The Stark Beauty of Last Things
A Novel
by Céline Keating
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date Oct 24 2023 | Archive Date May 11 2024
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Description
Everyone in town has a stake in the outcome, among them Julienne, an environmentalist and painter fighting to save the landscape that inspires her art; Theresa, a bartender whose trailer park home is jeopardized by coastal erosion; and Molly and Billy, who are struggling to hold onto their property against pressure to sell. When a forest fire breaks out, Clancy comes under suspicion for arson, complicating his efforts to navigate competing agendas for the best uses of the land and to find the healing and home he has always longed for.
Told from multiple points of view, The Stark Beauty of Last Things explores our connection to nature—and what we stand to lose when that connection is severed.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
“I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book. The characters, the twisty plot, the detailed descriptions, and the setting of Montauk, a place of great natural beauty, all drew me in completely. When I miss being by the ocean―all the time―I will from now on have The Stark Beauty of Last Things to turn to for passages that take me there. This is a rare and special book to keep on the bedside table.”
―ALICE ELLIOTT DARK, author of Fellowship Point and In the Gloaming
“Readers will be packing their bags for the Long Island shoreline in this atmospheric tale of love and healing. Keating’s characters prove to be as formidable as the threats to their historic Montauk coastline.”
―SUZANNE SIMONETTI, author of USA Today best-selling The Sound of Wings
“…an intricately woven tale of the people of a small fishing town beset by land developers and reckoning with its future. Keating tells the story of multiple characters with great sympathy and insight, as they struggle not only with the town’s future but with their own places in the world. A finely written, highly readable book that is vivid and real.”
―EDWARD J. DELANEY, author of The Acrobat
“…suspenseful and satisfying. Céline Keating is a wonderful storyteller, with a keen sense of place and compassion for the people who inhabit it.”
―HILMA WOLITZER, author of Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket
“Céline Keating’s deft storytelling, keen ear for dialogue, and evocative descriptions of landscape come together in this suspenseful novel about a fishing village on the brink of irreversible change. Keating has woven together a vibrant tapestry of characters ― including Montauk itself ― with sensitivity and insight, informed by local history and real concerns about what seems to be in store for this still-magical place.”
―MIA CERTIC, Executive Director of the Montauk Historical Society
“This novel embraces Montauk in many ways, especially its fragile physical beauty. The characters have to negotiate their relationship to that endangered beauty as well as their own relationships. The author's love for Montauk is evident on the pages readers will turn quickly.”
―TOM CLAVIN, author of Dark Noon: The Final Voyage of the Fishing Boat Pelican
“The Stark Beauty of Last Things brilliantly explores the symbiotic relationship between nature, the community, and characters driven to exploit or co-exist with each other and the environment. Keating writes about Montauk―the last spit of wild land on Long Island―with great depth of observation and feeling, delivering a cast of characters who spring from the page as vibrant and complex as anyone you might meet in the village itself. In the conflict between land developers and community environmentalists, the novel shows how nature itself―and a little luck―can become the deciding factor. This is a wise and often astonishing novel.”
―ROBERT EVERSZ, author of the Nina Zero novels
“With lush and sensory prose, this incandescent novel offers a glimpse into a wild place in turmoil. Residents of Keating’s Montauk, both locals and outsiders, face seemingly impossible choices between financial survival and environmental stability of their fragile community. The natural world―its palate, its odors, the rhythms of sunset and daybreak, of storm destruction and delicate growth―is the scaffolding and the heart of this unforgettable story.”
―ELLEN MEEROPOL, author of The Lost Women of Azalea Court
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781647425777 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 384 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Agrippina F, Librarian
Keating writes about Montauk with deep love and amazing skill. The prose is intricate and lovely, and nature is as much a character as people. At the beginning of the book, it was difficult for me to determine the timeline in which the story is set. I felt it could be the 1980s or earlier until a few modern details popped up.
To me, the story had a timeless feel to it.
The connections and relationships between the people, both locals and “outsiders” - those who came to Montauk from elsewhere - are complicated enough, but to me, it seemed the only villain of the story is money and greed that take over people.
I spent some time in coastal Massachusetts, and some passages about enormous homes taking over the beaches and the developers destroying nature and endangering dunes to make a buck reminded me of what I saw there. What came before the luxury houses? What was lost so they could be built? Change is not always a good thing.
I truly enjoyed the book. It was a lovely read - through and through. And now I want to go to Montauk.
Cindy B, Reviewer
I really enjoyed The Stark Beauty of Last Things. Keating's love of Montauk shines through the pages, and she does a fantastic job of describing Montauk - from the former sleepy fishing village along the Atlantic with its iconic lighthouse to the people who call Montauk home. The characters were well-developed and I cared what happened to them. I also appreciated the author's dive into important environmental issues, bringing awareness to a topic and area we might be unfamiliar with. Thanks to #NetGalley and #shewritespress for the advanced copy of this wonderful read.
Paul V, Reviewer
An interesting story. Atmospheric at times, or at least an interesting setting. The author writes well and created a good plot that kept me engaged and realistic characters. Recommended.
Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!
Marcia P, Reviewer
Sometimes I just take a chance and read a book by an unfamiliar author because the plot somehow lures me. So glad that was the case with Celine Keatings’s new novel that will be published on October 24, 2023.
As a Long Island resident, I live not to far from Montauk, the end of the line for Long isladers, and New Yorkers as well. The ecological ramifications of climate change are felt everywhere nowadays, but narrow island beach areas have everything to lose if no action is forthcoming to change conditions. In this exquisitely written fictional account of a present day real issue , three particular Montauk full timers are beset with personal and geographic worry, when developers seek to buy the one remaining parcel of land that is undedevoped. Theresa, whose estranged dad has just passed away, fears that her trailer park home may be gobbled up by either the sea or by crafty financiers. Julienne owns a no frills motel that may not make it through a business deal or even a fierce storm. Molly and Bill face the financial struggle of their lives just to maintain and hold onto their property.
Enter Clancy, a NYC businessman, who happens upon the scene and finds that his only childhood savior is a Montauk resident. Clancy becomes the center of gossip and negative attention when there is a damaging fire and when his long lost mentor makes a choice to trust him with a monumental
decision.
There are themes skillfully interwoven into the plot that are thought provoking and lend themselves to book discussion group. Is the environment more important than financial gain? What happens when we hold a lifetime grudge? Are long past secrets likely to cause future pain? Why do parents need to listen carefully to what children say? And so much more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book although I would have preferred an ending with that didn’t tie everything up so tidily. Ultimately, this was clearly an important, engaging and well written read. Four shining stars for a book I highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley and She Writes Press for and ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Alexa L, Reviewer
Wow wow wow!!! I hadn't read anything by Celine Keating or even heard of her before this book, but boy am I' excited that I've come across it. I would recommend this book to fans of Claire Keegan or Anne Patchett, and I'm surprised that Keating hasn't become as popular as these other writers already!
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