The Last Day: The Sunday Times bestseller

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A fascinating story which opens the door to many thought provoking questions, not least about the incredible wealth and pomp of the Vatican and the Church in general, also 'religious trivia and rituals' and their relevance in the bigger picture. It's astounding how many comments in this forum have extracted their biblical view of "the last day" based on their pre-suppositional understanding of the resurrection, and often based on the secret rapture doctrine. But my experiences aren’t relevant here, Ali Millars’s are and she writes them so beautifully. It is incredible how she manages to capture the spirit of whatever age she is and imbue that into those chapters so that you’d be forgiven for thinking that she was copying from a childhood log book. Her growing maturity matches the maturity of the storytelling until by the end it is elegiac and fully grown.

What made me hate this book though, rather than just the dislike I would have felt for it otherwise, is the bizarre upper-class sort of snobbery it shows throughout. Clearly, all the important characters attended Oxford. And yes the world is ending, but Britain is steadfast and strong because great British values! Stiff upper lip! Rule Britannia etc. And on a further level, London is holding together while the rest of the country is falling to pieces. It comes so close to interesting commentary here, before ultimately falling into the line that anyone not privileged enough to live in London or other cities are essentially savages. There is a line about the poor, disadvantaged people who couldn't afford to stay in the cities and thus moved into the countryside being "like a tumour, a new kind of tissue pushing outwards and testing the limits of the host body".- pg 141. Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness and leaving the community when I was 14, I have struggled to find memoirs, if any, that portray the inside of the community as it really is. Most people view Witnesses as quiet but strange with their stances on refusing blood transfusions and not celebrating birthdays and Christmas, but not many people understand the abuse and trauma you can go through when you are a member as well as when you leave. This was fine. A generic caper with an interesting setting and a decent protagonist made for an inoffensive read that was enjoyable, but definitely not memorable.

population of Europe." - If a comet of that size had it earth, earth would be destroyed. Complete obliterated. Imagine something larger than the moon impacting on Earth. Goodnight everyone... But on this case.... Some of the key elements to the world could have been established a little faster or with more efficiency. For instance, explanation regarding the Americans who had been resettled in the Southern parts of Great Britain seemed a little convoluted, likewise the fact that they had brought nuclear weapons with them (and presumably the capacity to launch them?), and the tense relationship Britain had with the remaining European states, or how their political structure and climate differed from Britain. Despite all this, the world was an interesting one. Unfortunately, the mystery/thriller part of The Last Day was a bit of a letdown. The plot had too many coincidences, from Ellen having a direct or indirect connection to everyone she’ll need to solve the mystery, to her final escape being dependent on a diversion by an unrelated group of people. It is not at all clear that her “solution” would solve anything, as (I’m trying to avoid spoilers here) there would seem to more government people in a position to stop her solution. Indeed, between the weakness of the ending and the survival of a particular villain, I’m left wondering if there’s a planned sequel for this story. Finally, for anyone who’s ever read Fatherland, this book hits a lot of the same beats, just not as well.

If anyone can understand where the author is coming from, it's me - I also grew up as a JW, finally leaving in my late teens. A lot of the things detailed are absolutely true; JWs do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas, you are encouraged to keep away from 'worldly people', women are definitely considered second class but it's wrapped up in the language of being a "complement" to man, & having a career/going to university is a no-no.. From my early teens I chafed against the expectations & I had questions about the teachings I was not allowed to ask, & upon leaving I felt exactly like Nicole Kidman looks in that photograph of her shortly after divorcing Tom Cruise - freedom.

Retailers:

Mit der Wissenschaft hat es der Autor nicht so nach dem Motto "wenn ich Naturgesetze nicht erwähne, existieren sie nicht". As the millennium approaches there is an unexplained explosion in the desert in Southern Israel which completely destroys a laboratory. One person survives and there begins an extraordinary story. When an ethereal young woman appears on New Years Eve things start happening in earnest, involving the news media, the Vatican, assassination plots and reports of miracles not to mention conspiracies and an aspect of science fiction too. A tale of love and darkness, of faith and absolution, The Last Days is an unforgettable memoir of one woman's courageous journey to freedom. After sleeping on it I must say that this book will be an hard book to review. It tries to be several things at the same time. It's a scientific novel veiled by SF/Pseudohistory/philosophy/theological elements. It tries so hard to teach us that fails because of it...