I thought this was going to be a bit more of a widespread family saga, but it's a more intimate novel about a family who initially benefits from, but ultimately becomes fractured by their involvement with the oil industry. A very smart and emotional novel, although I thought it was lacking a bit in character development for the patriarch.

I could not get into this book so will not be publishing a public review. Thank you for allowing me a chance to read it. It just didn't fit with my interests at the moment or win me over with the subject matter and writing that I briefly read. I appreciate the opportunity and best of luck to the author.

This was such an interesting book spanning one family through three generations. Starting in the 1950s, American conservative values pitted against political unrest. Intrigue, family secrets, activism, outside influences. And all centered around Last House.

A family saga with historical fiction elements, I really enjoyed The Last House. It would make a wonderful book club pick - there's so much to discuss as it covers the noteworthy events in the world over the course of 80 years and how they impact this family.

Thanks to William Morrow for the copy to review.

Last House is Jessica Shattuck's new novel, it's one part family saga and one part historical fiction. For some reason, I struggled to love this book. I think it was that it was like I was watching the characters rather than investing in them. The novel spans multiple decades and multi-generations of the Taylor family. It is a well-written book that just didn't grab me like I expected.

3.5 rounding up to 4 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Last House in exchange for an honest opinion. This book is available now.

This stars strong, but halfway through I was less engaged. I think the author was ambitious to cover so much of US history in one story, but the span of 80+ years got a bit overwhelming for the reader.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a multi-generational read that spans generations. Nick Taylor is a WWII vet who has a respectable job with American Oil. He is part of their corporate cancer council and is able to provide a wonderful life for his wife and his children. In the beginning money from oil doesn’t seem to be all that big of a deal but as time goes on intentions flare within the United States over all things becomes big trouble. As children grow, they have to come to grips with what “big oil” has given them, the advantages, the education, and all the things that go with it. They do have one thing, they have Last House, that none of them treasure deeply. It is the place that is the safest, most comforting place you could imagine. The house can only provide so much comfort and protection. The climate in America in, is rough. The 60’s are no joke for protests, riots and civil rights. Concerns over the Earth and Fossil Fuels inspires protests and is a timely topic. The characters were well developed, and the tension between the family was very real. Overall, this was an excellent book, at times a little wordy, but I did enjoy it. I want to think NetGalley, William Morrow and the author for my copy of this book, for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

“The Last House” is a beautifully written, epic story about the sweeping effects of war and the power of family. If you love family sagas with twists and turns and loveable yet flawed characters, this is definitely a must-read. While the book did feel heavy and slow at times, particularly the sections related to the Shah of Iran, it ultimately had an uplifting message. I really enjoyed reading about how the backdrop of American life at the time impacted each member of the family differently, both in large and small ways. We don't always get the chance to zoom in on American life surrounding these events, and this was a really refreshing and eye-opening experience.

Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC. I would recommend this to other fans of historical fiction and family dramas/sagas.

Last House is a title with a double meaning, named for the original owner, John Last it is also held up throughout the narrative as the final refuge for a multigenerational family, and even a metaphor for humanity. As such, although the house does not make an appearance until Chapter 8, it plays a pivotal part in the story.
Much of the action takes place during the chaos of the 1960’s, with protests and radicals in contrast with the power of Big Oil and the secret operations of the CIA. As the present day gets further from those tumultuous times, it is understandable that the author feels a need to fill in the historical gaps for the modern reader.. unfortunately the chapters with a spotlight on the Shah of Iran and the efforts of the United States to protect their stake in Iranian oil by propping up the Shah’s corrupt regime, seemed like a plot that didn’t quite bond with the rest of the story.
The author’s writing is rich and a pleasure to read. Shattuck uses details and descriptions to bring some of her characters vividly to light. Unfortunately, Harry, the focus of much of the story, remains an enigma and at the end of the narrative, the author introduces a several generations of characters that I had no desire to keep straight.
This story has been compared to Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House with its focus on a home as the touchstone of the narrative. To me in both books it is a contrivance that doesn’t serve the story well, although you might say the characters here are as wooden as the architecture of Last House..

3.5 stars! This one was tough to rate considering there were some things I loved and some others I didn't quite care for. Overall, I found it very well written and loved learning some historical facts I hadn't heard of. So even though I enjoyed my time reading it, the parts I didn't enjoy were too big for me to give a bigger rating.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my advanced copy!

I loved The Women in the Castle and was excited to receive an early copy of Shattuck’s newest. I went in expecting a historical fiction novel but was surprised to find more of a character study, which didn’t work for me. I felt no connection to the characters or their stories. As a result, I ended up not finishing this book.

This book follows a family over the decades, through post WWII and worries over Russian bombs, to the Vietnam War protests and activism. At the heart of it they have their "Last House" to come back to, to reconnect as a family in the middle of nature.

I was interested in this book, but it is a heavy and often slow read. There's a lot to unpack in every generation that is written about, and at the end I found myself struggling to find an overarching theme. It's kind of just a glimpse into this family's life at these certain points in history. I also wish that we had something written from Harry's viewpoint as well. Every other family member gets more of an in-depth look and it would have been interesting so see his thoughts. Many parts of the book were written very well, Shattuck was great at setting the scene and seems to have done much research on these eras.

If you're a fan of family dramas and multi-generational stories you may enjoy this book. It wasn't quite the genre for me, but no fault to the author - just my attention span. I received this book as an ARC for my opinions.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to connect with the story and did not finish.

This is an excellent family saga. From the early 1950's, through the tumultuous 60's and early 70's, and ending in the near future, this novel pulled me into the lives of the Taylor family immediately.

The common point is a restored Vermont farmhouse in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, bought by Nick Taylor from his co-worker, as an escape vacation home. Being familiar with this area was a plus for me, as I could picture the setting in my mind. The house is always there in the background as time goes on, and Katherine and Harry, Nick and Bet's children, grow up and also love their summer home.

In the meantime, there are the protests of the 60's, the Weather Underground bombings, which in its way, involves everyone in the family. A tragic death forces changes to everyone's lives.

This book brought back memories, and also gave me food for thought. I will be thinking about the characters for a long time.

For fans of Ash Davidson's Damnation Spring, Jessica Shattuck's Last House is an engrossing family epic. The prose was beautiful and the characters were thoughtfully developed. Each successive generation dealt with the repercussions in ways that felt real and organic. Tackling 80 years of the story of the Taylor family, beginning in the mid-20th century and bringing us past current day.

Shattuck writes powerfully and in such an informed way. I learned a lot about the time periods the book was set in, despite the fact that this was fiction. I love an epic family saga and this one was spectacular. Sure to please fans of Kristin Hannah, Ann Patchett, and Wallace Stegner, Last House is a story for the ages, one we can all find some truth and perspective in.

Last House is an interesting book and hard for me to review. I am glad I read it. I like the book more now that I have finished it.

This book is about an American family and the story starts in 1953. This is also a story about oil and its impact on America and some of the political decisions that were made. I really enjoyed the American history in this book. After reading the book it is interesting how many times we have thought that the end of the world was near. Also, that democracy was going to end in the US. This must be about human nature and it definitely causes fear. We hear today routinely that democracy as we know it could end soon.

Every generation of this family has different issues that it must deal with. As the title states - there is a special house that the family has for the end of the world or just a get-away. The house sounds like a fun place to go just to get away from the day to day stress of life. It took me a long time to finish this book. I enjoyed parts of it, but I did not miss the story if I did not get to read it every day.

A historical epic that spans nearly eighty years. The writing is richly detailed and explores the passage of time, progress and empire.
Many thanks to William Morrow and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Last House, by Jessica Shattuck, P.J. Nelson, from William Morrow/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Pedantic, much?

I passed out stone-cold sober the first time I tried to read this book, about a month ago. Did the same thing early this afternoon when I started it over.

I. Should. Have. Gotten. A. Clue.

One of the more boring books I’ve read lately.

Once again, better in concept than in execution.

DESCRIPTION
"An ambitious historical epic that doubles as an intimate family saga. Jessica Shattuck captures and connects it all—the imperial ambitions of the postwar generation, the rebellion of their offspring in the Sixties, and the fallout we’re still sifting through today. . . . This is a wide-ranging novel to savor.” — TOM PERROTTA

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle comes a sweeping story of a nation on the rise, and one family’s deeply complicated relationship to the resource that built their fortune and fueled their greatest tragedy, perfect for fans of The Dutch House and Great Circle.

It’s 1953, and for Nick Taylor, WWII veteran turned company lawyer, oil is the key to the future. He takes the train into the city for work and returns to the peaceful streets of the suburbs and to his wife, Bet, former codebreaker now housewife, and their two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick comes from humble origins but thanks to his work for American Oil, he can provide every comfort for his family, including Last House, a secluded country escape. Deep in the Vermont mountains, the Taylors are free from the stresses of modern life. Bet doesn’t have to worry about the Russian H-bombs that haunt her dreams, and the children roam free in the woods. Last House is a place that could survive the end of the world.

It’s 1968, and America is on the brink of change. Protestors fill the streets to challenge everything from the Vietnam War to racism in the wake of MLK’s shooting—to the country's reliance on Big Oil. As Katherine makes her first forays into adult life, she’s caught up in the current of the time and struggles to reconcile her ideals with the stable and privileged childhood her Greatest Generation parents worked so hard to provide. But when the Movement shifts in a more radical direction, each member of the Taylor family will be forced to reckon with the consequences of the choices they’ve made for the causes they believed in.

Spanning multiple generations and nearly eighty years, Last House tells the story of one American family during an age of grand ideals and even greater downfalls. Set against the backdrop of our nation’s history, this is an emotional tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance and what we owe each other—and captures to stunning effect the gravity of time, the double edge of progress, and the hubris of empire.

"Last House" is a multi generational novel about a family with a backdrop of current issues to the times such as post world war II living, the role of women, the protests of the 60's, and the fight against our reliance on oil.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Last House by Jessica Shattuck. Last House is the story of a family, starting in 1953 in conservative America, through the 1960's and beyond. Nick, the father, works in the oil field, and is involved with politics in the middle east. Katherine and Harry grow up and get involved in the counterculture of the 60's. And through Bet, the mother, we see the evolution of women's roles and expectations. It's a good family story, and also gives interesting historical perspective. I enjoyed this one. #lasthouse #jessicashattuck #takeapagefrommybook #bookstagram #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #booknerd #bookloversofinstagram #familystory