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The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch

The Last Enchantments

by Charles Finch

  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Readers' Rating (21):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2014, 336 pages
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There are currently 21 reader reviews for The Last Enchantments
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Nan G. (Mazomanie, WI)

Not Enchanted...
I wanted to like this story of a young man experiencing a world of enchantment at Oxford. The Secret History by Donna Tartt and A Separate Peace by John Knowles are 2 of my favorite novels and I always make room on the bookshelf for any book even vaguely reminiscent of the "coming of age in school" genre. Sadly, The Last Enchantments, while well-written, did not hold my interest.

What was wrong: the characters (with one exception) were unlikable, some of them were stereotypical and most came across as shallow. What was right: the setting. Finch draws a vivid and loving picture of Oxford. The combination of suchmore
Kat F. (Palatine, IL)

Too old for this
At 55 years old, it is quite possible I am simply too old to understand or have any empathy for this character and his friends. I definitely did not care about them in any way. The character goes from the insulated world of Yale to the insulated world of a political campaign back to the insulated world of Oxford University. Will and his friends feel they know of the world. Oh please. These self-indulgent, spoiled babies know nothing of real life and when it comes, it's going to hit them hard. Wouldn't bet they will be able to handle it, despite their prestigious education.

When I start reading a book, I ammore
Sherrill B. (Columbia City, IN)

last enchanments
I didn't like this book. There wasn't any excitement or plot, just mostly descriptions of Oxford's campus. I was disappointed.
M. W. (Issaquah, WA)

Disenchanted...
This novel was, for me, a huge disappointment. Student life at Oxford was depicted as a welter of booze, drugs, and promiscuity; the unlikeable characters were vacillating, pretentious, and insincere. The plot meandered along, with frequent insertions about past events to enable the hapless reader to try to catch up. (And why include the story of the main character's childhood in Chapter 8?)
Rare inclusions of accounts of seminars or tutorials were couched in arcane vocabulary familiar only to pedants, and reminiscent of an A. S. Byatt lecture this reviewer attended, which rendered an entire audience paralyzedmore
Barbara C. (Fountain Hills, AZ)

Not Very Enchanting
Coming of age stories have been done so often and so well, this one leaves much to be desired. The characters did not speak to me and I felt were not well developed. The story jumped from one to another, and I felt no connection or sympathy toward any of them. I resented the political intrusions into the story and the Hate Bush theme was distasteful. If I wanted a leftist tirade I could watch Rachael Madow. I also got tired of the gratuitous language throughout. I suppose the author thinks F fills in for words when others fail. Do you think 20 somethings use this word so fluently? The saving grace of this bookmore
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