The Last True Poets of the Sea

By: Julia Drake

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

From a stunning new voice in YA literature comes an epic, utterly unforgettable contemporary novel about a lost shipwreck, a missing piece of family history, and weathering the storms of life.

The Larkin family isn't just lucky - they persevere. At least that's what Violet and her younger brother, Sam, were always told. When the Lyric sank off the coast of Maine, their great-great-great grandmother didn't drown like the rest of the passengers. No, Fidelia swam to shore, fell in love, and founded Lyric, Maine, the town Violet and Sam returned to every summer.

But wrecks seem to run in the family: Tall, funny, musical Violet can't stop partying with the wrong people. And, one beautiful summer day, brilliant, sensitive Sam attempts to take his own life.

Shipped back to Lyric while Sam is in treatment, Violet is haunted by her family's missing piece - the lost shipwreck she and Sam dreamed of discovering when they were children. Desperate to make amends, Violet embarks on a wildly ambitious mission: locate the Lyric, lain hidden in a watery grave for over a century.

She finds a fellow wreck hunter in Liv Stone, an amateur local historian whose sparkling intelligence and guarded gray eyes make Violet ache in an exhilarating new way. Whether or not they find the Lyric, the journey Violet takes - and the bridges she builds along the way - may be the start of something like survival.

Epic, funny, and sweepingly romantic, The Last True Poets of the Sea is an astonishing debut about the strength it takes to swim up from a wreck.

©2019 Julia Drake (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Meh

It was a good short read. But lazy writing. Wish the flow was better. Ok narration

It's entertaining in a weird way.

Most reliable moment in the first 8 chapters:
"Aren't you an adult?"
"Not a very good one."

Let's just say when the book isn't trying to 180 your mood or fill you with teen angst, it's actually kinda funny in dumb ways that I love. Like spending 3 minutes laughing over "LIV STONE", and laughing now as I write that.

I love a story that can make me laugh one moment, and worry I'll have an anxiety attack triggered by a character having a panic attack the next. I live a weird life and this feeds into it in an oddly satisfying way.

beautiful angst

Beautiful writing! Lots of adolescent angst, but just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, the direction shifted, offering the relief needed to go on. what a beautiful balance between inner voices and external life!

Absolutely love this story

What a wonderful story of love, loss, coming out, the struggles of mental health, the struggles of bing a teenager, and a missing ship reck. It’s was such a great story and a really wonderful book for anyone who like a ship reck and LGBT books!

A Good adolescent coming of age story

This is a good story focusing on a young lady, her family and friends going through some stuff. I was hoping there would be more focus on the ship reck and that part of the story but it was taking too long to get there so I couldn't finish it. I just don't think it's for my age demographic ( 35 plus) but the story was so far good and well told and I feel would be great for younger people.

An unexpectedly complex gem I’ll come back to repeatedly

Holy WOW, this was incredible. It did take me a little while to get into- I don’t think the book description is really that accurate, and when I realized that the characters were all high schoolers I almost put it down. Still, I’m so, so glad I didn’t. The characters and the stakes they faced were all incredibly real and the drama was tight and death-defying. Yes, the kids do sound way older than I feel like high schoolers ought to, but honestly, if there had been a museum or an aquarium in my hometown to work at when I’d been that age, I probably would’ve sounded like that, too. And playing hide-and-seek with Twelfth Night through the text was actually kind of fun. I’m recommending this to a few of my
friends who still really enjoy reading YA coming of age fic, and also to a few others, just because.

Tavia Gilbert’s performance was jaw-dropping. You can always really tell the difference when you get a narrator who’s done live acting vs one who just reads like the book doesn’t exist beyond paper. I did have to pause when she did the panic attacks, because it got a bit too real, but maybe for someone who doesn’t actually have panic attacks it would be fine. Seriously, also, in case anyone needs an empathy lesson. Spot on.

I’m already planning on coming back to this for a repeat listen, at some point. I really appreciated Julia Drake’s sense of developing the depth of characters; how someone can be impulsive and make decisions they know aren’t great in the moment and be hurting and see poetry in the world and just want to relax and be tired and no want to explain themself and long for something more, how someone can have to words for some things but not let others surface at all, and all at the same time. Beautifully done.

Great story, decent narrator

I picked this story since it was free and I was curious due to the cover. While the narrator gave a decent enough performance it wasn't anything to write home about. The story itself however was very engaging and moving. A good slice of life showing the struggle someone can go through at any given time.

Slow start but stick with it

I almost quit twice, even though I was just playing this in the background while I worked. The voice actor is amazing! Even when the story took a while to get going I stayed for the performance. Worth the space it will take up in my brain and heart (awwww).

Beautiful tale, deeper than YA but not fantasy

This was a beautiful and lyrical story. The age of the main character puts it firmly in the realm of YA and the content is free of smut and violence and appropriate for young readers. However, it is has more depth than your typical YA read without being preachy, boring or difficult to read. The author's writing style was a joy to read. It truly is beautifully written.

The narration was perfect and an asset to the audible version of this book.

Five star read for me.

Phenomenal Performance for an Amazing Story

This book would not have been the same if I had just read it. Tavia Gilbert brought each character to life. I could feel the raw emotion in every word, song, thought, phrase, banter… everything! Amazing story, but even better with her narration!