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The Last Piece

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The Last Piece

By: Imogen Clark
Narrated by: Laura Kirman
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About this listen

A sudden departure. A story decades in the making.

The chaotic but happy equilibrium of the Nightingale family is thrown into disarray when Cecily - whose children can't remember her ever being remotely spontaneous - disappears to a Greek island with no warning or explanation.

Her reasons for doing something so out of character are a total mystery to her three daughters, high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily. What connection could she possibly have with Kefalonia?

But Cecily has gone to continue a story she thought ended decades ago - one that could have a huge impact on her family. And when she returns, she'll have to tell them the truth.

Will Cecily be able to hold her family together once she reveals her big secret? And might she discover that she's not the only one with a story to tell?

©2020 Blue Lizard Books Ltd. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction

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Critic reviews

“This is a wonderful novel about the secrets we keep from the ones we love the most. Imogen Clark has a real talent for shining a light on the idiosyncrasies of family life and revealing past traumas, present hurts, and future hopes.”—Victoria Connelly, author of The Rose Girls and Love in an English Garden

“The Last Piece is a beautifully crafted, insightful tale about family and the cracks below the surface of seemingly perfect lives. Clark’s characters, with their various secrets and flaws, leap off the page. A most enjoyable and riveting read.”—S.D. Robertson, author of My Sister’s Lies and Time to Say Goodbye

“I couldn’t resist going on this journey with the Nightingale family. With emotion on every page and mystery swirling around each character, The Last Piece explores how the past can be as unpredictable as the future. I raced through this life-affirming book, which left me buoyed with the promise of second chances.”—Jo Furniss, author of The Last to Know
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In the recent time of darkness, I really felt like I needed to hear something nice and safe. I didn't get entirely what I expected in that sense but I enjoyed the relationships between the characters.
I particularly liked the section recalling Cecily's childhood. I thought it was beautiful and sensitively handled.
The main "mystery" for Cecily's visit to Kefalonia is the most obvious reason that occurs to you but the story is more about the resolution of unfinished ties.
I've read another review saying that the narrator sounds like she is reading to children. I know what they mean BUT I found her voice charming, reassuring and I loved listening to the narration.
This book will especially appeal to people who like stories that feel more real and grounded in events that are likely to happen.
(This won't appeal to people who are after action, darkness and sinister twists.)
It verged on a bit too "nicey-nicey" for me but as I was looking for a more mellow read than usual, I was able to appreciate the characters and subtle plots.

A very "nice" story

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A bittersweet tale about a young girl falling pregnant a mere child herself and she had to give the child away for adoption.

Fifty years later the child she gave up now a woman decides to get in touch. We then see what happens when the mother Cecily is reunited with her daughter. Cecily’s own children are none the wiser so there is a lot to explain and will it be happy ever after.....

Bittersweet

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Really struggled to finish. I guessed correctly what would happen next and was never wrong. Boring.

Predictable

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Took a while to get started. Once in an excellent storyline with an ending that was understandable

Enjoyable

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I enjoyed this audio book and the subject matter. Perhaps there is not sufficient material written about how adoption affects both the child and the mother, which is of course different in every case according to the new family the child finds themselves adopted into and the life that the birth parent goes on to live.
Marnie and Cecillys story was unusual in the way the first meeting was arranged in a neutral spot in another country by Marnie. It was interesting and a bit of a mystery for the reader too because it was not disclosed until later, why Cecilly was going abroad.
Marnie, it slowly became clear, had not had an easy upbringing and hence had some sharp edges. She was very different from the other 3 daughters Cecilly had brought into the world. They were a close family but as all families, there were unspoken resentments, issues, even lack of trust which were not aired.
Marnies entry into their lives ignited and brought to light some of those issues and appeared to rock their cosy world somewhat.

My heart went out to Cecilly in her attempts to create a perfect fit of these new circumstances which was naive but understandable and I think the ending was so apt on this occasion. Just one of many possible outcomes for similar circumstances.

The tapestry of imperfect lives

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