{"product_id":"last-cruise-book-kate-christensen-9780385536288","title":"The Last Cruise","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the acclaimed PEN\/Faulkner Award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Man\u003c\/i\u003e comes a riveting high-seas adventure that combines Christensen's signature wit, irony, and humanity to create a striking and unforgettable vision of our times.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The 1950s vintage ocean liner \u003ci\u003eQueen Isabella\u003c\/i\u003e is making her final voyage before heading to the scrapyard. For the guests on board, among them Christine Thorne, a former journalist turned Maine farmer, it's a chance to experience the bygone mid-twentieth century era of decadent luxury cruising, complete with fine dining, classic highballs, string quartets, and sophisticated jazz. Smoking is allowed but not cell phones--or children, for that matter. The \u003ci\u003eIsabella\u003c\/i\u003e sets sail from Long Beach, California into calm seas on a two-week retro cruise to Hawaii and back.\u003cbr\u003e But this is the second decade of an uncertain new millennium, not the sunny, heedless '50s, and certain disquieting signs of strife and malfunction above and below decks intrude on the festivities. Down in the main galley, Mick Szabo, a battle-weary Hungarian executive sous-chef, watches escalating tensions among the crew. Meanwhile, Miriam Koslow, an elderly Israeli violinist with the Sabra Quartet, becomes increasingly aware of the age-related vulnerabilities of the ship herself and the cynical corners cut by the cruise ship company, Cabaret. \u003cbr\u003e When a time of crisis begins, Christine, Mick, and Miriam find themselves facing the unknown together in an unexpected and startling test of their characters.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49744874701073,"sku":"CIN0385536283G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50094015545617,"sku":"CIN0385536283VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50800264773905,"sku":"GOR009198089","price":5.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":51415773184273,"sku":"CIN0385536283A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53353102213393,"sku":"GOR014869997","price":4.7,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0385536283.jpg?v=1751434498","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/last-cruise-book-kate-christensen-9780385536288","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}