First Audio Book of the Year

The Last Town on Earth: A Novel by Thomas Mullen

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
A historical novel set during the flu epidemic of the early 20th century, the Last Town on Earth was a compelling first novel and made a great audio book. At times the writing was a little over wrought but not so much so that I was distracted from the characters and the plot. Overall this is a plot driven novel, it was obvious the author did considerable research and he adeptly used that research to add depth to the world he created. This novel left me feeling so much more educated about early 20th century America; giving me an insight into the labor relations, medical practices, and general political climate of the time. As I was listening to the novel I kept asking myself how we as modern Americans would react to an outbreak of these proportions. The descriptions of the disease are graphic and horrifying. I don't know how we would react to something that fast and that devastating. The decision to quarantine may not have been the wisest but you cannot blame the characters for trying to protect what they had worked so hard to build. Overall, I would recommend this book and warn that for a few days after reading it you will look at everyone who coughs around you a little cautiously.


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