Thursday, March 28, 2019

Book Review: The Last Castle

I loved this book!  It was all about how the Biltmore House came to life.  It was about the store of the Vanderbilt's and how they used their money and influence to build and develop this gorgeous house in the foothills of North Carolina.

Author
Denise Kiernan
She is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Village Voice, Ms., Reader's Digest, Discover, and other publications.  Her previous book, The Girls of Atomic City, was a New York Times, Los Angeles Times,  and NPR bestseller.  She lives in North Carolina.  Visit the author at www.denise Kiernan.com.

My Review:
This great book dived into what made the Vanderbilt's tick.  The money and how it was accumulated, the history behind the wealthy crew was amazing.  How and why George came to NC and built this amazing structure called home to he and Edith.  It's also about the many, many people that visited the Biltmore and what they did on those visits.  Also Edith and George Vanderbilt were amazing people, not so much can be said for his father who seemed ruthless.  But George and Edith gave back to the community and made Ashville, NC what it is today.  They took care of people. 
Also covered, was Cornelia their daughter and how "the money" changed her life. 
Read this book and enjoy the history of how America was during this gilded age and how the Vanderbilt family contributed to the history and development of the people in NC and of this great country.