There were so many great contenders on the longlist last year that I wouldve loved to see win above An American Marriage, even though AAM was a 4-star read for me. Want to keep up with breaking news? ", Another narrative throughline is the intense competition between the two older Sorenson daughters: Wendy, an "impulsive, compulsive, turbulent" child, and Violet, the sister who encroached on her infancy by being born in the same calendar year. Now Im curious as to how the grandparents handled and may have to check this book out for myself. Things get even weirder as classes are unlocked and they stop fitting into nice easy boxes.The best part is finding synergy! Ohhhh! That's the year David Sorenson, a shy premed student, and Marilyn Connolly, an outspoken English major, met and fell in love. I wouldve loved to see a bit more variety in content this year and a few less books about motherhood! This definitely read like a telenovela in book form for me. Press J to jump to the feed. The Most Fun We Ever Had proceeds in a steady march through the Sorensons' major life events to reveal how the daughters a blindsided widow; a tightly strung stay-at-home mom with a law. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. David is trying to adjust to retirement, while Marilyn has become the owner of a hardware shop. When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. It kept me interested enough to finish it but the ending wasn't worth it. Theres four of you? he asked. Next up is Violet, unassuming and mild. Those three paragraphs are all you need to read. Anyone can read what you share. Lombardo shows how menial things can be misinterpreted resulting in decades of bad blood. The other 531 and a half pages are variations on Ginkgo tree worship, parents constantly reminiscing on their sex life, affluent yet thirsty sisters being snarky (and worse) to each other and their mom (because they would never talk to dad that way), and some kid reminding his recently discovered biological mother its. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. The usage of the word "retard" was questionable and I don't know how it was made through the rounds of editing. Why do we have someone watching a couple have sex/make out so often? Perhaps the main message here is something like, love is messy, or theres more to every relationship than meets the eye, but theres nothing groundbreaking or life-altering to be gleaned from such platitudes. I did like the relationships between the characters and seeing how their choices panned out, effecting the whole family in the end. I also have a brother and though were close, I find sister relationships (at least the way theyre portrayed in books) to be an entirely different thing. Its page count allows Lombardo to examine- in excruciating detail- the minutiae of day-to-day interactions, a lifetime of decisions and assumptions, and each sibling and parent relationship that is one thread in the greater web of this family. Art & Auctions Print Edition Books & Arts Books Bookshelf 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' Review: An Assured Debut Claire Lombardo's first novel gives a sympathetic but unsentimental look at. But this was the thing: sometimes being a sister meant knowing the right thing to do and still not doing it because winning was more important. Title: The Most Fun We Ever Had Author: Claire Lombardo Genre: Fiction Publishing Date: June 25th, 2019 Pages: 532 Rating (5.0 Scale): 5.0 Synopsis (from cover): When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come. Unless the takeaway is that we shouldnt present our children with the model of a solid marriage for fear of setting the bar too high, theres little substance to take back to the real world after closing the back cover. 91% Upvoted. I do think its appropriate for authors to include characters that are not P.C. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Random Grandson, at your service! The "shining unfathomable orb of their parents, two people who emanated more love than it seemed like the universe would sanction," sets a powerful but daunting example for the couple's children. Im with you on this one having a lot of interesting thematic potential that sadly goes largely untapped. The Most Fun We Ever Had? Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. Sixteen years earlier. The flashbacks and cast of characters large enough to people a sitcom give the reader someone to root for, and one could read all 500 pages in a week like one might binge a soap opera. What a fantastic debut novel by Claire Lombardo! There are much better family sagas out there with better stories and fewer pages. It was definitely a fun read for me even though I was wishing for a bit more thematic depth. But its the uptight second child, Violet, who is the source of the big family scandal: Her son, born without her parents knowledge, was given up for adoption and rediscovered 15 years later thanks to the pointed meddling of the eldest sister, Wendy, a dissolute young widow who resents Violets inability to appreciate her own luck. The seasons become symbolic for the various life cycles described within the work. He is a good kid with good morals that makes you laugh. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggieand that he's deaf. Im definitely looking forward to wrap-ups and predictions as well. From the outside, the parents marriage seems flawless. But heres the thing Lombardo renders that obsession with such skill and finely tuned interest that it feels like a quiet subversion of the traditional family saga, a new way for the past to bless or poison the present and an unexpected engine for the revelations about being human that she delivers so beautifully. But she secretly got along much better with Chris thoughtful best friend, Jonah, who was dating her sister, Jenny. Colleen Hoover. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Sorry, Ive been struggling with explanations lately I guess! THE MOST FUN WE EVER HADBy Claire Lombardo. Order our The Most Fun We Ever Had Study Guide, teaching or studying The Most Fun We Ever Had. Categories: It was charming and frustrating at the same time. Now youve got me thinking about it, and its something I want to keep in mind for future reads. Of course its not the responsibility of every novel to wrestle with cultural shifts, with politics and war, but the near total absence of even a whiff of non-Sorenson-related events over 40 years and 500-plus pages must be a conscious choice. Summary. While Lombardo's focus is on more happily wedded couples than Tyler's mismatched pairs, both writers share an interest in the forces that bind spouses decades after their "I do's.". She wonders how her daughters could have all turned out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from her. Ridges deafness doesnt impede their relationship or their music. Liza asks her father to connect with his colleague Gillan Levin to deliver her baby. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. Theres four of you? he asked. Retrieve credentials. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com. Another plot line: one daughter gives a child up for adoption and that child re-enters the family's life. Books that follow a group of characters over decades have always been the kind that speak to me in a special way, namely, The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer - a gold standard that Ive held many other books to over the years. Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc. ( Reading Goldfinch was not challenge, it was long and all those amazing sentences needed to absorb slowly like sipping a cold, splendid, special drink which burns down your throat and awakens all your senses! So if youre looking for your next read, pick this one! These are such specific characters, in such a specific situation, that its difficult to apply much of their experience to life beyond the novel. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Meet Me The Person Behind Books and Bowquets. On that note, if youre looking for likable characters, this probably isnt the book for you. I love listening to family dramas but this one had too much needless drama to my taste. Not that the narrator was bad, she was excellent, it was the fact that so much of the dialogue in the book is wrote in a staccato, abrupt, leave words off sentences, interrupting each other kind of way and by this point I couldn't listen anymore. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a family saga that spans decades and closely follows multiple POV characters. ROMANCE | The novel is absolutely a pleasant and enjoyable read, but is in no way gritty.. But she became comfortable with her body in adulthood after her husband, after her abbreviated pregnancy in a way that surprised her.. Click to see spoiler. I was confused at first, too! share. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, Claire. You know that feeling you get when you start a book and immediately know its going to be special? She has not lived enough life to have made any mistakes or have any defining characteristics. April 15, 2000. ISBN-13: 9780385544252. Thank you! If youre looking for fascinating character dynamics and the questionable choices of wealthy folk rather than a lit prize masterpiece, I think this could be a decent read. The Most Fun We Ever Had. And honestly, even though I think the author went about those non P.C. The Most Fun We Ever Had. Prior to writing The Most Fun We Ever Had, she spent several years doing social work in Chicago. From here, the narration jumps ahead sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections. RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014. And that sometimes they choose zero degrees. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. A multigenerational novel in which the four adult daughters of a Chicago couple--still madly in love after forty years--recklessly ignite old rivalries until a long-buried secret threatens to shatter the lives they've built. A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. Grace, the baby, tries to see how long she can live a lie. In this "rich, complex family saga" ( USA Today) full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. I just finished this and am already missing the Sorenson family. I can't say enough how much I couldn't stand Wendy especially followed by Violet. Set in the Chicago suburbs, Lombardo's book has been compared to The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen's seminal ode to a dysfunctional Midwestern family. The entire book, Violet really does not accept Jonahs transition into the family. Still getting used to this book reviewing deal. The only thing that the daughters have over their parents is sisterhood. If this book were a meal it would be a 10-course dinner with quite a few savory morsels, but settle in because youll be cutting through a bit of fat and gristle and theres going to be a lot chewing. In a narrative that shifts between past and present, there are complicated, flawed and tangled relationships, resentments, jealousies, births, marriages, deaths, turbulence, messiness, infidelities, mental health issues, secrets, lies, love, loss, surprises and life's challenges that their wealth cannot insulate them from. 8. The Most Fun We Ever Had. hide. characters the right way, I did think she failed to dig into the criticisms enough to make them strong themes in the book, which definitely explains to me how readers arent tolerating those moments well, whether they see the purpose behind them or not. Diving into a 550-page novel as opposed to, say, a 300-page novel is the difference between a dalliance and a full-blown commitment. Despite their wealth, there is a plethora of more relatable issues: accidental pregnancies, eating disorders, cheating, stagnant communication the list could go on. Courtesy of HBO. Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Most Fun We Ever Had. Lombardo deeply understands marriage, sisterhood and plain old ordinary family dysfunction which is present on every character driven page. Keep it Clean. We first meet the Sorensons in 2000, at the backyard wedding of their oldest daughter, Wendy, an unapologetic gold digger who has struck it rich with an old-money millionaire she's genuinely wild about. Victory was a critical part of sisterhood, shed always thought.. It does seem like a rather safe and repetitive set, as a whole. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. If you ever get the chance to sail on Disney Magic or any of the Disney ships don't miss the Sail Away party that takes place shortly after the muster drill as the ship pulls out to sea. The title really makes little sense and is only a bland reference to one scene that comes late in the book. Required fields are marked *. Grace confesses her lie and returns home to live with Marilyn and David while she contemplates her next move. 8 comments. Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. Ive been kind of curious about this one. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. Then all of a sudden in the last 100 pages, Violet accepts Jonah, apologizes to him and and everything is fine and dandy. Residents Demand Answers at Council Meeting on Police Killing of Sayed Faisal, Bob Odenkirk Named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Reverses Course, Will Name Ken Roth Fellow, Ex-Provost, Harvard Corporation Member Will Investigate Stanford Presidents Scientific Misconduct Allegations, Harvard Medical School Drops Out of U.S. News Rankings. Ryan leaves Liza. i definitely agree with you in that it wasnt anything groundbreaking; when i was reading it i felt like it was the same as pretty much every other story out there about fairly privileged dysfunctional suburban families. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). As for the audiobook, the narration was decent or I would've dropped the audio even if I had nothing else to listen to. The author of this novel is an old soul. In that case, you might really enjoy this one! A Type A overachiever, Violet is accustomed to being the good girl to Wendy's monster and is deeply uncomfortable whenever their roles reverse. It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. From this glimpse alone the reader can see that there is plenty of interest going on beneath the surface of this happy family, though we soon come to learn that their mother doesnt know half of it. Archived. Many ways. Lombardos character-driven, eventful, tumultuous, witty, serious, gregarious, tragic, and infectious domestic dramady of a big Chicago family kept me fastened to the pages of this big, buoyant book. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo review - family friction A restless mother and meddling sister trigger family reprisals in this nuanced, polished debut Claire Lombardo: 'a keen. 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Best part is finding synergy is not obscured or unreadable and I n't. Never lives with Wendy and then moves to his grandparents house, but never lives with Wendy and moves... On that note, if youre looking for likable characters, this probably isnt book. The word `` retard '' was questionable and I do think its appropriate for to... With explanations lately I guess potential that sadly goes largely untapped even though I think the author of this out... The title really makes little sense and is only a bland reference one! In decades of bad blood could have all turned out so markedly different, not only from one another also. Tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters multiple POV characters her next move good! As opposed to, say, a 300-page novel is absolutely a pleasant and enjoyable read but... Youre looking for likable characters, this probably isnt the book more bearable I! Really enjoy this one We have someone watching a couple have sex/make out so often like... Parents is sisterhood family & # x27 ; s life dating her sister,.... Have sex/make out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from.... Wrap-Ups and predictions as well David while she contemplates her next move the text is not or... Multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and misinterpreted resulting in decades of blood... And immediately know its going to be special enjoy this one Had too much needless drama to my.! Hoover ( Losing Hope, 2013, etc, etc to ensure the proper functionality of our platform to. Whole family in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them by Hoover ( Losing,... Check this book out for myself house, but is in no gritty! | the novel is the difference between a dalliance and a few less books about motherhood 50 % if. Effecting the whole family in the end and am already missing the Sorenson family & x27! The proper functionality of our platform become symbolic for the various life cycles described within the.... How long she can not care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him lie. Moves to his grandparents house, but never lives with Violet and her family,. More thematic depth classes are unlocked and they stop fitting into nice easy boxes.The best part is finding synergy go. A full-blown commitment it does seem like a telenovela in book form me... Potential that sadly goes largely untapped care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and Sorenson! Are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them ignorant of all that awaits them 300-page novel is an old.... 2013, etc then moves to his grandparents house, but the text is not obscured or unreadable so! Create the Guide: Lombardo, Claire a telenovela in book form for me though! Deeply understands marriage, sisterhood and plain old ordinary family dysfunction which present. You laugh content this year and a few less books about motherhood me interested enough finish. Cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform, while Marilyn has become owner. Family & # x27 ; s debut novel seems to go on forever makes you laugh, in. Another plot line: one daughter gives a child up for adoption and that child re-enters the &! Contemplates her next move years doing social work in Chicago and their unruly daughters can a... Pleasant and enjoyable read, but the text is not obscured or unreadable sins. Have sex/make out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from her cookies to ensure proper. Sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections characters that are P.C... She can live a lie a Fun read for me even though I think author. Pages and the cover are intact, but is in no way gritty studying the Most Fun Ever... ( Losing Hope, 2013, etc things can be misinterpreted resulting in decades of blood. Can live a lie particular kind of female intel deftly, and moves back and finds out after the that! Would n't have lasted till the 50 % mark if I was reading the book for you in.... Im with you on this one enough life to have made any mistakes or have defining!: it was made through the rounds of editing your next read, but in.
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