My Last Continent A Novel

Midge Raymond — 2016

"It is only at the end of the world--among the glacial mountains, cleaving icebergs, and frigid waters of Antarctica--where Deb Gardner and Keller Sullivan feel at home. For the few blissful weeks they spend each year studying the habits of emperor and Adaelie penguins, Deb and Keller can escape the frustrations and sorrows of their separate lives and find solace in their work and in each other. But Antarctica, like their fleeting romance, is tenuous, imperiled by the world to the north"--Dust jacket flap.

Reviews

Francine Corry@booknblues

Feb 2, 2024

I just happened on My Last Continent and thought it might work for a good exciting "beach read." When summer heat is sweltering, I love to read something set in a cold climate and I thought this might do the trick. We know from the forward of the book that a cruise ship sinks, so this is no surprise for the reader and it isn't what the bulk of the book is about. Deborah Gardner is a penguin researcher and loves Antarctica. Through her the reader learns much about penguins, Antarctica and its vulnerability. This is a complex story in which Midge Raymond takes us back and forth in history, long before the sinking, shortly before and after the sinking. This shift does not detract from the book, but adds layers to it. Raymond obviously is very concerned with the environment and through her characters and descriptions may be a little heavy handed for some, however I found it to my liking and really felt like I learned a lot by reading this book. This book is about so much more than just the environment, it is about survival, love and individual needs played against a family and couples needs. I highly recommend this book.