I really liked The Women in the Castle, so was excited to read Last House. This is a very ambitious work of historic fiction spanning from WWII to the near future and focusing on several generations of one family. Nick Taylor, son of Mennonites from the mid-west, is a WWII veteran who has become a corporate attorney for the oil industry. Bet is a reluctant 50's housewife, raised in a newly affluent Irish-Catholic family in suburban NJ. They raise two children in Connecticut, who get swept up in the turbulence and change of the 60's. which ends in tragedy. And then there's their children and grandchildren. There's plenty to think about in the book including climate change, America's role in the world, racism, women's rights etc. Through it all, the family keeps a second home Last House in the Northeast kingdom as Vermont, a metaphor for where we've been and where we're going.

A book that is at once thought-provoking and a real page-turner, as we get totally caught up with the relatable characters from a family and spend a few decades with them. Lots of history here, as we follow them post World War Two and into the turbulent 1960s and beyond. I truly look forward to recommending this title, particularly to readers who enjoy historical fiction that is lively and accurate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to listen to read this book in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
The story of a family told from the 1953 until 2025. Nick recently returned from WW2 has a plumb job working as a lawyer for an oil company to help ensure Americas supply remains abundant despite the politics of the middle east. His source of comfort is his wife Bet and their two children 5 year old Katherine and 3 year old Harry and their upper middle class lifestyle. Bet a brilliant cryptographer during the war, traded it all for motherhood and suburbia, not because she wanted to, but because it was expected. Last house refers to a rustic cabin in the Vermont woods that the young family buys, and returns to each year.
Like most Boomer children, Harry and Katherine grow into hippies with a full sense of disillusionment of their patents lifestyle and the environmental damage done by it. The book spends a good period of time in this era, where critical events happen that are relevant to the arc of the story. For me, this part of the book dragged a bit.
I especially enjoyed that last section where decisions that were made and lives that were changed play out. We get to meet the decedents of Nick and Bet and see how the family traits are a though-line from generation to generation.
Satisfying Read

Last House is a family drama that will most likely be talked about a lot. The story of Bet, Nick and their children is enjoyable, although too narrative at times. The novel would have been more compelling as an entirely character driven story. as those were the most interesting parts of the book. Thanks to William Morrow for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I could not put this book down! Jessica Shattuck masterfully blends world history with family history in Last House. I can’t wait dive into Shattuck’s backlist!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

PS—fantastic cover art. I can’t wait to see this one on shelves this spring.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Wow, really good read. This book is kind of challenging. It's stuffed full of historical information with relatable characters who lived and survived the ups and downs of what life was like during those eras.

3.75☆

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

Last House is about a family. The narration alternates between the parents, who meet in the 1950s, and have two children. Later, their daughter narrates her life in the 1960s. I wouldn't say a lot happens in this novel but it's a great character study. Nick, the patriarch, is a lawyer who helps save American oil interests in the Middle East. Later, his daughter Katherine becomes involved in the anti-war, pro-rights movements that are so popular in the volatiles 1960s. The conflicting ideals between her generation and her parents' generation have devasting consequences on her family. I liked the setting of Last House, but felt some of the political parts (like when she wrote for the radical magazine) dragged on a bit.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a family story that covers many decades.The novel is rich with motivations and relationships..Nick Taylor is an oil company lawyer and his wife Bet was a cryptographer but is now a homemaker. They are the parents of Katherine and Harry.They spend summers at Last House in Vermont which was a place they all enjoyed.This book tells from different characters viewpoints things about Communism and the Cold War to feminism and racial protests.This book will be enjoyed by anyone who wants an overview of many events from differing perspectives.Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

A grand story spanning decades of our country’s history. A family whose decisions and choices have shaped them all in different ways.

When they have money, they buy a house. Lost House. A place where they can escape the craziness that is life moving forward. And their money comes from oil.

Moving on they will need to come to terms with all of their decisions.

NetGalley/ William Morrow May 14, 2024

I loved this book. It followed the story of a family who has been involved in the middle east with oil from the 50s, and the patriarch buys a home in the woods on a plot of land with other friends. The story sounds so simple in retrospect but it encompassed so many different human emotions and storylines throughout the entire thing. I really enjoyed the complex characters, the interweaving of history, but also the nitty gritty of real humans experiences as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good multigenerational sagas. It was similar to, but more complex than the work of Kristin Hannah.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last House has a historical fiction element to it that ties into oil, Iran, and the counter-culture sixties, but for me, it was really about the Taylor family and their diverging perspectives. Nick and Bet are mostly happily married, but at the same time Bet longs for more while Nick seeks out the solidity of a marriage in the fifties. Bet is in some regards a woman before her time, incredibly curious and intelligent and stuck being a housewife. Nick works with the CIA and as a lawyer in the oil industry to bring the shah back to power in Iran and prop him up for the benefits of the oil and a hand in controlling the Middle East. We all know how that eventually played out, but it's also interesting to observe how little people were concerned about what the potential long-term consequences might be of playing politics in someone else's sandbox. Not only do Nick and Bet tend to be at odds with each other, but their daughter Katherine grows up to be a radical that rails out the established expectations of society and sees herself as a crusader for a better and more equal world. Often in the process conveniently overlooking the privileges that allow to continue the fight. One of the most interesting parts of the book for me was seeing how the times both generations grew up in had such a large impact on how they viewed the world - and how critical and confused they could be with each other. I think every generation experiences that with those who come before and after them, but I've never viewed my parents as out of touch the way Katherine does. I think the book is better for focusing on the relationships the family has with each other, but it's really nice to see Shattuck use the United States propping up oil and the shah in Iran as the historical backdrop, because I've haven't seen anyone else do it. I wouldn't say this book is exceptional, but I enjoyed reading it, and definitely thought it was thought-provoking. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

LAST HOUSE is the exact kind of book I love best. Historical fiction set in an unusual period that reads like literary fiction AND that’s character driven. It’s right up my alley.

It might have been because I wasn’t in the mood for an understated book like LAST HOUSE, but I wasn’t totally enthralled with it the way I wanted to be. The book is written well, and some sections were easy for me to dig into, but others were less interesting to me. I didn’t care as much for the politics as I did the saga of the Taylor family, and maybe that’s where the story got stagnant for me.

The story centers around a home - Last House in Vermont - and takes readers from the 1950s to the 2020s, highlighting the social upheavals, wars and politics of the times. After the first quarter, it moved very slowly and proceeded tediously.

I just didn’t totally connect with these characters, but I can see that many will enjoy it and its quiet beauty.

Thank you to Net Galley and publisher William Morrow for the advance digital copy of LAST HOUSE in exchange for my honest review.

Last House is a sweeping, multi-generational saga that begins in the 1950s and extends to current day (actually 2025). The first page introduction to the multitude of diverse, seemingly random and expected uses of oil in our current day life is the perfect precursor to the Taylor family story of Nick and Bet, and then of their children Katherine and Harry. Upper middle class privilege is at war at home and abroad for the family, whose generations both massively benefit and then actively protest against the geo-politics of oil both in the US and Middle East. From Nick's tour in Vietnam to Katherine's radical protests and ideology, the reader is drawn into the choices of each generation to make the world better, and the often boomerang choices that their offspring will follow in rebellion.

For those of us who were too young to fully grasp the upheaval of the 1960s and early 70s, this story is an elegant lesson in the major historical events of the late 20th century. My favorite characters without a doubt were Bet and Nick as they were deeply drawn, with the complexities they faced from their twenties, through career and parenthood. Katherine, the story's narrator, to me was less likable, more a radical-turned-mindful environmentalist as a result of family tragedy with her brother Harry, which she foreshadows early in the book. The "future" generations of Kate and Harry's children (and a grandchild) are introduced at the end of the novel, too late for the reader to really know them except through Kate's 79 year old somewhat sentimental eyes. These youngest Taylor offspring do bring together the overarching elemental theme of family, legacy and what ideals and values are passed from one generation to the next.

I loved the writing, often beautiful sentences I would reread just to fully embrace Shattuck's descriptions - from the hills of Vermont to Mapleton suburbia and the radical couch surfing life of the many 60s and 70s activists. From the first page to the last, this is an epic novel to savor. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had much promise at the start; I was interested in the time period as it has been a long while since I read a family saga starting in the '50s. It just lost all its steam about halfway through.

A smart, ambitious novel, Jessica Shattuck's "The Last House" is about oil. From the first page where she lists everything made of oil-based products. The novel begins in 1953, when WWII veteran Nick Taylor, now a corporate lawyer, hooks up with an old friend who leads him into the international world of Big Oil. Nick's wife Bet, a code breaker and artist, now a housewife, She's busy raising their two children while Nick, a thoughtful man, travels with an old friend all over the world to secure oil for the US in the post-war world. He is not open with Bet about what he does, but the income keeps them well, including the purchase of the Last house; Last being the surname of former owners. Their children come of age in the 60s and join the opposition without quite realizing their father's role in what they are protesting. "The Last House" touches on just about every important event from 1945 to the near future.

I can see this book sparking conversation and and possibly heated discussion. The characters are empathetic, but I found the earlier parts of the story more interesting than the latter. The ending filled me with trepidation--what if I don't have my own Last house when everything Nick and his buddy set in motion pays off in unexpected ways? This story does what fiction does best; provoke thought while laying the case before us , even if it may be too late.

Many thanks for the DRC provided by NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review.

Last House is an epic family drama full of meaning and message. I'm sure it's going to be talked about a lot.

It follows the Taylor family, and I'm sure that name is chosen for a reason. In fact, the (one of the ) protagonist's name is Elizabeth Taylor, but that didn't hit me until someone called her that later in the book - otherwise, she's known as Bet. It's definitely meant to stir your brain. Everything has a reason here, from the character's names, and the Last House of course, to where the characters live and what they've chosen to do with their lives. There are layers and layers, and they are carefully-weaved throughout the story.

The writing is excellent, and for the most part, the story is well paced. I was a little surprised at how fast the story sped up when it moved into the second part. I wasn't expecting that based on how the first part worked out.

But inasmuch as some dramatic, and tragic, things happen, it feels slow. Like based on some foreshadowing, you're expecting certain things that don't end up happening. Like there's built-up tension, but it fizzles out.

The thing is, this is an "important" book, but it's kind of self-important. It hits you over the head with all of its messaging. The ideal message kind of book gives it over with subtlety - you get absorbed in the novel and pick up on what the author wants to convey. I think love in the Time of Cholera is an excellent example. But here, it's all very planned and staged, which makes the plot and story less interesting and absorbing.

I also was confused about what the messages were throughout a lot of the book, just that there was definitely meant to be some. It's more clear toward the end, but it creates an unsettled feeling throughout. Maybe that's the intention? I prefer feeling satisfied and nodding my head along while I read.

I did like the end. It tied up a lot of the threads, or was clear about some threads not getting tied up, and that's ok. It's hopeful and satisfying. The last line was perfection.

4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

Having read and enjoyed The Women in the Castle several years ago, I was excited to read another book by Jessica Shattuck. Unfortunately, I was not as impressed by this book. Told throughout several decades, it’s a story focused on the Taylor family, and told mainly from the points of view of 3 members, Nick, Bet, and their daughter Katherine. As the story progresses, there are many elements of the times relating to environmental, political, social, and human rights issues. Unfortunately, I never felt a connection to any of the characters in the story. It starts out with getting to know Nick and Bet a bit, but just when I felt the story (which was slow moving) might have been going somewhere, it changed to part 2, focusing on their daughter Katherine. This was probably my favorite part of the story as it moved at a slightly quicker pace and was more interesting. However, as it moved to part 3, I felt the pace slow again with Nick and Bet’s story and I trudged through it to finish the book. The final part threw in too many extra characters and took a while to try to remember who each of them were as the story finished up.
Perhaps it took on too many topics, never really focusing enough on the characters. I really wanted to love this one, but it wasn’t a favorite of mine, unfortunately.
Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you for this ARC! I thoroughly enjoy a family drama set over many generations and this did not disappoint. It was historical, with the Vietnam War as a backdrop and that is an interesting time period to read about. Not as overdone as WWII. I am also a huge fan of cli-fi and this book had some aspects of eco/environmental fiction. Especially the ending, which I loved. It will leave you thinking about the legacy you leave behind.

Last House starts at the end of World War II and continues to the present. It starts with Nick and Bet how they met and became a family. Last house is a dwelling in Vermont close to a state forest. It is a place to get away from suburbia. Nick works for an oil company as a lawyer and brokers deal with Iran. This is a time period where the CIA was active in the Middle East. Nick is trying to make the best life for his family and look to the future. His children have a privileged childhood. But as we enter the sixties everything is questioned. The turmoil of the sixties is shown through the eyes of Nick's daughter Katherine. The story also continues after Nick and Bet are gone.
This is a book with a large time period. It is a lot of history to cover in one story. It is also the story of a family with family drama. I found the story slow in some places but then it always picked up. If you like sweeping family narratives, this is a book for you.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #JessicaShattuck, and #WilliamMorrow for a copy of this book.
#LastHouse

Last House is a family saga set mostly in the 50s and 60s with blips ahead to the 80s and beyond. The problems and opportunities of the characters mirror the news of the time: nuclear war worries, civil rights, environmentalism, classism. The cast of characters take shape slowly and really blossom in the second half of the book. I found it to be a little slow going, and I wished we’d spent more time seeing characters develop in the first half instead of being told of their developments. I wanted to care more for some of them before major things happened to them, but some received more attention and build up than others. There were many times in the story where I felt like more would take shape from an event or a hint, and then nothing would come of it.

Overall, this is a book I’d recommend for a fan of contemporary fiction who may want to dabble in literary fiction. And if you like a neat bow on top of your stories, you pretty much get it with this. Enjoyable, even if my attention wavered at times, but it likely won’t stick with me for long