Last Chance Saloon

I am fastly becoming a HUGE Marian Keyes lover. I started out with "Watermelon" and found it ok, but since then, I have craved more and more of her work. I have gone back over all of her work and find more and more brillance each time. And, with "Last Chance Saloon", I am blissfully happy. I love this book! I mean, LOVE it. I found the character so easy to read. I completely enjoyed Tara and her rough road of love and life. I was enchanted by her personality and heart. I think that Marian Keyes is not well known enough in this country and everyone should be talking about her books, just like "Bridget Jones". While, I am a huge fan of H. Fielding, I think that Keyes is equally talented! Give it a try, you won't be upset!!!

I've been indulging in chick lit and thoroughly enjoyed this one. Best friends Tara, Katherine, and Fintan all reach crossroads in their lives at the same time. For one, it's a life threatening illness, for another it's clinging to a bad relationship and for the third, it's the avoidance of all relationships.

The breezy dialogue, heartfelt confidences, and British setting give that Bridget Jones' spin to the story, but it's not a cookie cutter attempt to grab the same readers. The author has a good story to tell and the characters change and grow through the events in the book.

I got hooked with Marian Keyes after reading Watermelon. Then I picked up Lucy Sullivan and ended up with the same satisfaction. This one was a little bit different though. I don't mean that I hate it, I think this was as excellent as the other two that I've read. But the plot was much more heartwarming, especially since one of the character (Fintan) had Hodgkin's Disease. Some scenes were funny but there were times that I took a deep breath and sighed when it came to Fintan's condition. It was a great read ... and now I'm proudly declared myself as one of Keyes' fans

Three best friends, Fintan, Tara, and Katherine, who grew up together in Ireland, surviving heartbreaks and infinite nights out together, have now matured into serious adults and find themselves providing one another with amusing advice and emotional support. Although Fintan is involved in serious 12- year relationship, Tara and Katherine find themselves sitting around in the Last Chance Saloon when it comes to relationships. Tara struggles with weight issues and realizes the damage Thomas, her hypercritical boyfriend, is doing to her self-esteem and future. Reticent Katherine, on the other hand, declines becoming susceptible to the harm of a relationship, and clasps firm to her single condition. When Fintan is diagnosed with cancer, he wants nothing more than for his friends to be happy, and so he insists on Tara breaking up with Thomas, and Katherine finding someone to have relationship with. Marian Keyes, author of Last Chance Salon, uses metaphors, literal language, and colloquial language to develop her characters into realistic people. Keyes's humorous style not only provides for a fun and easy read, but portrays the importance of friendship and a well-lived, happy life to her audience. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and was enthralled into the last page.

A lovable, memorable read full of life. Last Chance Saloon is a book for everyone. You'll find that you can relate to each character, learn from their mistakes and cheer them along the way until the very last page. This novel also has its surprises, which makes the book even more enjoyable. I really enjoyed this book because it was more than another fun and witty novel but it was very true to life. The characters in this novel, especially Tara, Liz and Fintan, go through periods that we've all faced or may face at one point in our lives. You can take each character's strength with you when you are done reading Last Chance Saloon.

I LOVED this book. The story is emotionally charged - this is one of those books where I can actually say that I both cried and laughed out loud along with the characters. Many have compared this book (and others by Marian Keyes) to other "British-girl-Bridget-Jones-types." I think that's inaccurate. This book (and in fact all of Keyes's books) have a sharper edge; they do show a little bit of the darker side of life, that not all is fun and games and drinking and sex in the life of your average UK singleton. Marian Keyes has recently become one of my favorite authors - a writer who creates interesting characters, spins intriguing plots, and simply writes well. I highly recommend this book.

Marian Keyes writes fantastic books and Last Chance Saloon is no exception. This is the story of Tara, Katherine and Fintan, longtime friends living in London. Tara is complacent in a relationship with cheap, insulting Thomas. Katherine prefers not to get in relationships with men at all because they are all jerks anyway. And Fintan is in a happy, loving relationship with Sandro. Their lives change when tragedy befalls Fintan and Fintan asks Tara and Katherine each to do him a favor - the thing which seems most unpalatable to each of them, but just might make them happy for the rest of their lives.
I loved these characters and loathed the despicable Thomas and Lorcan. I read this book in no time flat as I couldn't wait to see what would happen to the characters. This book is more than a few London singletons trying to find love amidst drinks and sex. The characters are extremely well drawn and the story is almost heartbreaking at times. But the story came together in a pefect climax which had me cheering. The only problem with this book is that it had to end. But I can't wait for the next Marian Keyes release.

This is a fun story about a young professional, her best friends, and the dating scenes they find themselves in. Marian Keyes can always be counted on for a feel good book about a young woman that triumphs over hard circumstances to reach the goal in the end, and this book is no exception. It's amazing how she manages to take this common theme and make it so interesting and enjoyable every time, but pick this book up - you will not be disappointed! I haven't heard of a single person that did not like it.

Thanks god for books like this. I would never survive my commute without them.
The stories of Katherine, Tara and Finton, are well... a bit predicable and almost cliché by American standards. I have admit I was not impressed by the plot. You don't have to read the whole book to know how it's going to end. But mayb that's just me.... Maybe I've watched too many Friends and Beverly Hills 90210 episodes.
Nevertheless, I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down, (not even while going through the turnstile at the EL station.) And it did inspire me to think about how valuable our time with friends/family really is, one of the main thems in the book. So I'm happy that I read it.
Not impressed..but happy = 4stars.
Ps. If you liked Bridget Jones, well... you'll like this too.

Wit and humor balance with deep emotions in this compelling story about three childhood friends who come to London in search of adventure...and find themselves. Tara, Katherine and Fintan grew up in the same small town in Ireland. They've all come to London looking for a new start, but in reality are mired in the past. An illness forces all three to examine where they're at and where they'd like to be...

This is my second Marian Keyes read...I can't wait to read more!

Not my first Marian Keyes book but Last Chance Saloon was definitely my all-time favorite. I read it while studying for the bar exam last summer and its the only thing that kept me sane. Keyes' humor feels like "that's what I was thinking, only put so much better." You know, the everyday, Seinfield-esque occurrences in life. Some too embarassing or obnoxious to laugh about--but Keyes does it all the same. And I love it. The characters are like old friends, intricate, loveable, and sometimes infuriating. And oh, the hilarity. Tara is my all-time favorite Keyes character. The description of her miserly, free-loading boyfriend Thomas made me writhe with irritation but also squirm with the anticipation of when and how he will (hopefully?) get his comeupance. Keyes' keeps the laughs rolling, but also touches on illness, enduring friendships, and the all-too-real emotional baggage that most of us carry to some extent or another. I wish I were friends with Marian Keyes. Oh the laughs we'd have....but her books are a wonderful substitute. I'm a fan for life!

I started off feeling disappointed however I did warm to the story. Certainly quite humorous though I felt not as good as other novels I have read by Keyes. To be truthful it was rather long and I felt it was too long. A good read never-the-less.

My first Marian Keyes experience, Watermelon, was an accident. I was a Nanny on holidays with the family in Spain. It was a book left in the villa's library. Desperate for anything to pass the time in the sun, I read it....in one day. I enjoyed it that much!
Last Chance was the last one for me to read and I enjoyed just as much as the other 4 novels. Marian's stories are very funny yet have very serious underlying problems. This one is no different. There is Tara with her self esteem issues, Katherine with her serious perfectionist ways who is simply afraid to be hurt and Fintan, with his life threating disease. They are all friends who have known each other for years yet find they still have things to learn from one another. The messages I got from Last Chance are live life to the full and appreciate your friends.

Last Chance Saloon was my first brush with Marian Keyes. She is a fabulously talented author with a very distinctive style and engaging dialogue. Of the three of Keyes books that I have read (LCS, Rachel's Holiday and Sushi for Beginners), Last Chance Saloon was my favourite - the characters were well developed and I could not put it down once I had read past the first chapter! Keyes' style is similar in all of her books (at least the ones I have read) in that she begins the story in the present and flashes back to past events periodically throughout the novel. It is very effective as hints are dropped early in the book about a characer's issues or personality and you know the reasons behind it will be uncovered later on - that's probably why it's impossible to put down! This is a really fun read. I can't wait to get started on Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married.

A delectable girly read... I read this book while the bf was busy watching football...
The kind of friends you'd love to have love you! You see the mistakes that they are making and want to kick their butts bcuz you care about them so much..
A book that makes you want to be a Londoner
I think it was "bookended" nicely, that I could even see it being a movie or something..
I DIDN'T like LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED, but I liked the whimsical, quirky, random turn of words and the idiosyncrasies of the characters..
A bit of a plot twist here and there keeps it mysterious and interesting..

Marian Keyes does such a wonderful job with this book and it is.. by far one of the best that I have ever read. Each character is well-developed. In the beginning, you may find yourself confused but after getting into the book it all comes together with a wonderful climax that is sure to pull you in! Instead of the characters being so incredibly un-realistic that it makes you cry --wishing you were them-- these characters are very real considering the fact they each face the same problems that teens and adults face today... Even though I'm 16, I've personally recommended this book to everyone from my teachers to parents and parents to friends! It's a good beach read and it will keep you hooked until the last sentence! Please give it a try, have fun, and make sure to keep in mind the lesson taught in this book! *LIVE IT UP! IT'S YOUR LIVE! DO WHAT YOU WANT!*

AFTER READING "WATERMELON", "RACHEL'S HOLIDAY" & "LUCY SULLIVAN IS GETTING MARRIED", I EAGERLY AWAITED THE ARRIVAL OF "LAST CHANCE SALOON". MIRIAN KEYES QUICKLY BECAME MY FAVORITE AUTHOR. BUT I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WAS A BIT DISAPPOINTED WITH THE NEW BOOK, AT FIRST. IT'S NOT HER USUAL HILARIOUS STYLE OF WRITING. YOU ARE MORE DISTANCED FROM THE CHARACTERS BECAUSE SHE WRITES IN 3RD PERSON VOICE AND DOES NOT FOCUS IN ON ONE PARTICULAR CHARACTER. SHE ALWAYS BRINGS HUMOR TO DIFFICULT SITUATIONS, BUT THIS BOOK IS NOT AS LIGHT AS THE EARLIER BOOKS. THERE IS A MORE SERIOUS TONE SURROUNDING WEIGHT STRUGGLES AND CANCER VICTIMS WHICH I WAS NOT EXPECTING. BUT ONCE I ADJUSTED TO THE DIFFERENT STYLE, I WAS SAD FOR THE STORY TO END. IT'S A WONDERFUL BOOK, BUT BE EXPECTING SOMETHING DIFFERENT!

I read Rachel's Holiday and thought it was decent. I tried to read Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married (it sounded funny and got good reviews) but couldn't get past the first chapter. So, obviously I was hesitant to buy yet another book by an author who had yet to thrill me. Well, she came pretty close. I read this book laying on a beach over vacation, and was totally into it. I think that in this story, unlike Rachel's holiday which I didn't think was funny, her writing is witty, her characters likeable, and the story makes you want to read on. THIS is the one Keyes book I would suggest. It was intelligent, amusing and enjoyable.

This book has it all, the funny sarcastic 30 something humour, the over inflated egos, the low self esteem-weight problem issues. But it has so much more, its not the situations that makes it an unique and interesting tale but the realistic way in which the characters face them. This book is about friendship and loyalty and about the things you do for your self and the ones you love when you realize how much you are worth. A MUST READ!

Please read Watermelon before Last Chance Saloon and Rachel's Holiday or else you might put Last Chance down too soon. Ms. Keyes is taking advantage of her readers. How dare she put in moral issues and intertwine them with how real people think! Yuck- is that me? No- Is that my friends-definitetly!

Please read Watermelon before Last Chance Saloon and Rachel's Holiday or else you might put Last Chance down too soon. Ms. Keyes is taking advantage of her readers. How dare she put in moral issues and intertwine them with how real people think! Yuck- is that me? No- Is that my friends-definitetly!

I bought this book because I'd just read something much heavier, and I wanted a light read. I pretty much got what I wanted, until half way through, when I realised that this book had more guts than other 'chick lit'. Marian Keyes' description of the effect of illness on friends was delicately written and well-researched. The characters are believable, for the most part, and the story is gripping. Highly recommended for a fairly easy read.

Ok.... I have read all Marian's books. I thought Rachel's Holiday was absolutely fantastic. A masterpiece, in fact. Movie material, even.... I'm telling you her 3 last books were good ( Rachel's being the best , of course )
What I'm trying to say is that The Last Chance Saloon was absolute crap. These people with positive reviews are deceiving. Must be friends of hers. I was so horribly dissapointed with this book.. it was not funny, not imaginative, not creative, nor engaging.

Irony is the most remarkable feature of this novel. I appreciate the general tone and the pic- ture of present London society. As we share a Catholic culture background, I can perfectly understand the characters'reactions. I deeply enjoyed "Last Chance Saloon" and i looking forward reading Marian Keyes next novel

The second chapter has a disgusting rape scene where a 30-something "hot bad boy character" takes advantage of a 16-year-old girl in her bedroom while her mother is in the house. Just vile, and then the story carries on like nothing happens? Meanwhile another main character is regularly emotionally abused by her disgusting boyfriend that chastises her for eating because she's 'fat' and if she gets pregnant he'll leave? MARIAN KEYES WHAT ARE YOU DOING. So disappointed.

I absolutely loved this book. I've read every single one of Marian Keyes' books and this is one of my favorites. The characters are so believable and real.
I didn't want to put it down, I nearly cried when I finished it because I wanted it to go on forever.

Hyperbolic, hilarious, poignant, Marian Keyes at her best. I love this book and have read it multiple times. The characters are so endearing and the story just draws you into their lives.

Love it!

this is the first Marian Keyes book that i read....and it touches me, made me laugh and cry...a really feel good book...

and eversince then i've been a FAN of Marian Keyes...and owned most of her books...just love,love LOVE her!!!!