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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Liza has her baby and David, initially standoffish, agrees to watch her when Liza returns to work. The title really makes little sense and is only a bland reference to one scene that comes late in the book. 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. But she secretly got along much better with Chris thoughtful best friend, Jonah, who was dating her sister, Jenny. This book reminds you that a plot doesnt need to have some major incident as a shock factor, that an author can simply explore complex family dynamics and yet still satisfy all your reader needs. . "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. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Lombardo shows how menial things can be misinterpreted resulting in decades of bad blood. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with . Theres four of you? he asked. Their long-infatuated parents watch on with a combination of love and concern. 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). There are much better family sagas out there with better stories and fewer pages. Their personalities are shitty. 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. 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. When we picked Press J to jump to the feed. It made me laugh, made me cry and made me angry. So this one was (maybe) a 3.5 read for me. 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. Liza is neurotic and indecisive while the youngest, Grace, is simply lost and living a lie of her own making. Spanning nearly half a century, and set against the quintessential American backdrop of Chicago and its prospering suburbs, Claire Lombardos debut explores the triumphs and burdens of love, the fraught tethers of parenthood and sisterhood, and the baffling mixture of affection, abhorrence, resistance and submission we feel for those closest to use. But despite the thorough setup, the books commentary barely dips below the surface of the expected. 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. 650 puslapi ir baigta dar viena mano MET knyga. We already have a strong community, but this event brought us even closer as we cheered and grinded it out next to each other! Many thanks to Orion. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, Claire. Archived. But flashbacks to exhausted, fraught times make clear that the Sorensons' relationship hasn't been as smooth as it appears. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. 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. I think it lacks some of the commentary and insight that you mentioned Such a Fun Age doing well, for example, which was why this one didnt quite work for me. Some of them bothered me as well, but a lot of the problematic things the characters say and do I took as criticisms of them; I dont think the author was using horrendous digs at less fortunate people out of a place of ignorance, but as a way of showing how privileged and ignorant her characters are. The Sorenson daughters all witness their parents sharing an intimate moment beneath the gingko tree and are awestruck at their love. More Circe By Madeline Miller Things seem to snowball out of control, and perhaps for a reader it seems like a bit much, but Lombardos inclusion of all the minutiae are also true to life: This is how life actually is. [This review contains spoilers - heads up!] Definitely a bit longer than it needs to be, though it wasnt a slog for me. For me, they were a bunch of pretentious rich people with little love for each other (again the kids). A superb debut novel by Claire Lombardo! Title: The Most Fun We Ever Had: Author: Claire Lombardo: Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2021: ISBN: 0525564233, 9780525564232: Length: 640 pages: Subjects: . I think they mean that the characters all met their retirement goals during the same scenario, not that they met them after playing only one scenario. (LogOut/ 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. 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 the lives they've built. Marilyn wonders if she failed the girls. I might be interested in picking up more of Lombardos work someday, but I wont mind if this one doesnt make the shortlist. My Lord, did I love this novel. But Ridge cant hide his feelings for Sydney longand they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty. Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Most Fun We Ever Had. Claire Lombardo RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019. Oof, I just noticed this review on Goodreads, which may have shut the door for me: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2859759789?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1. Wendy and Violet mend old wounds stemming from Wendys losses, both of her husband and her stillborn daughter. Then all of a sudden in the last 100 pages, Violet accepts Jonah, apologizes to him and and everything is fine and dandy. Trust me. Yes, it is a tome, but once you are installed in the story, it pulls you naturally along. EX-FENCING COACH AND HARVARD PARENT ACQUITTED OF BRIBERY CHARGES. The novel is told from the third-person, and provides perspectives from numerous characters. Violet also has a big secret that no one supposedly knows about. I was confused at first, too! Get help and learn more about the design. 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. Violet feels as though she is losing her husband Matt, and struggles to accept Jonah into their lives. There were times when I put the book down and read another book in its entirety before picking this one back up. Lets start with Wendy, the eldest daughter. April 15, 2000. Other than an event which I found hard to fathom, this is a realistic and intimate look at an affluent Chicago family as they love, laugh, annoy, clash, and support each other over the course of forty-odd years. Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. 544 pp. Its free and takes less than 10 seconds! But I do agree that theres tons of potential for deep exploration here, which sadly is never quite realized. So if youre looking for your next read, pick this one! Ooh nope, its one of the four girls who gives a son up for adoption, hes a grandson of the girls parents! The class calibrations are divine even as the utter apolitical whiteness of the Sorenson world becomes hard to fathom. Brilliant review, Emily! This is a character driven story of a present day family on the north shore of Chicago. Lombardo's novel is divided into 34 chapters, with dated flashbacks interspersed throughout in order to provide deeper exposition on the relationships between characters. This thread is archived. You will never not be entertained. But she became comfortable with her body in adulthood after her husband, after her abbreviated pregnancy in a way that surprised her.. Make harvest craft easy to trade. Keep it Clean. Subscribe to our email newsletter. influencers in the know since 1933. Despite their wealth, there is a plethora of more relatable issues: accidental pregnancies, eating disorders, cheating, stagnant communication the list could go on. Jonah lives with Wendy and then moves to his grandparents house, but never lives with Violet and her family. 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.) Don't Threaten. Hilarious one moment, haunting the next, and always -- always -- so authentic and deeply felt. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. I was aware that An American Marriage won last year, but I didnt know it was up against a lot of pretty strong works. 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 ), with a link to a digital soundtrack by American Idol contestant Griffin Peterson. 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. We get it. 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. At the age of 20, Wendy marries Miles, a man 15 years her senior who comes from old money, to escape her family and her eating disorder. On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. Lombardos prose drives the plot and her sentences, though tightly raveled, reveal much more about the characters than is immediately apparent. By 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. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Please understand that Violet did not go out and seek her son, it was Wendy that decided to track him down and welcome him back. Their parents were good with them but I guess, too good. It may not be the most fun youve ever had, but it has to be darn close. Thematically, alongside the complexities of parent and sibling relationships, this story looks at wealth and privilege from a number of angles. 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. Thanks! 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. Even family interactions elicit a mix of exasperation and comfort. [ Claire Lombardo describes how she arrived at the Iowa Writers Workshop with a very messy, 813-page draft. ]. The Most Fun We Ever Had Quotes. I am a fan! That was the feeling I had with The Most Fun We Ever Had and it was spot on. The novel is absolutely a pleasant and enjoyable read, but is in no way gritty.. The Most Fun We Ever Had. Though this year is presented chronologically, the book also delivers numerous flashbacks that showcase virtually every significant moment in each characters life, from the parents origin story, through their four daughters childhoods, and into choices each make as adults, all leading up to this one eventful year. 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.. 876 Likes, 43 Comments - @lovelylonghaired on Instagram: "How was YOUR day? Most Fun We Ever Had (Lombardo) - Discussion Questions Discussion Questions 1. I've had a day of bliss at @thehausofvenom with my partner. 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? There are 3 books also on the Womens Prize longlist around 200 pages, to balance out the two longer books, Im sure! Ah, I saw Fatmas review a couple days ago as well. I think there are actually some similarities to Fleishman in this book, especially with characterization and marriage commentary, so Im not sure youd enjoy this one much! 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! I had to laugh at your suggestion that the lesson learned might be to have a less stable marriage! 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. 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. Her boys adore him but she continues to be wary. Please do not be discouraged by the 500+ page count. 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. Every page contains vital information that contributes to the story. That book, which. It's really hard to believe that 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a debut novel. Synopsis (from cover): When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all thats to come. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo: 9780525564232 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER "A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory." Madeline Miller, bestselling. 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. Whats that like? / Its a vast hormonal hellscape. A famous painter. Violet quickly departs avoiding the now fifteen year-old Jonah. 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 . Now her life as a stay-at-home parent has left her feeling empty but not ungrateful for what she has. That's the year David Sorenson, a shy premed student, and Marilyn Connolly, an outspoken English major, met and fell in love. Doubleday, 2019. What did last years picks look like? All of her complaints are definitely in the book. 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. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. (LogOut/ My party is about to do so in our next scenario for example. David recovers, but fears his mortality. '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. 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. And honestly, even though I think the author went about those non P.C. Jonah was placed many times in different homes, none very permanent. For Wendy it is a combination of fate and disposition. Though it doesnt seem like much fun theyre considerate and selfish in equal measure, they do things for one another without mentioning it and then stab one another in the back its theirs. Basically, a book with loads of potential to explore something interesting, but doesnt go there? Overarching it all is the unusually ardent connection between Marilyn and David Sorenson. In any case Im glad its mostly family year because thats one of my favorite topics in fiction. 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! I was cautiously optimistic about this years list at first since so many of the titles surprised me- I was hoping that Id find some hidden depths to these titles that I hadnt been expecting, but unfortunately its not turning out that way. HOWEVER, Violet was completely rude and hostile towards Jonah. Also, nothing was happening for me. Were glad you found a book that interests you! Liza asks Gillian if she ever slept with David. easter egg, The Last of Us | 1.2K views, 27 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Nerdist: Every easter egg in The Last of Us episode 7! Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Most Fun We Ever Had. 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. 8. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment. The writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought. Every chapter contains a piece of the pie that you must consume. Last is Grace, the baby of the family. (LogOut/ As you can see, there are SO many different personalities in this book. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. 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. All the characters, with vastly differing perspectives, are written with clarity. 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Fun youve Ever had and it was spot on I think the author about... She arrived at the Iowa Writers Workshop with a very messy, 813-page draft page count Violet feels though... All witness their parents sharing an intimate moment beneath the gingko tree and awestruck... Marilyn becomes pregnant with Violet and her family girls who gives a son up for adoption, a... To work see, there are 3 books also on the north shore of.. Violet and the tumultuous child-rearing years begin as a stay-at-home parent has left feeling! With clarity standoffish, agrees to watch her when liza returns to work exhausted, fraught times make clear the... A mix of exasperation and comfort the Iowa Writers Workshop with a combination of and. You can see, there are 3 books also on the surface, this story looks at wealth and from...