The Last True Poets of the Sea Hardcover – October 1, 2019

5 TEAR-SHREDDING, SOUL-MENDING, BEAUTIFUL STARSHere’s the deal: I’m not here to provide a synopsis of the book, of every detail that happened along the way and to whom it happened to. You can read the summary for that, or other reviews.What I am going to tell is the important part. And that is how this story was about survival.But not the kind where you’re stuck on a faraway island with the ever looming probability that no one is coming to save you. Not the kind where you are lost in a wild forestry trying to find you’re way back home. Not the kind where you’re running away from someone trying to hunt you down.No.This was about trying to survive in yourself: in the skin you hate, in a mind that’s wired to make you feel unbearably depressed and utterly hopeless, in the voices that tell you to fade away so that you feel smaller and somehow less.It’s about fighting through the force of the big, ocean wave of sadness and brokenness threatening to pull you down, to crush you like it did to all those ships scattered on the ocean floor, to find your way back to the surface, breathing and alive, alive and breathing.Violet was broken.Sam, her brother, was broken.But, they didn’t become shipwrecks.They fought their way back to the top, back to life. Back to each other.And maybe someday, because this book exists (much curtesy to Julia Drake), I and those like me (stuck, lost, depressed) will learn how to do the same.

Really 3.5 StarsFirst Thoughts After Finishing: I want adventure in the great wide somewhere...and I miss the beach!I am (almost) always a fan of retellings, so when I saw that this was inspired by Twelfth Night and set in a coastal town of Maine, I knew that I needed to read this book. In many ways, this book mirrored the ocean—the story stayed in the shallows until, in moments when you were not expecting it, the continental shelf dropped away and the depths were open for exploration.Violet is descended from a shipwreck survivor who helped found the town of Lyric, Maine. She is convinced that she has the “shipwreck gene,” that her life is destined to be dashed into pieces on rocks and leave her floundering to recover. And in fact, that hardly seems far-fetched. A teenager at loose in New York City, she makes more than questionable decisions that leave her as emotionally frozen as if she had been the one thrown from safety into icy water rather than her great-great-great-grandmother. While her brother Sam struggles to cope with a mental disorder, Violet turns to the numbness of sex and drugs. After Sam’s suicide attempt, he is sent to treatment in Vermont, and Violet is sent to spend the summer with her uncle in Lyric. The city holds many memories for her, but a return to the past might be exactly what she needs for her family’s future. With the help of friends that she never expected to make, Violet embarks on a quest to uncover the long-lost shipwreck of Lyric and of her family.“Survival was its own quest: we needed to choose to survive over and over again. We had to wash up on shore, and we had to choose to keep washing up every single day.”Many contemporary stories are character-driven, and The Last True Poets of the Sea is no exception. The book followed the pace of a small coastal town, particularly one that is not overrun by tourists despite the summer season. The plot itself could have been distilled into a fourth of the pages, but the depth of the character development ensured that the book never felt slow. Violet is by turns fascinating and frustrating. I kept hoping for a revelation that would explain her self-destructive path, but one never came. However, this is not to say that her past was not explored. Certain stories were gradually revealed that made me sympathize all the more with Violet’s internal battle to be a better friend, daughter, and sister. She gave words to those feelings that are all too easy to creep in, particularly in an age of disconnectedness. Her brother might be the one with a diagnosis, but the exploration of Violet’s mind highlights how not all struggles come with a name. Throughout the book, her gradual realizations are important reminders for all readers, whether they are teenagers or adults.One of the highlights of this book is a slow-burn romance with emotions ebbing and flowing like waves lapping the shore. The relationships did not unfold in quite the way I was expecting; in fact, this book probably has one of the best uses of a love triangle that I have seen. For a long time, there were only small eddies of romantic current, but once Violet and Liv were able to admit to themselves and each other how they felt, it was like a tidal wave unleashed—so much feeling but almost over before it seemed like anything had happened. However, I loved the fact that even though there was queer representation, it was not the sole focus of the story. Being attracted to both sexes was only one facet of Violet’s character and hardly the one that defined her, which I appreciated.Friendships also played an important part in this book, particularly the idea of friendships as an anchor. I loved Violet’s diverse friend group, especially Orion, and I would have enjoyed seeing all of them interact more. Familial relationships also shared the spotlight. The Larkin family dynamic is one that is all too familiar—nothing is necessarily wrong, but at the same time, they are not the happy family they wish to be. I appreciated that there was a process to rebuild relationships; the family was not fixed by a single day or single conversation. Also, Toby may be the best uncle ever—I would like to sign up for his puzzles and pastries!Despite the engrossing nature of the character development, I do wish a bit more time had been spent uncovering the family genealogy and the shipwreck history rather than reading the unifying thread at the end of the book. Overall, however, this book was a quick read that drew me into the minds of new characters and left me with much to think about. I will look forward to seeing what Julia Drake writes next!Most Memorable Aspect: Exploring so many timely issues without over-labeling everything.

A Twelfth Night-inspired book that muses on tragedy, grief, mental illness, love and friendship. I found The Last True Poets of the Sea to be a quietly beautiful book full of characters who were messy and earnest and fun and ultimately deeply human. Violet is the ultimate flawed protagonist, but she's such an endearing character that I was constantly rooting for her. I absolutely loved the way the plot and details of Twelfth Night were woven into the book in very clever ways, while still making the book feel wholly unique. I also thought that the way the book handled the very complicated topics of loss, grief and mental illness was commendable. People in this story weren't just things to be fixed, they feel like living, breathing people who are full of complicated identities and whose path to peace is often not an easy one (though they are going to try anyway). Ultimately it was a book full of hope, and it left me deeply satisfied and impressed.

It's not an easy read, by any means. I'd cried twice before I was 50 pages in and I couldn't put it down. It's absolutely a worthwhile read, though. It's joy and comfort and reassurance and acceptance and a reminder that it's ok to not be ok. When I was finished I just sat there hugging my copy for a moment and dwelling in my gratitude.

I can't tell you how many times while reading this book I simply thought "Wow. This is amazing." I wanted this book to go on forever. I'll probably reread this book a dozen times and still feel the need to read it again.

I really enjoyed the whole book. Definitely wish there was a second book.

14yo daughter loves it... and she's a well-read kiddo like her dad was ;) Cover looks great too.

Good book love lesbians and good message about growing up and it's ordeals. Sometimes getting better is awkward and it hurts. Take the time to read this if you can

Charming, profound, gorgeous. Such a pleasure to read!! I'd been meaning to read this for a while and I'm so glad I did.

Seriously. They should be teaching this instead of Catcher in the Rye. The parallels are there, but this is so much more relevant to now.