{"product_id":"the-last-castle-the-epic-story-of-love-loss-and-american-royalty-in-the-nations-largest-home-9781476794051","title":"The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller with an \"engaging narrative and array of detail\" (\u003ci\u003eThe \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e), the \"intimate and sweeping\" (\u003ci\u003eRaleigh News \u0026amp; Observer\u003c\/i\u003e) untold, true story behind the Biltmore Estate--the largest, grandest private residence in North America, which has seen more than 120 years of history pass by its front door.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story of Biltmore spans World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features a captivating cast of real-life characters including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOrphaned at a young age, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser claimed lineage from one of New York's best known families. She grew up in Newport and Paris, and her engagement and marriage to George Vanderbilt was one of the most watched events of Gilded Age society. But none of this prepared her to be mistress of Biltmore House. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBefore their marriage, the wealthy and bookish Vanderbilt had dedicated his life to creating a spectacular European-style estate on 125,000 acres of North Carolina wilderness. He summoned the famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to tame the grounds, collaborated with celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt to build a 175,000-square-foot chateau, filled it with priceless art and antiques, and erected a charming village beyond the gates. Newlywed Edith was now mistress of an estate nearly three times the size of Washington, DC and benefactress of the village and surrounding rural area. When fortunes shifted and changing times threatened her family, her home, and her community, it was up to Edith to save Biltmore--and secure the future of the region and her husband's legacy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is the fascinating, \"soaring and gorgeous\" (Karen Abbott) story of how the largest house in America flourished, faltered, and ultimately endured to this day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKiernan, Denise:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Denise Kiernan is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Last Castle\u003c\/i\u003e. Her previous book, \u003ci\u003eThe Girls of Atomic City\u003c\/i\u003e, is a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times, Los Angeles Times, \u003c\/i\u003e and NPR bestseller. Kiernan has been published in \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Village Voice, Ms., Reader's Digest, Discover, \u003c\/i\u003e and many more publications. She has also worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC's \u003ci\u003eWho Wants to Be a Millionaire\u003c\/i\u003e during its Emmy award-winning first season and producing for media outlets such as ESPN and MSNBC. She has been a featured guest on NPR's \"Weekend Edition,\"\u003ci\u003e PBS NewsHour, \u003c\/i\u003eMSNBC's\u003ci\u003e Morning Joe, \u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Daily Show\u003c\/i\u003e with Jon Stewart.","brand":"Atria Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593894498578,"sku":"9781476794051","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9a39d5eb-c48b-40b6-bd78-1dde969fb150.jpg?v=1732123544","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-last-castle-the-epic-story-of-love-loss-and-american-royalty-in-the-nations-largest-home-9781476794051","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}