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. This is a emotionally engaging read, if overlong, well written, with great character development, and which resonates in its detailed and often realistic depiction of family life and dynamics. They crept into my heart; it was like being a member of their family. She has not lived enough life to have made any mistakes or have any defining characteristics. Bibliographic information. Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world. It's the most fun way to kick your vacation into high gear. Not only did I get to read about whats going on presently, but I got to dive into the history and background, to see how each sisters childhood and her birth order shaped her. The Most Fun We Ever Had Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to Lombardo has the remarkable ability to delve into people's minds so deeply that the most quotidian moments become utterly fascinating." 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is an intense, edgy family drama brimming with sibling rivalry, marital distress, and soul-binding love that will leave you with an onslaught of emotions. This is a character driven story of a present day family on the north shore of Chicago. 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. 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. PQ Titles: Study of Anatomy, Trophy Hunt, Zealot of the Blood God, A Helping Hand. report. There are couples who seem as though theyve been in love forever, to the point of appearing physically inseparable. I mean, having caring parents and a stable household doesnt necessarily guarantee a happy childhood and eventually happy adulthood, but it seemed there should be a better way to go about making that point than blaming the people whove had good luck and put hard work into their relationships. I found the dynamics between characters highly entertaining and enjoyed the writing, but even so I think Lombardo couldve shaved off two hundred pages without losing anything crucial. There is certainly some redemptive growth, but its a long journey getting there. Yet, I felt compelled to see it through and finish. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sisters wedding. Lombardos novel is divided into 34 chapters, with dated flashbacks interspersed throughout in order to provide deeper exposition on the relationships between characters. Claire E. Lombardo is a fiction writer from the Chicago area. The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp. 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. Essentially what the book is exploring is that all four daughters have these huge life struggles theyre hiding from their parents and each other because they hold the parents marriage up as the golden standard and dont want to be seen as failing to live up to that model. What a fantastic debut novel by Claire Lombardo! When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. WE GET IT. Change). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It is anchored by the four-decade marriage between David and Marilyn, "two people who emanated more love than it seemed like the universe would sanction.". PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Other people overwhelmed her. We already have a strong community, but this event brought us even closer as we cheered and grinded it out next to each other! 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 . Violet also has a big secret that no one supposedly knows about. 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. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. 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. 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. 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 Sixteen years later, the already messy lives of the sisters are thrown into turmoil . Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents early lean times with chapters about their daughters wobbly forays into adulthood. 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. Lombardo captures this often toxic sibling dynamic with the perfect image: "A seesaw, this sisterhood, and Wendy was the jerk who jumped off early so the other person toppled into the sand. Violet quickly departs avoiding the now fifteen year-old Jonah. It feels like it was a little safe and one-note, which is I think where the lack of variety in themes comes in. It doesnt help that Miller already has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via text from college. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Most Fun We Ever Had. His foster parents are moving abroad so Wendy is hoping Violet might take him in. This is a great review! Grace, the baby, tries to see how long she can live a lie. Lastly, I sincerely hope you have a good day! She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. The book also provides perspectives from almost all main characters. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. Not only do I get to read about the perspective of one sister, I get to read about the thoughts and emotions of all three sisters, their parents AND Jonah. As the work closes, David and Marilyn find contentment and comfort in one another as they marvel at the brood they have created, out of their extraordinary and enduring love. If all of Lombardos future writing reach such a sprawl, however, we may (unfortunately) have to wait a while for her next novel. ISBN-13: 9780385544252. Flashbacks in Part One tell the story of David and Marilyns fortuitious meeting at college and Davids proposal and invitation to join him in Iowa where he will attend medical school. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. Though each is sympathetic and suffering in their own way, they do all make poor choices, sometimes for bad reasons. But let's not lose sight of Lombardo's considerable achievement. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. Their personalities are shitty. This isnt a fast read. 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a deliciously absorbing novel with brace yourself a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family. 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. The blind character choice is great. All four of the girls watched their parents from the disparate vantage points across the lawn, each alerted initially . (LogOut/ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com. But Ridge cant hide his feelings for Sydney longand they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty. "The Most Fun We Ever Had" is a novel about a family and follows in the footsteps of other reknown novels the chronicle the intricate complexities of close relationships. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo The length is a stopper: 532 pages. hide. Sadly the shortlist seemed a bit uninspired compared to the longlist, so Im very curious to see which books will make the cut this year- hopefully not the disappointing ones! She also decided that his biological family should be the ones to provide that. 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? Thats even more interesting! Flashbacks interspersed with the present-day chapters scroll all the way back to 1975, which in Lombardo's telling feels more like the 1950s. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. How each character deals with that child is demonstrated. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. Marilyn Connelly and David Sorenson's love for each other has more than survived the decades, they have 4 now adult daughters, Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace who have felt pressured to emulate the loving example of their parents. Definitely a bit longer than it needs to be, though it wasnt a slog for me. 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. 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! 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. Into this family arrives Jonah, the son Violet had given birth to and then had adopted, whose presence is much needed by the family as can be seen in the impact he has. Press J to jump to the feed. I love domestic fiction, especially ones that examine marriages, sibling rivalries, and socioeconomically differences. Across all of these moments, The Most Fun We Ever Had demonstrates the duality of affection and pain in familial relationships, showing that what holds people together can also drive them apart, and that it is after all easiest to hurt the ones we love. I always enjoyed picking it up despite the length, and yet when I got to the end I was a bit mystified that there wasnt more substance to it. 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. Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Claras teacher. Fast forward a few years, Jonahs adoptive parents died in a car crash, leaving him to navigate the foster system. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and spent several years doing social work in Chicago. 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. I was confused at first, too! This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. 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: A full book review of "The Most Fun We Ever Had" by Claire Lambardo. This is how Lombardo pulls at your heart strings. Voracious reader and reviewer We all desperately want your life and we all know well never have it, the third-oldest, Liza, confesses in a moment of truth. This did not need to be 530 pages long, but man it was. Flashbacks describe Marilyn and Davids early marriage in Iowa, where Marilyn becomes pregnant and drops out of school. It took me almost 2 weeks to finish this 500+ page family saga. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. In that case, you might really enjoy this one! Oh man, I appreciate your honest review!! The book primarily focuses on Jonahs integration back into the family. Perhaps someone with stronger sibling ties might get more out of this one than I did, or find more to identify with at least. Many, many character povs and lots of timeline jumps. On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Next up is Violet, unassuming and mild. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. I particularly enjoyed their contrariness, but it wont be the right fit for everyone. This is a really fun and strong team with lots of synergy. Instead, there are plenty of life events. 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. After a while, you feel that you've always lived with the Sorenson family, and always will. A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. 2019 En lyckligare tid. Title: The Most Fun We Ever Had: Author: Claire Lombardo: Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2021: ISBN: 0525564233, 9780525564232: Length: 640 pages: Subjects: I just finished this and am already missing the Sorenson family. I know that's a long way to get in a book and then put it down but I had this on audio and I couldn't take the narration anymore. But this book? DNF 55%. From the outside, the parents marriage seems flawless. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry In truth, I dont think theres anything at all to learn here. 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. The characters were flawed sure but also horrible. Get help and learn more about the design. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Meet Me The Person Behind Books and Bowquets. because there are loads of those people out there, even if theyre only saying horrible things to someone in a close circle and not in public. 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. Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. Trust me. More points for Lombardo. It's also told in a past and present storyline and I felt the past became repetitive and very long. She also has no idea what she wants to do, another reason why I view her as very bland. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). 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. 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. So this one was (maybe) a 3.5 read for me. 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. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP, by But I expect more from the Womens Prize than a simple good time, and I didnt find any standout depth or technical skill here. 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