The Last Migration

This is a book about a journey, both physical and psychological. It's set in the near future, a world where almost all birds are extinct, and it centres on Franny Stone, and her journey to track the migration of the last few Arctic terns. Along the way we learn about Franny's life, her own urge to move on and on - and where that urge came from. We meet a fishing crew, a tight-knit group of misfits, loyal to each other; and we spend a lot of time on the ocean.

This book is beautifully written. The emotional intensity of Franny's story shines through, and the grinding sadness of ecological disaster is really well portrayed.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this. I absolutely loved it.

i loved it !! haunting story about one womans quest to chase artic terns in a world where animals ,fish ,insects are dying .she meets the brooding ennis and his ship and begins her journey .wonderful .

I thought this was an absolutely beautiful book. It was dark and haunting, backlit with beautiful scenery of a dying natural world. It feels relevant and urgent, in terms of the extinction of animals and I love how this was brought to life with the last migration of the arctic terns. The human story really shone too - it was just as urgent, showing how interconnected we all really are. Page-turning and thought=provoking. I would highly recommend!

Heartbreaking and utterly magnificent, this is a love story like no other. A story of, not only the impossible and yet visceral love between Franny and Niall, but also and above all, the love of the sea, the wild and the free. Charlotte McConaghy's novel is an unflinching exploration of our failings and limitations as human beings, while showing at the same time how far the best of us can be prepared to go for love. An ode to our wonderful natural world and to the kindness and sympathy within us, it is full of hope for a future that can still be repaired with enough willingness on our part.

Wow, wow, wow I absolutely loved this book!

The writing was absolutely beautiful & managed to evoke the moods of the sea & the characters in the story drawing you in slowly & taking you along on the journey.

I loved the flawed characters even when they were doing things that were maddening, in particular the main character & the captain of the fishing boat she manages to get aboard.

I read this book in a day because I just couldn't put it down. I couldn't drag myself away from the adventure of the fishing fleet & the perfect pacing of the mystery of the main character. I just had to find out what happened.

Even though in places the book was sad & had me weeping what it did offer was hope. I highly recommend!

Set in the future, all wild animals are approaching extinction. The story flits from the past into the future, sketching Franny Stone's torrid story from Ireland to the far north via Australia.

Franny is determined to follow the potentially final migration of a small group of Arctic Terns - she manages to join one of the last fishing vessels heading south.

The book fills in Franny's backstory, explaining how / why she feels compelled to follow these birds and it drives towards its compelling conclusion.

If you enjoyed Emily St. John Mandel's Station 11 and literary dystopian stories I would strongly recommend this book.

The Last Migration

This is one woman’s quest to follow the arctic terns on what may be their last migration. Set against the back drop of an ecological crisis where the animals are rapidly becoming extinct; this novel follows Franny Stone through the wild places on the earth as she unravels her wild and tumultuous past.

This book has all the elements I love to find in a book; wilderness, nature, a woman’s inner and outer journey, all carried on lyrical prose.

At first I wondered why I didn’t feel like I was connecting with the characters. Then I realised that they were holding themselves at a distance, from each other and from the reader. As I read on they began to show their vulnerability to each other particularly as the protagonist began to reveal her past.

I was completely drawn in, the setting and the cast of characters were depicted so beautifully. I loved each of them in their own quirky and rag tag ways.

I was haunted by this book for days after finishing. The sadness of the climate crisis woven with the woman’s trauma was heartbreaking but equally a meditation on hope and persistence.

This book is to be published this August and is definitely one to look out for and add to your #tbr I highly recommended it!

Thanks to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Any book that comes with a recommendation from Emily St John Mandel goes straight to the top of my TBR pile & this was another utterly brilliant read. Wrenchingly beautiful & completely haunting, this book left me gasping for breath. The MC is complicated, flawed & unreliable in all the best ways. A vivid, thought-provoking work - read it!

Such an unusual and beautiful novel.
The writing is luscious - both raw and haunting.
Franny is on a quest to follow the Arctic terns on their migration. She must persuade a ship’s captain - Ennis - to allow her to join the crew in their pursuit (they want the fish that the terns will lead them to).
But Franny is a damaged and wandering spirit with a fractured past that we come to know as the novel criss-crosses past and present.
This felt a little disjointed at first, but if you go with it, you’ll be hooked.
Beautifully conceived and written. Highly recommended.

Set in the not-too-distant future, The Last Migration explores a world in which climate change has done irreparable damage and driven many animal populations across the globe to near or absolute extinction. The novel’s protagonist, Franny, haunted by a mysterious, dark past and driven by the search for her missing mother, is determined to follow what could be the final migration of the last living Arctic Terns.

Over the course of this story, the reader is transported from Greenland, across the crashing Atlantic Ocean to the diminishing ice of the Antarctic. Charlotte expertly crafts each location with descriptions so vivid you can practically feel the sharp sting of each splash of frigid seawater, the bite of the cold against your fingertips and nose.

Just as cutting is the raw emotion with which Franny’s story unfolds. There’s no doubt that she’s a complicated, disturbed individual. There are gnarled scars from childhood and fresher wounds that haven’t fully healed that drive Franny forward on her dangerous mission and will make your heart ache for her. Her personal torment is interwoven with the tragedy of a dying planet and mass extinction to tell a truly engrossing, thought provoking tale of desperation and despair.

I was incredibly impressed by Charlotte’s debut adult literary fiction title and would love to read more from her in the future.

This is a story about the extreme precariousness and preciousness of life and the damage man inflicts on the natural world and its life forms. Impressive and thought-proking.

My thanks to Netgalley and Chatto & Windus, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for the ARC.

Charlotte McConaghy writes a phenomenal, unmissable, and original novel, emotionally charged, tragic, harrowing, haunting, an ode to the wonders of our natural world, set in the near future, an environment devastated and degraded by the impact of climate change, the mass animal kingdom extinctions and the hugely depleted seas and oceans. It charts the flawed and damaged Franny Stone's epic journey following the last migration of the Arctic terns to the Antarctic. Franny was born with wanderlust running through her veins, an ancient inheritance, that takes her to Tasiilaq in Greenland persuading a fishing vessel Captain Ennis Malone to let her travel on the Saghani with him and his broken and vulnerable crew. Malone is a desperate man, embarking on one last fishing mission for a elusive fishing catch before fishing is banned.

Arctic terns are known for their abilities to seek out large fish shoals, and it is for this reason that Franny is allowed to board the boat, to begin the most dangerous and perilous of journeys. The narrative goes back and forth in time in what seems like a chaotic, non-linear manner, slowly revealing Franny's traumatic personal history at various periods of her life, from childhood, being abandoned, to her marriage to ornithologist, Niall Lynch, burdened by the secrets buried deep within her, the sorrows, the tricky nature of love, and her passion for the sea. Additionally, we learn of the backstories of the crew members, with whom Franny forms close bonds after initial problems. In this story of survival, we learn the truth of Fran, an incredibly complex character, unreliable, vulnerable, fragile, plagued by insomnia and nightmares, writing letters she never posts, yet with a strong inner core of determination and courage.

McConaghy novel carries a melancholic, unvarnished and raw picture of a future that carries the grim horrors to come if the world ignores the warnings to be found in our contemporary realities and fails to act. The last migration of the Arctic terns, is echoed in a Fran and the past she carries within her and within the fractured, damaged and self destructive humanity that inhabits our planet. In this profoundly moving read, McConaghy's prose is lyrical, poetic and intensely atmospheric, and thankfully, concludes on a note of hope and resilience. This is a must read novel that I hope attracts the widest possible readership that it so deserves. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

4.5
The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy is a book full of hope, hope of finding animal life and something to live for.
Reading this book is also a scary experience. It's scary to read about what we are doing to the animals and the world. Although I already knew the consequences of our actions, it was scary to read about them, because the story takes place in a near future where the majority of wild life is extinct.

I've read reviews stating the main character was unlikable and unrelatable, but I disagree. Her thoughts and actions may be hard for some readers to understand, but those thoughts are related to mental health issues and the feeling of being traped and not belonging anywhere.

I loved this book because it discusses mental health in a different way and it makes me want to dive in the ocean and wander through mountains and forests. It also reminded me how every time I saw animals trapped in a cage I wanted to set them free.

Random House UK gifted me a digital copy of The Last Migration in exchange for an honest review.

A homage to the ocean and its wildlife. Franny Stone is an ornithologist in a future time, perhaps not so far away, when many creatures face extinction due to man's domination of the natural world. As she follows Arctic terns on their long journey to Antarctica, her tumultuous past life and the reason for her restless travels unfolds. A gripping and moving tale of love and survival against the odds, for both her and the terns. A story that will stay with you.

In a future not too far, most wild animals are extinct and fishing has been banned as the oceans are almost empty.
In this haunting and emotional novel, fierce and determined Franny is desperately trying to follow the long migration of the last artic terns while coming to terms with her past.
Beautifully written and heartbreaking.

5/5 stars, New all-time Favourite

“It isn’t fair to be the kind of creature who is able to love but unable to stay.”

I write this review, cheeks flushed in shame, as it's taken me so long to finally write a dedicated review of this book. It wasn't for a lack of enjoyment: on the contrary. I’ve owned 2 copies of this book (an ARC and a pre-ordered finished copy) since September, I’ve gifted this book to 3 other people, and I’ve included it in my Favourites of 2020. Yet everytime I try write a coherent review, I royally fail to pen down my feelings about this extraordinary feat of a novel.
This novel is a combined narrative of both a woman and a world at the brink of collapse. We follow Franny Stone, who talks her way onto a northbound fishing vessel as an ornithologist to follow the last migration of the few remaining arctic sterns she’s been studying for years. As the shores disappear behind the horizon, and the inhospitable arctic ocean is all around them, we slowly get to know the crew and Franny herself; each of them scarred by life and the elements, and each chasing more than simply birds of fish alone.
Although I enjoyed the story that was being told, I adored the way it was being told. Charlotte McConaghy’s prose and talent for storytelling are striking. At times flowing like a steady undercurrent, at times jostling you about like knobbly waves of an ocean storm. Emotional punches vicious as the arctic wind and profound in their haunting echo’s.
It’s rare for me to feel emotions as strong as the ones I did reading this book. Although very flawed, Franny is one of my favourite and most well-written characters of the year, and her journey is one so laced through with raw emotion that I couldn’t help but relate to her. It covers grief, passion turned obsession, unrest and homesickness, and the desperation to stay even though every instinct tells you to run.

Not only is this a new all-time favourite novel for me personally, it’s also the literary fiction book I’ve recommended the most (within just these past few months) out of all the ones I read this year. Please, if you enjoy provocative prose and deeply atmospheric “cold-ocean-settings”: you should read it. If you enjoy nature writing combined with an intimate character portrait of a person carrying the weight of their past on their shoulders: you should read it. If you’re a fan of Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behaviour or Abby Geni’s The Lightkeepers: what are you waiting for, here’s your next favourite.

Many thanks to Flatiron Books for putting this gem into the world, and in my hands! I cannot wait to see what their catalogue, as well as this author bring next.

Set in a future where humans have not been able to stop mass extinction of countless species of animals, Franny sets out to follow the last migration of arctic terns. The story is told on different time levels but it’s easy to follow how they interlock.

Franny is a woman with a complicated and untold history. A history of restlessness, the need to wander and connect, the need to find her missing mother and the need to follow the migration pattern of the birds who fascinate her so much.

This is a story of being lost, about finding, about love, passion, wandering, friendship and most of all about the need to protect our planet and all the creatures we share it with.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book- so much, in fact, that I bought the already released US print ahead of the UK publication. This is a book of its time and has made me think a lot about conservation efforts, and climate change.

And I’m beyond happy to read that the book will be adapted for the screen!

Franny Stone has just caught and tagged three Artic Terns. They are believed to be nearly extinct, along with most of the birds in the world. Her hope is to find a fishing boat who will allow her to track these birds on their migration to their Antarctica feeding ground. With the waters all nearly fished out, she has one hope of a skipper who might just be happy to follow them and have the golden haul of fish when they reach their destination.
The above paragraph is a very simplistic description of this book but it is just so much more that I can not begin to describe.
It’s about a woman lost and running from and to something. A woman who has experienced great love and sadness and the world on the brink of environmental wildlife disaster and yet this book has so much hope.....
Told in past and present terms, I found it very melancholic, yet wonderfully uplifting and hopeful.
It is a wake up call for the world we live in.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy to read, although I chose to listen to the audiobook via my library.

Absolutely stunning novel. A deeply complex character within a melancholic but also hopeful story of a woman's journey. This is without a doubt the book of the year for me and I will try to recommend it to anyone who loves great writing.

What a great find! I loved this book and it was completely my cup of tea in terms of fiction dealing with conservation issues. It is like nothing I have read before. I was instantly hooked and it is a real page turner. I found the writing a little clunky at times though - it could have perhaps done with another edit. But it didn't matter because the characters and plot were spellbinding. It was very well researched - I highlighted several notes of personal interest. I will purchase a physical copy so I can reread it! I can't wait to see it published and hope it sells well :)

Oh my goodness. My heart!

This book is simply phenomenal. A story of a woman coming to terms with her past, her future, the future of the earth - so many themes intertwined so beautifully.

Franny is a woman with an obsession about migratory birds and finding a way to keep them from extinction, a woman who has loved and lost so many times, most of all losing her own sense of self. She makes an agreement with a fishing boat captain and his crew to follow the terns which will lead them to the fish, gradually making friends and opening up her story to us on the way.

Honestly this book was just spectacular and I would recommend anyone who likes books with themes of loss and growth to read it. I know my review is not doing this book justice but I having just finished it, I am a little bit floored to be honest!

Thanks Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book. I'll definitely be keeping an out for other books from this author.

Set in the near future where more and more animals are becoming extinct, our protagonist Franny Stone, has tagged what might be the last of the Arctic terns, and is determined to follow them on what may be their final migration from Greenland to Antarctica . To do this she has to talk her way onto one of the few remaining fishing boats heading south – the Saghani (the Inuit word for Raven) and put herself in the hands of those who she see as being the part of the extinction problem, in particular the cause of fish extinction. To get their cooperation Franny has to persuade the captain, Ennis Malone, that the birds will lead the crew to fish, and maybe to a big haul.

As we journey south, and get to know the crew, Franny’s past is also slowly revealed to us in flashbacks. We are taken from Ireland to Australia and back as all her ghosts are laid bare. At the same time we see a pattern emerge of a restless wandering spirit who finds it hard to stay put in one place. Like the birds she is following, the urge to fly is one that exists at her core.

These revealed past memories and the ghosts attached to them explain, in part, her reasons for heading to the bottom of the world. “Because one way or another, when I reach Antartica and my migration is finished, I have decided to die”, she states.

What can I say about this novel? #TheLastMigration #NetGalley

This breathtakingly beautiful book is the most impressive work of fiction I have read in the last couple of years. I was moved, gripped and totally transfixed from the very first words to the end. I’m not usually that interested with books that take place at sea, but I found the scenes aboard the Saghani both psychologically gripping and believably tense: the tightness of the crew; their mistrust of Franny; their loyalty to the sea and captain. At times I was feeling every wave, almost tasting the salt in the air.

Of course this is not just a book of the sea, a book about evoking nature – indeed ,arguably most of the ‘action’ in the book happens on dry land – it is also a deeply personal and heart-breaking journey of redemption and self-love. Each flashback peels back another layer of the complex, strong willed character of Franny, someone who has become cocooned and defined by her past.

This is a book about life, compassion and the human condition, and how our failings and limitations can and will drown us if we let them. It is a book about love: love for our planet, love for oneself , and the enduring power and strength of love. And, it is a book about hope: – hope of the continued survival of species, hope of discovery and understanding, and hope of redemption.

Sadly, this book is not due to be published in the UK until early 2021. This would have been a Christmas present for a lot of people I know. Meanwhile this year’s Booker Prize Longlist will be announced in a couple of weeks. I would not be at all surprised to find Charlotte McConaghy’s book on next year’s list. It would certainly deserve to be. Book of the year.

Thanks to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for the eARC

Dark and haunting, set in the near future and blurbed by Emily St John Mandel. Amazing. Almost perfect. Loved it.