Ambitious in scope, spanning the post-WWII years to the present dayLast House by Jessica Shattuck is a sweeping family saga that follows the fates and fortunes of the members of an American family. The story opens in 1953, where we meet WWII veteran thirty-year-old Nick Taylor, employed as a lawyer with American Oil, a part of a team visiting the Middle East along with a former Yale classmate Carter Weston, who “worked for the government” and whose area of expertise overlapped with Nick’s company’s agenda. With the growth of the oil industry in the United States, Nick’s career flourishes, affording his family financial security and material comforts including a vacation home in Vermont – a choice destination for many of his friends and colleagues. As the narrative progresses, we follow Nick, his wife Bet and his children Katherine and Harry - their hopes, aspirations, regrets and the consequences of the choices they make. “Last House” – their home is Vermont bears witness to their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and their losses and remains a haven for them during challenging times.

The narrative is shared from the perspectives of Nick, Bet and Katherine. The novel starts strong and though I was engrossed in Bet and Nick’s life in the post-WWII years, I found my interest waning as the narrative progressed. Both Nick and Bet’s backstories were interesting, but certain impactful events were merely glossed over. There was more telling than showing several momentous events in this novel. The pacing is on the slower side for the larger part of the story (though it rushes through the end to 2026 ) and the narrative is more than a tad disjointed and lacking in depth despite the rich socio-political backdrop of the novel. Katherine’s political activism and the tumultuous 60s and &70s – the years of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement - were well presented but I wish we had been given a more insightful look into Harry’s psyche and his motivations. A segment from Harry’s perspective would have, in my humble opinion, enriched the narrative. Each of the characters was realistic and well thought out, but with the exception of Katherine, the complexities of the other characters and the family dynamic were touched upon somewhat superficially. However, I did feel that the author does raise a timely and relevant question in terms of how present generations perceive the consequences of the actions of those who came before them.

Overall, though there is a lot to like about this novel and I did enjoy it in parts, it wasn’t an entirely satisfying read.

Many thanks to William Morrow for the digital review copy via NetGalley. ( )

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a family saga that begins in 1953. The characters slowly take shape. Instead of getting to see the characters develop as the story progresses, we are told about their developments. The story focuses on Nick, Bet, and Katherine. I was not able to connect with any of the characters. Just when I was getting to know Nick and Bet, the story switched to Katherine, and, in the third section, it switches back to Nick and Bet. The story moves at a terribly slow pace (the third section felt like I was trudging uphill on a sweltering day wearing a thick winter coat and carrying a backpack filled with heavy rocks). I felt that the story lost focus after the family was introduced and they purchased Last House. The story covers the environmental, political, social, and human rights issues that occurred over the decades. I learned more than I wanted to know about Iran and the oil conflict in 1953. In the last third, there were too many characters and topics. I liked that the ending (when I finally got to it) focused on the family, but the conclusion was rushed (which I thought was funny considering the rest of the story moved at a snail’s pace). The story did not seem to have a point or a plot. The best thing about Last House is that it helped my insomnia. ( )

Last House by Jessica Shattuck is a recommended generational family saga that spans nearly eighty years.

In 1953 Nick Taylor, a WWII veteran, is married to Bet (Elizabeth) and they have two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick and Bet met each other before he shipped out in the 1940's when she was an English major who worked as a code breaker for the war effort. Now she is raising their children while Nick is a lawyer for American Oil and travels to the Middle East. They bought a vacation house they call Last House, a secluded country home deep in the Vermont mountains. It is a place you could survive WWIII. In 1968, the second part of the novel follows Katherine facing the challenges and turbulence of the times. The novel continues to follow the family to 2026.

At its heart, Last House succeeds as a literary family saga more than historical fiction, although it does cover generations in the plot. The narrative unfolds through the points-of-view of Nick, Bet, and Katherine. This perspective showcases the differences between generations. Nick and Bet are more nuanced characters than Katherine, but she is portrayed as vehemently following her beliefs. At the forefront are generational differences, but life is made up of such and things change through the years.

All of the characters follow their personal beliefs concerning political, social, environmental, and human rights through the times in which they live. Admittedly, while I found the quality of writing excellent, I struggled to keep my interest or even care about these characters. This novel may not have been a good fit for me; it felt like it was trying too hard. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/04/last-house.html ( )

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. ( )

Jessica Shattuck’s newest historical fiction, Last House, examines the political shift of the country from the 1950s to the 1970s through the lens of the Taylor family. Nick and Bet marry as soon as he returns from WWII, and they soon find themselves living the American dream in the suburbs on Nick’s job with a large oil company. Their two children, Katherine and Harry, enter the 1970s filled with protests — some even aimed at their own father’s business. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will find an emotional book about generational change at a complicated time in US history, and the intricacies of family legacy. ( )