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    The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel
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    The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel
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    The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    From the beloved bestselling author of Home Safe and The Year of Pleasures, comes a wonderful new novel about women and men reconnecting with one another-and themselves-at their fortieth high school reunion.

    To each of the men and women in The Last Time I Saw You, this reunion means something different-a last opportunity to say something long left unsaid, an escape from the bleaker realities of everyday life, a means to save a marriage on the rocks, or an opportunity to bond with a slightly estranged daughter, if only over what her mother should wear.

    As the onetime classmates meet up over the course of a weekend, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives. For newly divorced Dorothy Shauman, the reunion brings with it the possibility of finally attracting the attention of the class heartthrob, Pete Decker. For the ever self-reliant, ever left-out Mary Alice Mayhew, it's a chance to reexamine a painful past. For Lester Heseenpfeffer, a veterinarian and widower, it is the hope of talking shop with a fellow vet-or at least that's what he tells himself. For Candy Armstrong, the class beauty, it's the hope of finding friendship before it is too late.

    As Dorothy, Mary Alice, Lester, Candy, and the other classmates converge for the reunion dinner, four decades melt away: Desires and personalities from their youth reemerge, and new discoveries are made. For so much has happened to them all. And so much can still happen.

    In this beautiful novel, Elizabeth Berg deftly weaves together stories of roads taken and not taken, choices made and opportunities missed, and the possibilities of second chances.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 6, 2010
    ISBN9780307713735
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The Last Time I Saw You

    3.5/5

    283 ratings30 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fortieth high school reunion affords classmates the opportunity to re-evaluate their lives. Classmates approach the weekend with excitement, enthusiasm and trepidation. Newly divorced; widowed; the popular girl - just diagnosed with ovarian cancer; the nerd summoning up the courage to talk to the unattainable girl; the cheerleader wondering whether she has anything to offer - it's a pretty routine cast of characters and a pretty formulaic beach book - but Elizabeth Berg writes well. I was interested right to the end.
    • 3/5
      Simple characters, good doctors office book.. not literature.
    • 3/5
      ****Note: Kind of spoilerish****The Last Time I Saw You is about a group of people preparing for and attending their 40th reunion, with the usual range of highschool stereotypes. My feelings were mixed about this one. It irritated me that it was written in present tense, but as I got immersed, I eventually tuned that out. I liked the story, the style (except for that tense thing), and the characters. Even the characters who seemed obnoxious turned out to have lots of redeeming qualities, and there was plenty of rather obvious character growth (this is Elizabeth Berg, after all). So I was very eager to see how the reunion would come off, and how the characters would interact. The reunion happened, and it was fine, but didn't tie up the loose ends. That happened in a chapter tacked onto the end, where everything was tied up in a nice neat present with a big pink bow, and no explanation of how everyone got from Point A to Point B. I felt like I was on my way to an eagerly anticipated vacation spot, and three-quarters of the way through the trip, the train stopped, and someone said, "Look, here's a picture of your destination."
    • 2/5
      At first, I was skeptic about the story. I have read Elizabeth Berg before and sometimes her writing is good and sometimes too trite. I enjoyed this book due to the fact that next year will be my 40th class reunion, and I relished the glimpse of different approaches to the reunion. Some of the individuals had matured and changed from the high school day persona. Pete is an interesting character, as well as Lester. In a world based on appearance, Berg reiterates that theme that beauty is only skin deep. Many of the characters could have been more developed, as well as some of the scenes. Many times Berg would enter a topic, only to touch the surface and remain outside looking inside.
    • 3/5
      A nice easy, comforting book. Forty years after high school and how we have changed -- or not. Everyone in this ensemble is basically wearing a tag that categorizes them: lots of "lonely", some "still happy", some "still a jerk", but they get together for this reunion and heal a few old hurts, discover a few new friends, and (most) everything works out in the end. Love and kindness triumph. A very pleasant read.
    • 5/5
      I loved the CD version read by Elizabeth Berg herself. What a delightful collection of characters returning "for their last reunion;" funny, sweet, touching---just a wonderful mixture of people who still know each other in an old way. Definitely one of E. Berg's best.
    • 5/5
      I have read all of Elizabeth Berg's books and love every one of them. I read this one in 5 hours. The characters are returning to town for their 40th high school reunion. All the thoughts and feelings that go with returning to any reunion surface in this book. I loved the complexity of the characters and truly felt like I was along for the ride and right there with them and all their feelings, hangups and anxieties. A quick and good read.
    • 3/5
      The Last Time I Saw You follows a hand full of people going to their 40th high school reunion. It was an ok book very slow most of the way thru it though.
    • 5/5
      several classmates story before they attend a 40 year reunion.Good
    • 3/5
      Semi-spoilerish comments: I really enjoyed this novel about a 40th high school reunion, especially the way several of the characters reminded me of people I knew in high school. My enjoyment was marred by the overly happy ending. I'm not advocating for a total downer ending where everyone dies, but it did frustrate me that nearly everyone either got what they wanted or solved their "issue" in the last chapter. Sure, people grow up, but not everyone gets what they want and certainly not everyone is able to make peace with that.
    • 2/5
      The Last Time I Saw You is a story about a 40th high school reunion and the people who will be attending. Each of the characters have their own story about why they want to attend and who they'd like to see. Illness, death, relationships and love are recurring themes of the people we get to know. This book was fine. Its not particularly funny or interesting or witty or great. I could relate to the characters but found the story a bit unbelievable and odd. For example, If all of these people are excited to go to their 40th class reunion, why hadn't they attended any others (10th, 20th, etc)? And what are the chances that a bunch of 60 year old men and women are single and looking for a relationship? It could have been a bit more realistic and the ending was sorely lacking. It wrapped up too quickly and wasn't at all satisfying. Normally, I don't mind an unsatisfying ending but the book went into great detail about many unimportant things and, in my opinion, the ending should have done the same.This was my first Elizabeth Berg book and I'm afraid it may be my last.
    • 3/5
      Nicely handled, easily read, good characterization.
    • 3/5
      This was a very enjoyable book, but was just not up to the standard that I expect from Elizabeth Berg. The idea of people going to their class reunion to reconnect or prove something to a former classmate rang true. I don't want to stress too many negatives because it really was a pleasant read--perfect for a summer day.
    • 3/5
      I usually love Elizabeth Berg's books but this was not one of my favorites.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyable but predictable. Berg's story is pleasant but full of stereotypes and predictable outcomes. Pete Decker is truly repellent. It's a disappointing effort from Berg who can do much better.
    • 2/5
      I'm almost finished reading this and I have to say I am a bit disappointed. It reads like a book I would have picked up for 99 cents in a discount bin. I love Elizabeth Berg, but this book just doesn't stand up to her earlier novels. The characters seem flat and stereotypical and the story itself is predictable. I'll finish the story but feel somewhat deflated in my admiration of her skill. I guess no one can bat 1000, and I should accept her dings as well as her homeruns, but what a pity.
    • 3/5
      Berg's novel has a mutiple point of view story line. While sometimes the writing will seem trite and emotional,then there is a point of view that is genuinely touching. Warm and funny...pretty good.
    • 3/5
      The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth BergAudio narrated by the authorRealistic and sometimes sentimental portrait of a group of adults returning to their hometown for their 40th--and last--class reunion. Interesting and insightful look at how we tend to revert back to who we were "back then" when we regroup with old friends, and how no matter our age, we can still easily relate to our inner teenager with our different struggles, insecurities, humiliations, disappointments, dreams, and moments of success.I really liked this story and the reminder that we all have our challenges to face--even those who seemingly have always had it all. The class beauty may have always felt lonely; the football star has always been successful with the ladies but struggles with finding true connections with people and finds out too late when he loses what is most important to him; and the reminder that as we age, there is the great equalizer of battling health crises. Those who were considered outcasts seem to end up the happiest because they have learned how to appreciate the simple things, focus on what is really important to them, and let the rest go.
    • 2/5
      I had to force myself to finish this book. Very disappointing.
    • 4/5
      could not put it down! story of a group of people who are attending their 40th and last high school reunion. info on each of several people and their imperfect lives leading up to it and the culmination at the end. v good.
    • 3/5
      I read this for a book group. It's not likely that I would have selected it myself. Essentially, the book follows several people approaching 60, as they prepare to attend their 40th and final high school reunion. The subject is trivial but the author dealt with it credibly enough. The best analogy for me is to say that the book is a bit like eating cotton candy. It leaves a sweet taste in your mouth for a moment but gives you nothing to chew on.
    • 3/5
      not my favorite Berg novel. The characters were either boring, unfeeling & self-centered, or not there enough to save the novel for me. All the other novels by this author resonated with me, and stayed with me for days. Now, I was forced to leave the novel unfinished, as I could not stand the childish, self-centered way one of the min characters is acting, which is too much like someone I actually know. If my own experiences have tainted my reading of this book, I am sorry... but from the other reviews, I don't think that's the case.
      I can understand where a woman would be, mentally and physically, when her last big reunion comes along. I just couldn't go to mine, as I has been recuperating from almost dying from sepsis. My old BFF went, and took pics though, and it was nice.. but not the same as being there. Who knows, maybe I just don't want any other reunions to be ruined by the flavor of this one? IDK.

      ~2/3rds done, and may not finish it. sorry Berg... I tried.
    • 4/5
      Elizzbeth Berg is one of my favorite authors, although this title was not my favorite by her, I did enjoy reading it. High school reunions and 40 years of built up memories and wonder at how everyone turned out. This is the story of lives that intersected back in high school, split off in different directions, yet diverged back 40 years later.
    • 3/5
      Eh. Berg's writing isn't doing as much for me as it used to, but it wasn't horrible or anything. i wish she'd just stuck to Lester and Mary Alice, and left out the saccharine, cliche life-lessons.
    • 3/5
      I enjoy her insights and sense of humor and would have rated it higher except for some crassness.
    • 1/5
      The setting … a fortieth high school reunion. The characters … everyone who had something left unsaid or undone in high school. The story … the exploration of roads taken or not, opportunities missed and finding out that life is not so bad after all.

      As much as I was hoping to enjoy this book, I finished it only because I started it.
    • 3/5
      I could have made it to last month's book club at the library, but I wasn't interested in that book at all. This month, we have Elizabeth Berg's The Last Time I Saw You, about a group of individuals who are attending their 40th high school reunion. Having just committed to attend my 20th high school reunion, I was particularly interested in the premise of this book.

      The characters are more my parents' generation than mine (and they graduated in small-town Ohio, as my parents did but as I did not), but I think some of the themes seem universal. What really struck me was this idea that the skills and circumstances that lead to "success" and happiness as a high schooler aren't the same skills and circumstances that lead to success and happiness as an adult. It makes sense, though: the mean-girl way of doing things might bring popularity and a sort of following when one is sixteen, but it's unlikely to produce lasting, real connections when one is 30, 40, or 50.

      There's also this question of how accurate our perceptions are of other people when we're teenagers and how likely we are to change in the ensuing decades. Berg's characters fairly universally become better people in the 40 years since high school graduation---and those who don't become better before end up improving because of the reunion. I'm not sure how accurate this is. I have a sense that some of the jerks in high school are simply destined to be jerks forever, but I would like to believe that most are at least capable of change, whether they've chosen to change or not.

      And what about those teenage betrayals? How much is just water under the bridge, and how many slights are just too difficult to move past? I'm skeptical of the happy ending Berg gives us. But who knows...I recently apologized to a friend I'd super-duper betrayed in junior high school, and she was totally cool about it. So, maybe I'm not giving people enough credit. Or perhaps I'm just projecting.

      My reunion will be different from the one Berg describes because there were nearly 700 people in my graduating class. Even if we'd had a reunion ten minutes after graduation, I wouldn't have recognized half of the people there. Although I intend to attend my 20th, I doubt anything as dramatic or cathartic will happen there as happened in Berg's novel. Most likely it will be me and a bunch of people who never really knew me in the first place essentially meeting for the first time.

      If you're at my 20th reunion, look for me. I'll be the one with the unshaven armpits and the sleeveless dress. If you engage me in conversation, I'll chat about homebirth, homeschooling, and books. If you get me after a few drinks, I'll probably complain about the lack of car-free travel options in most of the United States and go on and on about how much I love Salt Lake City. Should be an interesting reunion. As long as nobody calls me Michael Bolton this time around, I think I'll do okay.
    • 4/5
      I don't think this is my favourite Elizabeth Berg novel, but it's quite a reasonable story which gives an insight into the lives of older middle-class Americans (if you're interested in that sort of thing...."older" and "middle-class" are me, so two out of three ain't bad). I listened to an audiobook version and it was read, as usual, by Berg. I think she's a great reader of her own stories, and her voice really does add a dimension that might be lost in a print version: more genuine characters, more realistic emotions. I carried this with me to keep me amused on my long, cold, night-time walks through the middle class streets of Sydney, and I found it to be a great alternative to long pieces of opera or ballet music which are often programmed on ABCClassic FM (which is my usual walking company). OK, it won't (didn't) win the Pulitzer, but she does have something to say.
    • 3/5
      Not what it could have been. I will say I loved the first chapter of this book and couldn’t wait to read more, but it went downhill from there. The premise of this book is a 40 year high school reunion. The characters in the book haven’t seen each other for 40 years. We had every classic stereotype high school student in this book, the jock, the brain, most popular, cutest couple, etc. The popular kids realize at the reunion that they should have been nicer to the unpopular crowd. It just wasn’t as good as I thought it could have been. One annoying element was that it mentioned over and over again how this was their last reunion. I didn’t understand that, at most they were only 58 there definitely could be more. I didn’t see the relevance of mentioning repeatedly that this was it for them it got depressing.
    • 4/5
      The Last Time I Saw You was not the most influential book that I have read this year, but I don’t think that was Elizabeth Berg’s intention. Berg didn’t focus on racism in the South (The Help) or government produced vampires (The Passage). No. Berg just wrote about what it is like to feel younger than you are, and how it feels to face the people who knew you during one period of your life long ago. And although I don’t think Berg’s novel will change history, I do think the simplicity of the plot hid a deeper message: You can’t go back in time, but you can change who you are.I read The Last Time I Saw You in record time-the quickest read I have had in awhile. I didn’t read it so quickly because of the suspense, or the compelling romance. Instead I read it so quickly because it was fun, light, and enjoyable. Berg gave me five main characters who were easily recognizable in real-life, and for the most part I liked my time with most of them. I did not enjoy the chapters that focused on Dorothy. I don’t necessarily think that was Dorothy’s fault. She was just so easily identifiable and life-like that she exuded the same qualities as women I know and don’t really like.There was one section of the book that broke the spell for me though. (Don’t worry-this isn’t much of a spoiler.) At the reunion, some of the characters participate in a pseudo game of Truth (no Dare). I have only been to a couple of reunions, but I find it hard to believe that these “strangers” tell all of their most treasured secrets to each other. I couldn’t see this happening, and even the set-up of the scene seemed false. It was almost like Berg was hurrying to finish up the reunion scene and just wanted to get all the characters’ problems out on the table quickly.My only other compliant was the abrupt ending. Two of the characters’ resolution take place “off-stage” , and I liked them so much that I wanted to see them figure everything out. I didn’t want to just hear they resolved their issues. After traveling so long with them, I really wanted to see how they did it.All in all, I thought this novel was a good read, and it got me ready for my husband’s reunion later this year. The Last Time I Saw You left me with some things to think about and some high school memories to mull over. Maybe a game of truth wouldn’t be so bad, but maybe it would just be better to move on all together.