The Very Last List of Vivian Walker
Megan Albany
Reviewed by Helen
This book was different, well written, it is funny, witty and yes heartbreaking as we spend the last few months with Vivian Walker who is terminal with cancer, she is forty with a husband and young son. Vivian comes from a dysfunctional family and says it as it is, she has two really good friends Marsha and Sally and a sister Catherine who she is estranged from and I thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with Vivian.
When Vivian gets the diagnosis she decides that there are a few things that she needs to get sorted and as she is big on making lists that is what she does and she encourages her husband Clint and son Ethan to do the same, Vivian is a control freak and must stay that way, her family has pretty much abandoned her as most people do in these circumstances but her true friends Marsha and Sally are there for her as is of course Clint and Ethan, although Clint really does rub her the wrong way at times.
Vivian has a fabulous sense of humour and this comes out page after page as you read this one yes some things she wanted to plan maybe were a little over the top but as life slowly slips away for Vivian we get to know about her past and why maybe she is the way she is, there are some very laugh out loud moments and there are moments that I was crying big time throughout this book, it is an emotional read but one thing that comes through in this book is the love that Vivian has for everyone and the pretty good life she has had even if it didn’t start the best, she made a good life for herself and her husband and son.
This is a book that I would recommend to everyone to read although you will need a box of tissues at the ready, it is open and honest and a fabulous debut, as I said there were some very funny moments throughout and some extremely emotional ones, a very different read but one I am so glad I read.
My thanks the Hachette AU for my copy to read and review.
When Vivian gets the diagnosis she decides that there are a few things that she needs to get sorted and as she is big on making lists that is what she does and she encourages her husband Clint and son Ethan to do the same, Vivian is a control freak and must stay that way, her family has pretty much abandoned her as most people do in these circumstances but her true friends Marsha and Sally are there for her as is of course Clint and Ethan, although Clint really does rub her the wrong way at times.
Vivian has a fabulous sense of humour and this comes out page after page as you read this one yes some things she wanted to plan maybe were a little over the top but as life slowly slips away for Vivian we get to know about her past and why maybe she is the way she is, there are some very laugh out loud moments and there are moments that I was crying big time throughout this book, it is an emotional read but one thing that comes through in this book is the love that Vivian has for everyone and the pretty good life she has had even if it didn’t start the best, she made a good life for herself and her husband and son.
This is a book that I would recommend to everyone to read although you will need a box of tissues at the ready, it is open and honest and a fabulous debut, as I said there were some very funny moments throughout and some extremely emotional ones, a very different read but one I am so glad I read.
My thanks the Hachette AU for my copy to read and review.
4 stars
Published February 9th 2022 by Hachette Australia
