The Last American Man

I read this book for one reason and one reason only: it was written by Elizabeth Gilbert. After finishing Eat, Pray, Love I was in love with Gilbert's writing and found the book to be utterly compelling. Yet when I went to write the review I was in shock to find so many critics.Likewise with this book. So many disgruntled readers, but why?To each's own is all I can say. I loved it. Though I had no idea who Eustace Conway was when the book began, by the end I felt like I knew him well.Not only is naturalist Conway intriguing but Gilbert makes him all the more so. She gets to the heart of the man, what drives him, what inspires him and what hurts him too. She shows his triumphs and failures, strengths and weaknesses.It's such an interesting read, I had a hard time putting it down. And despite having no interest in this stranger before I started, after finishing I wanted to know more. Where is he now? What has become of the guy who calls himself a spokesperson for Earth? To my surprise, he's on a reality show! Who would have guessed?It does indeed make sense. If Eustace wanted to reach more people with his message of primitive living, television is a sure way to do it, ironic as it is being that he doesn’t watch television and wants the world to get away from materialism and instant gratification and return to nature. On the flip side, how else can he reach them if not by entering their world before bringing them to his?I was also impressed with Gilbert, spending so much time on Turtle Island and doing back-breaking work herself. It adds a new dimension to Eat, Pray, Love, demonstrating the author's eternal desire for a basic and spiritual existence despite her city life and financial wealth.Bottom line: Eustace Conway is an interesting subject, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s beautiful writing and storytelling make him shine. Highly recommend.

The main character strives to live in a way to appreciate woods, animals, and to teach others the things he loves. It is a good look at what life is in Modern Society verses his view.

I’ve been a fan of Eustace on the Mountain Men show and this book only deepened that. He’s an amazing study of a human being. I also found myself sad for him. Good books can do that: take you from a triumphant awe to a melancholic pity. I wish I was 18 again and I would go and see if I could stand next to the fire that is Eustace Conway. There’s something in me that says I could do it - and I think that’s exactly what Gilbert was trying to relay in this book. The last chapter may be the best one. It speaks to my heart, my mind, my whole self and yet it isn’t a chapter filled with Eustace’s accomplishments, it’s a chapter filled with his true self which speaks to my true self. I did not expect to feel this much emotion from this book, but I did.

I first started seeing this book talked about on survival/outdoors forums. When I saw Eustace on Mountain Men I decided he would be an interesting subject to read on.If you were to ask me to rate this book on story alone, I'd give it at least 4 stars. If you like tall tales, the thrill-seeking adventurist, and nature then this is a really great book. I myself am a slow reader, but I blew through this in a couple of days. Once you get started it is positively gripping. It is like a larger than life wilderness trek that actually happened. Sort of...That being said, the book fails at what it is intended to be, which is a biography. Many reviews criticize Gilbert's writing as coming off as immature, and I agree, and it is definitely not unbiased. She tries to sell Eustace like a wingman tries to sell his best friend at the bar. This leads to a lot of lawyer talk that makes her stories unbelievable. For example, she spends the majority of the book making Eustace's father seem like the most horrible person on Earth, and yet he still loans his son $80,000? She tells a story about them bonding and then, with no explanation at all, apparently Eustace's father goes back into his shell and starts being mean to Eustace? She talks about how Eustace doesn't use his power and fame over women and yet every single relationship she goes over ends for the same reason- Eustace neglects women and expects them to do his chores while he goes and plays mountain man and then when it goes south, he writes them letters with content most of us would likely turn over to the authorities. Gilbert talks about how patient Eustace is and how he loves to teach, and yet he makes his students sign at least 2 year agreements to stay and work for him and when they don't perform up to his expectations he throws tantrums and kicks them to the curb, forgetting he is trying to teach ancient ways of life that took thousands of years to cultivate, to modern people. I hate to even mention the part in which Gilbert makes reference to one of Eustace's horses feeling as good between his thighs as one of his women. That part was absolutely creepy and a horrible choice of wording, I actually put the book down and thought "WTF" for a moment. I only bring it up because the book is full of these little awkward nuances.Gilbert tells us we must fall in love with Eustace himself, and not the idea of him, however, this is exactly what she does. Eustace is her hero, but inadvertently she brings out how flawed he really is. And it is ugly. Eustace comes off as abusive- some might even say psychopathic, but the whole time Gilbert makes a half-hearted attempt to place the blame on everyone else. If anything, this book confirmed my suspicions aroused by the Mountain Men show, that Eustace is a real jerk.If you want to keep the image most of you probably have of Eustace, which is the happy hippy, or you want an honest look into the man, I would avoid this book. If you are looking for an exciting read about some (most likely embellished) outdoor Wildman fun then The Last American Man is definitely worth a read.

Loved this book. I bought this for my partner and then read myself. After watching Mountain Men series, Eustace became our favourite character. The book makes you like him even more. Such a great read about all of his adventures.

Elizabeth non mi delude mai, letto in inglese perché non trovata la versione in italiano, ma scrive in maniera così semplice e carismatica che ti trasporta nel libro , sembra quasi di conoscere Eustace personalmente.

muitos detalhes da vida do Eustace, história totalmente cativante do começo ao fim, o livro é cheio de surpresas e mantém a atenção, leitura agradável e rápida, sem momentos monótonos, rico em detalhes específicos e até onde sei, bem verdadeiros

J'ai vraiment aimé ce livre, dès les premières lignes ,le ton est donné, ,Elisabeth Gilbert nous emmène explorer une certaine vision des États-Unis par l'intermédiaire de la vie d'Eustace Conway. L'écriture est énergique ,rude , dépouillée à l'image du personnage.je ne saurais que recommander ce livre, radicalement différent du célèbre "eat pray love".

Ich liebe es, Elisabeth Gilbert zu lesen! Eine Autorin, die man einfach lesen möchte. Sie schreibt so authentisch.Auch das Thema von dem Buch fand ich sehr interessant. Es bleibt in Erinnerung, man lernt was daraus. Und sehr gut geschrieben!