3, flirts with a groomsman at her sister's wedding. Used Hardcover Ships in 1 to 3 days Qty Store; 1: Cedar Hills: Synopses & Reviews Synopsis "Everything about this brilliant debut cuts deep: the humor, the wisdom, the pathos. “I missed you,” he said into her clavicle. The upside of this is that Lombardo’s sense of drama is evocative and riveting. But here’s 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. “Sweetheart,” she said, worried. "—The New York Times Book Review"Ambitious and brilliantly written. Members save with free shipping everyday! But Ms. Lombardo manages to keep all the balls in the air. As the novel moves through the tumultuous year following the arrival of Jonah Bendt--given up by one of the daughters in a closed adoption fifteen years before--we are shown the rich and varied tapestry of the Sorensons' past: years marred by adolescence, infidelity, and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile. Read "The Most Fun We Ever Had A Novel" by Claire Lombardo available from Rakuten Kobo.
I’m surprised I haven’t heard any murmurs about Ann Patchett’s new book Dutch House. Characters flip between bottomless self-regard and pitiless self-loathing while, as late as the second-to-last chapter, yet another pleasurable tendril of sisterly malice uncurls. Thus begins a story bristling with a particular kind of female intel.
With the arrival of Jonah Bendta child placed for adoption by one of the daughters fifteen years beforethe Sorensons will be forced to reckon with the rich and varied tapestry of their past: years marred by adolescent angst, infidelity, and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile. The big family secret is revealed almost immediately in Claire Lombardo’s engrossing debut novel, “The Most Fun We Ever Had,” which connects four decades in the lives of the Sorensons of Oak Park, Chicago. His books have had great success in this country, particularly The Cairo Trilogy.
Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo. It was strange to have to share her parents with others this weekend, to have her sisters back around the house on Fair Oaks. Set around Chicago right?
Lombardo is intent upon exploring as much as she can about the Sorensons’ lives — the chapters alternate between present and past. Her retort: "It's a vast hormonal hellscape. Note: I received a copy of this book from Doubleday (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. But here’s 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. Books of 2017A Harper's Bazaar Best Book of 2017This year’s best book about family. One of her techniques is almost continuous dialogue, and the Sorensons aren’t typical reticent Midwesterners. Click or Press Enter to view the items in your shopping bag or Press Tab to interact with the Shopping bag tooltip. Though it doesn’t seem like much fun — they’re considerate and selfish in equal measure, they do things for one another without mentioning it and then stab one another in the back — it’s theirs.
The outside world barely enters into the cosseted lives of the Sorensons ... Of course it’s not the responsibility of every novel to wrestle with cultural shifts, with politics and war, but the near total absence of even a whiff of non-Sorenson-related events over 40 years and 500-plus pages must be a conscious choice. Auto Suggestions are available once you type at least 3 letters.
Do you think the way Wendy surprised Violet with Jonah was ethical?
The Most Fun We Ever Had is a gorgeous and profound debut.”—Margot Livesey, author of Mercury “Remarkably alive and wise, Claire Lombardo's story of the Sorensons is a stunning visionnot just of family or love, but the funny, tender mystery of human connection itself, with all its intensity, charm, and wonder.”—Affinity Konar, author of Mischling“Lombardo has a wry, often spiky humour and tightly written style that should appeal to fans of Maria Semple, Emma Straub and Jennifer Egan…A moving, immersive, often very funny study of family and sisterhood.” —Times UK, DEBUT Lombardo's first novel focuses on three generations of the Sorenson family, whose lives are upended by the arrival of Jonah. Unfortunately, the author's attempt to flesh out these tropes makes the story bloated and overstuffed. Claire Lombardo writes like she's been doing it for a hundred years, and like she's been alive for a thousand." 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.
What a debut! But she felt herself smiling a little at Wendy, at oblivious Wendy getting grass stains on her satin train. 4. Great review, adding to my TBR! That is how straightforward and realistic Lombardo’s depiction of her characters is — you could eavesdrop on them or look into their windows, and this is, in many ways, Lombardo’s singular achievement in her debut novel.
Combining a broad thematic canvas with impressive emotional nuance, it’s an assured and highly enjoyable debut.”—The Guardian “An assured first novel…The fun—well, that’s in the reading of the novel, which nicely blends comedy with pathos and the sharp- with the soft-edged.” —Wall Street Journal “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. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. How he came first—she’d later felt him dripping out of her, when they climbed back into the front seat—and then made her, with a deft attention to detail, come as well, for the first time in her life. Longlisted for the Women's Prize for FictionWhen Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that awaits them. Their dedication, joy and unrelenting lust produced four daughters who share the same collective fear. 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. I was a little daunted by the length but ended up toting it around with me everywhere just to catch a few pages wherever possible. These pages sparkle with wit and wisdom. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, 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. And yet, today: a hundred-odd near strangers in her backyard, humans in motion, staying in motion, formally clad; tipsy celebrants of the union of her eldest daughter, Wendy, people who were her responsibility for this evening, when she already had so much on her plate—not literally, for she’d neglected to take advantage of the farm-fresh menu spread over three extra-long card tables, but elementally—four girls for whose presences she was biologically and socially responsible, polka-dotting the lawn in their summer pastels. The daughters find varying degrees of success in their professional lives but fail to find the passion and romance that their parents continue to have in their own marriage. “I need a minute, Goose.” * Grace moved off. I hope you give it a try RK. Spanning nearly 50 years and over 500 pages that flew by, Lombardo delivers to us the Sorenson family with all their triumphs and failures. Lombardo’s impressive debut follows the Sorenson clan—physician David, wife Marilyn, and their four daughters: Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace—through the 1970s to 2017. Does that play a part?
It was a guest from Miles’s side, possibly someone’s real estate broker, a silicone goblin of a woman. writer.
The fruits of her womb, implanted repeatedly by the sweetness of her husband, who was currently nowhere to be found. It came out sounding kind of hostile. Why do you think the author made this choice? When she means to shock or frighten the reader, she does. Their social lives and societal awareness are essentially nonexistent; even the characters’ jobs exist only as places where they might meet a potential marital interloper. Claire Lombardo … You Save 10%.
Every year, it’s the same thing: the Venn diagram of challenged books and those written by authors from marginalized and underrepresented communities collapse into a single circle... Indiespensable 88: A Girl Is a Body of Water, 20% Off Essays and Memoirs by Black Authors, Find Your Voice, Tell Your Story: Banned Books Week 2020. Completing the quartet is the recently tenured professor Liza, whose own crumbling relationship is constantly falling short of David and Marilyn’s union. Family members each star in their own episode, which makes the book read like television drama, but the pacing of visual storytelling is missing. She rued them now, from her shielded spot beneath the ginkgo tree, where she was hiding from her guests. Since you & Catherine liked it a lot …. “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. by Claire Lombardo. I really love stories about families and how they grow and change over the years. What do you see as the key to their successful and enduring marriage? “What’s that like?” “It’s a vast hormonal hellscape. Lombardo has the remarkable ability to delve into people’s minds so deeply that the most quotidian moments become utterly fascinating." Lombardo captures the complexity of a large family with characters who light up the page with their competition, secrets, and worries. Meanwhile, youngest daughter Grace perpetrates a whopper, and "every day the lie was growing like mold, furring her judgment." I predict you’ll find it high on my list of top books for 2019. It’s all about the characters. 4. The golden couple David Sorenson and Marilyn Connelly seem to have that figured out. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, A professional critic’s assessment of a service, product, performance, or artistic or literary work. I’m glad you liked it, Madeline. The Most Fun We Ever Had is long—really, a bit too long. "Everything about this brilliant debut cuts deep: the humor, the wisdom, the pathos. Perfect time of year to take on a long book.
Claire Lombardo earned her MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.