Basically, a book with loads of potential to explore something interesting, but doesnt go there? Its one of those lovely meandering, literary tales that weaves the story of a family over a long period of time. Keep it Clean. Doubleday, 2019. I hope youll have a good time with it if/when you pick it up! Back to reviews with another Womens Prize longlist title! A secret son, concealed by two of the sisters and given for adoption at birth, suddenly reenters their lives fifteen years later, testing the bounds of the familial relationships and finally showing the sisters that there may be more to a good and successful life than keeping up appearances. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a saga of Marilyn and David Sorensons forty-year marriage, messiness and all. , 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! Though each is sympathetic and suffering in their own way, they do all make poor choices, sometimes for bad reasons. 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. Get The Most Fun We Ever Had from Amazon.com. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. But despite the thorough setup, the books commentary barely dips below the surface of the expected. How? 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. Yes, Violet was not my favorite character, but I appreciated how Lombardo portrayed her because it made me feel. (LogOut/ I hope that if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth the page count! He is a good kid with good morals that makes you laugh. The Most Fun We Ever Had. 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. Fast forward a few years, Jonahs adoptive parents died in a car crash, leaving him to navigate the foster system. KimD66 | Nov 29, 2022 |. . just keep the good things of the last league, and improve some things, with a good league mechanic, would have been enough to be as good or better than the last league. On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. Change). This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. But flashbacks to exhausted, fraught times make clear that the Sorensons' relationship hasn't been as smooth as it appears. When she receives her final rejection letter, she lies about her acceptance. Claire Lombardo, 2019. A Rich, Engrossing Family Saga, Spiked With Sisterly Malice, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/books/review/most-fun-we-ever-had-claire-lombardo.html, Claire Lombardo describes how she arrived at the Iowa Writers Workshop with a very messy, 813-page draft.. Im definitely looking forward to wrap-ups and predictions as well. But I expect more from the Womens Prize than a simple good time, and I didnt find any standout depth or technical skill here. Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. There are couples who seem as though theyve been in love forever, to the point of appearing physically inseparable. Also: David and Marilyn love each other madly. 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. Oh man, I appreciate your honest review!! 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. Yet these lush details almost seem to weigh the novel down. This is a character driven story of a present day family on the north shore of Chicago. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggieand that he's deaf. This thread is archived. Violet got pregnant when she was younger, didnt tell her parents, stayed with Wendy, had the baby (Jonah) and gave him up for adoption. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. Still, the deft touchesa neighborhood fundraiser for a Little Free Library, a Twilight character as erotic touchstonedelight. Those three paragraphs are all you need to read. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Voracious reader and reviewer Overarching it all is the unusually ardent connection between Marilyn and David Sorenson. Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world. It does seem like a rather safe and repetitive set, as a whole. This isnt a fast read. Naturally, from the inside it is not without its peaks and valleys. Please comment your thoughts on how I did or what you thought of the book. Lombardos prose drives the plot and her sentences, though tightly raveled, reveal much more about the characters than is immediately apparent. Then all of a sudden in the last 100 pages, Violet accepts Jonah, apologizes to him and and everything is fine and dandy. 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. Sixteen years earlier. View more posts. Its a love story, its a coming of age story, its a generational story, and yet despite everything the book encompasses, its primary purpose seems to be entertainment. Thank you! In fact, it creates opportunities for sexy nonverbal communication and witty text messages: Ridge tenderly washes off a message he wrote on Sydneys hand in ink, and when Sydney adds a few too many es to the word squee in her text, Ridge replies, If those letters really make up a sound, I am so, so glad I cant hear it. While they fight their mutual attraction, their hope that maybe someday they can be together playfully comes out in their music. There are 3 books also on the Womens Prize longlist around 200 pages, to balance out the two longer books, Im sure! 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. Yes, it is a tome, but once you are installed in the story, it pulls you naturally along. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) It kept me interested enough to finish it but the ending wasn't worth it. I listened to the audio on a staycation so I'll remember it for a while as the book that kept me company, especially since the audio wouldn't end. All four of the girls watched their parents from the disparate vantage points across the lawn, each alerted initially . I've had a day of bliss at @thehausofvenom with my partner. share. Instead, there are plenty of life events. The Most Fun We Ever Had. Many, many character povs and lots of timeline jumps. You know that feeling you get when you start a book and immediately know its going to be special? Why do we need to know about it?? Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Most Fun We Ever Had. I had no idea why Lombardo decided this family saga needs to be 500+ pages. Jonah was placed many times in different homes, none very permanent. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sisters wedding. 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. The novel is absolutely a pleasant and enjoyable read, but is in no way gritty.. It will make you feel sad for some characters, be rooting for others and want to reach through the book and slap another. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast . 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. This woman plays such scant role in the plot that she seems present primarily to balance the scales of the familys wealth. Still getting used to this book reviewing deal. It feels like it was a little safe and one-note, which is I think where the lack of variety in themes comes in. 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. The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. 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. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. Victory was a critical part of sisterhood, shed always thought.. Great review! Feeling betrayed by the adults in her life, Clara marches forward, acting both responsible and rebellious as she navigates her teenage years without her father and her aunt, while Jonah and Morgan's relationship evolves in the wake of the accident. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | Please enjoy my thoughts and ideas below. 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. The narrative is filled with pregnancies (including one that results in a child placed for adoption), births, deaths, infidelities, accidents, sibling rivalries, secrets, lies and lots of wine and kissing. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. this imperfect story realistically captures the essence of the imperfect complexities of marriage, parenthood, sisterly bonds, and familial ties. It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. 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.". Next up is Violet, unassuming and mild. 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. 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. Ah, I saw Fatmas review a couple days ago as well. I made a little list in my longlist wrap-up last year of parallels that I found between the books- Ill link that here in case youre curious! Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Anyone can read what you share. 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. I do think there is something interesting about people who have loads of resources but do the sneaky thing out of fear instead of real hardship. Her first born, Wendy, has just been married on the Sorensons lawn in Fair Oaks, outside of Chicago. Ohhhh! In truth, I dont think theres anything at all to learn here. 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. 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. The book opens on one of the daughters weddings, from their mothers perspective. THE MOST FUN WE EVER HADBy Claire Lombardo. 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. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. There are a FEW more likable characters though so its maybe not a totally lost cause! My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD By Claire Lombardo The big family secret is revealed almost immediately in Claire Lombardo's engrossing debut novel, "The Most Fun We Ever Had," which. These are such specific characters, in such a specific situation, that its difficult to apply much of their experience to life beyond the novel. Marilyn wonders if she failed the girls. 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. 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 gorgeous and profound debut." -- Margot Livesey , author of Mercury "Remarkably alive and wise, Claire Lombardo's story of the Sorensons is a stunning vision--not just of family or love, but the funny, tender mystery of human connection itself, with all its intensity, charm, and wonder." I love a good family saga, so I've been meaning to read this since the spring. Many ways. Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable by So disturbing.. If this book meant to convey that the characters have mental health problems and how it affected their lives, the fact that Ryan openly had depression and no one helped at all.. instead his partner cheated on him and called him man-child knowing she could've afforded to help him see a therapist.. The fact that barely anything happens and the children are so mean to each other and their mother.. (with the exception of Grace, she was okay). The title really makes little sense and is only a bland reference to one scene that comes late in the book. , Ah, Im glad youre enjoying the family focus this year! Thats even more interesting! I just don't like spoiled characters. For Wendy it is a combination of fate and disposition. I love books that make me feel. I wouldve loved to see a bit more variety in content this year and a few less books about motherhood! Sorry, Ive been struggling with explanations lately I guess! We had four teams from Crossfit Alluvium this year. 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. But let's not lose sight of Lombardo's considerable achievement. The Sorenson sisters consistently feel the pressure of their parents ideal marriage, as well as sibling rivalry. In any case Im glad its mostly family year because thats one of my favorite topics in fiction. 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. 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. We already have a strong community, but this event brought us even closer as we cheered and grinded it out next to each other! Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. Liza becomes unexpectedly pregnant and begins an affair to avoid dealing with her relationship issues. 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 . RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014. A Type A overachiever, Violet is accustomed to being the good girl to Wendy's monster and is deeply uncomfortable whenever their roles reverse. The parentsMarilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctorstrike their offspring as impossibly happy. I cant say that I understand Violets actions because I personally have never been in that situation. 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! How do gingkoes function as a symbol in the book? Enjoy! If all of Lombardos future writing reach such a sprawl, however, we may (unfortunately) have to wait a while for her next novel. 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! Sure, David and Marilyn might have had four daughters several people for whom things can go wrong but need all of them be plagued by multiple unresolved demons? Was n't worth it in Oak Park, Illinois the plot that she seems present primarily to balance scales. Marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara as theyve... The lack of variety in themes comes in obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris when. 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