Last Friends

Last Friends completes Jane Gardam's Old Filth trilogy, focusing on the life of Terry Veneering - the third player in a decades-long relationship triangle with Edward Feathers (Old Filth) and Betty Feathers. The story moves between Veneering's harsh childhood in a northern England mining town and his later years as a renowned barrister in the Far East. The narrative explores Veneering's rise from poverty through determination and chance, following his path from wartime evacuation to legal education at Oxford and his eventual success in Hong Kong's colonial legal system. His competition and complex friendship with Edward Feathers runs throughout their professional lives. Through parallel storylines in past and present, the book examines the lasting effects of childhood circumstances and the ways time reshapes rivalries into bonds. The themes of memory, class mobility, and late-life reconciliation create a fitting conclusion to Gardam's portrait of Britain's last colonial expatriates.

Readers appreciate this conclusion to Gardam's Old Filth trilogy for providing backstories and filling gaps from the previous books, particularly through the character of Terry Veneering. Reviews note the witty dialogue and complex character development that brings the series full circle. Likes: - Deeper understanding of supporting characters - Humor and dry British wit - Historical details of post-war Britain - Resolution of lingering plot threads Dislikes: - Slower pacing than previous books - More fragmented narrative structure - Less emotional impact than Old Filth or The Man in the Wooden Hat - Confusing timeline jumps Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (280+ ratings) "A satisfying if less dramatic finale," notes one Amazon reviewer. Multiple Goodreads reviews mention the book works best as part of the trilogy rather than standalone, with one stating "You need the context of the earlier books to fully appreciate these character revelations."

Old Filth by Jane Gardam The first book in the Old Filth trilogy tells the other half of the story found in Last Friends, depicting the life of Sir Edward Feathers in Britain's colonial Far East and his complex marriage.

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The Summer After the Funeral by Jane Gardam A teenage girl and her siblings cope with displacement and change in post-war Britain following their father's death.

🔷 "Last Friends" is the final novel in Jane Gardam's "Old Filth" trilogy, completing the series by telling the story from the perspective of Terry Veneering, the longtime rival of protagonist Edward Feathers. 🔷 The author, Jane Gardam, was 84 years old when she published this book in 2013, proving her creative prowess well into her eighties. 🔷 The novel explores the impact of World War II on British children who were evacuated from cities, drawing from Gardam's own experiences as a child during wartime Britain. 🔷 Both main characters in the book are members of the British colonial legal system in Hong Kong, reflecting the author's extensive research into the lives of British expatriate lawyers in Asia. 🔷 The book's title "Last Friends" carries multiple meanings, referring both to the final surviving members of a social circle and to the unexpected friendship that develops between former rivals in their twilight years.