What do readers think of The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne? Write your own review.

I started this book and thought I'd really like it, but as it got into the graphic sexual abuse ... well, it's just not something that I want to continue with. Sorry.

The Last Bridge was a truly moving and well written novel. It will grab you from the first page and hold you until the end. I am really pretty hard to please but I would recommend this novel to everyone. The only problem is - it leaves you wanting more. You become invested in Cat and the others.

Once you've read the opening sentence, you're hooked. I read this page-turner in two sittings. It is a somewhat soap opera-like story of pain; physical, emotional and sexual, experienced by this very dysfunctional family.

Cat,the narrator and central character is returning home after a ten year absence, during which time she was usually drunk. The chapters in the book alternate between incidents and events before she ran away and the present time when she and her siblings have come together for their mother's funeral.

Ms. Coyne alludes to circumstances that explain her parents' behavior,but they lack depth. I would have liked her to give us more insightful character development.

The Last Bridge truly "had me at hello." The very first line of the book, "Two days after my father had a massive stroke, my mother shot herself in the head" begins a mesmerizing reading journey. While this opening line may affect some as garish, it is an all too real introduction to the author's masterful handling of this novels many levels of "bridge crossing." I was especially caught up with the narrator Alex whose sardonic wit gives honest witness to a life lived in turmoil.

This is a complex and compelling debut novel by Teri Coyne. While Tom Wolfe has told us that we can never go home again, it is also true that home starts your story and it is important to look back so that you can look ahead. Don't miss out on this one, Reader!

This book is an easy read that grabs you from the very beginning. It's a tough story to read because of the level of dysfunction but the way it weaves back and forth between the past and the present helps you understand the characters and why they react as they do. Some of the plot was predictable but there was still the question of who the "he" was that the mother mentioned in her suicide note and how this haunted Cat.

In a suicide note to her daughter the mother writes "he isn't who you think he is". The rest of the story describes the daughter's attempts to figure out and come to terms with what that short sentence meant. Although I read the book in a day I can't say that it was a great read. It did keep me turning the pages, but in many ways the ending was predictable. I could envision this being made into a Lifetime TV movie of the week. If you're looking for something to read at the beach, this book would definitely qualify, but if you're looking for something more satisfying, read Burnt Shadows.

The book opens with a suicide and a short note: ‘He isn’t who you think he is’, written to the victim’s adult daughter. The rest of the book is the daughter’s present-day actions with flashbacks to her haunted youth, as she searches for who ‘he’ is. Along the way we learn how she came to be the person she is today. I read this book in one day, as it caught me from the first chapter and I couldn’t put it down. Some of it was predictable, but there were still surprises that kept me on edge. Character development occurred slowly, but it all made sense by the end. I recommend this for a quick but not easy read, as it deals with family issues that are very disturbing.

I will admit that I read the entire book in one evening, it is a compelling, easy read. Within the first 50 pages, I had it categorized--this will definitely be a chick TV movie. We have seen the scenario in many slightly varied forms--abuse, rape, coming of age love, and what isn't predictable in this book, sometimes doesn't ring true. The characters are well wrought, and the initial premise with the suicide is intriguing. So...take this book to the beach, or sit in a hammock and enjoy.