A very emotionally powerful book. I enjoyed the first half more than the second half, as the story devolved increasingly into quite melodramatic and difficult to believe plotpoints.

The crew becoming so ride-or-die for Franny? Ennis and Franny managing to walk across fricking Antarctica with no prep and barely enough food, yet surviving? Also how did they get back afterwards? How did the ships survive such long journeys when they were breaking down? I don't mind suspending disbelief but I felt like my suspension was doing some seriously heavy lifting.

 
Nevertheless, the themes and characters were powerful enough that it affected me emotionally, even if from a plot point of view I was dubious.
I read McConaghy's second novel about wolves first, and I've got to say they are remarkably similar - it feels a bit like she copy and pasted the template, but I guess if it works it works. But like her other novel, it's billed to be about climate change and wildlife destructions but deviates a lot from that plot/theme to explore the character's own trauma. That isn't a problem per se, but the birds and climate change plot felt a little unfinished, like it petered out because she didn't exactly know where to take it. BUT, not nearly as much as in the wolves book, hence my higher rating for this one. The near apocalyptic world also felt somewhat underdeveloped (if that much wildlife had died off, humanity would be struggling a lot more). 
On the writing, it was very evocative and emotionally powerful. And that's when I'm reading it in Swedish, which isn't my native language - if the emotion and skill in describing the natural world and bodily experiences survived that much level of translation, I reckon if I'd read it in the original English this writing would have hit me like a truck and left me a blubbering mess on multiple occasions. As it was, I just cried at the end (on a public bus!).
Important to be aware that it's a lot darker than the blurb would imply so definitely heed the content warnings - of which there are many and very explicit. There's no option for ecocide in the content warnings, but like big time on that (of course).
Overall, I did... Enjoy isn't the right word, but I was transported by this book. I learnt about birds, and it's left me thinking a lot about how I want to treat the people - human and animals - in my life, and perhaps that's the most important thing of all.

This beautiful and sad odyssey of one woman's journey as she follows the last migration of the Arctic Turns in a world facing the disastrous effects of climate change and greed is a must read. Franny is a bird lover but, birds are basically extinct due to global warming and the government's lack of concern with hunting and overfishing. She is on a mission to follow the last of the Arctic Terns, a bird that migrates from pole to pole. She joins a ragtag crew on their fishing boat with promises of a catch they have long searched for. As Franny and the crew journey with the birds, the reader journeys through Frannys childhood, her married life, and what led her to hop on a boat and follow the terns. This novel is a beautifully written picture of the risks of global warming framing one of the most gut wrenching side romances i've ever read. Franny is a complicated and fearless free spirit who works to fulfill her dreams at any cost. She's strong, determined, a tad delusional, and a fantastic character. Niall, her husband, is a dreamboat. No spoilers obviously, but that man is a catch and almost every time he spoke I was practically swooning! In addition, all of the side characters are amazingly complex as well! Even Nialls mom, who has like maybe two chapters? From Ennis, the gambling captain to Lèa the French engineer, the entire crew has a complicated backstory, development, and dialogue. Its amazing that this whole book is less than 300 pages. It packs a punch! I wish I could read this again for the first time. 

I found this compelling: I narrative sit in the near future, where many species have gone extinct, and the main character is trying to follow the migration of terns from Greenland to Antarctica. She makes her way onto a fishing ship filled with diverse and complicated characters, and many conflicts and wounds emerge.

A highly reflective and emotional read, with a cast of fishy characters, and familiar towns, including Newfoundland (Come From Away), a complicated marriage  and a deep passion to protect the planet 'The Last Migration' is a must read novel from Australian Author Charlotte McConaghy. 

I've picked this up a few times but it has never quite stuck. I was always a little uncertain about the time frame and the character and what was actually happening, until I discovered that the book was speculative fiction and with the colder months upon us I was in for a wintery read and a boat headed through the Antarctic. 

What is starkly obvious about this story is the warning/predictions of over fishing that David Attenborough reveals in 'A Life on Our Planet'. If you have read his work 'The Last Migration' explores this idea through speculative fiction, a new genre that I am slowly beginning to read more of. 

I absolutely devoured this read, not only was the plot heavily driven by character but there was exploration of much deeper issues including the meaning of life, life after death, global warming, generational ties and family loss. Although the heart-wrenching ending was beautifully done, just the right amount of warning of what was to come, there just wasn't enough closure for each of the key characters.