The Last Marlin

By: Fred Waitzkin

Narrated by: Lloyd James

The Last Marlin is an unforgettable memoir of growing up in the 50s. Young Fred is a Jewish boy stretched between the divergent values of parents who cannot tolerate one another. Fred's father, Abe, is a brilliantly talented salesman whose relentless will drives him to succeed, whatever the cost. He marries Stella, an abstract artist, a student of De Kooning and Hans Hoffmann, but also the daughter of a wealthy industrialist with whom Abe forges an alliance. When the marriage flounders, Fred's world is assaulted, and he must negotiate the tense family divide.

Scenes range from Long Island synagogues and smoky nights with legendary painters, to the boats of drug smugglers in Bimini and the marlin-rich waters of the Gulf Stream. Fred sinks boats and battles thousand-pounders, believing that fishing is the answer to all his problems.

©2000 Fred Waitzkin (P)2000 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Remarkably ambitious and satisfying." (New York Times )
"[A] well-done father-son tale of bonding." (Library Journal)