THE LAST CASTLE is a tribute to a time gone by. The Gilded Age in all its glory and excesses can be found here. George Vanderbilt sent out to build the biggest and best residence in America. With the help of Frederick Law Olmstead to plan the gardens and Richar Morris Hunt to design the 175,000 square foot residence, Vanderbilt succeeded.
It's the largest house in America and saw Two World Wars, The Jazz Age, The Depression and celebrities like Henry James, Edith wharton, and F. Scott Fitzgeral to name but a few.
Edith Stuyvesant Dresser marries Vanderbilt and it she who saves it from decrepitude. So many rooms, so much money, and then not enough money.
A true American story.

Biltmore is such a fascinating home. I thought the book was pretty entertaining. I was somewhat aware of it's history, as I've read other information on it and the family, but this was a treat! Built by Robber baron George Vanderbilt, it is the largest, still privately owned home in America. Built on the backs of the working poor of it's day, it's a wonder it continues as a tourist destination for so many. Amazing what wealth could buy. Still, fascinating home.

I enjoyed this book in that I felt like I learned something new, however I felt it was a little hard to get through. I was looking for more of a story, but felt like I was reading a non-fiction book.

A great historical book about the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilts. Anyone who has ever visited or wants to visit should read this book.

Excellent book! Well written history of the Biltmore.

've always been a fiction reader and picked very few non-fiction books to review. Lately I've found a couple of fascinating reads including this story of the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. It's amazing how this home came to be and the woman for whom it was built. Spanning many era's of history and the ups and downs of the Vanderbilt fortune, Edith learned early in life that keeping the Biltmore Castle functioning and surviving was a full time job. This estate is now open to the public and tours of the massive grounds and 33 bedroom home are available. It's hard to imagine anything this grand and massive could have been built.

A sweeping chronicle of the Vanderbilt family and the magnificent "house" they built in Asheville,N.C, It is filled with the joys, heartbreaks,financial trials, triumphs and famous people who enjoyed the creation of this magnificent estate. The author has meticulously researched and authentically fashion it into a most enjoyable reading experience. If you have visited The Biltmore, the book will enlighten you with background and stories to enrich your experience. If you have not been there you will definitely want to go (especially at Christmas time when the house is exquisitely .decorated).

It was my pleasure to feature Denise Kiernan on the Literary Atlanta Podcast on September 28, 2017: http://bit.ly/2yvjlio

THE LAST CASTLE by Denise Kiernan tells the story of the Biltmore, America's largest single family residence. Set in the mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, this book describes the construction of the Biltmore Estate, with its 175,000 square foot mansion which is visited annually by over a million people. I actually have been there and the house -- 250 rooms, 43 bathrooms, 3 kitchens, 65 fireplaces, and an indoor pool -- is indeed impressive. The landscaped grounds are beautiful, too. Reading THE LAST CASTLE made me think of Lady on the Hill by Howard Covington which I had greatly enjoyed prior to our visit. The house's history is fascinating, reflecting various historical periods of opulence, frugality and self-reliance. Kiernan, of course, touches on much of the same information, but attempts to focus more on the residents and family members. I found those descriptions to be a bit dry and would tend to recommend Lady on the Hill overall which makes the house itself the real star of the story.

Interesting history of the Biltmore Estate. Anyone interested in shows like Downton Abbey or the novels set during the Gilded Age will enjoy this. I'm definitely putting the Biltmore Estate on my list of places to see. (ARC)

Curiosity about the "400" (the wealthiest people in the United States) will always keep these people in the limelight. During an era known for its excess, George Vanderbilt topped them all with his dream of a mountain top home that would rival all those before it. The Biltmore estate was more of a castle, complete with a town. This book covers the years before George, his growth and the building of the Biltmore in detail. Parallel to that is the life of Edith Dresser, who would become his wife and greatest supporter. I found her story to be more intriguing. Events in history are woven through the lives of these two and the people who inhabited their lives.

Emblematic of the Vanderbilt family's cycle "from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations" (well, maybe "shirtsleeves to Anderson Cooper in three generations"), the estate at Biltmore was meant to be a semi-feudal estate, with European-style managed forests, dairies and local crafts. Instead, although it made an indelible impact on Asheville and the region, it quickly became a white elephant of expenses, impractical living and changed social mores. Kiernan follows the Vanderbilts and their in-laws from the 1860s through the present grand-grandchildren running the estate as a tourist attraction, with side lights about the Newport Season, Paris in the 1890s, the Arts and Crafts movement and Biltmore as a secret storage space for the national gallery during WWII.

The United States Civil War was one of the deadliest battles our country has ever fought, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. Many of the dead were buried where they fell in battle, never identified or claimed. Is it any wonder that their spirits walk the earth? Newman travels the country visiting battlefields, cemeteries, forts and historic homes, investigating claims of the paranormal. A great read for history buffs as well as those interested in the paranormal