This was in a bag of books given to me by a friend.

Thank you dolph1n for this kind rabck. I'm not a chicklit fan in general, but Marian Keyes is usually the exception to that rule.

I'm choked with cold, have lost my voice, and am generally feeling rubbish this week so this was the perfect read: light, comforting, and engaging. Keyes is an excellent storyteller and whilst Last Chance Saloon lacks the gasp-inducing plot twists of some of her other works, it kept me interested, and its length (600 pages) was barely noticeable.

It's a very late '90s novel (first published 1999) though, and definitely not ready for the #metoo or post-financial crisis world. The characters exist in that now bygone era where graduates in their late 20s could laugh off their credit card bills whilst living off professional salaries in central London, and no one thinks this is any way a privilege. Sexual harassment at work only counts if the perpetrator puts your job at risk, and thus stalking a colleague round the office before announcing that you're going to keep asking her out until she says yes is just normal male behaviour. Sexual nicknames in the office are encouraged, and drinking during work hours is part of the regular routine. As a HR professional in 2021, all of this grates a bit!

Overall a fun read, but not a book that will survive the upcoming decades very well I suspect. It already in many ways feels like a relic of its time.

If you are new to bookcrossing - welcome and congratulations for finding a book! Please leave a journal entry to let me and any other readers know where it has gone and what you thought of it.