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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I stopped reaching for this when I had only about 20 pages left because I didn’t want it to end.
This book transcribed my own internal discourse and pumped it full of context and incisive, tender reflection. All of my moral dilemmas, roughly turned over in my own mind, sharpened to clear, cutting looking glasses here.
Jessica Shattuck has a new fan girl.
This book transcribed my own internal discourse and pumped it full of context and incisive, tender reflection. All of my moral dilemmas, roughly turned over in my own mind, sharpened to clear, cutting looking glasses here.
Jessica Shattuck has a new fan girl.
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 the characters 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.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Intergenerational family saga. The opening section, dealing with the involvement of the American government & oil companies in propping up the Shah in Iran, was really interesting. The later sections, about the kids getting involved with hippie revolutionaries in the 60s/70s, was much less so. Well written.
Reading this book was a series of echos and shadows of themes in my own life; earnest New England intellectuals, engagement in the world, belief that we can help shape the future, and the pull to simplify. It makes me wonder if growing up in Cambridge, which the author and I both did at the same time, left an indelible mark or whether that is just kismet.
It’s not a neat narrative with a clear conclusion. The characters are imperfect, struggling between values they were raised with, opaque contexts, good intentions, and their own personalities.
The central character, that of Lost House itself, also resonated with me in this moment, when I often have the urge to escape and retreat. But Jessica Shattuck, with compassion, makes it clear that escape is a privilege and in the end not possible. None of us get away that easily. But she reminds us that our struggles are age-old dilemmas faced by every generation and not particularly novel - and therein lies hope.
It’s not a neat narrative with a clear conclusion. The characters are imperfect, struggling between values they were raised with, opaque contexts, good intentions, and their own personalities.
The central character, that of Lost House itself, also resonated with me in this moment, when I often have the urge to escape and retreat. But Jessica Shattuck, with compassion, makes it clear that escape is a privilege and in the end not possible. None of us get away that easily. But she reminds us that our struggles are age-old dilemmas faced by every generation and not particularly novel - and therein lies hope.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book. I loved Bet and Nick, however the second half switches gears and was focused on their daughter Katherines story.
I really felt like I needed an anti depressant to get through every nauseating moment of her. There were so many moments I wanted to throw this at a wall but I kept at it because of Bet and Nick.
I really felt like I needed an anti depressant to get through every nauseating moment of her. There were so many moments I wanted to throw this at a wall but I kept at it because of Bet and Nick.
Shattuck shares a slice of American history with us that spans almost eighty-years through the eyes of the Taylor family. It begins at the end of World War II; the beginning of the age of oil.
It’s 1953 and Nick is home from the war and working as a lawyer. He’s building a life for his wife Bet and their two children, Katherine and Harry. The story is told mostly from Bet’s point of view, but some from Nicks. Fear of communism is on the rise and Nick works on overseas oil negotiations. We meet Taylor’s business associate, Carter invites them to Last House, in Vermont. An idyllic cabin on the lake that allows the Taylors to escape the mundane.
We follow Bet and Nick, but also their children as they grow up in an era that questions, and protests, Vietnam, big oil and more. The second half of the book begins in 1968, and is told from Catherine’s POV. Catherine is finding herself in college and joins a radical newspaper.
The author beautifully weaves the political climate and historical events around their story, creating a poignant family saga that is impacted by the changing times. Emotional and well crafted, I found myself wrapped up in their lives and struggles.
Last House is perfect for book club, fans of historical fiction and family sagas that span generations. I found myself caught up in the Taylors story and their Vermont summer house. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
It’s 1953 and Nick is home from the war and working as a lawyer. He’s building a life for his wife Bet and their two children, Katherine and Harry. The story is told mostly from Bet’s point of view, but some from Nicks. Fear of communism is on the rise and Nick works on overseas oil negotiations. We meet Taylor’s business associate, Carter invites them to Last House, in Vermont. An idyllic cabin on the lake that allows the Taylors to escape the mundane.
We follow Bet and Nick, but also their children as they grow up in an era that questions, and protests, Vietnam, big oil and more. The second half of the book begins in 1968, and is told from Catherine’s POV. Catherine is finding herself in college and joins a radical newspaper.
The author beautifully weaves the political climate and historical events around their story, creating a poignant family saga that is impacted by the changing times. Emotional and well crafted, I found myself wrapped up in their lives and struggles.
Last House is perfect for book club, fans of historical fiction and family sagas that span generations. I found myself caught up in the Taylors story and their Vermont summer house. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
I was quickly immersed in the story of Nick and Bet, a couple living in 1950’s America. As the book progresses, however, it did move slowly, but handled many of the issues from the ‘50’s to the current day with insight. Nick is employed as an attorney for the oil industry, wrapped up in relations with Iran. As the Shah is reinstalled, the conflict between progress and greed develops. Bet is intelligent, a former code breaker, beginning to question her choices. Their children, Katherine and Harry, slowly become involved in the movements of the sixties, rebelling against the oil industry and the war. The book jumps quickly in time at the end, but leaves much to be desired as new characters don’t feel fully formed. It was a slow read for me and I would not recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
This novel is about human flaws and frailty across generations. I really enjoyed it.