Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Last Chance Saloon
    The Last Chance Saloon
    The Last Chance Saloon
    Audiobook17 hours

    The Last Chance Saloon

    Written by Marian Keyes

    Narrated by Juanita McMahon

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    'Love is blind, there was no doubt about it. In Tara's case it was also deaf, dumb, dyslexic, had a bad hip and the beginnings of Alzheimer's . . .'

    Tara, Katherine and Fintan have been best friends since they were teenagers. Now in their early thirties, they've been living it up in London for ten years. But what have they to show for a decade of hedonism? Sure, Tara's got a boyfriend - but only because she's terrified of spending five minutes alone. Katherine, on the other hand, has a neatness fetish that won't let anyone too close to mess up her life. And Fintan? Well, he has everything. Until he learns that without your health, you've got nothing . . .

    All three are drinking in the last chance saloon and they're about to discover that if you don't change your life, life has a way of changing you . . .

    'Plenty of heart, lots of laughs, and a fantastic twist in the tail' Cosmopolitan.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateFeb 1, 2008
    ISBN9781407416076
    The Last Chance Saloon
    Author

    Marian Keyes

    Marian Keyes is the author of ten bestselling novels and two essay collections. She lives in Ireland with her husband and their two imaginary dogs.

    More audiobooks from Marian Keyes

    Related to The Last Chance Saloon

    Related audiobooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Our Unconventional Love Affair

      Mar 16, 2020

      Our Unconventional Love Affair
      6 min read

    • Article

      Decisions, Decisions

      Aug 27, 2020

      Decisions, Decisions
      5 min read

    • Article

      Frost FAIR

      Jan 18, 2023

      Frost FAIR
      11 min read

    • Article

      Two Poems

      Jul 1, 2023

      I The teenaged girl is searching for a placethat goes through, the holeto put the tampon inside. When she finds itshe asks her mother, Is this where the penis would go?Yes, her mother explains.Then I will never have sex. II Sweltering New York City.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Return Of The Bores

      Mar 9, 2022

      All bores are boring but not all boring people are bores. There are plenty of innocent folk who like nothing more than to share their anxieties about the village fête with you – and they’ll do it for 20 minutes you’ll never get back. Yet these are ju

      3 min read

    • Article

      STEPPING Out

      Feb 12, 2020

      STEPPING Out
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Golden Years

      Feb 6, 2022

      The Golden Years
      2 min read

    • Article

      Australia Reads At Home

      May 18, 2020

      Australia Reads At Home
      7 min read

    • Article

      Never too LATE

      Oct 26, 2022

      Never too LATE
      6 min read

    • Article

      Woman About Town

      Jul 27, 2023

      2023 IS APPARENTLY THE YEAR of doing everything I was scared to do as a teenager. First the driving (which is going very nicely thank you), and now the most hated thing of all: I’ve got braces. My first go-round with orthodontics came when I was 12,

      3 min read

    • Article

      G’day – And Goodbye

      Aug 25, 2021

      G’day – And Goodbye
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dawn’s HOT DATE

      Feb 28, 2024

      You join me at the big table which is right at the back of The Nice Coffee Shop In The High Street. This table, which seats about 12, is a recent innovation and has been specially installed for a local book club. There are 10 ladies present today, an

      3 min read

    • Article

      Still SEXY? Kind of…

      Dec 22, 2021

      Still SEXY? Kind of…
      3 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      May 1, 2019

      How long can you say noto creme brulee and peanut butter cups, air conditioning,flying to Paris, flying to New York, the big bag of Fritos,a new iPhone, new extensions, new hair color,remodeling the kitchen, a nose job, bigger boobs,smaller bigger bo

      4 min read

    • Article

      Panto

      Dec 22, 2021

      Panto
      6 min read

    • Article

      Panto!

      Dec 20, 2022

      Panto!
      6 min read

    • Article

      People Are Strange

      Oct 13, 2019

      People Are Strange
      5 min read

    • Article

      In America

      Aug 8, 2019

      In America
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Book of Loki

      Mar 12, 2018

      The Book of Loki
      20 min read

    • Article

      The Last Friend on Earth

      May 4, 2023

      It was as if Doreen Saunders had been waiting for me, passing the time until my arrival. She might as well have been sitting in a rocking chair, knitting needles clicking, jam tarts cooling on the side, the door wide open, waiting for the next visito

      6 min read

    • Article

      Murder Most Fowl

      Mar 12, 2023

      Murder Most Fowl
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Courage To Be Happy

      Feb 1, 2023

      MARRIAGE and columns have this in common: you tend to repeat yourself. More than once in these pages, I have quoted the New Yorker’s legendary film critic Pauline Kael. After President Nixon’s landslide victory in 1972 she wrote: ‘I live in a rather

      3 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Last Chance Saloon

    3.5/5

    616 ratings25 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I really like Marian Keyes and thoroughly enjoyed this story when I read it for myself. Unfortunately the accents, as read in this audio book, made it uncomfortable to listen to.
    • 3/5
      not her best, a bit slow in first two thirds, better in final part where I got more engrossed. all men are definitely baddies or goodies but well read
    • 5/5
      Marian Keyes never disappoints, I loved it. Laughed and cried.
    • 4/5
      This started out a bit slow, but it soon turned into an absorbing read. I haven't read MK for a long time, but I enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      This book is laugh out loud funny! Another great one by Marian Keyes.
    • 2/5
      Good lightweight read. Fun character exploration of 30-something Irish trio living in London. Their lives, loves and problems.
    • 2/5
      A couple of years ago I read a World Book Night edition of Rachel's Holiday. It's a proper novel with themes and an unreliable narrator. When I went to get more of her books I was appalled to find she was being marketed as Women's Fiction and it put me off. I've read a couple of Women's Fictions that I'd caught through Bookcrossing and I think, more than anything, I was angry that women should be so disrespected by writers and publishers. Why should the standard of fiction marketed at women be so much worse than that marketed at me?Anyway, I took a risk on this and I can see why they take this marketing route. We're definitely in women's fiction territory. There are a number of scenes which are devoted to the trying on of new lipsticks. However, the standard of writing is better than usual. Keyes is fully conversant with the English language and writes with a cheeky comicality in a cartoony style. She appears to have warmth for her fellow humans. There's nothing here which required me to think but I don't think this is because she has contempt for her audience: it seems inclusive more than anything. Even a stupid person could read this novel without getting too confused.This leads me to problems though. 600 pages without having to engage my brain was a real struggle for me. Sometimes her cheekiness descended into flippancy. There was a lack of artistic focus to the whole thing, leading to extraneous, half formed scenes which bloated this flaccid belly of a book to a completely unnecessary (did I mention?) 600 pages.
    • 4/5
      Quite good Brit chick-lit centering around a three friends from Ireland who have stayed close after moving to London. When one is stricken with Hodgkin's Disease, he challenges the other two to live each day as if they had but six months left. Keyes' characterizations are wonderful, the three friends and the others in their circle become alive in the pages. I look forward to reading more from this author.
    • 3/5
      It took me a few chapters to really get into this book, but once I did I couldn't put it down. It was very entertaining - funny at points, sad at others. I was a little disappointed in the ending, though. Everything was wrapped up nicely, but it all happened within one or two chapters. It was almost too abrupt of an ending.
    • 3/5
      This book is not as deeply hilarious as the cover states, in fact I didn't find it hilarious at all. What I did find was that it is unexpectantly good. When I first started reading it one of the characters I found annoying and I really could have cared less about the other ones. As I continued to read it, I couldn't put it down. It is heart felt and realistic. It is about a group of really close friends who live mundane lives until one day when tragedy strikes they are forced to try and improve themselves. It's a little bit of sex in the city mixed with a little bit of bridgette jones. A great read for someone who just wants to get lost in someone else's life for a couple of days.
    • 2/5
      I normally like a bit of chicklit now and again, but this was VERY fluffy indeed! I finished it, but was annoyed with myself for it: I kept being irritated by the blatant way the writer plays on the feelings of the readers and by the utter simplicity of everything: values, relationships, illness even. So why did I finish it? Chicklit must be powerful stuff - even this kind of it. A bit like a big bag of crisps when really you should be having a proper meal: you just can't stop and you hate yourself for it. Ah well, at least it's cured me of the chicklit urge for a while!”
    • 4/5
      One of the better books I read during my mid-twenties Chick-Lit phase. This was written with a generous helping of wit. I particularly liked the smug media character who considered it a bad week when he didn't get at least one pair of knickers in the post. Like most books of this genre, it is frequently clear which way the plot is going, making the journey there seem to drag a tad. The dieting plotline I found a bit patronising. On the other hand, this was one of the few books I have read to feature a character from Huddersfield, the town of my birth! Shame he was such a miserable git.....the accent was spot on, though. Four stars.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful!!! The lives of three friends from Ireland - Tara, Katherine and Fintan. They moved to London together but have now grown into their 30's and live separately. Still the best of friends they share the ups and downs of life. Read it in only a couple of sittings. The book is finished and I feel I have lost a group of friends
    • 2/5
      I spent most of this book trying to figure out who the main character was, and why many of the background characters had their own story line (Lorcan). I didn't find the characters all that interesting, and while I finished the book in one day, it felt more like duty rather than enjoyment.
    • 3/5
      I borrowed this book from a friend a couple of months ago and only got to it now. I read books depending on what I feel like next, and after my last one I really needed a chick lit book. I was so glad I had this one at hand! I have read several of Marian Keye's books and I like her style, so I was looking forward to immerse myself in her characters.Last Chance Saloon is the story of three best friends, Tara, Katherine, and Fintan. Now in their early thirties, they have known each other since their childhood. They moved to London together to start a new life, and seven years later Tara is stuck in a bad relationship, but with struggling with her weight and the fear that this was her last chance at love, she is afraid to move on. Katherine is single, well organized, and very successful in her career. The last thing she needs is a man to mess it all up for her so being single forever is her solution. Fintan has it all, a great job, a healthy relationship, and lots of friends. His life couldn't be better. That is until he gets ill, and circumstances force them all to reevaluate their lives. This book represents real life situations and characters which you can easily identify with. The way each of them deal with the situation is very realistic, with a few things blown out of proportion to keep it light. The plot itself is not as great, but the characters more than make up for that in my opinion. A funny thought I had while reading this books was that they all have full time jobs, but do they ever get any work done?! I guess I'm jealous of how relaxed life at the office seems to be for them, in a time when twelve hour non-stop days are a norm for me! With Marian Keyes' books I am always a little sad when they come to an end, and this was no exception. Tara, Katherine, and Fintan are the kind of characters you find yourself missing after finishing the book. Although this is not the best book I have read by Marian Keyes, I enjoyed reading it nonetheless and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her books. At this point 'Anybody Out There?' is still my favorite of hers!
    • 3/5
      I have read an alarming number of Marian Keyes' books and they never fail to entertain -- this one was no exception. I always read them guiltily as they probably do not contribute greatly to my knowledge base. She has a formula and themes and it works. I recommend this to any woman who wants to turn off her brain and do some fun beach side, pool side, or vacation reading.
    • 4/5
      I didn't expect to like this one, because I found the blurb rather blah, and it seems to be rather mainstream, but it was good. I liked the character-driven plot and found the twist at the end enjoyable. I'm going to read her other books as well now.
    • 3/5
      A cute, fluffy romance novel--all hail the Irish! Good humor and nice characters, though rather pigeonholed. However, the climaxes of the book--when the abused girlfriends get to tell their lousy boyfriends off--are not nearly satisfying enough. I wanted much more tongue-lashings. :)
    • 3/5
      I have really enjoyed the other Marian Keyes books I have read, but this one didn't do it for me. The ending was predictable and I just wanted the shilly-shallying to be over so they could find their happy ending.
    • 4/5
      This is a cute book that tells the story of three friends: Tara, Katherine, and Fintan. Each has their struggles in the love department, which are interrupted by Fintan's illness. People assume at first that Fintan has HIV, since he is gay, but it turns out he has cancer and this crisis brings the friends together like never before. Fintan ends up challenging his two friends to make drastic changes in their love life, all in the spirit of living their lives as if they only have six months left to live.
    • 2/5
      OK, so I’m starting to get what people see in Marian Keyes. Sure, the dialogue is snappy, if not exactly credible, and you know that there’s a happy ending in there. But if it’s chicklit you’re after, I think there are better examples of it than this lot. People just aren’t like this, and the plot is so transparent that getting to the end becomes so predictable you wonder if it’s worth it. But if you want to read a book on a wet weekend and disengage your brain at the same time, Ms Keyes is for you. This one is inoffensive, soppy and unbelievable.
    • 4/5
      Despite having very little plot, this character driven novel was quite an engaging read. The quote on the cover - "A comforting doorstopper of a read that's as addictive as solitaire" (Daily Mail) -- sums it up quite well. The novel revolves around three characters --Tara, Katherine and Fintan -- childhood friends from Ireland who are now thirty-ish and living in London.
    • 2/5
      Phew. This is the first book I’ve gotten through in a month. Seriously – everything I’ve picked up has remained unfinished. Nothing actually got my attention and held it. So is that saying much for this book that I’ve actually finished it. Not really. It wasn’t all that great. It was a combination of Bridget Jones and East Enders. But it was entertaining and I did finish it
    • 4/5
      I didn't expect to like this one, because I found the blurb rather blah, and it seems to be rather mainstream, but it was good. I liked the character-driven plot and found the twist at the end enjoyable. I'm going to read her other books as well now.
    • 3/5
      Three friends who have been together since forever in Ireland now live in Ireland and have to deal with their complicated love lives.