Last One at the Party

An intriguing post-apocalyptic survivor's tale full of dark humour and wit

De: Bethany Clift

Narrado por: Heather Long, Jane Collingwood

Specially adapted for audio by the author.

Fleabag meets I Am Legend in this extraordinary novel of one woman's survival in the face of the end of the world. Who will she be now that she is completely alone?

THE END OF EVERYTHING WAS HER BEGINNING

It's November 2022. The human race has been wiped out by the 6DM virus (Six Days Maximum - the longest you've got before your organs disintegrate and you melt from the inside out). The end of the world as we know it.

Yet someone is still alive. Alone in a new world of burning cities, rotting corpses and ravenous rats, one woman has survived. A woman who has spent her whole life compromising what she wants and hiding how she feels to meet other people's expectations. From her career to her relationships, to what she wears and where she lives, she's made a lifetime of decisions to fit what other people want her to be.

But with no one else left, who will she become now that she's completely alone?

(P) 2020 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd©2021 Bethany Clift

Reseñas de la Crítica

I adored this book . . . It's about who you are with nobody to witness you, what it means to be human, and how to live (the answer is getting plastered in Harrod's, something we can all relate to)

Brilliant. Creepy, witty, laugh-out-loud and shudder-inducing (Harriet Walker, author of The New Girl)

A fresh, frank, funny and surprisingly uplifting book about the end of the world

Finished this last night and haven't stopped thinking about it since! Possibly my fave read of 2020 - sharp, funny, emotional and a refreshingly different take on a post-apocalyptic world

Really fun . . . like a dystopian Bridget Jones' Diary with echoes of Shaun of the Dead

Scary, emotional - and truly a novel for our times!

I haven't been so consumed by a book for a long time. This is a masterpiece of modern fiction, which I have raced through it in a few days. It has consumed my thoughts and will stay with me for a long time

This post-apocalyptic rollercoaster ride is full of belly-aching humour and the touching tale of a woman faced with the end of the world

This dystopian novel is very funny, super-gory but a testament to the human spirit, which is also oddly life-affirming

I inhaled it in two sittings

Fast-paced, tragic, wholesome and laugh-out-loud funny, Clift's debut has left me grateful for the little things, excited for what else she has to offer - and making plans for my apocalypse bunker

Thoroughly enjoyable and warmly recommended. Think of it as a literary version of 28 Days Later: terrifying, convincingly constructed, heart-pounding at times, often blackly funny

Amazing. Unsettling and dark and SO clever. One of the most unnerving books I've ever read

If you want something super original and mad and at times, both moving and VERY FUNNY, this is it

Last One At The Party is brilliant and creepy, yet surprisingly funny and feminist

A compelling, engaging, enthralling novel that keeps the reader turning the pages

Funny but harrowing, unflinching and uplifting and so cinematic. I really loved it

You need to read this one. Darkly witty, but also deeply moving, this is a brilliant debut

A phenomenal book!!!! I've just finished it and am blown away . . . original, brutal, funny and hugely addictive! I just know I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about it for a long time

Bethany Clift's Last One at the Party stands out as a bold and humorous take on the [pandemic-based fiction] genre. (Bea Carvalho)

Tense

Funny and profanity-laden, you could call this "Bridget Jones Does the Apocalypse"

A true pandemic page-turner, with a satisfactorily chilling end . . .

Plenty of style, originality and verve

Clift's novel is a riotous, black-humoured tonic to get you through this latest national lockdown

Compelling Narrative

I enjoyed this perspective of a post apocalyptic world. The main character is not always likable, but grows tremendously through the novel. A lot of the situations she faces are difficult to sit with, undoubtedly, but contribute to the overall devastation of her situation.

Interesting theme but not a great story

The theme of this book is a great one. Imagine being the last person alive.

This book attempted to tackle this subject with some dark (sometimes nasty) humor, and a main character that is difficult to cheer for. Several times in this novel, the main character would do so many foolish things that would lead to her own demise and it did not create sympathy for me. The character was selfish and treated animals poorly. She complained constantly. To her credit, it seemed like she did grow and become more resourceful as the book led on.

Some parts felt unrealistic for it to be the aftermath of a global pandemic where you’re supposed to be the last person alive. One example, most car batteries would be dead after a few months of sitting undriven in the middle of winter. There are others but I don’t want to spoil anything.

The narrating was great, the only reason I couldn’t give them 5 stars for the performance was because in some parts towards the end it began playing out sort of like a movie where the narrator was immersed and acting out a scene. Since I didn’t really care for the main character it felt like those parts were dragging on a bit too long.

The last issue I’ll say is that the virtue signaling by the author felt forced. It’s one thing to talk about how politicians/political parties would blame other countries for the origin of the virus at the onset of the pandemic, but a couple of times the author clearly tried so hard to fit it into the story that it felt forced and unnatural.

Overall I can’t say I would recommend it to a friend, but it did keep me listening to the very end so it was at least somewhat captivating.

Just…wow!

Amazing performance and really engaging story. I highly recommend although it can be a bit dark at times.

A great listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it will become quite popular in the near future as more people read / listen to it.

I was somewhat reminded of Cormac McCarthy’s ‘The Road’, and midway through I started thinking of this book as a companion piece. This is not just because the two books share similar themes. The writer’s prose is disciplined, sparse and economic. Different from McCarthy (of course), but not world’s apart.

I was impressed with how the writer weaved in the unnamed protagonist’s reminiscences almost seamlessly to offer insight and context to her apocalyptic predicament, and unveiling an impressive character arc.

Lastly, I thought the narrator did a great performance supported by some subtle and provocative production.

Highly recommended.

Brutal, funny and enigmatic

Trigger warning ⚠️ : pets dying, miscarriage, gruesome deaths.

Audiobook version: The narrator does a phenomenal job of being funny but also incredibly emotional, especially in the sections where she is recording "live" segments. Geez that hospital scene. Whoa. I will say that the main character can be frustratingly stupid and short-sighted. I kept yelling at her to get off her duff and get prepared and for heaven's sake get a weapon. Then again, who knows how any of us would act if we had been in this situation? Regardless, I could not stop listening to this and tore through it in one day.

Spoilerish: Was not expecting the ending to be a "found footage" type. Mildly disappointed but made sense,