How Long to Read Four Last Things

How Long Does it Take to Read Four Last Things?

It takes the average reader 3 hours and 43 minutes to read Four Last Things by William Palmer

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

Four Last Things is a collection of short stories, a brilliant collection of short stories. There is nothing of the occasional here, nothing of the secondary, these short fictions rank not just with William Palmer's own novels but with the best work in this medium over the last fifty years. In the title story, the longest, Cornelius Marten, an ageing, forgotten, booze-sozzled author reviews his life in the company of a young researcher and his girlfriend. Updating the Christian Catechism for our secular age, he enumerates the four last things as being: First Love, Friendship, Betrayal and Death. He takes each of these as hooks upon which to hang reminisces of his past. He resurrects his first lover, his closest friend, his early poetry and his wartime job, in each case releasing memories of pain and betrayal and unsatisfactory conclusions. The final story, Performance, Performance, is the shortest. To say it is based on the great jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins only allows this copywriter to show off. The name of the musician doesn't matter, in a mere six pages a perfect distillation of the creative temperament is conjured. Not only should it appear in all Jazz anthologies, it should appear in all anthologies of short stories, it is fautless. 'On the strength of his previous books, it was to be expected that Palmer would produce something exceptional in the realm of the short story. The depth and eloquence of this fine collection, however, might surprise even the most ardent admirers of his novels. He revels in character and language, in the gradual, intricate revelation of plot-lines and themes ...' Paul Sussman, Independent on Sunday 'The strength of these robustly elliptical stories is that, in other hands, they might have been stretched into novels, even adequate novels but certainly not as haunting.' Christopher Hawtree, Independent

How long is Four Last Things?

Four Last Things by William Palmer is 222 pages long, and a total of 55,944 words.

This makes it 75% the length of the average book. It also has 68% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Four Last Things Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 5 hours and 5 minutes to read Four Last Things aloud.

What Reading Level is Four Last Things?

Four Last Things is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Four Last Things?

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