I didn’t connect with this book or the characters. I ended up just skimming through the end of the book because it wasn’t holding my attention. I know there will be a lot of historical fiction fans that love this book, I just didn’t connect.

I unfortunately wasn’t able to finish this book. I had a hard time getting into it, and it just didn’t interest me. Thank you so much to NetGalley for my copy!

I enjoyed this book. Great character development, with the right amount of background for each to make them three-dimensional and totally believable. And the family dynamic between the father in the oil industry and the socially active children also felt realistic. Most loose ends were tied up at the end, except for one secondary character who will remain mysterious, his motives questioned.

I wanted so badly to love this book. A historical fiction across generations is my jam, but unfortunately this fell flat for me. The writing quality itself is beautiful, but the plot and character development was lacking for me. I didn’t feel attached to any character, there were jumps ahead in time where big moments that would’ve made me feel the feels were just skipped over. I feel like this could’ve been amazing if it were longer to give time to the events that occurred. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc.

I was really drawn in by this gorgeous cover and the time period beginning in the 1950s. I love reading books set in the 50s & 60s. But I don’t think I’m the right reader for this book. It was less historical fiction and more family saga with no plot to speak of. I just needed more to pull me in as the reader.

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for this advance copy.

Last House provides an excellent view of the history of the United States by following members of a family from pre WWII to current times. It captures the social and political climate of each period of history while engaging you with this family. Reading it brought back many memories of the different periods I have lived through and the struggles of each decade. While not a quick read, it is engrossing and you become invested in the family through the generations. I would recommend this book as an enjoyable read.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is the multi-generational story of the Taylor family. In the beginning, we meet Nick and Bet Taylor. The Taylor family through generations has their differences from political beliefs, environmental issues, racism, etc. As a veteran of World War 2, Nick sees things in a different light than his activist daughter and environmentally conscious son. While going through all the difficulties that families incur, the one place throughout the years where they could all come together is the Last House located deep in the Vermont mountains. This becomes their escape from all the stress and worry of everyday life, problems and concerns. While there are beautiful memories on growing up at Last House, it is also is the backdrop for all the conflicts that arises as the Taylor children grow up and plot their own future, a future that Nick and Bet may not agree with. We are also giving an inside look at the workings of the oil industry in Iran and the political problems faced by Iran and its people. This is a good family saga.

This novel is a very good family drama covering the 1940s thru the turbulent 1960’s with a finale in present time. I was glad I got to read it due to NetGalley.. It’s well written and many of the issues are still present today in 2024! I will go back and look for other novels by the authorJessica Shattuck.

A look at recent US history dealing with overseas oil, changing society, and Vietnam war protests. Through the eyes of one family, the events that drove the country are related. The clashing of ideals slowly unfolds in this interesting novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a recommended generational family saga that spans nearly eighty years.

In 1953 Nick Taylor, a WWII veteran, is married to Bet (Elizabeth) and they have two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick and Bet met each other before he shipped out in the 1940's when she was an English major who worked as a code breaker for the war effort. Now she is raising their children while Nick is a lawyer for American Oil and travels to the Middle East. They bought a vacation house they call Last House, a secluded country home deep in the Vermont mountains. It is a place you could survive WWIII. In 1968, the second part of the novel follows Katherine facing the challenges and turbulence of the times. The novel continues to follow the family to 2026.

At its heart, Last House succeeds as a literary family saga more than historical fiction, although it does cover generations in the plot. The narrative unfolds through the points-of-view of Nick, Bet, and Katherine. This perspective showcases the differences between generations. Nick and Bet are more nuanced characters than Katherine, but she is portrayed as vehemently following her beliefs. At the forefront are generational differences, but life is made up of such and things change through the years.

All of the characters follow their personal beliefs concerning political, social, environmental, and human rights through the times in which they live. Admittedly, while I found the quality of writing excellent, I struggled to keep my interest or even care about these characters. This novel may not have been a good fit for me; it felt like it was trying too hard. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on NetGalley, Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

An epic family saga spanning almost 80 years. This book reflected on almost every major touchstone in American history while also focusing on one family during these major generational shifts. It was beautifully done.

Huge thank you to #williammorrow and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck was a difficult read for me. I loved The Women in the Castle but this story did not resonate with me. I had trouble staying focused on it and felt like it was disjointed. I really just think that this wasn’t for me. Will I read another by this author? Absolutely.
Thanks William Marrow via NetGalley.

I feel smarter for having read this book. As an American, I learned about important events in the history of our country and plights that are still relevant today with the current unrest in Iran.

I could relate to the mother, Bet, who when asked what she would stock in her end of the world escape house, responded that she would have books, “and chocolate. And a pen and paper so I could write things down and hide them in some bombproof container for future generations.”

But also, the father, Nick, who “did not understand this generation of children – or, rather, this modern version of childhood, so full of privilege and promise so devoid of hard work and responsibility.”

Their daughter, Katherine, and son, Harry, were coming of age in the late 60s/early 70s at a time of much turmoil. They debated the meaning of civilization with their radical tribe and were filled with incredulous disdain toward their parents, and especially their father’s job in the oil industry, which is more than just a job, but a geopolitical force.

Their father could negotiate “delicate agreements between Middle Eastern governments and the various international oil companies” and was invited as a special guest to the biggest party the world had ever seen in 1971 celebrating 2500 years of Iranian history.
I shed a tear when Nick was introduced to his granddaughter, because “despite all the ways his life had molded him to be hard, he remained open to the soft, delicate underbelly of experience that makes us human, to the small irrational fears as well as the bold principles and truths.”

This book is about radical thinking and earth shattering dilemmas, but at its core is a family saga about parenting and loss and the ghosts of the memories of the people that we loved that vanish over time.

I like novels that take place over a period of time and this book was wonderfully written. It reads so smoothly and seems very relatable and honest and the points of view were excellent.

Thank you to @WilliamMorrowBooks and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #LastHouse. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a well-written multi-generational family story, spanning history from the post-war 1950s thru the tumultuous 60s to current day. The story starts with Nick and Bet, meeting and falling in love during the war. Post-war, Nick takes a job with American Oil while Bet becomes a housewife, focusing her attention on their children, Katherine & Harry. The narrative shifts to Katherine as she enters adulthood in the 60s, against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war and the discontent of her generation. She gets involved with a radical group, participating and reporting on the protests and uprisings. But Katherine struggles to reconcile her beliefs with her privileged upbringing. When Katherine brings her radical friends to their mountain house for a retreat, things take a dangerous turn. The narrative wraps up in 2026 with a few surprises.

I expected more detail on Nick's job with the oil industry. I also wanted more on Harry. The story is about a family of 4, but we never get Harry's narrative. Everything about him is from the others perspective. Maybe that's intentional - illustrating how you can never fully know the people you love. But not having Harry's story was a void for me. Still, I liked the story overall.

This is the story of the generations of a family and their home called the Last house. The story begins after WW2 and the husband works as a lawyer for an oil company and travels a lot negotiating for the oil company. The wife mostly raises their children - a tempermental daughter and a well behaved son. The years go by and the daughter goes off to college and gets involved with the war protests of the 70s, while the son becomes involved in saving the environment.

The evolution of time over the novel along with the different view points were interesting. I had to remind myself that this was fiction because it did read like non fiction and there was parallels that could be applied to current day as well. I thought the story captivated me more in part two when it shifted to Katherine's POV. The ups and downs and of the family saga could stand along but when intertwined with the events of the Vietnam war and the impacts of the oil industry, it was quiet the journey and an interesting one. While sometimes slow for me, it was thought provoking.

At once epic and
intimate, generation
spanning and layered.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️




I write haiku reviews on Instagram but am happy to provide more feedback.

Better start than finish🤔

3.5-4🌟 stars
This multi-generational saga, covering a family from WWII to 2026, really captured my interest in the first third as WWII vet Nick Taylor and Bet marry, start a family and settle in to a privileged life in Connecticut with children Harry and Katherine. Nick's involvement in political intrigues in Iran was particularly informative as I was not familiar with the history and the oil industry's involvement leading up to the Shah's reinstatement in the 50's. The family's yearly escape to the bare bones Last House in rural Vermont as the author describes actually seemed a pretty idyllic way to while away the summer. So much of the fifties and early sixties lifestyle struck a chord with my own childhood. Bet's frustration with the opportunities closed to her once she married and started a family were very realistic.

Once the story POV switched to the couple's daughter Katherine I found the narrative heavier going, especially her attitudes and the intense activism she gets embroiled in. I did not find her roommates and colleagues at all appealing, with the exception of Brent, whose life journey actually turned out better than I had expected. And the tragedy surrounding her brother was not detailed enough for me, probably because it was Katherine who told the story and not Harry.

I also found the last chapter confusing. A lot of new generations and characters are added rapidly at the very end, with a big gap of decades just sketchily covered.

For me, Last House was a worthwhile read but I thought it focused too much on Katherine and her peers.

Thanks to publishers William Morrow and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This novel depicts a post-WWII family and their ambitions, struggles and perspectives as the country goes through the Cold War, the turbulent Sixties. the Vietnam War, and the super dominance of Big Oil. It is the story of Nick Taylor, his wife Elizabeth (Bet), and their two children Katherine and Henry. Spanning the decades from Nick and Bet’s lives before they meet as young adults to Bet’s 79th birthday, this is a character-driven novel that delves into the hearts and minds of Nick and Bet, as members of the Greatest Generation, and how they grow and mature very differently from their children, who are in the group we now know as Boomers. The characters are very well developed, and the novel is beautifully written, focusing on family, acceptance and a changing world. All in all, this was a gripping and compelling read.