The Last American Man

Rating:
Summary: Yes and No
Review: I would strongly recommend this book to others. It is a compelling tale of the trials and tribulations of the modern day "Frontier Man". I liked studying Eustace Conway's relationships with women. I found it ironic that he treats women in the same manner that his father treats him. The writer's approach was excellent because she actually knows Eustace Conway. Yet, she doesn't tell the story with any bias; we see Eustace at his worst through most of the story. I learned that it is almost impossible to totally live off of the land. Eustace Conway is pretty much a hypocrite, but in some ways I think he knows it.

Rating:
Summary: Life Lessons 1101
Review: Elizabeth Gilbert's The Last American Man was a very enjoyable book to read. Eustace Conway was a very unique individual and his journey from childhood to adulthood kept me wanting to read more. The best thing I liked about the book was it gave a clear picture of the life of Eustace. Often times reading it I felt as if I was there as he was growing up. The least favorite part of the book was the author making it seem as if Eustace Conway was this perfect person who never made mistakes. Not one time in the book was Eustace compared to his father. Eustace treated women the same way his father treated him. The author made it seem as if it was the woman's fault for not being intelligent enough to survive in the wilderness with Eustace. Reading this book made me realize that I have become too dependent on technology instead of natural resources. Americans have forgotten that we can do things for ourselves. Toward the end of the book the author let her feelings come out about the way she felt for Eustace. After reading the first few chapters, I would have kept reading because I enjoyed the life lessons The Last American Man had to offer.

Rating:
Summary: Last American Man
Review: Elizabeth Gilbert's book is an interesting look at a primitive lifestyle. Eustace Conway, the main character, belongs in another time, he is frustrated with modern American culture and feels it is his responsiblity to return people back to a more "natural" lifestyle. Gilbert got very close to the entire dysfunctional Conway family, possibly too close. Though she was given candid interviews from his close friends and family, throughout the book, the story is tainted with her obvious admiration, if not attraction. The overall book was entertaining but in some parts unrealistic and biased.

Rating:
Summary: The Last American Man
Review: If you share a passion for animals then The Last American Man is not the book for you. I personally didn't enjoy hearing about the struggles when killing animals. They were very descriptive and heart breaking. On the other hand if you are a nature person and you enjoy hunting, then this book would be the perfect book for you. It allows you to see first hand how a man can live off the lands. The author does a very good job at explaining the characters in this book, especially Eustace. You almost would think that she had some sort of feelings for him. The Last American Man was not a bad book it just didn't interest me because of all the animal killings.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Life Of An Otherwise Normal, albeit Driven, Man
Review: My Review is not of this book, but of the reviews of this book. The reviews capture a reflection of contemporary society to the "T". Some of the reviews are written by people who like romance novels, Stephen King "novels" ( if such writing can be considered a novel), historical non-fiction, etc. So diverse and yet some are so closed minded. My god some of you people are so critical. It's a book. It's not written by Shakespeare people. It is not a book to be part of your english class book review essay. It is a story about a real person (who I have the good fortune to spend a small amount of time with) that will affect more people's lives than most people ever will. I won't defend Eustace with tales about his dealings with women or the interns that live on the property. I will tell you that doing what this guy does on a day to day basis is called hard living. It is comparable to a construction job as far as exertion level. Eustace has opened his home to people to experience what, to many people, is not available or easily accessible. Eustace allows people to come to his home and learn traditional skills, take nature walks, do farm chores, work as a team, socialize with many different people in a positive learning setting. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to spend time there and anyone will walk away a better person than when they arrived. Don't take my word for it, visit Turtle Island Preserve. Every time I spend time at Turtle Island I experience personal growth. Yes it is hard work and dangerous at times. It is Real Life. Not this packaged world we suburbanites live in so we can have our Starbucks, and our commutes for a good job. Eustaces' world is not some weird concoction he dreamed up. It is a step back or sideways if you like to a world that many country folk live daily, only eustace has made a study of it and allows others to experience it with him. I can not do Eustace justice with mere words. Eustace is about discovery and self growth. If you want everything handed to you then stay away from his way of life. You won't make it. I will tell you this though, strong young men and women are being made at Turtle Island, and some are being broken. Read the book, then walk out in the middle of the woods somewhere, by your self, and let your self dream of possibilities. Any how, Luck to you all. You can do it !

Rating:
Summary: The Last American Man
Review: After reading "The Last American Man" written about Eustace Conway, I have come to the conclusion that I strongly dis-liked this book. The book starts off well but takes a dramatic turn for the worse. The reason in my opinion is that the author has a romantic relationship with Eustace Conway. At certain points it seems that she almost worships him, which I think is sick.

Rating:
Summary: Hopefully the Last American Man
Review: I would not reccomend this book to a friend. I hought the book lagged on about one topic because Eustace was so full of himself. The thing I liked least about this book was the chapters kept going on and on about nothing-it wasn't even full of good detail. I hated the way Eustace treated others and how he held himslef (better than others). The book dragged on about boring topics-and that made Eustace look even more crazy. The only valueable thing I learned was no matter how long you are out in the woods-you still won't necessaril find yourself. Being isolated is not always the best thing. The writers style was very one sided b/c she was obsessed with Eustace. She would always compliment him and stay on his side-she seemed to understand and accept his bad attitude and rude treatment towards others. But she did give a good background about Eustace even thoughit was one sided. She seemed totally obsessed with him. If I had the choice to stop in the middle of the book, I would have-but actually some of the stories Eustace told were interesting, but otherwise he bored me-b/c what else can he do in the woods besides trying to survive?

Rating:
Summary: Not my type of book
Review: I would not recommend this book to people who do not share the interest of Eustace Conway. If you're not into buying land, saving the environment, riding on horse back jsut to beat the world record and not for enjoyment then this book is not for you. I will admit there were some interesting parts in the book that were interesting but I honestly was put to sleep by most of it. It could haven been the fact that most of the things talked in the book just didnt interest me. I'm sure if you would have liked the topic you would like the book. I think most of it had to do with the way Gilbert protrays Eustace in the book. She treats him like hes "holier than thou". I know what he is striving/wishing for is important; however, there are differnt ways to go about it than the way that he was.

Rating:
Summary: Boredom city
Review: I do not recommend this book to anyone unless they really like nature. The book was very bland. The character Eustace wasn't that interesting. What I least liked about the book was the character Eustace and how he was portrayed. He was a mean guy that no one could get along with so most in most of the book it was just Eustace by himself and that was very dry. I didn't like the writer's voice because it seemed like she was writing this to make him look good because it was obvious by her writing that she was very attracted to him. The first couple of chapters were pretty good, and then it got really bad around chapter 3. I wouldn't have read it if it wasn't required.

Rating:
Summary: This one is for the woodsmen of the world
Review: I would recomend "The Last American Man" to someone who wants to go out and live in the wilderness. The aurthor gives a photogenic account of every adventure and every aspect of Eustace Conway's life. Her use of imagery and descriptive vocabulary was immaculate. As I read the descriptions of Turtle Island, I could honestly say I had a vivid picture in my mind of the whole place. There are some parts of the book, in my opinion, that are biased. It is quite apparent to me that she has romantic feelings for Eustace. I think that the "eye-glasses" of love curve away from some of the bad aspects of Eustace. The bias also helped the aurthor by letting the reader look up to Eustace as an American Icon. The novel also gives alot of insight of what people want to believe about a "person from the woods". In numerious situations, the aurthor talks of how people love the first impression of Eustace and don't want to look below the surface and get dissappionted. It is an easy book to read and very enjoyable.