BOOK GROUP REVIEWS: The Last Town on Earth

"Start of a Great Discussion..."

THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH
by Thomas Mullen
(Random House, 2007)

[Trade Paperback, 432 pages, $15.00 U.S. - buy for less on Amazon.com]

Midtown Atlanta Book Group Rating: ★★★☆☆
Historical Fiction: WWI, Flu Epidemic, Pacific Northwest
September 2010 Selection

"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 the book itself turned out to be somewhat of a disappointment, with a group rating of 2.75 (out of 5), the meeting and discussion of THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH by Thomas Mullen was terrific!

The group loved the concept of this book, the subject(s) (flu epidemic, labor movement, utopian communities, nationalism, WWI, draft dodging, etc.), the context of historical fiction and the setting...although that was qualified a bit, as our retired History professor questioned (paraphrased): "How realistic was this setting at this time and place?" Good question--and it was interesting to try and determine where the fictional town of Commonwealth might have existed on the map of Washington State.

The disappointment in the book was mainly that it seemed amateurish: the author's first novel, he brought in a lot of interesting ideas, details and characters...but the characters were flat and plot development was forced, as if the author was trying to get everything in and use all his writerly techniques and strategies, but didn't come out as well as we would have hoped.

Even so, THE LAST TOWN ON EARTH led to an engaging and interesting group discussion about WWI and events of that timeframe on the home front. Sometimes it is the books we don't love that lead to great conversation and debate. After all, that's kind of the point, isn't it?

Next Month:
THE BEAUTIFUL CIGAR GIRL:
Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and The Invention of Murder
by Daniel Stashower.
[Our spooky read for October!]