Last House: A Novel
Written by Jessica Shattuck
Narrated by Maggi-Meg Reed and Mark Bramhall
()
About this audiobook
""An ambitious historical epic that doubles as an intimate family saga. Jessica Shattuck captures and connects it all—the imperial ambitions of the postwar generation, the rebellion of their offspring in the Sixties, and the fallout we’re still sifting through today. . . . This is a wide-ranging novel to savor.” — TOM PERROTTA
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle comes a sweeping story of a nation on the rise, and one family’s deeply complicated relationship to the resource that built their fortune and fueled their greatest tragedy, perfect for fans of The Dutch House and Great Circle.
It’s 1953, and for Nick Taylor, WWII veteran turned company lawyer, oil is the key to the future. He takes the train into the city for work and returns to the peaceful streets of the suburbs and to his wife, Bet, former codebreaker now housewife, and their two children, Katherine and Harry. Nick comes from humble origins but thanks to his work for American Oil, he can provide every comfort for his family, including Last House, a secluded country escape. Deep in the Vermont mountains, the Taylors are free from the stresses of modern life. Bet doesn’t have to worry about the Russian H-bombs that haunt her dreams, and the children roam free in the woods. Last House is a place that could survive the end of the world.
It’s 1968, and America is on the brink of change. Protestors fill the streets to challenge everything from the Vietnam War to racism in the wake of MLK’s shooting—to the country's reliance on Big Oil. As Katherine makes her first forays into adult life, she’s caught up in the current of the time and struggles to reconcile her ideals with the stable and privileged childhood her Greatest Generation parents worked so hard to provide. But when the Movement shifts in a more radical direction, each member of the Taylor family will be forced to reckon with the consequences of the choices they’ve made for the causes they believed in.
Spanning multiple generations and nearly eighty years, Last House tells the story of one American family during an age of grand ideals and even greater downfalls. Set against the backdrop of our nation’s history, this is an emotional tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance and what we owe each other—and captures to stunning effect the gravity of time, the double edge of progress, and the hubris of empire.
Jessica Shattuck
Jessica Shattuck is the New York Times bestselling author of The Women in the Castle; The Hazards of Good Breeding, a New York Times Notable Book and finalist for the PEN/Winship Award; and Perfect Life. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Glamour, Mother Jones, and Wired, among other publications.
More audiobooks from Jessica Shattuck
The Women in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hazards of Good Breeding Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Last House
Related audiobooks
Every Time We Say Goodbye: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Girls We Sent Away Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Painter's Daughters: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApril May June July Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Turtle House: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Medicine Woman of Galveston Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Miss Morgan's Book Brigade: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hotel Laguna: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women and Children First: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inheritance: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Great Country: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Goddess of Warsaw: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Verse: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Farewell Tour: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Trouble with You Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Winterland: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Roaring Days of Zora Lily Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Strange Eventful History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSinners of Starlight City: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHoliday Country: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Can't Stay Here Forever: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Garnett Girls: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Prize Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEsme Cahill Fails Spectacularly: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Joe Nuthin's Guide to Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWild and Distant Seas: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Act of Disappearing: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hestia Strikes a Match: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Divide: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical Fiction For You
Tom Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Song of Achilles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlander Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alice Network: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dragon Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Lost Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5West with Giraffes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Quiet on the Western Front Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5News of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let Us Descend: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Bonesetter Woman: the new feelgood novel from the author of The Smallest Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Last House
0 ratings0 reviews