I enjoyed this book, but was really confused how everything was going to wrap up in the end. It felt like some parts were dragged out a bit, but overall I was happy with how it came together in the end.

“The Last House” is a multi-generational story set between 1953 and the present time. It covers the CIA’s involvement in politics in Iran returning the Shah to power, civil rights, radical war protesters, and eco terrorism in the late 60s.

Bet, a code breaker, meets Nick Taylor in 1943 right before he leaves to serve. They marry and have 2 children. Nick is a lawyer for an oil company and Bet is a housewife. They purchase a weekend home named “Last House” in Last Valley and it becomes central to the story of the Taylor family.

The characters are all well-developed and we get a strong sense of what motivates them.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck was a beautifully written family saga featuring the Taylors: Nick, a lawyer for an oil company and Bet, a housewife with a secret past, as they raise spirited Katherine and sensitive Harry. The story begins in 1953 when Nick and Bet are getting their family established and purchase "Last House," a rustic cabin in the isolated Vermont woods. The plot moves forward as Katherine and Harry grow up and question their parents' values and way of life. The Vietnam War era brought lots of changes to the family and we as readers are brought along on their journey.

Last House was a character study of the Taylors and how they interacted and how the changes in the world around them affected their relationships. The pacing was even, and the short chapters kept things moving even though there was not a lot of action. The mystery of what happened to Harry kept me swiping the pages.

The writing was eloquent and almost lofty in its philosophical musings. I found myself skimming some of the heavier sections. The jump in time at the end was satisfying to read.

I will recommend this to readers who like literary family sagas.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last House is a family saga that spans multiple decades. The story for me was a slow read and didn’t really hold my attention. The characters were shallow and just boring.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nick and Bet fall in love and marry; they have two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick, a World War II veteran with memories, works for the oil industry. With ties to Iran, he is instrumental in seating the Shah on the throne. He and Bet are successful; they own two homes and provide their children with “opportunities” and connections. After college Katherine teaches in a private school in Manhattan. Traumatized by the death of Martin Luther King, she reverses direction and becomes a journalist for a radical news source, meeting activists, some militant, even violent. Harry, a lover of nature, drops out of college to join the military. Rejected, he drifts and finds purpose in his sister’s friend group. Jessica Shattuck’s novel has an atmosphere from the outset of discontent and disappointment; no one is satisfied. One generation accumulates material possessions; the other seeks power. Greed dominates while fighting establishments. It takes profound loss to teach them that what they seek can be found in the qualities of each family member. This should have been enough. Only in retrospection and regret do they find answers.

I love me a story like this! It kept me captivated from the first chapter. I just think a wide variety/range of people will really enjoy this! I recommend.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A moving story about a family and a house that they loved. I love the characters who are flawed and so real. Their losses hurt me, I cheered for their triumphs, and the ending was perfect.

I enjoyed Last House. It is a family saga covering the years just following WWII through the 1960s, with a small bit of tying up loose ends around the end of the century. The story begins with the thrill of being newly upper middle class and the joy of first parenthood. Most of the book is spent during this time and the following generation. Nick and Bet have left behind their WWII activities; he as a war veteran, she as a codebreaker. They settle into middle-class affluence and start a family. As was the norm then, Bet leaves her aspirations and becomes a wife and mother, while Nick is a lawyer brokering deals between US oil companies and Middle Eastern countries. The book's second section covers Nick and Bet's daughter and son, who come of age during the era of protests against racial inequality, the war in Vietnam, and big oil companies. The novel is more a history lesson than a family story, as the plot lines are not fully fleshed out. Yet it is less a history lesson than a fictionalized series of events, as so much of history during Nick and Bet's story is omitted. The characters are quite well-developed, especially Bet and Katherine. Jessica Shattuck's writing is smooth, but there is depth underlying the straightforward wording. This is a book for readers who enjoy elegant writing and not those looking for a strong character-driven plot. Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by William Morrow via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Last House" is a novel that intricately blends a broad historical narrative with the detailed account of a single family's journey. Set in the 1950s, the plot unfolds around Nick Taylor, a World War II veteran and corporate attorney, who perceives petroleum as the cornerstone of future prosperity. His spouse, Bet, who contributed to the war effort as a codebreaker, along with their offspring, relish the luxuries afforded by Nick’s profession, notably their private rural retreat, aptly named Last House. Advancing to the year 1968, the book captures a pivotal moment in American history marked by significant transformations, compelling the Taylor family to face the ramifications of their life decisions amidst a period of national tumult.

For aficionados of historical fiction and familial epics, "The Last House" stands out as a noteworthy selection. The book offers a vivid depiction of the American past, entwined with the individual narratives of family members steering through an era of societal shifts. It is recommended for readers who seek literature that not only narrates a tale but also contemplates the collective human condition.

I don’t think this was for me. I struggled to determine the point of the book. 😳🙈

It fell flat for me.
And it was hard to want to pick it up when I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters.

I always love a family saga, so I knew I would enjoy LAST HOUSE! The time period wherein the book takes place is such a fascinating one, and I thought Jessica Shattuck did a fantastic job of developing the setting, as well as showing how important Last House was to these characters and to the narrative in general. The character development was great, and it was so engaging to follow the Taylor family over the years. I did think the pacing felt a little slow, particularly in the latter parts of the book, but I still found the story to be really well-done and absorbing overall! I would recommend it, especially to fans of historical fiction and stories that center around family. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

I had a difficult time with the first third of this book. I wasn’t able to connect to the characters or the story. I’m glad stuck with it. Everything changed when I got to Katherine’s section. I started connecting with her and her brother Harry, and through them their parents Nick and Bet who I previously wasn’t vibing with.

The story spans 80 years and is told from multiple POV’s.

I loved the idea of Last House and felt the author really brought it to life for me. I could see myself living there.

There were a couple of things I didn’t see coming, provided a roller coaster of emotions and gave me a lot to think about.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is one of those books you fall in love with more and more as you continue reading and I was just not ready for it to end when I got there. I gave a big sigh, backed up my Kindle a few pages and re-read the ending all over. I loved this book. The character development is so personal. I felt for all the characters, Nick and Bet, they truly loved each other, they gave each other space, but they were always a couple.

The Last House, how much fun would that have been to have a second home where you could spend summers with your family away from the daily dread. Party game nite with other neighbors, time to enjoy.
It was easy to follow the timeline as the family grew and aged. I did have to think a little bit in the ending who was who since the family had grown.

I only had one small complaint, the travels in Iran, I felt it went into too much depth, I wanted to get back to the family and the Last House. I highly recommend as a family saga with a lot of heart and you can picture your own families. I wish I would have had a Last House.

I thank William Morrow along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review. This one comes in with high 5 stars.

This is a rare case where I wish a book was longer. Shattuck has a gift of writing and I wanted more! This is a book where there is more and more under the surface when you read. I enjoyed each perspective and how they intertwined together. It was equally heartbreaking and hopeful.

The Last House is a multi-generational saga that starts in the 50s and spans 80 years through the ancestors of patriarch Nick Taylor, a WWII veteran turned oil company lawyer. Nick and his wife Bet are hard working parents and part of the greatest generation, providing everything to their children they need, including a lake house in Vermont, their idyllic family retreat. The first half of the book describes Nick and Bess' backgrounds, careers, and family lives with their children Katherine and Harry. The character development here is great and very detailed. You get a personal look into their day to day lives, corporate politics, and the political temper of the US at that time, heading up to Vietnam. If you are of a certain age these could be your parents and the type of environment you grew up in.Flash forward to 1968 and we see Katherine rebelling against everything her father stood for. How this affects her family plays a large role in the book. This is a love story that covers family bonds, loyalty, and almost every historical event that happens up until the 2000s. The characters are richly developed and after a while you feel like part of their family.

Wow, this is a beautiful book filled with so much emotion and family history through the ages. I really enjoyed seeing the family through the years and what the house meant to them and provided for them.

A great book for book clubs, as there is a lot to discuss.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

So far, Last House is on my favorite reads of 2024 list. I love the time period in which it's set--post WWII seems ripe for stories like this. The writing is smart and descriptive without wasting words or time. My favorite kind of book.

It was a great easy read. It happened to take place during the years that I was growing up. Hard to believe it’s rated as historical fiction. The characters in the plot were captivating ,and I could relate to the times. Very turbulent, with many family conflicts.. I grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s. Thank you so much for my advanced copy. I will recommend this book to your friends and family and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Last House is a saga that starts in 1953, following a family through many cultural issues of the time. It focuses on a family, and their struggles and challenges in the world of that era. The reader is familiarized with the family, first, the parents,Nick Taylor, who works in the oil industry, and Bet, who was a code breaker. Then their children, and their grandchildren. The Last House is a house in Vermont that Nick buys as an escape in the country for the family. The story tells of the generations during this time period and how their views of the world affected their lives. The Greatest Generation, The Boomers, and Generation Xers all have different ideas of how the world should be and is's significantly different than their parent's generation. Although this book is well written, I had some difficulty staying focused and connecting with the characters. For that reason, this book did not resonate with me like I thought it would. I would like to thank Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars. My favorite book of the year so far. It is well-researched, character-driven, and I even learned things about an era in American history in which I am personally well-educated.

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a multigenerational family drama that follows the Taylor family through the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. The first part of the story explores the impacts the (fictional) family members had on US domestic and international history. Family patriarch Nick Taylor navigates post-WWII foreign relations with Iran through his position as an ex-Marine turned American oil industry lawyer. His scholarly and ambitious wife Bet grapples with the monotony of raising their two young children, Katherine and Harry, and the domestic duties often cast on women after the war.

The second part of the book focuses on now-grown Katherine in a coming-of-age telling of young-womanhood in New York during the civil unrest of 1960s America. We travel through the decades with these characters until the very near future and learn how the actions of previous generations of loved ones can shape each one that follows.

I would have preferred more POV switching during the second part of the story, versus a focus on Katherine. I was truly invested in her parents’ perspectives and felt disappointed when I wasn’t privy to their feelings during this time. The drastic switch to a character that we only barely knew as a small child was jarring, and almost felt as if I started a different book.

Katherine’s character development was interesting, however. At times, I felt so frustrated with her (which added to my desire to see how her parents felt, I think!), but by the end I had more patience with her. I definitely wanted more of everyone’s stories, so the desire for a varied POV is selfish and might not have served the story well.

This book could have been twice as long and I would have loved it and not even noticed how long it was. I think another book from Carter’s perspective would be a fun adventure as well. I was impressed with the wrap up and the glimpse of future generations of this dynamic family.

I recommend this book, especially for book clubs that like to delve deep into intelligent fiction. This was my first time reading anything from Shattuck and I have already added The Hazards of Good Breeding and The Women in the Castle to my TBR.