The Last Enchantments

November 25, 2013
Finch has written eight well-received mysteries set in Victorian England (An Old Betrayal), but this contemporary novel is a departure from that established success. In 2005, 25-year-old American Will Baker, formerly a staffer on the failed John Kerry campaign, decides to salve his wounded ego by spending a year studying English literature, specializing in the works of George Orwell, at Fleet College, Oxford. Will, however, really has no idea what he wants to do with his life or why he’s at Oxford, “a miserly and mean-spirited little place.” He and his graduate school pals, men and women alike, do very little studying, dedicating their time instead to casual sex and heavy drinking (Red Bull and vodka are popular). Despite his political savvy, Will proves emotionally immature, falling in and out of love quickly and then stewing in self-pity. His loves—Alison, Jess, and Sophie—come across as charming young women who deserve better. The strength of Finch’s novel is its vivid portrayal of Oxford University in all its history, along with the school’s ancient and quirky traditions, and colorful student body and faculty. Sadly, readers may find this deft scene-setting wasted on a protagonist as vacuous and aimless as Will. Agent: Jennifer Joel and Kari Stuart, ICM

December 1, 2013
Finch (An Old Betrayal, 2013, etc.) creates a lyrical ode to youth, idealism and love in a contemporary novel about a young man's year of graduate studies at Oxford University. There are moments and people that significantly impact a person's life and spur major transitions, and Yale graduate William Baker experiences both when he arrives on the Fleet campus of Oxford. As he describes his year, he reflects upon the emotional, physical and intellectual journey that ushers him into the world of adulthood. While countless college students around the world routinely engage in activities similar to Will's, what makes this fairly routine coming-of-age story so appealing is twofold: Finch's accomplished narrative skills and his ability to connect each character with the reader. Will, a former campaign worker for John Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 presidential bid, leaves his girlfriend, Alison, stateside and settles into student life in England, which he and Alison remind themselves is only for a year. But it's a year that challenges their relationship, as Will contemplates social barriers, financial comfort and his feelings for Sophie, a fellow Oxford student who's involved with another man. Will also develops friendships with a diverse group: snobbish Tom, who looks down on Will for being American but becomes his closest friend; Anil, a student from Mumbai who comically embraces hip-hop but can't mask his concise BBC accent; Timmo, whose one aspiration is to be a participant in a television reality series; chronically broke, good friend Ella, who falls for Tom; and Anneliese, a German student and talented photographer. Will's experiences aren't all that unique: The friends drink and party together, fall in and out of love, and support each other during difficult times and devastating losses. But Finch brings each character to life with striking effectiveness as they struggle with issues of class, the political climate, academics and their futures. A portrait of university life that's contemplative and nostalgic.

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July 1, 2014

Will, an American at Oxford University, never wants what he has, whether it's his longtime girlfriend whom he left behind in NYC, the townie girl with whom he has a few flings, or any of the possibilities open to him at the end of college. But he also doesn't have what he wants, namely, the even more maddening Sophie. Will's melancholy realization, "I think of it sometimes, and feel sad to contemplate how it will be, this place I love so much, finished with me before I finish with it" is likely to resonate with teens coming into their own sense of an ending as they go on to their next life stages.-Jamie Watson, Baltimore County Public Library, MD (Excerpted from Adult Books 4 Teens blog, http: //ow.ly/xNk7V)

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Lauded young mystery writer Finch captures the American perspective on aristocratic Oxford in this coming-of-age novel. William Baker leaves the political world of New York City behind, along with a well-connected girlfriend, Alison, to spend a year studying English literature at Fleet, a fictional Oxford college. He boards in a small cottage on campus with other graduate students, who introduce him to life as an English uni student. Tom Raleigh, William's pedigreed Tory housemate, indoctrinates him into centuries-old traditions at Oxford, such as formal dinners and ritualized drinking games. Then he meets Sophie, a smart and proper Englishwoman, and begins to drift away from his well-heeled college sweetheart, Alison, and toward the romantic, literary life of Oxford. As in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Oxford sets a regal and stunning backdrop to The Last Enchantments, giving it a timeless and rich ambience that is, well, enchanting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

August 1, 2013

The author of the well-received Charles Lenox mysteries breaks out with this sophisticated story of recent Yale graduate William Baker, who heads to Oxford when the political campaign to which he has dedicated himself founders. All he wants is a year off, but instead he meets a passel of intriguing characters, from a rap-loving Indian economist to charming but classically snobbish flatmate Tom. Then there's Sophie, who forces William to reconsider everything. Big in-house excitement, and I suspect that Finch has thrown his heart into this one.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2013

Young man studies abroad, falls in love with his new surroundings, and meets a beautiful woman: that sounds like the gist of every campus story ever told, but Finch's charming effort distinguishes itself with its personal touch. After graduating from Yale University and working on the doomed John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004, Will Baker leaves his girlfriend and political aspirations behind to study at Oxford. Quickly falling in with a vibrant group of housemates who help him acclimate to British life, Will soon is ensnared in a romance whose intensity surprises him, forcing him to ask how temporary his yearlong excursion really is. In prose that glides effortlessly from scene to scene, Finch captures the fleeting time in people's lives when their every decision, from career to lover, seems freighted with eternal consequence. VERDICT A vividly evocative love letter to his alma mater, Finch's first contemporary novel (following his acclaimed historical Victorian mysteries starring MP Charles Lenox) often reads less like fiction than as memoir, and will be enjoyed by readers of both. Highly recommended for all collections. [See Prepub Alert, 7/15/13; library marketing.]--Michael Pucci, South Orange P.L., NJ

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 15, 2013

Young man studies abroad, falls in love with his new surroundings, and meets a beautiful woman: that sounds like the gist of every campus story ever told, but Finch's charming effort distinguishes itself with its personal touch. After graduating from Yale University and working on the doomed John Kerry presidential campaign in 2004, Will Baker leaves his girlfriend and political aspirations behind to study at Oxford. Quickly falling in with a vibrant group of housemates who help him acclimate to British life, Will soon is ensnared in a romance whose intensity surprises him, forcing him to ask how temporary his yearlong excursion really is. In prose that glides effortlessly from scene to scene, Finch captures the fleeting time in people's lives when their every decision, from career to lover, seems freighted with eternal consequence. VERDICT A vividly evocative love letter to his alma mater, Finch's first contemporary novel (following his acclaimed historical Victorian mysteries starring MP Charles Lenox) often reads less like fiction than as memoir, and will be enjoyed by readers of both. Highly recommended for all collections. [See Prepub Alert, 7/15/13; library marketing.]--Michael Pucci, South Orange P.L., NJ

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.