that a want-to-be writer, book and author references, and a late 1980s literary scene (that has changed in many ways, but with industry truths that remain the same), and you've got a delightful read.

You also get Eve, our 25-year-old main character who thinks she has the casual side of romantic relationships figured out. (The older me wants to have a heart-to-heart with her and steer her in the right direction!) But she's fun and hesitant, strong and vulnerable, outgoing and unsure. She takes chances. Sometimes I cringed at her decisions and sometimes I laughed out loud or marveled at her insight about complicated relationships, career paths, and moral choices.

Ultimately, I bet you'll cheer for her as I did.

This is a coming of age book, set in the late 1980s, about Eve Rosen, an aspiring writer, who gives up her job in NYC to be an assistant to Henry Grey. Henry is an established writer, having published in The New Yorker. His wife, Tillie, is also a writer. Henry and Tillie live on Cape Cod, where Eve's parents also have a home. So, Eve travels to Cape Cod for the summer to be Henry's assistant. One reason she left NYC is because she had a one-night stand with Henry's son, Franny. Another reason is that she knew she wasn't going anywhere with her job in the publishing house.
Jeremy is another writer, about Eve's age, that has just written a wonderful novel about a leper, and the novel is about to be published.
Once Eve gets to Cape Cod, she easily falls into step with Henry's needs, and things become involved between them. Eve is also watching Henry's relationship with Tillie, and noticing that it seems strained. Eve is also stung by Franny's lack of interest.
As the summer winds down, Eve is planning for her costume to attend The Book Party at Henry and Tillie's at the end of the summer. The book party is where everything comes to a head, including the relationship between Henry and Tillie, Henry and Eve, Tillie and Lane, Jeremy and Eve, Franny and Eve, and Franny and Lil. There are lots of things that are said and broken apart at the party.
Eve learns a lot in those summer months, recognizing that what she thought of the world of writing and publishing is not what she expected.
This book had a real feel of "summering on Cape Cod" to it. The author captured the essence of life there.
#TheLastBookParty #KarenDukess

A novel that started well and ended up meh. Young woman works for a publisher and then, when she's bypassed for a promotion because she's not motivated, she takes a summer job working as an assistant to one of their authors. The best part of the story is her obvious love for Truro on the Cape. The worst is everything else. Quote: "Those who can't do, sleep with those who can."

3.5 Engaging characters and the plot moves along quickly. I wouldn't say this was a romance in terms of falling in love, but a romance in how a young woman idolizes their dreams, future, and men. Takes chances, makes mistakes, and grows up.

3.5 Engaging characters and the plot moves along quickly. I wouldn't say this was a romance in terms of falling in love, but a romance in how a young woman idolizes their dreams, future, and men. Takes chances, makes mistakes, and grows up.

The 256 page “The Last Book Party” (BP) by Karen Dukess is her first novel; it takes place in the late 1980s, but why it couldn’t have been moved forward 30 years to the present is not clear to me. There are all kinds of supporting blurbs on Amazon proclaiming it “a great beach read’, “highly anticipated”, etc. The protagonist, Eve Rosen, is a 25 year old assistant editor, or similar title, for a New York book publisher. When she is passed over for a promotion, she decides to quit and accept a temporary position as Girl Friday researcher for Henry, a well known magazine journalist, summering the waning months at his home on The Cape. Convenient for Eve because her parents live nearby but of course they don’t orbit in the same circles. And then get ready for a lot of literary references.

Before long, Eve is literally swept off her feet by Franny, son of Henry; Franny then disappears for most of the book, only to return at The Climax. The days go by, Henry and Eve work well together. Every so often wife Tilly, a poet of some fame, sticks her nose in for an acerbic comment or two. Things happen. Then, maybe halfway through the book, there is the first mention of The Party, an end of summer affair where all the guests dress up as a character in a novel. As you may have guessed, right in the middle of The Party, we have The Climax. I have never watched The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, nor The Brotherhood or whatever its called, but based on inescapable TV ads I imagine season-ending scenes of big reveals, tears, finger-pointing, quick cuts to several characters, yelling, lots of yelling, everybody leveling charges (mostly accurate, at each other)…..The dust and the hangovers clear. Eve moves, gets a new job, comes back a year later…..

To proclaim BP a beach book I believe is to demean it a bit; this is much better than what I toss in my sunblock bag. It’s very well plotted, with interesting characters, excellent prose, and some good insights into the book business. It raises some interesting moral dilemmas and is entertaining as well. My only criticism is that I think the author went a bit too far with all the literature character references. I understood that BP’s characters were supposed to get it, but the author seemed to expect a worthwhile reader would also.

Recommended? Yes. Would I read the next Dukess? Maybe not.

Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead--Read at Your Own Discretion

Eve claims to want to be a writer. She has a job at a publishing house--apparently hoping writing will rub off on her. Instead, her peek behind the curtain has an opposite effect. Through her work, she meets Henry and gets invited to a party at his home where he offers her a job as a research assistant. When she's passed over for a promotion at work, she takes the job with Henry.

Every September, Henry and his wife, Tillie, throw a "Book Party" where guests come dressed as book characters. That year's party changes everything.

What I liked: Eve's friendship with Truro's librarian, Alva. Being immersed in a literary world for a time. The portrayal of the publishing world seems accurate from what I've read/heard of it.

What I didn't like: Eve has a fling with Henry's and Tillie's son Franny at the first party she attends there. Franny has this fling knowing that he has a relationship with Lil--then when the fling is revealed, he calls it a "hiccup". A few months later, Eve has an affair with Henry. Tillie and her assistant, Lane, have a lesbian affair (Tillie apparently has not revealed this to her husband since there's an insinuation by Eve that Henry and Tillie made love in Tillie's office.) Jeremy takes Henry's thesis in fiction idea, makes some changes, and passes it off as his own without ever asking Henry if he can use the idea. I got the idea that there might be more between Malcolm and Eric than what was revealed in the text of the novel--this is just my idea and might not be what the author intended to convey. Malcolm keeps putting off Henry's edits--either do the work, pass it to someone else, or be honest with Henry that the work will probably not get published under the current regime--quit stringing him along.

The Last Book Party is a fun summer read for those who like bookish stories. Set predominately in Cape Cod, readers get immersed in the publishing world of eccentric writers, ambition and social pitfalls.

Eve Rosen, the main character, is an aspiring writer that has been in a bit of a writing rut. She can’t seem to finish anything she starts, so she works as an assistant at a publishing firm until circumstances prompt her to leave the firm and spend the summer working as a research assistant to a famous writer.

By the end of the summer when the writer holds his famous “book party” some difficult situations come to the surface that cause a fracture among some of the people in the group and prompt Eve to reevaluate her life and make some much needed changes.

Readers will enjoy a peek into the world of publishing and all the references to other books that are made throughout the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Eve is a young woman struggling to make it as a writer. She is in a dead end job in publishing and she just can’t take it anymore. So, she QUITS! She takes a job as an assistant to a famous author and his poet wife. She entangles herself into their lives and she gets invited to their famous Book Party. Eve slowly discovers she is in over her head.

I started out enjoying Eve. I really felt for her. But, like all good characters, she makes a STUPID, STUPID mistake in this story. As a reader, I saw it coming. The author did a great job building up to it. (Can you tell I am trying not to give it away). Also, like all good characters, she realizes she has made a mistake and she takes matters in her own hands, even if it will be painful.

Give me a story about books, authors, and publishing and I am in love. This story is fantastic in my eyes. I loved the setting, the characters (well, except when Eve does something REALLY stupid) and all the book references. Did I mention the book references?!?! It really take you on a ride you will not soon forget.

Grab this one today!

I received this novel from Henry Holt and Company for a honest review. The book releases July 9, 2019.

3.5 - 4.0 stars for The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess

The old coming-of-age story gets a modern, bookish, facelift in The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess. The main character, Eve is a 25-year-old woman trying to find herself in the outrageous, over-the-top 80s. Set in New York, Dukess paints a stunningly accurate picture of life in NYC, Cape Cod, and Truro. Eve dreams of being a published author. Famous, beloved, and idolized by others. When Eve is offered the opportunity to spend the summer of 1987 as author Henry Grey's assistant, she is overjoyed. Working closely with the famous Grey family is an eye-opening, heartbreaking experience. Eve learns there's a lot of ugliness going on behind the flawless facade put on display for fans.

The Last Book Party is narrated by Eve, a naive booklover dreaming of the day her book will sit on the top shelf next to the authors she loves. Her path is convoluted at times and her naivety (at age 25) a bit frustrating. She makes a few bad decisions resulting in unforeseen detours and hard truths. But it was a learning experience -- mere stepping stones on her life's path. The ending was realistic and satisfying, despite feeling rushed. I liked Eve. I loved that she loved books and her adoration of writers mimics my own. All the bookish references were like extra icing on an already delicious cake. I devoured this book in one sitting and cannot wait to see what Karen Dukess serves up to readers next. I just hope the next book is longer.

Happy Reading,

RJ½