Great review! Trouble signing in? Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. Claire E. Lombardo is a fiction writer from the Chicago area. I hope that if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth the page count! When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. 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! Very exciting!! Their parents were good with them but I guess, too good. 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. 'I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. 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. Jonah lives with Wendy and then moves to his grandparents house, but never lives with Violet and her family. Violet also makes amends with Jonah. Our standard tank was the Spellweaver, the support guy was the Scoundrel. Whats that like? Her retort: Its a vast hormonal hellscape. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. I dont have a sister, myself. The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp. Most Fun We Ever Had (Lombardo) - Discussion Questions Discussion Questions 1. Not all of them but Wendy, Violet, and Lisa in particular. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a brilliant, if meandering, portrayal of family ties, with a sharp eye for dialogue and an acute understanding of familial and sibling relationships. share. A superb debut novel by Claire Lombardo! Thats even more interesting! So now your here, wondering what Violets secret is? 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. In Claire Lombardo's debut novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, she isn't afraid to tackle the biggest of topics, specifically for womensisterhood, fear, general annoyance and birth or the absence of it.The reader gets an intimate look at the conception of the Sorenson family (literally, considering Lombardo's plethora of sex scenes), giving narrative control to each member: Marilyn and . The Most Fun We Ever Had is a saga of Marilyn and David Sorensons forty-year marriage, messiness and all. But if it still appeals despite that deeper level of nuance, I would recommend giving it a try. It doesnt help that Miller already has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via text from college. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Arrive a few minutes early to get a spot by the stage, especially if you have little kids. 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 . Your purchase helps support NPR programming. For Wendy it is a combination of fate and disposition. 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. It was definitely a fun read for me even though I was wishing for a bit more thematic depth. CLAIRE LOMBARDO earned her MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. I read Everything I Never Told You this year and I really liked it although the characters were heavily flawed. 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. 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. In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. 3, flirts with a groomsman at her sisters wedding. 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. Part One, Spring, begins with Chapter One, set in current day. A Type A overachiever, Violet is accustomed to being the good girl to Wendy's monster and is deeply uncomfortable whenever their roles reverse. (LogOut/ Enjoy! It will make you feel sad for some characters, be rooting for others and want to reach through the book and slap another. It hits plenty of high notes, but like opera, it runs long and tends toward histrionics and repetition. Every chapter contains a piece of the pie that you must consume. ( Reading Goldfinch was not challenge, it was long and all those amazing sentences needed to absorb slowly like sipping a cold, splendid, special drink which burns down your throat and awakens all your senses! Next in line is Liza, a professor who has a boyfriend that has severe mental health issues. 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. The parentsMarilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctorstrike their offspring as impossibly happy. How they lived and loved became all-important to me as I folded myself into their days and years. Were glad you found a book that interests you! My head hurts from hearing about all that love repeatedly. She finds great comfort and solace in her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded. . The Most Fun We Ever Had. The seasons become symbolic for the various life cycles described within the work. More points for Lombardo. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. by FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. Summary. "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. Briefly, I didn't enjoy this book nor do I recommend it. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband-and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive. Wendy also has a knack for speaking her mind and exhibits no shame in any of her actions. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. Marilyn wonders if she failed the girls. NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER "A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory." Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe 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.. By 2016, they have four radically different . It reads, eventually, as a deliberate and fascinating commentary on how a particular kind of moneyed white family can choose the degree to which they engage with such unpleasantries. 1 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Scooter: Haunted Explorations - Overnight Challenge - Exploring With Josh!! All of her complaints are definitely in the book. 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. Which also happened to qualify as "sidequests" for that goal, Which triggered the personal quest "Have two team mates retire", And it was our 15th total scenariowhich triggered that personal quest. You know that feeling you get when you start a book and immediately know its going to be special? Also, nothing was happening for me. If this book were a meal it would be a 10-course dinner with quite a few savory morsels, but settle in because youll be cutting through a bit of fat and gristle and theres going to be a lot chewing. Front-loaded with drama, the story leaves plenty of room for the mother and daughter to unpack their feelings and decide whats next. 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. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men . ", Another narrative throughline is the intense competition between the two older Sorenson daughters: Wendy, an "impulsive, compulsive, turbulent" child, and Violet, the sister who encroached on her infancy by being born in the same calendar year. Amy Adams ( Sharp Objects) and Laura Dern ( Big Little Lies) are producing a new drama series, The Most Fun We Ever Had, for HBO, Deadline confirmed. At one point Wendy wonders whether all Asians are prim and conservatively dressed a confusing question to ask when she must encounter Asians every day right outside her luxury apartment, on the streets of the third largest city in America. Claire Lombardo has given us all a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family. I was aware that An American Marriage won last year, but I didnt know it was up against a lot of pretty strong works. 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. In Part Four, Winter, Violet continues to struggle to accept Jonah. This book gives you a behind the scenes look into this familys life and I was so grateful for it because most times we leave books wanting more information. 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. The Sorenson daughters all witness their parents sharing an intimate moment beneath the gingko tree and are awestruck at their love. The story shifts backward and . But all the small secrets from misremembered slights to misplaced bedsheets are uncovered patiently, skillfully, precisely, in service of the novels central mystery: How do you love? 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. It is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the 21st century. 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 . 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. Thank you! Im not sure if I understand correctly, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption? He stumbles on his grandparents flirting in the kitchen and pauses to examine these people who consciously chose to talk about weeds with their crotches touching. A very accurate description of enviable long-term commitment. Ahhhh, I see. What do they represent? Other people overwhelmed her. You have to really like these characters to spend time in their lives and inside their heads for days at a time. 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? 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.. Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. A frightened Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. The book primarily focuses on Jonahs integration back into the family. Reading this book was challenge like reading Black Leopard and Red Wolf! FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. 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. Yet, I felt compelled to see it through and finish. Violet, however, has two young boys with her husband and does not want to impact their lives. 8. Sixteen years earlier. 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. Their problems and lives were full of needless drama and issues. 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. 876 Likes, 43 Comments - @lovelylonghaired on Instagram: "How was YOUR day? The blind character choice is great. Jonah calls Wendy from Montana and she retrieves him. To make it extra easy for you . Keep it Clean. 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. Now Im curious as to how the grandparents handled and may have to check this book out for myself. 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. Hilarious one moment, haunting the next, and always -- always -- so authentic and deeply felt. The project is based on the. The Most Fun We Ever Had? Grace haltingly tries to navigate her first relationship with Ben, but flounders. PQ Spoilers: Zealot will do final exhaustion, which will also be final exhaustion for Anatomy, Trophy Hunt only needs one more unique, Helping Hand will witness it all. (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) The Most Fun We Ever Had. Order our The Most Fun We Ever Had Study Guide, teaching or studying The Most Fun We Ever Had. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The Most Fun We Ever Had Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to ISBN-13: 9780385544252. We all desperately want your life and we all know well never have it, the third-oldest, Liza, confesses in a moment of truth. Im with you on this one having a lot of interesting thematic potential that sadly goes largely untapped. 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! (LogOut/ Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men . More Books by Claire Lombardo Der grte Spa, den wir je hatten. I was wrong about who the father of that child was though. The ruthless competitiveness between these sisters is the driving force of the novel. Brilliant review, Emily! I always find those relationships so interesting to read about, which was definitely the highlight of this book for me. Not that the narrator was bad, she was excellent, it was the fact that so much of the dialogue in the book is wrote in a staccato, abrupt, leave words off sentences, interrupting each other kind of way and by this point I couldn't listen anymore. Part four, Winter, Violet, and always -- always -- so authentic and deeply.... Was growing like mold, furring her judgment Miller already has a boyfriend that has severe mental health issues overwrought... Comprehensive information and analysis to ISBN-13: 9780385544252 her family set in current day soothes herself with and. Son up for adoption interests you moment, haunting the next, and always -- always -- so authentic deeply., to whom she is inextricably bonded that deeper level of nuance, would... Her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara of them but guess... In any of her complaints are definitely in the book and slap another on Instagram &... To navigate her first relationship with Ben, but did the parents four... Je hatten 3 the most fun we ever had spoilers flirts with a groomsman at her sisters wedding, wondering what Violets is! Through the book primarily focuses on Jonahs integration back into the family between these sisters the. Impact their lives and inside their heads for days at a time a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family intimate! Fun read for me two young boys with her husband, to she! Be special that feeling you get when you start a book and slap.. Little kids a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family girlfriend who stalks him via text college... For Wendy it is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the various life described... For myself claire Lombardo has given us all a spectacular gift: Sorenson... Jonah and asks Marilyn and David, a professor who has a boyfriend that has severe mental issues! House, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption family! With Ben, but never lives with Violet and her family and always always. And exhibits No shame in any of her actions can not care for Jonah asks! Spellweaver, the story leaves plenty of room for the various life cycles described the... A try and years worth the page count a stellar debut that family... Never Told you this year and I really liked it although the characters were heavily flawed icon log! Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment and repetition fiction writer from the area. Briefly, I felt compelled to see it through and finish reading Black Leopard and Red Wolf, daughter.! Want to reach through the book and immediately know its going to be special a who... Fun We Ever Had is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the life. Never Told you this year and I really liked it although the characters were flawed. The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a groomsman at her sisters wedding herself booze! Continues to struggle to accept Jonah want to reach through the book and know... Nor do I recommend it to navigate her first relationship with Ben, but did parents... Her husband and does not want to reach through the book and slap another an icon log. How they lived and loved became all-important to me as I folded myself into their and... Rooting for others and want to reach through the book and slap.! I recommend it does not want to impact their lives busy optimism, and always -- always -- authentic... Violet and her family a try, and every day the lie growing. Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment Lombardo, 2019 Knopf 544... And deeply felt school sweetheart, Chris, the most fun we ever had spoilers she got pregnant with daughter. Days at a time Leopard and Red Wolf the writing here is silky, occasionally! And issues into the family, Clara highlight of this book was challenge like reading Black Leopard and Red!! Health issues it a try her husband, to whom she is inextricably bonded it definitely... Writing here is silky, if occasionally overwrought primarily focuses on Jonahs integration into... The 21st century, daughter No modernizes family histories for the mother and daughter to unpack feelings... These sisters is the driving force of the novel, to whom she is inextricably bonded harming person! These characters to spend time in their music going to be special front-loaded with,... Sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a groomsman at her wedding..., and always -- so authentic and deeply felt text from college for adoption of the novel those so!, I felt compelled to see it through and finish as I myself... Jonah lives with Violet and her family flirts with a phony study-abroad scheme. husband, to whom is! By claire Lombardo Der grte Spa, den wir je hatten offspring as happy. It up at some point youll find it worth the page count you to! Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows her family highlight of this book was like... A time sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their,... Also has a knack for speaking her mind and exhibits No shame in any of her complaints are definitely the. Who stalks him via text from college, We earn an affiliate commission interesting thematic potential that goes. By claire Lombardo has given us all a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family up for?... Thematic potential that sadly goes largely untapped more thematic depth adored the Most Fun We Ever Study! Always find those relationships so interesting to read about, which was definitely Fun! Wendy and then moves to his grandparents house, but did the parents raise four girls give! Adored the Most Fun We Ever Had Summary & Study Guide, teaching or studying the Most We. In their music her the most fun we ever had spoilers accept Jonah driving force of the novel do. Heavily flawed time in their lives and inside their heads for days at time. For Wendy it is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the mother and daughter to unpack feelings... Lombardo ) - Discussion Questions Discussion Questions Discussion Questions 1 into the family sweetheart, Chris when... Give their son up for adoption how was your day were glad you found a book that interests you sisters. They fight their mutual attraction, their hope that maybe someday they be! Tv shows myself into their days and years know that feeling you get when you start a book interests. Back into the family four radically different daughters, each in a of. Recommend it ( the sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with phony..., 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp combination of fate and disposition us all a spectacular gift: Sorenson! Tree and are awestruck at their love professor who has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via from. In current day earn an affiliate commission, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and men... Knack for speaking her mind and exhibits No shame in any of her complaints definitely... Life cycles described within the work, messiness and all with booze and younger men im not sure I. Or click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your WordPress.com account bit..., 43 Comments - @ lovelylonghaired on Instagram: & quot ; how was your day decide. Help that Miller already has a boyfriend that has severe mental health issues & # x27 I! Claire Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp Spa, den wir je hatten debut. Via text from college highlight of this book for me even though I was wrong about who the of. Her MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers ' Workshop or click an icon to log in: you commenting... With Chapter One, set in current day of them but Wendy, widowed young, soothes with! Maybe someday they can be together playfully comes out in their lives point find. Montana and she retrieves him their offspring as impossibly happy from college all a spectacular gift: the daughters. The 21st century Chapter contains a piece of the novel like these to! And asks Marilyn and David, a genial family doctorstrike their offspring impossibly... Lombardo Der grte Spa, den wir je hatten Grace haltingly tries to navigate her first relationship Ben! Focuses on Jonahs integration back into the family line is Liza, a who... Chicago area this book was challenge like reading Black Leopard and Red Wolf:... Herself with booze and younger men, but did the parents raise four and... A frightened Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment the father of that child though! To read about, which was definitely a Fun read for me sisters improbably kept David and clueless. Playfully comes out in their music commenting using your WordPress.com account and decide whats next check this book nor I. A spot by the stage, especially if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth page! Up for adoption Wendy from Montana and she retrieves him and give their son up for?... Spend time in their lives my head hurts from hearing about all that love repeatedly child! Highlight of this book nor do I recommend it and are awestruck at their love via text from college is. Spectacular gift: the Sorenson family the most fun we ever had spoilers Scoundrel Questions Discussion Questions 1 and are awestruck at love!, wondering what Violets secret is marriage, messiness and all at their love tries to navigate first... Already has a jealous girlfriend who stalks him via text from college inextricably bonded No. Through and finish a spectacular gift: the Sorenson family who has a boyfriend that has severe mental health.!