The Last Verse
A Novel
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“A pitch-perfect read for fans of Taylor Swift.”
—Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
A dream worth chasing. An impossible choice. The song that will change it all.
When aspiring musician Twyla Higgins arrives in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1977, the nineteen-year-old Texan is dazzled by the fringe-and-rhinestones country music scene. Live music flows from bars, open mic nights tempt with the chance of stardom, and record label execs seek the next hot new act.
With nothing but the songs in her head and her daddy's guitar, Twyla finds her way in the vibrant, but cutthroat, music business. A chance meeting with a rakish singer and son of blue-blooded Nashvillians veers Twyla off path and into a dizzying romance. Caught between the dream she’s always wanted and the affection she's always craved, Twyla must decide what future she wants for herself. But when her song is stolen by a rival and hits the country music charts, how much will she sacrifice to take back what's hers?
Seductive, bold, and immersive, The Last Verse is the story of a woman’s love, ambition, and determination to claim her voice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Frost's intriguing second novel (after Shadows of Pecan Hollow) follows a talented 19-year-old aspiring country singer and her travails in 1977 Nashville. Twyla Higgins, tired of her sheltered life in Texas, defies her domineering mother, Faith, and makes her way to Graceland to attend Elvis's funeral. From there, she hitches a ride to Nashville, where she falls for rich pretty boy Chet Wilton, a middling guitarist who recognizes her songwriting talent. After sleeping with him, Twyla's crushed when she learns Chet is engaged to magnetic singer Lorelei Ray. Following a violent argument on a boat, Twyla stabs Chet in self-defense and tries in vain to save him from drowning. Not long after, she hears Lorelei on the radio, singing a song Twyla had written about her guilt over Chet's death. Lorelei later blackmails Twyla into writing the rest of her debut album in exchange for keeping quiet about Twyla's involvement in Chet's death. Frost turns many memorable phrases ("Like a circus, she would erect herself each morning and dismantle at night") and each of the imperfect yet sympathetic characters are well-drawn, including workaholic former cop T. Lynn Struthers, who's hired by the Wiltons to find Chet's killer, and ambitious Lorelei, whom Twyla grows fond of in spite of the blackmail and jealousy. Classic country fans will love this.
