Warning: Do not, I repeat, do not read this book on a cruise.

However if you’re not planning to be on a cruise, this is a great read.

The story takes place on the final voyage of the Queen Isabella, a 1950s ocean liner, from Long Beach to Hawaii and back. It’s meant to be a return to luxury cruising - no internet, no one under the age of 16, and instead fine dining, cocktails, and a string quartet.

The story unfolds from three perspectives.

Christine, a former journalist now farmer, is on board with her friend Valerie, who’s writing an expose about hidden workers like the crew members of the ship.

Miriam is a member of the Sabra Quartet, who are from Israel and who have been performing together since 1975. The owners of the cruise line are their friends and benefactors.

Mick is the sous chef, a last minute substitute, working in the galley as things get tense among the crew, whose contracts are being canceled after the cruise ends. And so they’re going on strike.

I loved how the author brought us into the lives of these different characters. And she cleverly takes away the internet and their access to the outside world to bring the focus on to this microcosm on board.

An entertaining thoughtful read. One that makes me think twice about going on a cruise. ( )

3.5
Very WTF ending
Guess the ship capsizes and they all die? ( )

I liked this book a lot, which kind of surprised me since some of the other reviews were less than flattering. I thought the characters were well-developed, and the different viewpoints of the narrators were interesting - particularly the inner workings of the kitchen, the preparation of food on the cruise and the hierarchy among the chefs and supporting staff. It would seem that the author must have some kind of personal knowledge about all of this, as the information was quite precise. Much of the activity on the ship, once it was stranded in the ocean, seemed mundane. But the ending! It is up to the reader to decide what happened - I generally don't like endings like this, but the way I imagined the ultimate outcome of this story was satisfying to me. ( )

Nothing like a perfect storm of events building toward disaster. The culmination leaves one hanging, free to choose one's on ending. Strange. ( )

What a nutty book. I don't know whether to write her off with that ending or respect for going off the rails. My official words. https://bookpage.com/reviews/22784-kate-christensen-last-cruise#.W5AvbU2WwdU ( )