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 The Sorenson daughters all witness their parents sharing an intimate moment beneath the gingko tree and are awestruck at their love. This definitely read like a telenovela in book form for me. Its a love story, its a coming of age story, its a generational story, and yet despite everything the book encompasses, its primary purpose seems to be entertainment. The author of this novel is an old soul. But she became comfortable with her body in adulthood after her husband, after her abbreviated pregnancy in a way that surprised her.. But Ridges lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. From this glimpse alone the reader can see that there is plenty of interest going on beneath the surface of this happy family, though we soon come to learn that their mother doesnt know half of it. Lets start with Wendy, the eldest daughter. 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. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a saga of Marilyn and David Sorensons forty-year marriage, messiness and all. Fast forward to present day, Wendy tracked down Jonah and found out that he needs a home. DNF 55%. Definitely a bit longer than it needs to be, though it wasnt a slog for me. Voracious reader and reviewer Theres four of you? he asked. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. 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. Great review! Many ways. I was confused at first, too! Brilliant review, Emily! But despite the thorough setup, the books commentary barely dips below the surface of the expected. Their problems and lives were full of needless drama and issues. -- Laline Paull, author of THE BEES I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. I read Everything I Never Told You this year and I really liked it although the characters were heavily flawed. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. From here, the narration jumps ahead sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections. Colleen Hoover The main action of this notably apolitical, all-white, all-straight novel takes place over four seasons, beginning in the spring of 2016 which finds just about every member of the Sorenson family in turmoil. Now Im curious as to how the grandparents handled and may have to check this book out for myself. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com. A frightened Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment. However, compared to her sisters struggles, Grace is not quite on the same level. Instead, there are plenty of life events. Newcomer Lombardo brews all seven deadly sins into a fun and brimming tale of an unapologetically bougie couple and their unruly daughters. Categories: FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP, by I dont have a sister, myself. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Click to see spoiler. Order our The Most Fun We Ever Had Study Guide, teaching or studying The Most Fun We Ever Had. Were glad you found a book that interests you! FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. Title: The Most Fun We Ever Had: Author: Claire Lombardo: Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2021: ISBN: 0525564233, 9780525564232: Length: 640 pages: Subjects: LITERARY FICTION | 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. There is definitely a family dynamic that is captured. To make it extra easy for you . Gloomhaven is a cooperative game of tactical combat, battling monsters and advancing a player's own individual goals in a persistent and changing world that is played over many game sessions. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Claire Lombardo is the next Kingsolver. 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. In Part Two, Summer, Jonah moves in with Wendy to find that she is grieving the loss of her husband, and copes with alcohol and promiscuity. Based on Claire Lombardo's 2019 novel of the same name, "The Most Fun We Ever Had" follows four sisters, each struggling to exist in the shadow of their parents' idyllic marriage, whose. Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had probably won't be the most fun you'll ever have (I hope not, for your sake), but it's a wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels. Basically, a book with loads of potential to explore something interesting, but doesnt go there? That child, Jonah, the returned observer of this cloistered world, is as fascinated by David and Marilyns love as their daughters. The ruthless competitiveness between these sisters is the driving force of the novel. I had this in a queue at my library but I may press on with others I want to read first! Instead, I found this story engrossing and fun, but surprisingly shallow. Sixteen years earlier. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. This thread is archived. Want to keep up with breaking news? Ryan leaves Liza. 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! More Circe By Madeline Miller On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. Beneath it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, Claire. Petersons eight original songs flesh out Sydneys lyrics with a good mix of moody musical styles: Living a Lie has the drama of a Coldplay piano ballad, while the chorus of Maybe Someday marches to the rhythm of the Lumineers. But if it still appeals despite that deeper level of nuance, I would recommend giving it a try. 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. Engrossing and fun but surprisingly shallow seems like a succinct way to say it. Also, nothing was happening for me. The Most Fun We've Ever Had (Spoiler Free) spoiler. But at least I mostly enjoyed this one!). It is a stellar. Thanks Naty! All Rights Reserved. hide. RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. Back to reviews with another Womens Prize longlist title! This is how Lombardo pulls at your heart strings. The outside world barely enters into the cosseted lives of the Sorensons. 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. So if youre looking for your next read, pick this one! Magazine Subscribers (How to Find Your Reader Number), Mantel, Woodson on Womens Prize Longlist. Im not sure if I understand correctly, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption? Lombardo has the remarkable ability to delve into people's minds so deeply that the most quotidian moments become utterly fascinating." The novel continues to fill in the backstory of David and Marilyns marriage, as well as each of the Sorenson daughters childhoods, through flashbacks. A marathon of instability and hair products. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel. 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 . 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. If cars are often considered classics after 25 years, how does that translate to a popular cruise ship that is sailing toward its 25th birthday? Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world. The emotions run high, the conversations run deep, and the relationships ebb and flow with grace. But I expect more from the Womens Prize than a simple good time, and I didnt find any standout depth or technical skill here. 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. I think of Grace as the color gray. 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.". The Most Fun We Ever Had is certainly not boring. When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. 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. FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP. What did last years picks look like? He is a good kid with good morals that makes you laugh. Into this family arrives Jonah, the son Violet had given birth to and then had adopted, whose presence is much needed by the family as can be seen in the impact he has. Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. Colleen Hoover There were so many great contenders on the longlist last year that I wouldve loved to see win above An American Marriage, even though AAM was a 4-star read for me. " The Most Fun We Ever Had is a remarkable first-time novel offering such an intimate picture of people's interior lives I feel as if every one of these characters is now a close friend. Yes, Violet was not my favorite character, but I appreciated how Lombardo portrayed her because it made me feel. Her capacious novel also encompasses the "vast hormonal hellscape" the couple has spawned four cattily close, constantly sparring grown daughters trying to figure out their place in the world as they measure themselves against their mother and each other. If all of Lombardos future writing reach such a sprawl, however, we may (unfortunately) have to wait a while for her next novel. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I love domestic fiction, especially ones that examine marriages, sibling rivalries, and socioeconomically differences. 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. Ah, I saw Fatmas review a couple days ago as well. There are quite a few books on this years Womens Prize longlist that look at family, parenthood, and marriage, but The Most Fun We Ever Had stands out as the ultimate family saga. At times, it feels as though there are too many details, too many implausible things that go wrong, tied up with all-too-convenient deus ex machinas. Part One, Spring, begins with Chapter One, set in current day. 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. Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Claras teacher. Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. Liza, the second youngest, has just received tenure but is ensconced in a difficult relationship with Ryan, who is depressed. Oh, jeez. Reading this book was challenge like reading Black Leopard and Red Wolf! Press J to jump to the feed. We get it. 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? The project is based on the. Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc. His foster parents are moving abroad so Wendy is hoping Violet might take him in. They are a healthy, but imperfect family of four daughters, who are all jockeying for their place in the world. 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