The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home

The Last Castle is an enjoyable read, it gives the reader both an appreciation of how George Washington Vanderbilt envisioned and set out to build his beautiful mansion, as well as preserve the forest around Biltmore by establish a forestry school. George W Vanderbilt, was wealthy, he inherited money from his father and his grandfather the Commodore, however in building Biltmore he never laid out a budget or plan he just decided what he wanted and hired the best, like William Law Olmstead for the grounds and Richard Morris Hunt for the Mansion. As a result, Biltmore House was incredibly expensive to erect and subsequently operate, and as a result, it severely and irreparably impacted the family’s finances. He left numerous rooms unfinished, like the music room which was never finished till 1976. Denise Kiernan also introduces us to Edith Stuyvesant Dresser and how her background compares to her future husband George Washington Vanderbilt. Edith also had strong lineage, she was descendant of Peter Stuyvesant but she was not wealthy, however her family was well off, she was a "well brought up young lady". When she married George,she strived to protect both Biltmore House and the Asheville area and ensure that her husband’s legacy would remain, after he died suddenly. Her story is intrical part of Biltmore's story past and future. Kiernan doesn't just tell you about the people that make up the building of Biltmore, but she also incorporated historical content to the time line. Such what historical events that effect the Dresser and Vanderbilt family, as the Titanic, the sinking of the Lusitania, WWI, the depression, and then WWII. She will also take facts and details from the late 1800’s to the death of George and Edith’s daughter Cornelia’s death in 1976. The highlights for me were the descriptions of John Singer Sargent painting various portraits at Biltmore House, the innovative refrigeration, wiring and elevator systems installed at the house, that Teddy Roosevelt was visiting Biltmore House when the idea for the teddy bear came about, and that Edith’s second marriage was to Elbridge Gerry, the individual who inspired the term “gerrymandering”. The look into the gilded age, was truly a wonderful and enlightening read. I have been Biltmore and it is truly a beauty among the mountains. I recommend you read "The Last Castle" before you go or even after, you won't be disappointed.

Good read, writer pulls everything together well.

**"The Last Castle"** by Denise Kiernan is an engrossing historical narrative that unveils the remarkable and untold story of the Biltmore Estate, the grandest private residence in North America. Through a blend of meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Kiernan chronicles the estate’s fascinating history, which spans over 120 years and encompasses significant events like the World Wars, the Jazz Age, and the Great Depression. At the heart of this narrative is Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, who, despite her privileged upbringing and high-profile marriage to George Vanderbilt, finds herself challenged by the immense responsibility of managing the sprawling estate and its intricate legacy. As Kirsten narrates Edith's journey—from her early life to her pivotal role as mistress of Biltmore—readers are introduced to an array of notable historical figures, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Teddy Roosevelt, and Edith Wharton, who all intersect with the Vanderbilt family’s story. The book paints a vivid picture of the creation of the estate, including collaborations with renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Richard Morris Hunt, showcasing the grandeur of Biltmore while also revealing the personal and societal challenges Edith faced. "The Last Castle" is a beautifully written and insightful account that celebrates resilience and legacy, making it a must-read for those intrigued by American history and the opulent lifestyles of the Gilded Age.

This book is as much about the Vanderbilts as it is about Biltmore House -- 60% family and 40% house, so temper your expectations. If you want a lot about the house, you are going to be bored with much of the family stuff. If you have an affinity for Biltmore House in general, then you can wade through everything and come out with a more comprehensive view of both the house, the family, and the staff who helped create and run it. I got my money's worth, but kept wanting more about the house itself as I read through the book. I found the main title misleading. I have been to Biltmore and you will appreciate the book if you have visited BH, or use it to prepare for a visit. In the abstract, the book would not make good reading. Like the house, admission prices have gotten expensive. Christmas is wonderful time to visit with all the decorations. I visit Asheville on a regular basis. Some of the information about the Grove Park Inn and Village captured my attention as well as the development of the crafts industry spearheaded by Edith Vanderbilt. Overall the writing is good but not stellar. In the end, you will get a good idea about the house, but not a really thorough one. Unless you have seen some of the rooms described in the book, you can't appreciate what the author is talking about. A complaint is that the book sometimes reads like the author has copied either from the society pages of the New York paper, or from someone's diary. I really was not interested in the details of what was served for dinner or what so-and-so was wearing. In this respect, the book will be great for researchers 200 years hence wanting details of life in 1910, but I found it pretentious. It's the kind of filler high school kids use from a source when they are trying to get to 1,000 words. Interestingly, Edith Vanderbilt (George's wife), is featured prominently and favorably in the book. That is a plus for supporting positive female role models. The author has also penned another book titled "Atomic City Girls" which a friend is reading. I think Kenan likes strong female characters. Overall an informative and useful book, but not a real thriller or page turner. I read it in bits and pieces before going to bed. It would have been hard to sit with it for several hours at a time.

The Last Castle is the “biography” of the Biltmore Estate. The estate, the child of millionaire George Washington Vanderbilt, was not just his, but was also the result of loving care of his wife and widow, Edith, their daughter Cornelia, and later her sons, and their families. Biltmore is the largest, privately owned home in the US, in faraway Asheville, North Carolina — not where one would expect to find a 250 room American castle. Yet George had the vision to create a self sustaining estate with over 100,000 acres of forest he purchased along the way to mold his estate. His vision led to the advent of modern American forestry and the advent of the Pisgah National Forest. Despite George’s untimely death in 1914, the estate managed to carry on, even through the tough financial hardships of fires, flood, the Great Depression, and World Wars. It now thrives as a tourist mecca for so many who yearn to see the glory of a Gilded Age castle and marvel at the wealth and privilege which created it. This book would have been better served with better photographs — the ones chosen were quite drab largely and do not capture the majesty of the estate. The other aspect not explored much of the book is the modern ownership of the estate under Vanderbilts descendants. Denise Kiernan’s book was eminently satisfying. Having visited Biltmore twice in my youth, I have always been fascinated by this stately architectural icon. Some reviews have faulted Kiernan for not capturing the essence of G. W. Vanderbilt in her book. And to some degree that is true. She crafted a much fuller picture of his wife, Edith. Yet that may have been, as she noted, to the lack of documentary material about him. He did not, just as most of us don’t, live a life with the end goal in mind of leaving an archive behind in record of his life. Kiernan does succeed however in breathing life into Biltmore itself, the ultimate star of this book. The book after all is called, The Last Castle, and not the George W. Vanderbilt Story.

"The Last Castle" is a vibrant account of the building of America's largest mansion, the 175,000 square foot Biltmore House in Asheville, NC in then 1890s and its remarkable survival to the present day. That said, it's really about the people bound to Biltmore, particularly George Washington Vanderbilt and his wife Edith. Author Kieran tells this pleasingly descriptive story with a knowledgeably researched hand though with some slips into occasionally awkward, melodramatic and ornate prose. Nothing as ornate as the Biltmore House itself, however, a most unforgettable palace possessing a munificent yet cold and soulless interior. (Confession: I have family in Asheville, have visited Baltimore more than a dozen times and was part of a production unit making a behind-the-scenes video there some 25 years ago.) That said, I learned much from this book including the unknown (to me) story of many of America's most valuable art treasures being stored at the house during WW II. Perhaps the author's biggest challenge, partially met, was to make G.W. Vanderbilt interesting, and while he had some notable ideas about what he wanted at Biltmore, Vanderbilt was largely an empty vessel. His wife Edith was much more intriguing and it is to her -- and her grandson and his descendants -- that we owe the preservation of Biltmore through turbulent generations. Kieran's is a very good read with a couple of picky complaints: nothing I can recall in the house seems "cozy" to use one of the author's words, and I would love to have had more and better photos to show the interior to readers unfamiliar with it.

I enjoyed the read - - -learning so much about a time in this history of America. I know a lot about the Civll War and WW 1 but not how these great events changed our way of life, personal finances , fashion, architecture, and so much more.

I loved this book, it is very informative about the house, its builders and inhabitants. I have visited many times and had a lot of information from my tours, but this fills in so many gaps and fills out the timeline and history. Such a special place and story.