I thought by the ending that Linda’s death was figurative, since Linda was lost to Thomas from that point basically until coincidence brought them back together. He admits that after not receiving notes back after the accident, he could have looked harder for her. He (in some capacity) grieved and moved on. I felt very sad and figured it true that Thomas killed himself after the meeting later in life, since they implied to truly reconcile but initially Linda didn’t have any idea how to go about that. Didn’t even know how to tell her kids about him. I imagine she DID NOT die in the wreck, however he did take his own life having such grief after the loss of his daughter and not getting a Linda after all. Thoughts ?

I really like the way the write describes Hull , Ma. I can almost smell the ocean air...It really feels like you are at the beach & the small town feel rings true. I can't put this book down .

You won't find any clues leading to what happens in the end...at least not in this book. However, in "The Weight of Water," Jean says that Thomas killed a girl once, in a car crash when he had been drinking, as a teenager.

I absolutely loved this book but was astonished and left agasp by the ending. I'm still not totally sure what happened. I was so caught up in these characters lives that I feel almost lost after reading the ending. Was the beginning of the book only in Thomas's imagination? Or is there some other meaning to the ending i am just not getting?

After reading this book in less than 24 hours, I was still wondering about the ending. My brain is in denial, really! The ending just can't be literally true! I keep going back to the Weight of Water (which i read first haven't finished coz i just got hooked on this one) and telling myself that Jane was lying! It can't be true darn it!!!!!

If you haven't read this yet, be prepared to stay up LATE! i got huge eyebags after i read this! This tops my favorite anita shreve books! I can totally relate to Linda, too. Her confessions, I know what she felt even what she was thinking. I also know what it felt like to wonder what could have been. I think Shreve knows what she's writing about. Its so real yet the way she wrote it is surreal. I wish the ending could've been different,it really breaks your heart.

This is one of my all time favorite books. As someone that reads at least a book a day, I feel somewhat qualified to say what is a good book or not. This one is a good book. The love story just sucked me right in. The prose was amazing. Descriptions made me feel like I was actually in Africa. The ending was a shocker, but not too much if you paid close attention throughout the book. I loved the use of italics in the forward sections, very fitting.
Overall, I read this book every six months or so, just because I love it so much. I've read a few others by Shreve, but this one takes the cake.

I started this book with great doubts, but was immediately swept off my feet by Shreve. My book club disliked it, so I am so excited to have found the previous reviews - they validated my feelings.
I finished this book one morning last week, sobbed for half an hour, and then was depressed the rest of the day. I felt as if I were in mourning! I thought Thomas' character was wonderful...I didn't like him at first, but by the end I was half in love with him. Shreve's development was fantastic, especially given that the book reads backward...I agree with the above reviewer who felt the psychological transition was not inconsistent, but wholly explained by the events of his Thomas' life.
Complaints: I felt the sex was heavy-handed, especially in the first section [remainder of this section deleted by BookBrowse to avoid plot spoilers]. Overall I loved it, but I wish I could stop thinking about it - it's getting distracting. I started "Weight of Water" and am loving that too!

The ending of "The Last Time They Met" left me absolutely astounded. What a clever writer to have blindsided her readers so thoroughly! Though, when I went back and reread passages from "The Weight of Water, " I found that the answer was actually there, so the author must be either counting on the reader forgetting or reading "The Last Time They Met" first. Anyway, I thought it was first rate. I recommend it highly -- just don't peek at the last page!