Imagine a perfectly crafted mash-up of LITTLE WOMEN and THE CORRECTIONS. Marilyn and David Sorenson are two such people, and their four daughters Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace are simultaneously spellbound by them and over it. I was aware that An American Marriage won last year, but I didnt know it was up against a lot of pretty strong works. Order our The Most Fun We Ever Had Study Guide, teaching or studying The Most Fun We Ever Had. Courtesy of HBO. Still, it was indeed very readable! 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. This is a emotionally engaging read, if overlong, well written, with great character development, and which resonates in its detailed and often realistic depiction of family life and dynamics. I dont like to think that the author is being ignorant, but there are other books Ive read where I seriously just wasnt sure. Then all of a sudden in the last 100 pages, Violet accepts Jonah, apologizes to him and and everything is fine and dandy. 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). She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. Lastly, I sincerely hope you have a good day! Wendy offers to take in Jonah, but the two hid the pregnancy from their parents so they must tell David and Marilyn about Jonah. April 15, 2000. Essentially what the book is exploring is that all four daughters have these huge life struggles theyre hiding from their parents and each other because they hold the parents marriage up as the golden standard and dont want to be seen as failing to live up to that model. Yet, I felt compelled to see it through and finish. Still getting used to this book reviewing deal. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. That's awesome! All Rights Reserved. NOT to say that anyone who doesnt know what they want to do isnt seen as struggling. Magazine Subscribers (How to Find Your Reader Number), Mantel, Woodson on Womens Prize Longlist. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Most Fun We Ever Had. She makes you want to yell at the book and throw across the room. Brilliant review, Emily! Lombardos character-driven, eventful, tumultuous, witty, serious, gregarious, tragic, and infectious domestic dramady of a big Chicago family kept me fastened to the pages of this big, buoyant book. Instead, there are plenty of life events. I had no idea why Lombardo decided this family saga needs to be 500+ pages. Claire Lombardo, 2019. 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. That said, the characters are not immune to the human condition. I can't say enough how much I couldn't stand Wendy especially followed by Violet. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. How do gingkoes function as a symbol in the book? Into this churn, Lombardo adds cancer, infidelity, a heart attack, another unplanned pregnancy, a stillbirth, and an office crush for David. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. The ruthless competitiveness between these sisters is the driving force of the novel. David is trying to adjust to retirement, while Marilyn has become the owner of a hardware shop. RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014. Every chapter contains a piece of the pie that you must consume. I am calling it this book will win all of the awards. You will never not be entertained. 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. We picked entirely on the icons, and they went against type. . 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. 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! My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. It made me laugh, made me cry and made me angry. Ehhhhh.. Why arent people writing great stories in fewer pages?! Here it is in writing, in January of 2019, and I can't wait to look back on this and know how right I was. In that case, you might really enjoy this one! It does seem like a rather safe and repetitive set, as a whole. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). But this was the thing: sometimes being a sister meant knowing the right thing to do and still not doing it because winning was more important. Doubleday, 2019. Where to start this book was amazing in so many different ways. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. HOWEVER, Violet was completely rude and hostile towards Jonah. The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. ", Wendy is a terrific character: caustic, tough, difficult, flawed, self-destructive, bitingly funny and ultimately sympathetic. 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.) 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. EX-FENCING COACH AND HARVARD PARENT ACQUITTED OF BRIBERY CHARGES. . I think of Grace as the color gray. Change). (The sisters improbably kept David and Marilyn clueless with a phony study-abroad scheme.) Violet is the character I wanted to slap. I do think its appropriate for authors to include characters that are not P.C. 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. Ahhhh, I see. Great review! This is a character driven story of a present day family on the north shore of Chicago. If youre looking for fascinating character dynamics and the questionable choices of wealthy folk rather than a lit prize masterpiece, I think this could be a decent read. I love domestic fiction, especially ones that examine marriages, sibling rivalries, and socioeconomically differences. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. 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. I hope that if you pick it up at some point youll find it worth the page count! I just finished this and am already missing the Sorenson family. characters the right way, I did think she failed to dig into the criticisms enough to make them strong themes in the book, which definitely explains to me how readers arent tolerating those moments well, whether they see the purpose behind them or not. 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. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. The oldest daughter is an erratic alcoholic racked with grief; the second is a control freak who doesn't want to meet the son she put up for adoption 15 years ago; the next is pregnant and falling. Morgan felt obligated to marry her high school sweetheart, Chris, when she got pregnant with their daughter, Clara. 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. Despite their wealth, there is a plethora of more relatable issues: accidental pregnancies, eating disorders, cheating, stagnant communication the list could go on. October 15, 2019 11:00am. Voracious reader and reviewer Wendy has asked to meet Violet for lunch but much to Violets shock and horror, Wendy is sitting at a table with Violets adopted son whom she gave up at birth. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridges friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. 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. Everyone got a completely different character, which you wouldn't necessarily have had if you had just picked "whoever I retired for". They're capable of coming to each other's rescue, but not dependably. Beneath it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents. Books by Claire Lombardo 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.When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come. 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. Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world. This Study Guide consists of approximately 52pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - ", 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. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Thanks! The Offspring. Liza gets pregnant and appears to follow in Violets footsteps. 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. Ooh nope, its one of the four girls who gives a son up for adoption, hes a grandson of the girls parents! 876 Likes, 43 Comments - @lovelylonghaired on Instagram: "How was YOUR day? By 2016, their four radically . ISBN-13: 9780385544252. The author hinted that the child's mother had sex with someone another sister would find upsetting. 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 . Back to reviews with another Womens Prize longlist title! Four Chicago sisters anchor a sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt. It is a stellar. The ruthless competitiveness between these sisters is the driving force of the novel. 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. Overarching it all is the unusually ardent connection between Marilyn and David Sorenson. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. 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. 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. Need to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but i need like... The Sorenson family between Marilyn and David Sorenson: caustic, tough, difficult, flawed, self-destructive bitingly. Of the four girls who gives a son up for adoption, hes a grandson of the four girls gives., difficult, flawed, self-destructive, bitingly funny and ultimately sympathetic Instagram: & quot ; How your... 876 Likes, 43 Comments - @ lovelylonghaired on Instagram: & quot ; was. One scene that comes late in the book and throw across the room really makes LITTLE sense and only. 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