I went into 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 by Jessica Shattuck knowing little about it, and found myself pleasantly surprised throughout. The story had 3 qualities that really work for me: its era, family, and the settings. These combined to create a truly top tier read.⁣⁣
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It begins at the end of WWII and closely follows Nick, Bet and their two children, Katherine and Harry, for 30+ years. Shattuck encapsulated so much of the mid-century into her novel. As time moved, so did this family’s story. Different members took leading roles when appropriate.⁣⁣
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The Taylor family was one I found realistic and fascinating. Nick’s career and the things Bet gave up were the foundation of this story. Layered on top were their relationships to each other, to friends, their children and the vacation home all came to love. Topping it all off was the close bond between siblings Katherine and Harry.⁣
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“I was afraid that Harry would die, but I was also afraid he would become like my father: firm and serious, a dark and unknowable crater at the center of his self.”⁣⁣
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The settings in this book were truly special. From their vacation house in Vermont, to Nick’s work in Iran securing oil rights for U.S. companies, to NYC in the era of Vietnam, Shattuck always created a vivid sense of place and time.
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“We were privileged and clueless and arrogant—we actually thought we could understand what it was like to be, for instance, Black or poor or drafted, despite being white and almost entirely middle or upper class...”⁣⁣
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My only fault has to do with the book’s last chunk which felt like an overly long epilogue. I’d have been happier had it either gone deeper or was shortened. Nonetheless, 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 was a true slice of 20th century Americana and one I highly recommend. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This novel starts in the 1950s, from the perspective of Nick, a WWII veteran working for the company American Oil who is encouraged by the CIA to help with reinstalling the Shah in Iran, and his wife Bet, who started out with bigger educational and career aspirations but has put them aside to be a wife and mother to their two young children Katherine and Harry. Most of part one of the book is set over just a few years of their life, told in the 3rd person. Part two is then a first person narration from the perspective of their daughter Katherine looking back many years later to the time when she was in her 20s in the 1960s and falls in with a group of activists. Part three starts in the immediate aftermath of part two, then quickly jumps forward into their present, ending a few years in the future from our present time.

A family drama with a strong setting in history and with historical events, this book somehow manages to be both sweeping and yet so intimate, illuminating the backdrop events of the time while also being more concerned with how it all affects the characters. It’s a bit slow of a read for a relatively short book, but the writing was absolutely wonderful. If I had to compare it to something else, I’d say maybe Alice McDermott’s Absolution. I also enjoyed Jessica Shattuck’s book The Women in the Castle, but thought this one was even better.

To me, this is heavy literary fiction, and I think I'm starting to realize that this genre is not my jam... I'd be really interested to hear other people's thoughts and takeaways, but I found it challenging to grasp the purpose of this book. I wasn't engaged with the plot, and without a strong connection to any characters, it was a chore to continue picking it up. Just when I thought some 'juicy' (for lack of a better word) plot point was about to occur, it didn't. The book is divvied up until multiple parts - the first 3 parts cover a certain individual in the Taylor family and their POV. Then the last part combines these 3 characters and covers all of their POVs. The first part/character covered is Nick Taylor, the patriarch of the family, and I found this to be the most tedious part. And since it starts the book, I found it to be especially slow going. The book is a little over 300 pages, and now that I'm done, I'm left here thinking, "Why?" Again, maybe if I could figure out the point made by the story in general, I'd be understanding or even appreciative of the length of this book, but I'm not holding my breath on that front. One thing I will say is that the cover is gorgeous, so at least there's that?

had heard of Jessica Shattuck's previous books but had not read any personally so I was not sure what to expect.

Last House is more of a story that has some references to historical events but I would not call it historical fiction. The story starts post WW2 and continues for decades focusing on two families. The house (Last House) could be considered a character of the story. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

This is a case, I believe, that not all books are for all people. It wasn't that the writing was poor. I just found the story to be boring. I was forcing myself to pick it up and after 30% I have decided to throw in the towel.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. often times, books spanning decades with important details are not done well. however, this one was masterful keeping the story going and seamlessly telling the story throughout the years. the first 2/3 of the book went slowly but i guess that's to layout the groundwork. its also a cool aspect when books like this focus on a constant detail, which oil was in this one. i kinda learned things about the oil trade? i think readers would enjoy this most through audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an interesting read and touched on so much history. The story was quite slow but well worth the read. The family drama/saga aspect was very well done and kept me engaged.

This book exceeded all of my expectations. There was a little bit of everything, but the family drama is really what drew me in. If that's a genre you like, I would really encourage you to read this book.

Set through generations, this is the true definition of a family saga. Each generation is so different from the one they came from, and this book touches up on the events and tribulations that each deals with. Seeing it from their point of view (vs. media input and NPR articles on social media) makes things more understandable for readers from different generations. Some of the story lines are slower than others, but for the span of the book it holds the reader's attention and lets us question how previous generations affect the newer.

A family drama starting in the 1950s and following the family to the 1970s and then to 2026 while noting historical events and signs of the times as they change. This was a slower pace than I would have liked, but sped up by the end. Politics and radicalism are prevalent to the storyline. I finished it and liked it, but unfortunately at times this one fell flat for me making it a slower read.

I’m enjoying the round of new releases that highlight the Vietnam War and the turbulent times and changes that took place during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Last House is part historical fiction, part family drama and focuses on the Taylor family, their remote family cottage in Vermont, the oil industry, and the volatile political events of the time. Reading this will transport you back to your childhood days (if you’re a Gen X-er like me). I’ve read reviews calling Last House sweeping and transcendent and I’d have to agree. Highly recommend this and think it would make a great book club book.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for this ARC.

There’s enough historical material about the oil industry and Iran in the 70s to make me want to finish reading it but overall I found the pace to be too slow and the characters were not as interesting as I had hoped. This ARC was provided by William Morrow publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such an interesting story about a family. It is a multigenerational saga, telling a powerful story about the Taylor family. It has all the topics I love in a story: love, relationships, marriage, sibling relationships and the choices we all make throughout our lives and how those individual life choices we make impact those we love, especially our family. I enjoyed this book, which is set mainly during the 1950's and 1960's, and how these years during the Vietnam war, with social activism and the pursuit of wealth and economic gain ultimately impacted this family by the choices they each made in their lives. I also loved that the Last house became a central character in the story. It is told and written so beautifully. It was dramatic and tragic, but also touching and insightful.
Thank you, Net Galley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

I'm going to go with a scarce 4-stars for this one; in general, I thought it was quite good, but I had some major issues with it. While there is definitely a historical fiction aspect to it, it really was more of a family saga, and that was where it hooked me. It's a detailed account of one family - their struggles and successes, their dysfunctional but loving relationships. Because of this, I felt the descriptions of Nick's time in Iran to be a bit more detailed than necessary. While they were certainly relevant, I was far more interested in the family dynamic, so the Iran passages were more filler to me. The character development was spectacular; because the book focused on a single family of four, there was so much room to build them from the ground up so the reader truly understood who they were and how they evolved over time. The family's story was told through the perspectives of different family members over time; the author did a good job of weaving them together in a way that flowed seamlessly. The writing was quite vivid and descriptive, without a lot of unnecessary prose or phrasing. Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit!

I absolutely loved this book and was blown away by the author’s writing. While the plot was an interesting one, I’d describe this as a character based book. Shattuck developed each character well, and I felt like I understood them on a deep level. I think she did a particularly good job painting the differences and similarities between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers. I found myself highlighting so many passages on my kindle because the writing was really so beautiful. This is a great read for fans of Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful.

I sadly did not finish this book, even though I had high hopes for it and it was a much anticipated release of 2024 for me. It was just not for me.

I LOVE historical fiction and a family saga, and while I was invested in the Taylor family, I found the context provided for the various eras of American history to be a bit shallow. I was very into the early post-WWII part of the book, but by the time the family got to the 1970's, I was less interested, and slow to pick this book up. Some of the ground has already been trodden too - it reminded me a bit of The Brothers K, which is one of my favorites, but is not as good.

I love family sagas, but this one wasn't the right fit for me. The writing felt a bit clunky and I didn't feel connected to any of the characters.

"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. The three narrators are Nick and Bet, a married couple, and Katherine, their daughter. Nick is a lawyer for an oil company who gets involved in negotiating agreements that bring the Shah to power in Iran. Bet is a college educated woman with her sight set on a PhD who becomes a code breaker during WWII but soon ends up married with kids before she can realize her personal dreams. Their daughter, Katherine becomes involved with various protest movements during the 1960s which ends up bringing tragedy to this family. This sweeping story moves too quickly in some parts and slowly in others, but it is easy to get caught up in what happens to this family and wonder if they will all come together before it ends. There are many parts of this story that could almost be a book on its own but each time we return to the family dynamics before we get too caught up in what is happening outside of these characters. It was interesting to see how children love their parents, rebel against them, and finally understand them. This story comes full circle. We do also get a bit of a lesson about the evils of oil, what the US has done to contribute to this problem, and a brief glimpse into what could happen if we aren't careful with our future.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy. My opinion is my own.

I enjoyed this book and it was an excellent historical fiction because it provided so much backdrop that framed the lives of the multi generational family. I was immediately drawn into the story and felt the beginning flowed nicely. Once we got to Katherine I started to lose interest a bit as it this part of the book seemed to drag a bit. Overall a great read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this very interesting book.

I enjoyed the concept of this story. You take a piece of land located in a remote area of a sparsely populated country and you follow it through the years; the farmers, families, children, crops, animals, good people and greedy people. As the purpose of the land and the ideals of the people living on the land evolved, so too did the nation. But more so, vice versa.
This story elaborates on one specific era. A man made rich in oil buys the land and sells pieces to his closest friends. The idea is no matter what happens in the rest of the world, this establishment will survive.
Nick Taylor buys into this dream and spends a major part of his children’s childhood living at Last House, learning about crops and nature, about coexisting with nature. But this is in stark contrast to the way Nick and his wife made the money to buy the land. Nick by dealing in oil and arms, his wife by being a covert code-breaker during the war. Their wealth and comfort comes at a cost, and the conscience of their two children questions the ethics of this as they mature. And the land quietly watches.
The Greatest Generation butts heads with the radicals and anti-establishment; the parents versus their children. Told with great insight from both perspectives, vilifying neither, this typical American family, for this particular eighty years, lives on this piece of land.
Thanks so much to William Morrow for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is May 14, 2024.