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 . This is a great review! This was a delightful debut and I cant wait to see what the author writes next. 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. J. Lombardos prose drives the plot and her sentences, though tightly raveled, reveal much more about the characters than is immediately apparent. I had a good time with this book, I really did. 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. Ridges deafness doesnt impede their relationship or their music. It is a stellar. What do they represent? This sounds exactly like the kind of book Ill enjoy, even if it was fine but not perfect for you. Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt. April 15, 2000. I can't say enough how much I couldn't stand Wendy especially followed by Violet. The project is based on the. Anyone can read what you share. Theres four of you? he asked. , Ah, Im glad youre enjoying the family focus this year! Press J to jump to the feed. Claire Lombardo, 2019. Basically, a book with loads of potential to explore something interesting, but doesnt go there? Many ways. 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. The flashbacks and cast of characters large enough to people a sitcom give the reader someone to root for, and one could read all 500 pages in a week like one might binge a soap opera. This Study Guide consists of approximately 52pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Very exciting!! Where to start this book was amazing in so many different ways. Thanks, Emily! 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. In comparison, there is one daughter who survives paycheck to paycheck in a sad apartment with one fork to her name. 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. The title really makes little sense and is only a bland reference to one scene that comes late in the book. Trust me. 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. The author hinted that the child's mother had sex with someone another sister would find upsetting. 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: Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. That's the year David Sorenson, a shy premed student, and Marilyn Connolly, an outspoken English major, met and fell in love. I also didn't like the timeline jumps. 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.". It is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the 21st century. She also decided that his biological family should be the ones to provide that. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. Prior to writing The Most Fun We Ever Had, she spent several years doing social work in Chicago. This secret (which Ill talk about next) is what the book pretty much revolves around. Each of the sisters has their own crosses to bear. And yes, the book is annoyingly long! 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. I just noticed how long this book is. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Courtesy of HBO. I read Everything I Never Told You this year and I really liked it although the characters were heavily flawed. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. Thank you! But Clara and Morgans home life changes radically when Chris and Jenny are killed in an accident, revealing long-buried secrets and forcing Morgan to reevaluate the life she chose when early motherhood forced her hand. 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. 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. 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 It certainly made the book more bearable because I wouldn't have lasted till the 50% mark if I was reading the book. Violet confronts the son she gave up for adoption 15 years ago while grappling with her growing sense of powerlessness in her role as a stay-at-home mother. When tragedy strikes, a mother and daughter forge a new life. I might be interested in picking up more of Lombardos work someday, but I wont mind if this one doesnt make the shortlist. 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. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. , 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! 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. Now her life as a stay-at-home parent has left her feeling empty but not ungrateful for what she has. Required fields are marked *. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. Fast forward to present day, Wendy tracked down Jonah and found out that he needs a home. Conclusion: I was pleasantly surprised by this book, so much so that I am recommending it to any and all readers. From the beginning, I realized that Most Fun would be a new standard for me, Lombardo has a way with words and creating characters that just leapt off the page. 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! 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. 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. . As you can see, there are SO many different personalities in this book. 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. Im definitely looking forward to wrap-ups and predictions as well. There is certainly some redemptive growth, but its a long journey getting there. 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. 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. 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. Also, nothing was happening for me. 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. Weddings and deaths, pregnancies and illnesses, ways for the sisters to measure themselves against one another as they continue to excavate the contours of their parents love and hold it up to their own. 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 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. There are a FEW more likable characters though so its maybe not a totally lost cause! From here, the narration jumps ahead sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections. Part Three, Fall, tells how Marilyn nearly died giving birth to Grace, and Gillian Levin saved her. 'The Most Fun We Ever Had' is a deliciously absorbing novel with brace yourself a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family. 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. Ive been kind of curious about this one. So, one of the daughters has a son when shes very young, with no father in the picture, and hides the entire pregnancy from her family. Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. It kept me interested enough to finish it but the ending wasn't worth it. In addition to more likable characters this could have used a good edit. . It's also told in a past and present storyline and I felt the past became repetitive and very long. Ah, I saw Fatmas review a couple days ago as well. My head hurts from hearing about all that love repeatedly. 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 by Claire Lombardo review - family friction A restless mother and meddling sister trigger family reprisals in this nuanced, polished debut Claire Lombardo: 'a keen. Definitely a bit longer than it needs to be, though it wasnt a slog for me. 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. 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