But while I thought a lot of those details were just characterization tactics and a critique of wealthy white suburbia, it is definitely understandable that they would be unpleasant to read anyway. The author hinted that the child's mother had sex with someone another sister would find upsetting. That's awesome! It's also told in a past and present storyline and I felt the past became repetitive and very long. Other people overwhelmed her. It hits plenty of high notes, but like opera, it runs long and tends toward histrionics and repetition. When she receives her final rejection letter, she lies about her acceptance. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on 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. Many, many character povs and lots of timeline jumps. Were glad you found a book that interests you! Perhaps someone with stronger sibling ties might get more out of this one than I did, or find more to identify with at least. I can't say enough how much I couldn't stand Wendy especially followed by Violet. 'I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. Ryan leaves Liza. She makes you want to yell at the book and throw across the room. Enough loss to break anybody, but Wendy has overcome her obstacles and continues to overcome by living every day. Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. , Ah, Im glad youre enjoying the family focus this year! The Most Fun We Ever Had. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. If cars are often considered classics after 25 years, how does that translate to a popular cruise ship that is sailing toward its 25th birthday? Summary. From here, the narration jumps ahead sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections. It's the most fun way to kick your vacation into high gear. Lombardo flings a full deck of narrative cards at us all at once, which she spends the next 500-plus pages patiently putting in order. But despite the thorough setup, the books commentary barely dips below the surface of the expected. David is trying to adjust to retirement, while Marilyn has become the owner of a hardware shop. Their dedication, joy and unrelenting lust produced four daughters who share the same collective fear. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. The prevalence of plot points only made possible thanks to a steady flow of cash is not so much a criticism of the novel as it is something to be aware of before reading: If problems of the rich arent your cup of tea, this book isnt for you. Im excited to see everyones wrap-ups and predictions this year. Press J to jump to the feed. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. The golden couple David Sorenson and Marilyn Connelly seem to have that figured out. Oooh, interesting. #haunted #haunting #ghost #mystery #strange. Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Most Fun We Ever Had. A character driven book needs characters that I actually like. It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. Claire Lombardos dbut, The Most Fun We Ever Had, chronicles the life of a family over the course of a year, yet it passes as quickly as the pages turn. Oof, I just noticed this review on Goodreads, which may have shut the door for me: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2859759789?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1. Colleen Hoover 49,240 Ratings 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 Want to Read Rate it: (Perhaps!) When Wendy, the oldest, sets her sights on a mate, she made sure she left her mark throughout his housesoy milk in the fridge, box of tampons under the sink, surreptitious spritzes of her Bulgari musk on the sheets. Turbulent Wendy is the novels best character, exuding a delectable bratty-ness. The author of this novel is an old soul. Marilyn and David Sorenson are two such people, and their four daughters Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace are simultaneously spellbound by them and over it. The adopted boy has, by a bad stroke of luck, spent most of his life in the foster care system, and his sudden need for care provides a rude awakening for the sisters whove grown up with two loving parents in a big house with adequate income. Gloomhaven is a cooperative game of tactical combat, battling monsters and advancing a player's own individual goals in a persistent and changing world that is played over many game sessions. At this point you may be thinking that theres no way four women can spend an entire book being obsessed with their happily married parents and that perhaps I just have some sort of older suburban couple kink. Change). There was nothing redeemable about them. ", Lombardo's sweeping family drama, fueled by power plays between spouses and between sisters, is operatic in both good ways and bad. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Flashbacks interspersed with the present-day chapters scroll all the way back to 1975, which in Lombardo's telling feels more like the 1950s. 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. Completing the quartet is the recently tenured professor Liza, whose own crumbling relationship is constantly falling short of David and Marilyns union. The work begins with Marilyn Sorensons perspective as she reflects on her four daughters, Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. We had lots of flashbacks and secrets that didn't get revealed till later on in the plot but the flashbacks were just too many to my liking. A frightened Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment. When tragedy strikes, a mother and daughter forge a new life. In the novel, four adult sisters are trying to find their way in the world, both guided and hindered by what they see as their parents epic romance, an impressive love story none of the girls is confident about finding for herself. I had to laugh at your suggestion that the lesson learned might be to have a less stable marriage! In a society where women are constantly being pit against each other, it was amazing to be surrounded by so many women competing, yet building each other up at the . There is something funny, notable or awe-inspiring on every single page' Jenny Colgan, Spectator A joyful celebration of books - the perfect gift for bibliophiles, word lovers and anyone who's ever wondered, should you judge a book by its cover? I dont have a sister, myself. I love listening to family dramas but this one had too much needless drama to my taste. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. I love domestic fiction, especially ones that examine marriages, sibling rivalries, and socioeconomically differences. Posted by 3 years ago. I think it lacks some of the commentary and insight that you mentioned Such a Fun Age doing well, for example, which was why this one didnt quite work for me. April 15, 2000. Lastly, I sincerely hope you have a good day! We were quite in agreement on this one! Jonah is the character that I was backing and rooting for. Jonahs not much younger than Grace, the baby of the family, who is hiding out in Portland, living a lie about her law-school status and worried that she is a giant disappointment to the parents she reveres. Victory was a critical part of sisterhood, shed always thought.. Its free and takes less than 10 seconds! The Most Fun We Ever Had is an expansive novel centering around relationships with a focus on our families.Written by Claire Lombardo, a Chicago native and Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, her debut novel based in her home state captivates with precise prose and well-developed, realistically flawed characters. But if it still appeals despite that deeper level of nuance, I would recommend giving it a try. , i read this book last year and didnt like it at all, so its been so interesting to see what people have been saying in their reviews of it now that its on the womens prize longlist! By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest. A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. (LogOut/ What I love about this story is the way it is told, the back and forth of the years, the alternating chapters from the perspective of different family members, and the creativity in the layout of the unfolding story itself. The Most Fun We Ever Had is an ambitious and brilliantly written first novel, sometimes amusing and sometimes shocking, but its unrelenting nature and lack of context is ultimately off-putting . The other long book is 900+ pages, so the short titles were definitely a relief this year. At times, it feels as though there are too many details, too many implausible things that go wrong, tied up with all-too-convenient deus ex machinas. I was cautiously optimistic about this years list at first since so many of the titles surprised me- I was hoping that Id find some hidden depths to these titles that I hadnt been expecting, but unfortunately its not turning out that way. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggieand that he's deaf. Ah yes, I was so confused about what the author was trying to say about marriage, since all of these characters seemed so quick to condemn this really successful one! I hope youll have a good time with it if/when you pick it up! Having sailed on Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, Disney Wish, which is still in its first year of operations, along with both Disney Dream and Disney Wonder, I was curious h A famous painter. Next up is Violet, unassuming and mild. Extra points for Lombardo. Also, nothing was happening for me. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. That said, the characters are not immune to the human condition. 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. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. The Most Fun We Ever Had. There was a lot of repetition and I honestly wanted to skip some pages when the characters really got on my nerves. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. No prob! The Most Fun We Ever Had? The Most Fun We Ever Had is a brilliant, if meandering, portrayal of family ties, with a sharp eye for dialogue and an acute understanding of familial and sibling relationships. On the heels of Wendys birth, Marilyn becomes pregnant with Violet and the tumultuous child-rearing years begin. This surprise, about which I'll only say that it introduces another convincingly complex character, brings out the best and worst in various family members and leads to the most moving scenes. In addition to more likable characters this could have used a good edit. Wendy offers to take in Jonah, but the two hid the pregnancy from their parents so they must tell David and Marilyn about Jonah. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment. The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. https://literaryelephant.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/womens-prize-2019-longlist-wrap-up-shortlist-prediction/, I havent reached that limit yet but I feel I will, as I read more of the longlist. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Meet Me The Person Behind Books and Bowquets. Theres four of you? he asked. Liza gets pregnant and appears to follow in Violets footsteps. Amy Adams, Laura Dern to Produce 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' Adaptation at HBO By Joe Otterson Doubleday/Claire Lombardo HBO is developing a series adaptation of the Claire Lombardo novel "The. It reads, eventually, as a deliberate and fascinating commentary on how a particular kind of moneyed white family can choose the degree to which they engage with such unpleasantries. The Most Fun We Ever Had. Thanks Naty! I had no idea why Lombardo decided this family saga needs to be 500+ pages. [This review contains spoilers - heads up!] This secret (which Ill talk about next) is what the book pretty much revolves around. I could not understand why she wasnt viewing this chance as an opportunity. This time were looking at Claire Lombardos The Most Fun We Ever Had, one of the largest books on the list at over 500 pages. Liza asks her father to connect with his colleague Gillan Levin to deliver her baby. Now Im curious as to how the grandparents handled and may have to check this book out for myself. Its one to be savored. The central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. Sixteen years later, the already messy lives of the sisters are thrown into turmoil . PQ Titles: Study of Anatomy, Trophy Hunt, Zealot of the Blood God, A Helping Hand. It will reel you in and not let you go from the moment you read the first word till the last; Lombardo's powerful depiction of her characters, of . Im not sure if I understand correctly, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption? Each character was individualized and any one of them could have leaped off the pages. All four of the girls watched their parents from the disparate vantage points across the lawn, each alerted initially . 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. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and spent several years doing social work in Chicago. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others more bearable because I recommend! 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