Product Description

Best friends since they were teenagers in the days of legwarmers, pink stretch jeans and Duran Duran. Now in their early thirties, they're living in London, but so far only Fintan has managed to find true love. Tara stuck in a dead-end relationship, believes that when you're in the last chance saloon, even a man who keeps his change in a little old ladies purse is better that no man at all. Katherine wouldn't agree. Living a life of calm with her matching bra and knicker sets, the only relationship she wants is with her remote control. Never mind that gorgeous Joe Roth, the new boy at work, has offered to help her change her channels. But when you're not up for change yourself, life has a way of changing for you. And fate, disguised first as an illness, then as a good as a good-looking, dangerous, out-of-work actor called Lorcan, steps into alter all the lives in wholly unexpected ways...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #941966 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Author of the hugely popular Rachel's Holiday and Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Marian Keyes is back swinging the doors of heartache and hilarity with Last Chance Saloon. Meet Tara, the rapidly expanding food-loving shopaholic; Katherine, the neat, male-ego-destroying singleton; Fintan, the fashion-conscious lovely, and Lorcan, the gorgeous but rotten redheaded womaniser. Marian Keyes deliberately deploys stereotypical characters and situations, then attempts to subvert the stereotypes, though perhaps in rather obvious ways. Throughout, Tara bores us with her lament that she is at the last chance saloon, meaning that if she ends her current relationship at 31, she's on the shelf for life. "For the first time Tara visualised it and she contracted with fear. It was like being told to jump off a cliff ... 'But what would become of me without Thomas? I'd never get anyone else and I hate not having a man. And it's not something I'm proud of' she added quickly. 'I'm going to puke', Fintan interrupted, urgently." Those who can resist the urge to follow Fintan's lead on the umpteenth rendition of this particular complaint will enjoy the book. It's addictive--reading The Last Chance Saloon is like watching the omnibus edition of Sunset Beach; you know the acting is awful and the same scenes keep on repeating themselves but you can't help being hooked and feeling sated afterwards. At almost 600 pages, settle down for a Saturday afternoon and don't expect to be getting up again until Sunday. --Nicola Perry

About the Author
A nervous breakdown seems like a great idea: all that lying in bed and watching daytime TV. But who's going to have it? Will it be housewife Clodagh, who spends her days microwaving pasta for her demanding toddlers and waiting for her beautiful husband Dylan to come home? Or Lisa, hard, brittle and shiny as an M&M, reeling from the shock of a demotion from her fabulous job in London to a one- horse magazine in Dublin? Or Ashling, so normal she's weird?

Customer Reviews

I speak as I find
This book is about three best friends Tara,Katherine and Fintan.Tara's in a bad relationship but thinks she's too old and fat to find anyone else.After all she is in the last chance saloon.Katherine is fighting of Joe from work he's lovely and everyone keeps insisting she should go out with him so why does this seem like Katherine's worst nightmare? Then theres Fintan who seems to have it all until he finds out some news that changes his and his friends lives forever he has cancer.Fintan's illness makes his friends realize that life's to short.That maybe there not quiet in the last chance saloon after all and maybe they've still got time to change there lives around.Another brilliant book from Ms Keyes that i found hard to unglue from my fingers.I was up till the early hours last night finishing it and i found how everything come together at the end was very clever.The character Lorcan keeps you interested all the way through to find out what links him to the other characters and when it all comes together at the end you think of coarse! Brilliant book,enjoy!

So Good
This is my first Marian Keyes book i've read, and i really loved it! the characters were all so well written. I even thought Lorcan was hilarious, the way she wrote about his vanity was so funny, how he looked in the mirror and pointed to himself saying "don't go changin'" haha, i loved that bit.

Admittedly, sometimes the main characters of Tara and Katherine were annoying at times. Especially Tara, when she moaned about been fat and then she'd eat a full loaf of toast or something! But i still liked her The only character i didnt really like (or hated) was Thomas, i wanted to punch him! He made my blood boil!

Other characters to love are the fabulous Fintan and his fella Sandro. And of course, Joe Roth. I loved him! There's so many things going on in this book, but i never got confused or anything like that. It was sad at times too, but so hilarious at other times. My next Keyes book i've bought is 'Sushi for Beginners' so i'm looking forward to reading that. I've always maintained Jill Mansell is my fave chick-lit author but Marian Keyes is going to be a close second i feel!

very enjoyable
I really really enjoyed this book - was a brilliant read and I especially loved the character Fintan who deals with his problem so well - definitely must read!!!!