The Last Resort

A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach

By: Sarah Stodola

Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon

Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A captivating exploration of beach resort culture—from its roots in fashionable society to its undervalued role in today’s world economy—as the industry approaches a climate reckoning.

With its promise of escape from the strains of everyday life, the beach has a hold on the popular imagination as the ultimate paradise. In The Last Resort, Sarah Stodola dives into the psyche of the beachgoer and gets to the heart of what drives humans to seek out the sand. At the same time, she grapples with the darker realities of resort culture: strangleholds on local economies, reckless construction, erosion of beaches, weighty carbon footprints, and the inevitable overdevelopment and decline that comes with a soaring demand for popular shorelines.

The Last Resort weaves Stodola’s firsthand travel notes with her exacting journalism in an enthralling report on the past, present, and future of coastal travel. She takes us from Monte Carlo, where the pursuit of pleasure first became part of the beach resort experience, to a village in Fiji that was changed irrevocably by the opening of a single resort; from the overdevelopment that stripped Acapulco of its reputation for exclusivity to Miami Beach, where extreme measures are underway to prevent the barrier island from vanishing into the ocean.

In the twenty-first century, beach travel has become central to our globalized world—its culture, economy, and interconnectedness. But with sea levels likely to rise at least 1.5 to 3 feet by the end of this century, beaches will become increasingly difficult to preserve, and many will disappear altogether. What will our last resort be when water begins to fill the lobbies?

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Sarah Stodola (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Enjoyable history of the lure of beaches

I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Wonderful narrator, and an overall interesting story about the worlds beaches.

I May Never Go To The Beach Again

Stodola’s unique style-journalistic, historical, semi-confessional- pulled me in from the first chapter. Once there, I was a world traveler (although in reality I was rec
overing from an early winter respiratory infection), learning about the intersection of exploitation of our natural resources, the pursuit wealthy pleasures, and climate change. The Last Resort made me question my own small part in searching for the perfect beach. Over the years, as my regional beaches became increasingly crowded, smelling of SPF 30 sunscreen and too hot to visit due to global warming, it finally dawned on me: maybe perfection wasn’t attainable. I’m glad Stodola seems to agree. Her work can point us in a more sustainable direction.

Insightful

This is a great book that reviews the history of seaside resorts as well as their future. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well researched, fun to listen to and interesting.

A fun splash.

Insightful. Easy to listen to. Great perspective, good research and history. Reads through fairly briskly.