The Last Girls

A group of college friends reunite decades later for a steamboat cruise down the Mississippi River, recreating a journey they first took as students in 1965. The women gather to memorialize their friend Baby, whose recent death brings them back together. During the cruise, each woman reflects on the paths their lives have taken since their college days at a southern women's school. The narrative moves between past and present, revealing how their shared history continues to influence their current relationships and choices. The story centers on Catherine, a romance novelist grappling with her own relationships while processing memories of her college years alongside Baby, Harriet, Courtney, and Anna. Their interactions on the steamboat force confrontations with long-buried truths about themselves and each other. The Last Girls explores themes of memory, female friendship, and the ways in which our past experiences shape who we become. Through its parallel journeys down the Mississippi River, the novel examines how time changes - and doesn't change - the essential nature of human connections.

Readers appreciate Smith's exploration of female friendship and how relationships evolve over decades. Many note the book's emotional resonance and relatable characters, particularly in depicting how past choices shape present lives. Readers highlight: - Authentic Southern dialogue and settings - Complex female relationships - Balance of humor and melancholy - Parallel structure between past and present narratives Common criticisms: - Too many characters to track - Slow pacing in middle sections - Some storylines feel unresolved - Confusion between timeline shifts One reader called it "a bittersweet look at how we remember our younger selves," while another noted "the characters feel like old friends you've known forever." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (5,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (180+ reviews) BookBrowse: 4/5 (92 reviews) Most negative reviews focus on pacing issues, with several readers reporting they stopped reading around the halfway point.

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🌟 Lee Smith was inspired to write "The Last Girls" after taking a raft trip down the Mississippi River with her college classmates in 1966, mirroring the journey taken by her characters. 🌿 The novel's title refers to both the characters' youthful Mississippi River adventure and how they would be among the last generation of "girls" before the women's movement changed female roles forever. 📚 The story parallels Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," with the female characters retracing Huck's route down the Mississippi River decades after their first trip. 💫 Author Lee Smith taught at North Carolina State University for 12 years, drawing from her experiences with Southern culture and academia to create authentic character backgrounds. 🎭 The character Baby is based on Sylvia Plath, whom Smith admired, reflecting the era's fascination with confessional poetry and feminine literary expression.