The Last Love Letter
by Amanda Easton

Reviewed by: Nia Jones

Sometimes as humans we hold on to things that have caused us the most pain, heartache and distress all to say we have notches on our belt. In Amanda Easton's extended love letter, written as an extended poem, The Last Love Letter, we are taken into the mind of a very hurt woman trying her darnedest to get over an unrequited love. It's been twelve long, guilt filled, second guessing years since the end of her relationship, but time has not healed her wounds. Instead it seems as though the cuts are as deep and fresh as if they happened yesterday. Although a successful business woman and mother of a young girl, Amanda, the main character, can not enjoy her life and fruits of her labor because she waits at a closed door with false hope.

In The Last Love Letter, Amanda Easton gives us a privileged look at the last love letter written by the narrator with the same name. In this love letter we find out the ups and downs of the relationship that has essentially been the narrator's downfall. From the couples first meeting which also happens to be on the same night as their first "hook-up" to the many times he stepped out on her, down to the dirt she did in efforts to win him back.

The tagline on the front cover of the book reads "The first step is admitting you have a problem." However I do not feel the narrator has gotten to the second step which is attempting to move on and it is because of this that this otherwise innovative tale is unsatisfying. You become drawn in to the drama of a failed love, but it isn't enough. You begin to want more for the narrator. You want her to forget about a man who has caused her nothing but pain. I expected the narrator to grow and come to a resolution, but this, unfortunately, never happens. Instead she harps about what went wrong in the relations, what she would have liked to happen, and abruptly begin to list things she misses about her ex. Although it is stereotypically a woman's right to be emotional and supremely moody, and the author did a superb job of showing this in her tale, overall the story seemed to be lacking. Maybe I expected too much at first glance of the cover and title. Or maybe I was disappointed because the poetry seemed contrived at many points during the book, perhaps I felt sorry for the narrator and just wanted her nagging to end, however, I could be completely wrong, again this is all just a matter of opinion, right?

What did you like best about this book?
I liked that the story was structured as a poem. This format has been gaining popularity in previous years and it has been a favorite of mine as it lends it self to quick reading.

What did you dislike about this book?
I didn't like that there wasn't much growth on the narrator's part. Since she was truly the only character (other than that "good for nothing man" she is writing to), I expected to learn about her much more in depth and I wanted to see her grow and remove herself from the pain. Although there is a slight resolution at the end, it wasn't enough.

I also didn't like the way the poem flowed. When embarking on such a risky format, I think the author should make sure that their craft is faultless, although the idea was commendable and the formatting was okay the content of the poem seemed to be disjointed in many places. Perhaps this could have worked better as a shorter piece.

How can the author improve this book?
The author is definitely well versed in her trade, and I would definitely read her next project, I just don't think this one was executed to the best of her abilities. I think the story would have been better if there was unmistakable growth in her character from page one until page 164. This would have made reading this worth it. As it stands now, you almost feel cheated at the end because you expect more.

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Jason :

Posted 162 days ago

I would give the book at least at 3.5 out of 5 stars, possibly a 4.

Jason :

Posted 162 days ago

I sense a tinge of resentment in that review. You know the saying goes: "The things we dislike about others are the things we dislike about ourselves." It seems that reviewer is a little too invested in the character "getting through" her issues. What seperates this book from some others is that its not tied up at the end in a neat little bow. From beginning to end, there is clear and unmistakeable growth in the character. No, she isn't complete and yes, we get the sense that she's not "over it over it", but there is growth and ultimately thats what makes it real. I agree in part with the more technical criticisms, however I tend to think that the author does well here to buck the expected and not fall into the mold of the conventional.

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