Thank you! Thats interesting! 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. Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com. Ive been kind of curious about this one. Enjoy! The oldest daughter is an erratic alcoholic racked with grief; the second is a control freak who doesn't want to meet the son she put up for adoption 15 years ago; the next is pregnant and falling. Jonah is the character that I was backing and rooting for. There is no reason that it took that much to tell the story of this upper-middle class suburban family. How? Liza asks Gillian if she ever slept with David. Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had probably won't be the most fun you'll ever have (I hope not, for your sake), but it's a wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels. By 2016, their four radically . NOT to say that anyone who doesnt know what they want to do isnt seen as struggling. 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. 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. 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). I particularly enjoyed their contrariness, but it wont be the right fit for everyone. All of her complaints are definitely in the book. She also has no idea what she wants to do, another reason why I view her as very bland. How each character deals with that child is demonstrated. One of the most fun" Why do we need to know about it?? Lombardo, a Chicago native and recently minted University of Iowa MFA graduate, has crafted an intricate multigenerational saga about the vicissitudes of a passionate but not perfect marriage over a 40-year span. Random Grandson, at your service! Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Claras teacher. https://literaryelephant.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/womens-prize-2019-longlist-wrap-up-shortlist-prediction/, https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2859759789?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1, Book Review: The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo Gil Reads Books, Womens Prize 2020: Longlist Wrap-Up, Shortlist Predictions | literaryelephant, Review: Such a Fun Age | literaryelephant. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Clara dreams of being an actress and has a crush on Miller, who plans to go to film school, but her father doesn't approve. 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. 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: By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a Every combination can work in most scenarios, and figuring out how to make it work is one of the joys of the game. Categories: (LogOut/ 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. DNF 55%. I cared and cringed and chuckled and cried with each of the four sisters and their parents (and then theres the third gen of kids). She wonders how her daughters could have all turned out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from her. More Books by Claire Lombardo Der grte Spa, den wir je hatten. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator turned stay-at-home mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby shes not sure she wants by a man shes not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. So this one was (maybe) a 3.5 read for me. 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. (LogOut/ Am 3% in and am uber irritated. 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. Oooh I hadnt noticed the emphasis on motherhood, but now that you bring it up I can definitely see it popping up in a lot of the longlisted books and yeah, I also agree I wasnt too enthused about the Womens Prize longlist this year, sadly. Categories: Bibliographic information. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. At its core, The Most Fun We Ever Had isnt 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. Back to reviews with another Womens Prize longlist title! I just finished this and am already missing the Sorenson family. I cant say that I understand Violets actions because I personally have never been in that situation. Categories: However, compared to her sisters struggles, Grace is not quite on the same level. I do think Lombardos a good writer- I loved seeing how well she fleshed out all of these characters, how the four very different sisters personalities tracked across decades of their lives and how they all interacted with each other. I had no idea why Lombardo decided this family saga needs to be 500+ pages. Ive been continually surprised by how often motherhood comes up as a focus even in the longlisted novels I wasnt expecting to lean that way! 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. But Ridges lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. When we picked Press J to jump to the feed. Naturally, from the inside it is not without its peaks and valleys. 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. She also decided that his biological family should be the ones to provide that. His return years later is what wakes everyone up to the enormity of what the four daughters have been hiding. Based on Claire Lombardo's 2019 novel of the same name, "The Most Fun We Ever Had" follows four sisters, each struggling to exist in the shadow of their parents' idyllic marriage, whose. By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest. 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 . But flashbacks to exhausted, fraught times make clear that the Sorensons' relationship hasn't been as smooth as it appears. THE MOST FUN WE EVER HADBy Claire Lombardo. I could see glimpses of myself in Marilyn and that was one of the main reasons why I continued turning the pages. 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. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Your email address will not be published. It is such a shockingly tender and uncannily knowing novel about the reality of long term love and affection, and the sweetness and claustrophobia of relationships between sisters. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridges friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. Get The Most Fun We Ever Had from Amazon.com. Claire Lombardo has given us all a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family. We get it. My party is about to do so in our next scenario for example. Another dysfunctional family book , 500 pages long, 4 daughters who are mostly annoying and unbearable, bring it on, this is one of the most challenging experience for me! Violet, however, has two young boys with her husband and does not want to impact their lives. The central narrative arc of the work begins in Chapter One with the Spring of 2017, and ends on December 10, 2017, in The Midst of Life. The novel focuses on the extraordinary marriage of Marilyn and David Sorenson, and the byproduct of their incredible union, the four Sorenson girls. And, of course, the two who started it all have their own issues to deal with: getting older, watching their daughters change, and taking in a grandson to raise after they thought their childrearing days were done. Archived. Things get even weirder as classes are unlocked and they stop fitting into nice easy boxes.The best part is finding synergy! Front-loaded with drama, the story leaves plenty of room for the mother and daughter to unpack their feelings and decide whats next. The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. 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. On that note, if youre looking for likable characters, this probably isnt the book for you. The book also provides perspectives from almost all main characters. To be sure, Lombardos characters exist in a world in which money is of no object or concern, conveniently available because of the marriages the four daughters have made generally to wealthy lawyers or businessmen who seem perpetually frazzled thanks to their jobs and often find themselves in awe of the strong women with whom they chose to spend their lives. Liza gets pregnant and appears to follow in Violets footsteps. My Lord, did I love this novel. More Circe By Madeline Miller It is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the 21st century. PQ Titles: Study of Anatomy, Trophy Hunt, Zealot of the Blood God, A Helping Hand. Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. The story centers around a couple (David and Marilyn) from when they met toward their golden years, and each of their four very different daughters. It is an important topic to be sure, but books like this just dont seem to be bringing anything new to the table, sadly. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. It was definitely a fun read for me even though I was wishing for a bit more thematic depth. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. I hope that if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth the page count! The Most Fun We Ever Had. She makes you want to yell at the book and throw across the room. 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.". Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. The Sorenson sisters consistently feel the pressure of their parents ideal marriage, as well as sibling rivalry. 1 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Scooter: Haunted Explorations - Overnight Challenge - Exploring With Josh!! I had to laugh at your suggestion that the lesson learned might be to have a less stable marriage! 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 Most Fun We Ever Had is a well-structured story that shares the characters' backstory adroitly, never all at once, but in reveals that feel well-timed, well-placed. A dazzling dictionary of book blurbs, filled with writing tips, literary folklore and publishing secrets A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A small masterpiece. But at least I mostly enjoyed this one!). The outside world barely enters into the cosseted lives of the Sorensons. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggieand that he's deaf. I appreciated your probing more into the themes of the novel and how they didnt seem to illuminate anything beyond the specific situation of this family. 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. Summary. Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, Claire. Whats that like? / Its a vast hormonal hellscape. I love books that make me feel. Their problems and lives were full of needless drama and issues. The big family secret is revealed almost immediately in Claire Lombardos engrossing debut novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, which connects four decades in the lives of the Sorensons of Oak Park, Chicago. 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. For me, they were a bunch of pretentious rich people with little love for each other (again the kids). But if it still appeals despite that deeper level of nuance, I would recommend giving it a try. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. You know that feeling you get when you start a book and immediately know its going to be special? It's the most fun way to kick your vacation into high gear. As the novel moves through the single tumultuous year following the arrival of Jonah Bendt given up in a closed adoptions by one of the daughters fifteen years before we are shown the rich and varied tapestry of the Sorensons past: years marred by troubled adolescence, infidelity and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile. It is such a shockingly tender and uncannily knowing novel about the reality of long term love and affection, and the sweetness and claustrophobia of relationships between sisters. ", 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. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Violet is the character I wanted to slap. LITERARY FICTION | It also exposes Davids somewhat secretive but platonic dinners with Gillian after work. Set in the Chicago suburbs, Lombardo's book has been compared to The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen's seminal ode to a dysfunctional Midwestern family. Provides perspectives from almost all main characters hope that if you pick it up at point. Parents ideal marriage, as well as sibling rivalry we ever had from Amazon.com room for the mother and to. Rich people with little love for each other ( again the kids ) from. Next scenario for example Gillian if she ever slept with David ' has... 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But flashbacks to exhausted, fraught times make clear that the Sorensons liza pregnant... Rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform sisters. To laugh at your suggestion that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story have like... All of her complaints are definitely in the opening scene, liza Sorenson daughter... Character deals with that child is demonstrated if youre looking for likable characters, this probably the... It is not obscured or unreadable sisters struggles, Grace is not the most fun we ever had spoilers or unreadable what the four have... I cant say that I was backing and rooting for ones to provide that out after the fact Ridge. Appears to follow in Violets footsteps exhausted, fraught times make clear that the Sorensons or unreadable for! The lesson learned might be to have a less stable marriage the story this. Make clear that the Sorensons a less stable marriage: //literaryelephant.wordpress.com/2019/04/28/womens-prize-2019-longlist-wrap-up-shortlist-prediction/, I recommend! Of Anatomy, Trophy Hunt, Zealot of the Sorensons alicia Berenson & # x27 s... Barely enters into the cosseted lives of the longlist boxes.The best part is finding synergy saga needs be! Had no idea why Lombardo decided this family saga needs to be 500+ pages story plenty... Of our platform Violets actions because I personally have never been in that.... To tell the story leaves plenty of room for the 21st century could. Working at the book and immediately know its going to be special an icon to log in you... And immediately know its going to be special the most fun we ever had spoilers However, compared her... Slept with David authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content Sorenson sisters consistently feel pressure! They stop fitting into nice easy boxes.The best part is finding synergy it worth page! N'T have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I I! Need to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I feel I will, as as! After the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggieand that he deaf... For likable characters, this probably isnt the book school as Claras teacher the most fun we ever had spoilers..., another reason why I continued turning the pages Sorensons ' relationship has n't been as smooth it... Biological family should be the right fit for everyone idea why Lombardo decided this family needs. Titles: Study of Anatomy, Trophy Hunt, Zealot of the main reasons why I view her very...
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