Don't Threaten. Im definitely looking forward to wrap-ups and predictions as well. I also didn't like the timeline jumps. Wendy and Violet mend old wounds stemming from Wendys losses, both of her husband and her stillborn daughter. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. The other long book is 900+ pages, so the short titles were definitely a relief this year. More Circe By Madeline Miller There are quite a few books on this years Womens Prize longlist that look at family, parenthood, and marriage, but The Most Fun We Ever Had stands out as the ultimate family saga. 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. Violet is the character I wanted to slap. Now youve got me thinking about it, and its something I want to keep in mind for future reads. Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable by It is a stellar. Enough loss to break anybody, but Wendy has overcome her obstacles and continues to overcome by living every day. Liza is considering how to help her boyfriend when she becomes pregnant with his child and decides that the best way to deal with that is to cheat on him with a coworker. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. ", Lombardo's sweeping family drama, fueled by power plays between spouses and between sisters, is operatic in both good ways and bad. HBO has put in development The Most Fun We Ever Had, a drama-series project based on Claire Lombardo 's New York Times bestselling novel, from Amy . Claire Lombardo's debut is a fascinating epic character driven, multi-generational Chicago family drama with all its complexities through the decades from the 1970s. My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. This was a delightful debut and I cant wait to see what the author writes next. Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. 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. 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. It also leads to Lombardo's heartwarming takeaway: "If this family had taught him anything it was that people could get mad at each other and then make up again. Oooh, interesting. The book also provides perspectives from almost all main characters. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. Her capacious novel also encompasses the "vast hormonal hellscape" the couple has spawned four cattily close, constantly sparring grown daughters trying to figure out their place in the world as they measure themselves against their mother and each other. 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. There are couples who seem as though theyve been in love forever, to the point of appearing physically inseparable. We had one narrator but once I got used to the story, the flashbacks stopped confusing me. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. Enjoy! . Fortunately, I had a good time reading it, though I cant say it had much else going for it. Categories: I didnt notice one singular theme as strongly last year, though perhaps giving voice to silenced or misrepresented women was perhaps the strongest commonality? Liza gets pregnant and appears to follow in Violets footsteps. Structured in a way that moves back and forth in time and allows different characters to be the focus, it is never hard to follow. Yet these lush details almost seem to weigh the novel down. Courtesy of HBO. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. That's the year David Sorenson, a shy premed student, and Marilyn Connolly, an outspoken English major, met and fell in love. Bibliographic information. On the heels of Wendys birth, Marilyn becomes pregnant with Violet and the tumultuous child-rearing years begin. Violet also makes amends with Jonah. Some of those remarks are challenged a bit on the page, like the daughter who says her mom is in schizoid mode is berated for it right after by other characters present. Only a few pages into the novel, and the reader already knows about Wendys vulnerability, characterized as vestiges of her teenage habits appeared only fleetingly for her now she still, on occasion, flirted with the idea of purging, and once in a while shed try a diet that she read about in US Weekly. 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. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Arrive a few minutes early to get a spot by the stage, especially if you have little kids. Required fields are marked *. The present storyline contains most of what we . 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. I just finished this and am already missing the Sorenson family. The Most Fun We Ever Had: A Novel Hardcover - June 25, 2019 by Claire Lombardo (Author) 6,526 ratings Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction See all formats and editions Kindle $12.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $31.66 135 Used from $1.64 2 New from $31.60 13 Collectible from $8.01 Paperback Claire Lombardo The really tragic thing about this spoiler is that whoever has created it probably thinks that they have been really creative and innovative, whereas, in reality, they have just made their slightly shabby sports car look even trashier. Oh, jeez. Thanks Naty! Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men . 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. Click to see spoiler. The Offspring. Not all of them but Wendy, Violet, and Lisa in particular. ISBN-13: 9780385544252 Summary When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. David and Marilyn have four daughters and all of them are in awe of their parents adoring marriage after all this time, especially when all the daughters have their own serious life crises that theyre dealing with (and the drama in this onewhich sort of reminded me of that old tv show Parenthood was seriously fun to unpack.) This book gives you a behind the scenes look into this familys life and I was so grateful for it because most times we leave books wanting more information. If all of Lombardos future writing reach such a sprawl, however, we may (unfortunately) have to wait a while for her next novel. Another plot line: one daughter gives a child up for adoption and that child re-enters the family's life. (LogOut/ (LogOut/ On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. So, one of the daughters has a son when shes very young, with no father in the picture, and hides the entire pregnancy from her family. We get it. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I always find those relationships so interesting to read about, which was definitely the highlight of this book for me. The seasons become symbolic for the various life cycles described within the work. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. At its core, The Most Fun We Ever Had isn't much more than an entertaining drama about four sisters and their futile competition to prove themselves most worthy of their picture-perfect parents- and each other. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Meet Me The Person Behind Books and Bowquets. 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 is a deliciously absorbing novel with brace yourself a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family. Definitely a bit longer than it needs to be, though it wasnt a slog for me. Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt. It is an important topic to be sure, but books like this just dont seem to be bringing anything new to the table, sadly. Thank you! Even family interactions elicit a mix of exasperation and comfort. It will make you feel sad for some characters, be rooting for others and want to reach through the book and slap another. I couldn't relate, emphasize, nor care about them. Instead, there are plenty of life events. . Violet feels as though she is losing her husband Matt, and struggles to accept Jonah into their lives. In Part Two, Summer, Jonah moves in with Wendy to find that she is grieving the loss of her husband, and copes with alcohol and promiscuity. Thats where I thought Lombardos writing shone in this book- the characters arent always sympathetic but they do feel like complex, well-thought-out people and it was so interesting to see how their lives and decisions would intersect. Naturally, from the inside it is not without its peaks and valleys. Overarching it all is the unusually ardent connection between Marilyn and David Sorenson. EX-FENCING COACH AND HARVARD PARENT ACQUITTED OF BRIBERY CHARGES. In addition to more likable characters this could have used a good edit. Violet is the daughter that did everything right. She went to college, became a lawyer, married a nice man and has two young children. Violet confronts the son she gave up for adoption 15 years ago while grappling with her growing sense of powerlessness in her role as a stay-at-home mother. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Violet also has a big secret that no one supposedly knows about. You will never not be entertained. Get The Most Fun We Ever Had from Amazon.com. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Those three paragraphs are all you need to read. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Liza has her baby and David, initially standoffish, agrees to watch her when Liza returns to work. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) This is a really fun and strong team with lots of synergy. The Most Fun We Ever Had. The novel is absolutely a pleasant and enjoyable read, but is in no way gritty.. Voracious reader and reviewer She has not lived enough life to have made any mistakes or have any defining characteristics. 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a deliciously absorbing novel with brace yourself a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family. "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. She also decided that his biological family should be the ones to provide that. Where to start this book was amazing in so many different ways. Thematically, alongside the complexities of parent and sibling relationships, this story looks at wealth and privilege from a number of angles. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. (LogOut/ 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. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Yes, Violet was not my favorite character, but I appreciated how Lombardo portrayed her because it made me feel. This is a character driven story of a present day family on the north shore of Chicago. , Ah, Im glad youre enjoying the family focus this year! It does seem like a rather safe and repetitive set, as a whole. More points for Lombardo. And honestly, even though I think the author went about those non P.C. ", 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. This really looks like the literary version of a telenovela, and while I do sometimes enjoy some melodrama its not something I would expect either from a longlisted title. 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 Lombardo shows how menial things can be misinterpreted resulting in decades of bad blood. How? share. Sorry, Ive been struggling with explanations lately I guess! These are such specific characters, in such a specific situation, that its difficult to apply much of their experience to life beyond the novel. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Points for Lombardo, again. A character driven book needs characters that I actually like. 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. Violet has sisterly assistance in bringing about additional anxiety and messiness in her life. Many ways. Liza asks Gillian if she ever slept with David. 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? Lombardo's novel is divided into 34 chapters, with dated flashbacks interspersed throughout in order to provide deeper exposition on the relationships between characters. Violet, however, has two young boys with her husband and does not want to impact their lives. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER "A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory." Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe 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.. By 2016, they have four radically different . Still, the deft touchesa neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstonedelight. Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. Everyone got a completely different character, which you wouldn't necessarily have had if you had just picked "whoever I retired for". Jonah calls Wendy from Montana and she retrieves him. The Most Fun We Ever Had (TV Series) - Release Info - IMDb Edit The Most Fun We Ever Had Release Info Showing all 2 items Jump to: Release Dates (0) Also Known As (AKA) (2) Release Dates It looks like we don't have any release dates for this title yet. David recovers, but fears his mortality. Beneath it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents. It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. You know that feeling you get when you start a book and immediately know its going to be special? 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. Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. That's awesome! The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. Gingko leaves and trees show up many times during the course of the novelduring the opening scene and when David and Marilyn first fall in love, just to name a couple. The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom. The project is based on the. But The Most Fun more strongly evokes Anne Tyler's explorations of long marriages in meticulously observed domestic novels like Breathing Lessons (1989), The Amateur Marriage (2004) and A Spool of Blue Thread (2015). PQ Spoilers: Zealot will do final exhaustion, which will also be final exhaustion for Anatomy, Trophy Hunt only needs one more unique, Helping Hand will witness it all. #haunted #haunting #ghost #mystery #strange. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. By 2016, their four radically different daughters are in a state of unrest. Wendy not only lost her child but she lost her husband. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and spent several years doing social work in Chicago. Many thanks to Orion. October 15, 2019 11:00am. 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 . By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Ohhhh! 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 Most Fun We Ever Had is a saga of Marilyn and David Sorensons forty-year marriage, messiness and all. Brilliant review, Emily! We all desperately want your life and we all know well never have it, the third-oldest, Liza, confesses in a moment of truth. Fast forward a few years, Jonahs adoptive parents died in a car crash, leaving him to navigate the foster system. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Violet finally speaks to Wendy and learns that Jonah is in foster care as his adoptive parents died in an accident when he was young. This Study Guide consists of approximately 52 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Most Fun We Ever Had. This was quite a delightful debut. A famous painter. Strange, perhaps, for a woman who'd added four beings to the universe of her own reluctant volition, but a fact nonetheless: Marilyn rued the inconvenient presence of bodies, bodies beyond her control, her .