| Title | : | the last great american tragedy |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
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the last great american tragedy Reviews
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THE LAST GREAT AMERICAN TRAGEDY
“Remember My heart holds you when my arms cannot”
Love makes a fool of us. Loves makes us selfish, selfless. It makes us care about the other person. It makes us take stupid decisions to save the other which can be selfless acts to us and selfish in the eyes of the other. But that’s what makes it beautiful, isn’t it!?
Love, the right person changes the whole view of our life. They change the entire purpose of our existence. Love makes our life beautiful. It brings out who we truly our.
Isn’t that what love does? It makes us show our true self to the other. It makes us reveal our deepest secrets and scars and even then they love you for who we truly are.
Blurb
Cordelia, an author grieves the death of her mother and is totally in a broken state. She drinks, and is on the run from cities to cities not able to cope with the truth and isolates herself from the outer world. She attempts suicide and is saved by Doctor Henley Locke. As days passes, they develop feelings towards each other that surpasses all other love stories we’ve ever heard.
But they are not lucky enough to enjoy their remaining life happily together. Many troubles shows up, difficulties, wrong decisions, selflessness, sacrifice.
Would the couple be able to sort all these out and able to live together for the rest of their lives!?
My Thoughts
I’ve read many love stories but nothing gave me the thought that Love could be this pure and divine. It is way too perfect that I think this can only be a fairy tale. But it was too realistic, a girl who never knew what true love is who has never shown her true self to anyone discovers how these would be. She gets to know all these. It was so easy to connect with the characters.
Although the first few chapters would be dragging so much, but once they get together the ride would be pleasant.
The writing was too good and every lines I read could be a beautiful quote. But I found many references to Philosophy and Greek Mythology that I quite could not relate to. It made me difficult to comprehend what the author was intending to say. But people with knowledge about these would definitely love these references.
You may need some tissues as the journey may not only be happy.
But, if you like to read love stories that touch your hearts very deep and this book is for you.
Looking forward to read others works of the author -
To be honest, when I read the premise, I was not really sure what to expect from this book. It read kind of like a Shakespearean meets Greek mythology but in like poem format. All elements that do work well together.
I like that Cordelia and Doctor Locke were both lost souls. It made them more relatable and therefore when they did connect, it was emotional. While, I did like this book I found though the most critical part for me was the fact that I could not fully embrace either character. Thus, I found myself at times re-reading passages as it was not resonating with me. Overall, this is a lovely story of second chances and love. I would try another book from this author.
This passage towards the end of the book is so beautiful. Doctor Locke went down on his knees, eyes gentle:
"I will present a ring, tesoro. Something worthy of your wonder. And I will tell you that you have been the last dream of my soul. The only dream of my existence. That I loved you at your darkest and will continue to love you as the stars love the planets, that life would not hold meaning without you in it, it would not interest me without your presence. -
“Luckily, pretentious through and through, I had read Dante’s Purgatorio in its original language before.”
Thank you Love Book Tours for the chance to be a part of this book tour!
Not gonna lie, I kinda loved loved loved the cover which is why I signed up for this book!
The author certainly has a style, and I would have liked it if I didn’t hate Cordelia so much as a person. I just think she’s an awful pretentious ass and I feel sorry for her ex-fiancé and her siblings. I would have felt better if this had turned into stephens kings Misery and doctor Locke had murdered her. Its been a while since I read a book with a main that I hated this much. For example, she only reads classics and turns her nose up at contemporary stuff; that’s the most insufferable you can get. I also didn’t feel the connection between her and the dude.
However, I did like the authors literature references. Mary Spencer is clearly very well read. She has a style of writing that most people will either love or hate and thats fine. I do think that I would have liked if the main and other character sounded a bit different from one another; like one nice normal person in the book would have made me want to murder Cordelia less (or more, you never know really). The ending was unexpected; I really didn’t think that would happen! And I do appreciate that Cordelia is aware of how annoying she is.
Interesting read as whole and I loved all the classics and mythology references!
Incidentally, my full review is here if you want to read it:
https://the-girl-who-reads.com/the-la... -
3.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was a hard decision for me to rate this 3.5 rather than 4 stars, the writing is absolutely beautiful, and lyrical. I felt every feeling that was written on the page, every emotion that Shaw and the Doctor felt and experienced. It was such a raw story.
However, I think one of the biggest things for me that didn’t make it a 4 star rating or higher, was sometimes scenes and chapters lasted a lot longer than they needed to - there were moments where I was like “now THIS would have been perfect to finish” or “this would have been the best ending for this chapter,” and then I’d find out there were many pages left. That brought the story into a territory where the author could have lost their audience. Sometimes less is more!
I did enjoy reading this book, and I would love to read and review other works by this author. The writing style is beyond amazing, and I really felt the love these two characters had for each other. -
The Last Great American Tragedy by Mary Spencer
"Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath hath no power yet upon thy beauty."
This contemporary romance was something totally different and unexpected. Set in the ways of prose this story is emotional.
"Whoever you may be, at the touch of love, no one was safe."
Cordelia is an author, who is grieving the death of her mother. She meets Doctor Locke while attempting suicide. This unusual circumstance leads to start of their affair. An affair that will be lyrical and poetic for you. An affair to fight against death, to fight to live.
“Beauty awakens the soul to act. The day that man allows true love to appear, those things which are well made will fall into confusion and will overturn everything we believe to be right and true.”
They are both lost souls who need one another to be complete. The words they use to express their feelings are beautiful. I was not big fan of Cordelia, I understand people take extreme measures in grief but she is mostly lying, pretending and hurting others.
"...like the pull of the moon to the sea, I had taken a step in your direction.”
The author certainly has a unique writing style. This shows how well read she is giving all the classical and mythological references making it like a work of literature. This was good one and for people who can relate to all the references this will be a great read. I would ofcourse read another of the author's work.
Thank you @lovebooktours for providing me with the copy and having me on tour. -
This is a romance.
Tragic like Romeo and Juliet but somehow so much more enriching.
A tale of love that makes you feel absolutely everything and more.
Cordelia (our main protagonist) is a woman who is grieving, so much so that all she wants is for her life to end. She cannot see a reason to live and won't allow herself to feel anything but deep sadness after her mother passed.
But hope is there, even if Cordelia can't feel it herself. it comes in the shape of Doctor Locke, who himself has suffered from a great loss, managing to have a different outlook on what the future should look like.
Love cannot be denied and what starts as something small, begins to burn bright like the sun, growing steadily.
But happy endings aren't to be shared by everyone, no matter how deserving they are.
My heart felt real pain when reading this book.
I cried, in fact that is an understatement. I literally sobbed, screamed in my head for a different outcome, no matter how necessary I believe it was.
Mary has written a story that reads like poetry.
Effortless is how it appeared to me.
The words beautiful yet catastrophic. Each one drawing out an array of emotional responses from me. It all felt so real, so honest and raw.
Two hearts in need of healing.
Two souls colliding with devastating affects.
The Last Great American Tragedy is a novel that is entirely capable of breaking your heart in the best of ways. -
I’d like to start my review with a little advice; the first chapter is very emotionally heavy and is told from the perspective of a woman attempting suicide so if you’re in a fragile headspace I’d advise that maybe you wait a little bit before reading.
This book is beautifully written, quite intense and deeply philosophical. It is quite heavy on the soul to start. A story that will reach your very existence and bleed hope and love into your weary soul.
Very heavily philosophical with heavy emphasis on Greek myths made this story both whats it is and also, sometimes a struggle. There were times I just wanted to live in the encounters of Henley and Cordelia, not have a quote shoved in the middle but either way an endearing story.
This book broke me. Reshaped me. Gave me hope, dashed it away, crushed my heart and stitched it back together. I’m not sure it was intended but i could find many, many Taylor Swift songs lying within the pages of this deeply glorious novel. My heart is shattered but hope remains. Hope for a love so strong it defies all odds. A love worthy of a beautiful tragedy.
I’m a wreck now. Be warned; have something light and fluffy to read afterwards. You’ll need it. -
I'll be honest, I didn't really like this at first! It felt a bit too unrealistic how quickly they fell in love with each other given the circumstances. This may be because romance isn't really my genre so I'm not used to it 🤷🏼♀️. But I persevered as I was enjoying the Greek references throughout. And quite suddenly I found myself more and more concerned about the fate of the 2 main characters. The lovely descriptive writing style drew me in and as we did learn more about the characters they became more rounded and believable. There is a fantastic plot twist in this that left me reading with my mouth hanging open for several pages. By the end of the book I had definitely enjoyed reading it more than the parts I hadn't and because of the unusual style with the Greek and philosophy links and that suckerpunch of a plot point I've given this ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
❗Do be mindful of trigger warnings though as there are some heavy themes in this book including: suicide (the opening pages throw you straight into this one) alcohol addiction and abuse, death of a parent, death of a sibling, mental health disorders. -
I got this free e-book in exchange for an honest review by signing up for book tour. Thank you lovebooktours for having me in this tour.
Truly speaking, I signed up for this tour just because of the cover. This cover is so pretty right? I thought the story would be amazing. But the story didn't fit me. I hadn't found any interest to continue with the story but I still did because I didn't wanted to DNF it amd it was not worth leaving unfinished.
Okay so for the most of the part I didn't realize what is happening. Cordelia (the protagonist), a famous writer, was grieving after her mother's death and detached herself from everything (her family, work, career, fiance) and came to a new place where no one could find her. When she tried to commit suicide to go to her mother, Doctor Locke saved her and that's how their story started. I actually got engaged in the last 50/60 pages. They fell in love with each other with a sgort span of time but there's more to the story. But the ending was really tragic. I wasn't expecting this actually. -
Cordelia wants to end her life after her mother dies. Then she meets Doctor Locke and it is a love affair to rival the gods. But as anyone who is a fan of the classics would know, the gods do not like being meddled with.
What drew me to this book was firstly the blurb and then the cover. It is beautiful, those flowers 🥰 The thought of a modern love story interspersed with Greek mythology is the dream. I loved the writing, it’s dark and emotional but in the right way, two lost souls finding themselves and each other. Cordelia and Doctor Locke’s love story was beautifully portrayed. I loved the lyrical writing style, Mary Spencer obviously is a very well read lady! I just loved all the little references, though Cordelia come on woman choose to read things other than the classics.
All in all, I would definitely read more by this author. Thank you to lovebooktours for having me on the tour! -
Disclaimer: talks and mentions about suicide. Has some descriptions regarding suicide and attempt.
This is a romantic book. In its sense it was expected but it was written well. I love the development of the characters and the story line. It was an emotional roller coaster. There is a lot of topics that is discuss regarding life and death. This is far one the greatest book I read and will continue to recommend. I really wish I had the paperback version of it because it deserves to be in my collection. The cover of the books just takes your breath away and it wasn’t what I was expecting. It completely surprise me and the ending was just unexpected. This book has a lot of historical reference such as poets, philosophers, writers etc that it doesn’t take away from the story but adds to it.
I receive a copy of the book for an honest review. -
Ok, wow. This was one of those books I wasn’t quite sure about but the Greek references + gorgeous cover drew me in and, wow, just wow.
I want to start with trigger warnings. This has some intense themes of suicide, grief, and death of family and it’s heavy. If those aren’t a trigger for you, this is a BEAUTIFULLY written story. Mary Spencer's way with words just draws you in. As the story unfolds, I found myself just getting more and more invested in these characters. It’s unique. It’s dark at times. It’s beautiful. This is different then anything I have read in a long time and I’m so glad I took a chance on it. Think drama. Found love. Beautiful writing. Plot twists. Broken characters. By the half way mark, I was absolutely hooked! -
This is a romance book about two star crossed lovers. There were lots of references to poets or greek myths scattered through this novel. I did find that many did not have an explanation so i didnt see the relation to the story as i wasnt aware of the reference. This means that at times the novel came off as prententious which both characters are, so fitted the theme. Even though i didn't understand all of the references the story is enjoyable. I had a great time reading this and found myself cheering for the couple to get together. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
Trigger warnings for suicide and deaths of parents and siblings.
Thank you Love Book Tours for the chance to be a part of this book tour! -
Overall Rating - 3.5/5 stars
This was the most morbidly lighthearted story I have ever read.
And in an way,Cordelia seemed like Hades and Henley was Persephone-like. So a genderbent Hades and Persephone in our modern world.
I loved the emotions the author conveyed in the book through every character.
Cordelia was so well written. From her grieving after her mother's death to falling in love with Henley to her almost dying.
This book was perfect in various multitudes and just what everyone should read. I definitely reccomend this book if you're in for something intriguing and something something makes you smile and think at the same time. -
Cordelia, an esteemed author, meets her other half under the most unusual circumstances. Grieving her mother's death, she moves to the sleepy little city of Asheville to end her life. After a near successful drowning attempt, Doctor Locke saves her, thus starting a love affair that rivals the gods.
Both broken and troubled, the two hearts dance around each other in a shifting battle of willpower. But as Cordelia starts exhibiting the telltale signs of a body fading away, will the good doctor be able to keep her soul attached to this mortal coil, or will she force him to walk his life alone, never to be complete?”
I really enjoyed this book. The story of two lost souls finding each other at a time of great despair. Mary Spencer writes in a way that 100% makes you feel every emotion felt by the characters. Such a beautiful piece of writing intertwined with poetry, Greek mythology and poignant symbolism. The cover is beautiful too. My only criticism would be that some of the chapters are maybe a smidge too long for my reading attention, but that is just a personal criticism - don’t let it put you off reading it at all! -
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this are completely my own.
I going to be honest I only read this book because of the cover alone. I didn’t even read what this book is about. I am glad that I got the opportunity to read this book. This is the third time that I have tried to write this review. They say someone or something can touch you when you don’t expect it. This book touch me. I haven’t read anything from this author before. But will be adding all her book to my tbr. I felt like I understand both characters in the story. I did feel that our main character at times was selfish but I got why. I was also yelling in my head many times. Maybe I got this book an different levels because I have seen some of things theses characters have gone through. The quotes and the poetry in this book are also amazing. I cried with that ending feeling the main character pain and lost. Doctor Locke never gave it second thought to help. I admire his heart and eyes for what he saw in Cordelia.
I highly recommend this book so much. With all is said, I will remember these characters and this book for a very long time. I definitely can not wait until this book comes out.
About Book:
When you are grieving you handle things different for Cordelia it was very different. Wanting and needing to end it all because why move on with life when the person you valued the most was no longer around. That’s until Doctor Locke came and changed all of her feelings about her life and how she finally saw things. But there is always a but when you want to protect someone. Doctor Locke is man who has such a caring heart. Willingly to protect what he loves.
My favorite quotes from this book:
Deep in my psyche, combined with past regrets, I wish I didn’t take granted for all those days I had with him.
“Always remember, my heart holds you when my arms cannot”
