The Last American Man

By: Elizabeth Gilbert

Narrated by: Patricia Kalember

An unforgettable look at a truly pioneering, but thoroughly modern, American hero.Finalist for the National Book Award 2002In this rousing examination of contemporary American male identity, acclaimed author and journalist Elizabeth Gilbert explores the fascinating true story of Eustace Conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left his family's comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades he has lived there, making fire with sticks, wearing skins from animals he has trapped, and trying to convince Americans to give up their materialistic lifestyles and return with him back to nature. To Gilbert, Conway's mythical character challenges all our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he is a symbol of much we feel how our men should be, but rarely are.©2003 Elizabeth Gilbert; (P)2009 Penguin

Critic reviews

"The finest examination of American masculinity and wilderness since Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild." —Outside

"Wickedly well-written...Without compromising her obvious admiration, Ms. Gilbert presents a warts-and-all portrait of Mr. Conway and a sophisticated understanding of why those warts are only natural.... A vigorous, engaging book." —The New York Times Book Review

"Gilbert artfully taps into this unique life to create a fascinating, deeply thought-out and anthralling narrative." —Los Angeles Times

"A vivid, nuanced portrait of an endlessly complicated man." —San Francisco Chronicle

"The Last American Man relates the riveting story of Conway's odyssey from a child of affluent parents, to mountain man, to the owner of 1,000 acres of woods and fields in western North Carolina. Gilbert sees in Conway's life a parable for our time, a way of capturing how our culture is sapping us of all that is vital." —Chicago Tribune

"There are so many reasons to read this book. Read it for the portrait of a man who isn't divorced from the land below and the sky above. Read it to watch his youthful ambitions fade into tired gasps. Read it to see how Gilbert gets at her subject without ever stabbing him in the back." —Entertainment Weekly

"Conway is a character almost too goofd to believe...In Gilbert, he may have found the perfect writer to tell his story...from Conway's life, Gilbert takes off on delightful tangents about the nature of manhood, the appeal of utopian communities, the history of the frontier and the lingering myth of the frontiersman. The subject becomes much broader than one man's life. It's about what has been lost with progress, and what can be reclaimed." —The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"An important book, and well-wrought to boot...Gilbert just plain catches him: It is hard to imagine a deeper, more insightful portrait...her book is wise and knowing." —Men's Journal

Entertaining

Any additional comments?

Pretty good story - sadness for the inevitable loss of a certain kind of (now, unneeded) manhood. Story of one of the last believers, part prophet, part huckster, part bully.

The Last American Egomaniac

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, unless my friend likes reading about guys that are hung up on themselves, cannot compromise in relationships and wonder why women leave him.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Too much glory for such a self absorbed person.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Nothing

Do you think The Last American Man needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Definitely not.

Any additional comments?

I expected a lot more from one that is supposedly following his dreams like a lot more peace and not so damn controlling.

Accent?

The narrator had the worst southern accent. The people from upstate SC an western NC in the educated family he was raised in do not sound like they are from the Mississippi delta. It was offensive to those of us from the southeast. This portrayal would certainly not promote the subjects beliefs.

unfortunate purchase

unorganized storytelling with no plot point and imbelished prestige were made worse by awful naration and an embarrassing attempt at a southern accent. would not recommend

I miss Gilbert naration

Patricia Kalember's voice and style seemed all wrong for the book. I almost returned the audio version and to try to find a printed copy instead. If the main character is a manly mountain man, the reader should be able to a voice that doesn't sound like a southern woman. I kept expecting him to say, "I don't know nothin' about birthing no babies" in a hysterical Gone with the Wind voice. The reader's voice actually went higher when she was speaking in Conway's voice. Elizabeth Gilbert's voice would have been lovely.