Doubleday, 2019. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Most Fun We Ever Had. A Type A overachiever, Violet is accustomed to being the good girl to Wendy's monster and is deeply uncomfortable whenever their roles reverse. Violet is the character I wanted to slap. That child, Jonah, the returned observer of this cloistered world, is as fascinated by David and Marilyns love as their daughters. Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. 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. The novel continues to fill in the backstory of David and Marilyns marriage, as well as each of the Sorenson daughters childhoods, through flashbacks. Change). She wonders how her daughters could have all turned out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from her. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo The length is a stopper: 532 pages. The Most Fun We Ever Had? The book also provides perspectives from almost all main characters. The fact that they are truly a well-off family that would do basically anything for each other even before they understand whats been going on kind of takes the bite out of the complexities of their struggles. I love a good family saga, so I've been meaning to read this since the spring. In reality, their idyllic relationship has gone through the some of the customary ups and downs than is perceived. I was wrong about who the father of that child was though. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry influencers in the know since 1933. 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. Im not sure if I understand correctly, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption? 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. I did like the relationships between the characters and seeing how their choices panned out, effecting the whole family in the end. Lombardos prose drives the plot and her sentences, though tightly raveled, reveal much more about the characters than is immediately apparent. Im excited to see everyones wrap-ups and predictions this year. I found it entertaining at least, but I am somewhat surprised to see it on the longlist since it didnt seem like there was more to the story than met the eye. In Part Four, Winter, Violet continues to struggle to accept Jonah. 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! The project is based on the. 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. Its free and takes less than 10 seconds! . It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. The novel is told from the third-person, and provides perspectives from numerous characters. , 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! 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. However, compared to her sisters struggles, Grace is not quite on the same level. I hope that if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth the page count! 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. In comparison, there is one daughter who survives paycheck to paycheck in a sad apartment with one fork to her name. 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. Yet, I felt compelled to see it through and finish. Liza is neurotic and indecisive while the youngest, Grace, is simply lost and living a lie of her own making. Yet these lush details almost seem to weigh the novel down. 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). Theres four of you? he asked. 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. Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. 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. Art & Auctions Print Edition Books & Arts Books Bookshelf 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' Review: An Assured Debut Claire Lombardo's first novel gives a sympathetic but unsentimental look at. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 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 . She was just trying to do the right thing, but that wasnt so easy, because everyone in her life had a different conception of what the right thing was, and she herself was caught somewhere in the middle.. She also has no idea what she wants to do, another reason why I view her as very bland. 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 hide. Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable by Now Im curious as to how the grandparents handled and may have to check this book out for myself. While music student Sydney is watching her neighbor Ridge play guitar on his balcony across the courtyard, Ridge is watching Sydneys boyfriend, Hunter, secretly make out with her best friend on her balcony. Completing the quartet is the recently tenured professor Liza, whose own crumbling relationship is constantly falling short of David and Marilyns union. It was charming and frustrating at the same time. LITERARY FICTION | Naturally, from the inside it is not without its peaks and valleys. 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. I couldn't relate, emphasize, nor care about them. help you understand the book. It may not be the most fun youve ever had, but it has to be darn close. How each character deals with that child is demonstrated. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. Enough loss to break anybody, but Wendy has overcome her obstacles and continues to overcome by living every day. 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. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. Thats interesting! It also exposes Davids somewhat secretive but platonic dinners with Gillian after work. 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. 2019 En lyckligare tid. 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. Click to see spoiler. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Grace haltingly tries to navigate her first relationship with Ben, but flounders. KimD66 | Nov 29, 2022 |. 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 . A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. Subscribe to our email newsletter. There are couples who seem as though theyve been in love forever, to the point of appearing physically inseparable. The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. ISBN-13: 9780385544252. There are a FEW more likable characters though so its maybe not a totally lost cause! Want to keep up with breaking news? Youd think his arrive would upset everything, teaching these children more about their parents than they thought the parents capable of. 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 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 book give you unlimited access to everything, all the time. 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.) 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. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. I might be interested in picking up more of Lombardos work someday, but I wont mind if this one doesnt make the shortlist. 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. If thats the case, I would have a hard time learning about my new brother and then seeing my parents as a happy, stable marriage. 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. Other people overwhelmed her. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. The Most Fun We Ever Had is certainly not boring. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Keep it Clean. 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. , Illinois log in: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account and their daughters. Much-Needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story not a totally lost cause not on. 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