Tayari's Blog: The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez
Posted by TayariJones on January 3, 2007 08:04 AM
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Bookshelf
The short version is that I love this novel. It was so good, I wanted to eat it.
The Last of Her Kind, the fifth novel by Sigrid Nunez, is a breath-taking and utterly engaging story of Georgie and Ann who meet as roommates at Barnard in the 1960s. Ann is an rich white woman who says things like, "I wish I were black" and Georgie (who is also white) knows enough about being poor that she doesn't wish for any additional burdens.
Despite this roommate set up, this novel is much more than an extended pajama party. This is the 1960s and Barnard is changing, the world is changing, and the friends are changing. Ann, who is singularly focused on her brand of social justice, ends up in prison and Georgie narrates the story from the safety of her more conventional life.
Did I mention the writing? Searing, gorgeous and just brilliant. Whenever I feel stuck on the novel I am working on, I go buy another copy of The Last of Her Kind. (You may wonder why I can't keep re-reading the copy I already have. Well, every time I am reading, someone picks it up, reads a few pages and begs to borrow it. Sadly, this is the kind of book that people "borrow" forever.)
Read it. It's really really good. I was surprised that it didn't get more attention last year. It got off to a great start with a starred review from PW, a love letter in the New Yorker, ooh la la from The Village Voice, fever from Salon, but for some reason, it didn't catch fire the way that it should have.
The good news is that books have long lives-- no matter what the idiots in publishing believe. There's plenty of time to read this remarkable novel, which has just been released in paperback!
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There are 6 comments on "The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by Judy ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
Happy New Year, Tayari! Since I'm hard at work on my novel and need all of the mental writing tools I can get my hands on, I'm off to discover The Last of Her Kind. I also wanted to say something I think every time I read your blog -- you do a great job of writing what I would consider creative nonfiction here. Now I want my writing to be "searing"!
Thanks for the endorsement (I knew I was holding onto that Borders gift card I received months ago for something special and here it is), and continued best luck with your writing. I'll let you know what I think of Nunez's book. Take care, girl!
January 3, 2007 11:07 AM
Comment #2, by Ladylee
Yes, you are a woman after my own heart... a certified pro in the art of bootleg public relations! This book is most definitely going on my 2007 reading list.
January 3, 2007 12:04 PM
Comment #3, by JenniferRM
Hey, Tayari: (its Jennifer =P)
Happy 2 to the double O - 7!
Have you read the book Black Girl/White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates? I have not read it but it seems similar to The Last of Her Kind only for the fact that the two main characters - one white woman and one black woman - are roommates at an all white women's liberal college set in 1975.
The black student dies tragically (I don't know how) and the white student (her roommate) is learning how to deal with her death.
I only know about this book because I read about Black Girl/White Girl in one of the Barnes and Noble leaflets in the store. I wanted to read the book but now I see I am going to read your suggestion and this one I mentioned.
Thanks for keeping us uplifted!!
- Jenn R. McZ
January 3, 2007 11:19 PM
Comment #4, by JenniferRM
Have you read Black Girl/White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates?
The premise is the same of The Last of Her Kind however the black student dies tragically somehow at the college she is attending.
Black Girl/White Girl was published in October of 2006.
Interesting where you have the same premise of the black/white roommate thing going on but here the story is set in 1975. I haven't read the book yet but now I will be reading Black Girl/White Girl and The Last of Her Kind.
Happy 2 to the double 0 -7, Tayari! Hope to see you this year especially since you are moving to NYC!
Smiles,
Jennifer
January 3, 2007 11:24 PM
Comment #5, by slsonnier
Hmm... I picked it up from the library today. Thanks for the reccomendation.
I read Black Girl, White Girl. Interesting, but I'm not so sure I would reccomend it highly. Would love to hear your thoughts.
January 4, 2007 12:00 PM
Comment #6, by rebecca
so good to know we share the same taste in reading material. loved the cover, loved the book. and the writing, of course. that's key, isn't it?
January 4, 2007 01:41 PM