Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Nothing happens yet it’s about everything
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a five. The words are powerful. It feels like the book transcends time so that we can once again experience the past and sort out opinions on where we’re headed in our country.
The reader learns all about one family. Nick Taylor, a veteran of the war, and graduate of Yale, is married to Bet, graduate of Vassar. It starts in 1953 with their two young children, Katherine and Harry. They are comfortable with their lives in a small town of Connecticut and they bought a vacation place called: Last House in Vermont. It’s surrounded by beautiful trees, trails, creeks for fishing and it’s an ideal getaway from the big city. They were thinking that it would be a great place to escape -- just in case -- the world falls apart.
While Nick’s career involved meeting with powerful Middle East leaders to discuss oil and government support, his adult daughter Kat has taken another direction in protesting the Vietnam war and big oil. Overtime, their lives changed but Last House was there as a stabilizing structure and retreat for the family.
There’s a lot to take in with this book. Jessica Shattuck’s last book, “The Women in the Castle” made such an lasting impression with the development of her characters. This book does the same with a plot closer to home. It makes you feel immersed with the family’s achievements and shortcomings.
From the start, it’s engaging and makes you remember all sorts of music and news from the 60s. Yes, I remember drive-ins, hippies and Nixon as president. It feels like you could be in the kitchen discussing mundane or world news with them. It’s very well written and the story stays with you especially at the end. It gives you a lot to ponder and is a great book for a discussion.
My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 14, 2024.
The reader learns all about one family. Nick Taylor, a veteran of the war, and graduate of Yale, is married to Bet, graduate of Vassar. It starts in 1953 with their two young children, Katherine and Harry. They are comfortable with their lives in a small town of Connecticut and they bought a vacation place called: Last House in Vermont. It’s surrounded by beautiful trees, trails, creeks for fishing and it’s an ideal getaway from the big city. They were thinking that it would be a great place to escape -- just in case -- the world falls apart.
While Nick’s career involved meeting with powerful Middle East leaders to discuss oil and government support, his adult daughter Kat has taken another direction in protesting the Vietnam war and big oil. Overtime, their lives changed but Last House was there as a stabilizing structure and retreat for the family.
There’s a lot to take in with this book. Jessica Shattuck’s last book, “The Women in the Castle” made such an lasting impression with the development of her characters. This book does the same with a plot closer to home. It makes you feel immersed with the family’s achievements and shortcomings.
From the start, it’s engaging and makes you remember all sorts of music and news from the 60s. Yes, I remember drive-ins, hippies and Nixon as president. It feels like you could be in the kitchen discussing mundane or world news with them. It’s very well written and the story stays with you especially at the end. It gives you a lot to ponder and is a great book for a discussion.
My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of May 14, 2024.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is the second Jessica Shattuck book I have read, and I gave "The Women in the Castle" 5 stars. The Last House was good, but not extraordinary (in my opinion). The story is mainly told from 2 timelines: approximately 1953 and the late 1960s. Nick and Bet (short for Elizabeth) are married and have two children, and Nick takes a job in the Middle East working with the Iranian government to procure oil for the US. Fast forward to the late 1960s, and both of their children are grown and a part of the liberal, left-leaning organizations of the time, such as the SDS, which was a prominent anti-war and anti-racism organization of the time. Both children, Harry and Katherine, do not approve of their parents' ideologies and the fact that their dad works for big-oil, which is what drives the American "war machine."
The book ends in 2026 (which is currently in the future for me as I write this review), and the author ties everything together for Bet and Nick's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I enjoyed the historical context of the late 1960s, and I learned a lot about Iranian culture from this book. However, I feel like the author tried to tie everything together with the "Last House" in 2026, and I didn't enjoy the ending.
The book ends in 2026 (which is currently in the future for me as I write this review), and the author ties everything together for Bet and Nick's grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I enjoyed the historical context of the late 1960s, and I learned a lot about Iranian culture from this book. However, I feel like the author tried to tie everything together with the "Last House" in 2026, and I didn't enjoy the ending.