The Last Cruise

Not exactly the best advertisement for the cruise ship industry--but still a great read

The aging Queen Isabella cruise ship sets sail on its final voyage, scheduled to travel from San Diego to Hawaii and back. In celebration of this last cruise, a 1950s "throwback" theme is planned, with cuisine and music reflecting that era--and no mobile phones or internet permitted.

The novel follows three main characters on the ship, all of whom are undergoing some manner of existential crisis: Christine, a 30-something woman who gave up a career in New York to marry a farmer in Maine--and now finds herself tagging along on the cruise with her journalist friend Valerie; Miriam, an elderly classical violinist from Israel who is a member of the quartet providing music on the cruise (a quartet full of its own interpersonal drama); and Mick, a somewhat aimless and dissatisfied Hungarian cook, unhappily forced to join the cruise ship staff at the last minute.

What begins as a trip promising fun and relaxation slowly begins to unravel...and my, does it unravel! (In ways that I'd best not mention because it'll ruin the book). Christine, Miriam, and Mick all try to adapt to a bad situation and gain a little insight into themselves along the way.