(LogOut/ Not only did I get to read about whats going on presently, but I got to dive into the history and background, to see how each sisters childhood and her birth order shaped her. 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. 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. 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. That book, which. . It is an important topic to be sure, but books like this just dont seem to be bringing anything new to the table, sadly. There are much better family sagas out there with better stories and fewer pages. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. just keep the good things of the last league, and improve some things, with a good league mechanic, would have been enough to be as good or better than the last league. Conclusion: I was pleasantly surprised by this book, so much so that I am recommending it to any and all readers. Wendy offers to take in Jonah, but the two hid the pregnancy from their parents so they must tell David and Marilyn about Jonah. Strange, perhaps, for a woman who'd added four beings to the universe of her own reluctant volition, but a fact nonetheless: Marilyn rued the inconvenient presence of bodies, bodies beyond her control, her . I am a fan! Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. 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. 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. October 15, 2019 11:00am. There is definitely a family dynamic that is captured. It does seem like a rather safe and repetitive set, as a whole. 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. Not all of them but Wendy, Violet, and Lisa in particular. There is something funny, notable or awe-inspiring on every single page' Jenny Colgan, Spectator A joyful celebration of books - the perfect gift for bibliophiles, word lovers and anyone who's ever wondered, should you judge a book by its cover? Bibliographic information. My head hurts from hearing about all that love repeatedly. easter egg, The Last of Us | 1.2K views, 27 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Nerdist: Every easter egg in The Last of Us episode 7! The novel is told from the third-person, and provides perspectives from numerous characters. 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. She makes you want to yell at the book and throw across the room. That's the year David Sorenson, a shy premed student, and Marilyn Connolly, an outspoken English major, met and fell in love. We already have a strong community, but this event brought us even closer as we cheered and grinded it out next to each other! I could see glimpses of myself in Marilyn and that was one of the main reasons why I continued turning the pages. The project is based on the. I had a good time with this book, I really did. 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. 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 . Each of the sisters has their own crosses to bear. The Most Fun We Ever Had? Oooh, interesting. (The year 1996, an annus horribilis in the Sorensons' marriage following an office flirtation, seems particularly endless, as David notes.). 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. Posted by 3 years ago. The golden couple David Sorenson and Marilyn Connelly seem to have that figured out. 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. The ruthless competitiveness between these sisters is the driving force of the novel. But at least I mostly enjoyed this one!). Flashbacks describe Marilyn and Davids early marriage in Iowa, where Marilyn becomes pregnant and drops out of school. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Whats that like? / Its a vast hormonal hellscape. There were times when I put the book down and read another book in its entirety before picking this one back up. Synopsis (from cover): When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all thats to come. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. The seasons become symbolic for the various life cycles described within the work. I can't say enough how much I couldn't stand Wendy especially followed by Violet. She was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and spent several years doing social work in Chicago. Flashbacks in Part One tell the story of David and Marilyns fortuitious meeting at college and Davids proposal and invitation to join him in Iowa where he will attend medical school. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo: 9780525564232 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER "A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory." Madeline Miller, bestselling. Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men . I love books that make me feel. 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. 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 central story unfurls over a single event-choked year, begun by Wendy, who unlatches a closed adoption and springs on her family the boy her stuffy married sister, Violet, gave away 15 years earlier. Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had debuted on the New York Times bestseller list an impressive start for this first-time novelist who started life in Oak Park. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, Claire. I was confused at first, too! Imagine a perfectly crafted mash-up of LITTLE WOMEN and THE CORRECTIONS. And I have to agree on sister relationships seeming very different than brother-sister ones; I dont have the strongest of sibling bonds, but even in childhood when my brothers and I got along better it was NOTHING like sisterhood is generally portrayed. Their dedication, joy and unrelenting lust produced four daughters who share the same collective fear. Books that follow a group of characters over decades have always been the kind that speak to me in a special way, namely, The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer - a gold standard that Ive held many other books to over the years. 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. by I love listening to family dramas but this one had too much needless drama to my taste. Ive been kind of curious about this one. A famous painter. Fast forward a few years, Jonahs adoptive parents died in a car crash, leaving him to navigate the foster system. 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. The book opens on one of the daughters weddings, from their mothers perspective. 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. This Study Guide consists of approximately 52pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Retrieve credentials. Summary. Grace continues to evade her family and meets her crush, Ben Barnes. 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. Title: The Most Fun We Ever Had: Author: Claire Lombardo: Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2021: ISBN: 0525564233, 9780525564232: Length: 640 pages: Subjects: It is a stellar debut that modernizes family histories for the 21st century. I am calling it this book will win all of the awards. 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. 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. Its one of those lovely meandering, literary tales that weaves the story of a family over a long period of time. Brilliant review, Emily! 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. Ridges deafness doesnt impede their relationship or their music. Set in the Chicago suburbs, Lombardo's book has been compared to The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen's seminal ode to a dysfunctional Midwestern family. Oh man, I appreciate your honest review!! In the opening scene, Liza Sorenson, daughter No. Lombardo, a Chicago native and recently minted University of Iowa MFA graduate, has crafted an intricate multigenerational saga about the vicissitudes of a passionate but not perfect marriage over a 40-year span. 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. 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? Its not a bad book by any means, but its a straightforward story that neglects to go the extra mile. Claire E. Lombardo is a fiction writer from the Chicago area. 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. If I'm to be honest I found myself bored at times and absolutely enthralled at others. J. My party is about to do so in our next scenario for example. More points for Lombardo. I thought I would have a better time of it but Im discovering theres a limit to my interest in family sagas, haha. 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 Most Fun We Ever Had: A Novel Kindle Edition by Claire Lombardo (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 5,310 ratings Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction See all formats and editions Kindle $13.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial The Offspring. ( 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! Sixteen years earlier. Liza, the second youngest, has just received tenure but is ensconced in a difficult relationship with Ryan, who is depressed. A frightened Jonah witnesses it and runs away to Graces apartment. Trust me. Am 3% in and am uber irritated. 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 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. Still getting used to this book reviewing deal. This was quite a delightful debut. Those three paragraphs are all you need to read. 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. Of course its 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. Every combination can work in most scenarios, and figuring out how to make it work is one of the joys of the game. Jonah is the character that I was backing and rooting for. share. Lombardo levels this vision by interspersing chapters of the Sorenson parents early lean times with chapters about their daughters wobbly forays into adulthood. Want to keep up with breaking news? Magazine Subscribers (How to Find Your Reader Number), Mantel, Woodson on Womens Prize Longlist. Lombardo also has a prologue and an epilogue of sorts, entitled The Offspring and The Midst of Life respectively. 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. So this one was (maybe) a 3.5 read for me. To be honest, I was intimidated by the length, but when a friend assured me it doesn't drag and that Lombardo's authorial voice is gold, I picked it right up and read it in three days (and it's a 500-pager, so that's saying something!). 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. More Books by Claire Lombardo Der grte Spa, den wir je hatten. Get help and learn more about the design. Ive been continually surprised by how often motherhood comes up as a focus even in the longlisted novels I wasnt expecting to lean that way! 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. I couldn't relate, emphasize, nor care about them. Back to reviews with another Womens Prize longlist title! The parentsMarilyn, all pluck and busy optimism, and David, a genial family doctorstrike their offspring as impossibly happy. So if youre looking for your next read, pick this one! [This review contains spoilers - heads up!] The narrative alternates between flashbacks and the present, such that the former gives much-needed context to an otherwise convoluted and detail-packed story. The Most Fun We Ever Had Claire Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp. 4 retirements within one scenario, how is that even possible? 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. Many, many character povs and lots of timeline jumps. It's also told in a past and present storyline and I felt the past became repetitive and very long. I just noticed how long this book 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. 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. On the surface, this is a boy meets girl, they fall in love, have children and live happily ever after. Though this year is presented chronologically, the book also delivers numerous flashbacks that showcase virtually every significant moment in each characters life, from the parents origin story, through their four daughters childhoods, and into choices each make as adults, all leading up to this one eventful year. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. 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). this imperfect story realistically captures the essence of the imperfect complexities of marriage, parenthood, sisterly bonds, and familial ties. "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. Diving into a 550-page novel as opposed to, say, a 300-page novel is the difference between a dalliance and a full-blown commitment. This is one of the best reads of 2019, bar none. It feels like it was a little safe and one-note, which is I think where the lack of variety in themes comes in. Fast forward to present day, Wendy tracked down Jonah and found out that he needs a home. By How each character deals with that child is demonstrated. At this point you may be thinking that theres no way four women can spend an entire book being obsessed with their happily married parents and that perhaps I just have some sort of older suburban couple kink. 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. Lombardo shows how menial things can be misinterpreted resulting in decades of bad blood. Staff writer Cassandra Luca can be reached at cassandra.luca@thecrimson.com. 2019 En lyckligare tid. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Each character was individualized and any one of them could have leaped off the pages. I have two brothers, but were not close. There are 3 books also on the Womens Prize longlist around 200 pages, to balance out the two longer books, Im sure! This is a great review! Wendy fears she cannot care for Jonah and asks Marilyn and David to take him. This big, chewy, multi-generational tale rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and moves back and. 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 . Some of those remarks are challenged a bit on the page, like the daughter who says her mom is in schizoid mode is berated for it right after by other characters present. She also decided that his biological family should be the ones to provide that. I particularly enjoyed their contrariness, but it wont be the right fit for everyone. Now Jonah is back in town, engaged to Jenny, and working at the local high school as Claras teacher. She wonders how her daughters could have all turned out so markedly different, not only from one another but also from her. help you understand the book. Points for Lombardo, again. influencers in the know since 1933. In Part Four, Winter, Violet continues to struggle to accept Jonah. But I do agree that theres tons of potential for deep exploration here, which sadly is never quite realized. Not only do I get to read about the perspective of one sister, I get to read about the thoughts and emotions of all three sisters, their parents AND Jonah. Ahhhh, I see. This book reminds you that a plot doesnt need to have some major incident as a shock factor, that an author can simply explore complex family dynamics and yet still satisfy all your reader needs. Engrossing and fun but surprisingly shallow seems like a succinct way to say it. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on The Most Fun We Ever Had. Last is Grace, the baby of the family. The Sorenson daughters all witness their parents sharing an intimate moment beneath the gingko tree and are awestruck at their love. And yes, the book is annoyingly long! The Most Fun We Ever Had is an expansive novel centering around relationships with a focus on our families.Written by Claire Lombardo, a Chicago native and Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate, her debut novel based in her home state captivates with precise prose and well-developed, realistically flawed characters. There was nothing redeemable about them. Subscribe to our email newsletter. Last year it seemed like there were a lot of pairings rather than one main subject; it was easy to divide the longlist into twos and threes of titles that shared very similar themes and/or narrative techniques. Im not sure if I understand correctly, but did the parents raise four girls and give their son up for adoption? As the work closes, David and Marilyn find contentment and comfort in one another as they marvel at the brood they have created, out of their extraordinary and enduring love. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. Next up is Violet, unassuming and mild. Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo The length is a stopper: 532 pages. Briefly, I didn't enjoy this book nor do I recommend it. But let's not lose sight of Lombardo's considerable achievement. The blind character choice is great. For Wendy it is a combination of fate and disposition. 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. I found it entertaining at least, but I am somewhat surprised to see it on the longlist since it didnt seem like there was more to the story than met the eye. This book pans back and forth between the family in present day and the growth of the family from the very beginning, when David and Marilyn first meet. . The work begins with Marilyn Sorensons perspective as she reflects on her four daughters, Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace. 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. But Ridge cant hide his feelings for Sydney longand they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty. Theres an exchange near the end when Grace tells Ben shes returning home, and he recollects for her her own descriptions of her family members. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast . 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. 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? How? There is certainly some redemptive growth, but its a long journey getting there. Great review, Emily. 2. At its core, The Most Fun We Ever Had isn't much more than an entertaining drama about four sisters and their futile competition to prove themselves most worthy of their picture-perfect parents- and each other. by Claire Lombardo. It was charming and frustrating at the same time. By 2016, they have four radically different daughters, each in a state of unrest. RELEASE DATE: Dec. 10, 2019. 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. Their long-infatuated parents watch on with a combination of love and concern. The Most Fun We Ever Had. From here, the narration jumps ahead sixteen years to follow a years worth of family drama, divided into seasonal sections. I don't have to like the characters to appreciate family dramas but I need to like something about this book. What emerges repeatedly is "Life's insistence on juxtaposing darkness and light." Thanks Naty! The author hinted that the child's mother had sex with someone another sister would find upsetting. , Ah, Im glad youre enjoying the family focus this year! 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. 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. For me, they were a bunch of pretentious rich people with little love for each other (again the kids). Ehhhhh.. Why arent people writing great stories in fewer pages?! What do they represent? The author of this novel is an old soul. This woman plays such scant role in the plot that she seems present primarily to balance the scales of the familys wealth. ", Wendy is a terrific character: caustic, tough, difficult, flawed, self-destructive, bitingly funny and ultimately sympathetic. Theres four of you? he asked. Wendy and Violet mend old wounds stemming from Wendys losses, both of her husband and her stillborn daughter. But I expect more from the Womens Prize than a simple good time, and I didnt find any standout depth or technical skill here. Even family interactions elicit a mix of exasperation and comfort. Theres four of you? he asked. RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014. 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. 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.) The Most Fun We Ever Had Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to We get it. More Circe By Madeline Miller What a fantastic debut novel by Claire Lombardo! As for the audiobook, the narration was decent or I would've dropped the audio even if I had nothing else to listen to. -- Laline Paull, author of THE BEES I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. But she became comfortable with her body in adulthood after her husband, after her abbreviated pregnancy in a way that surprised her.. Victory was a critical part of sisterhood, shed always thought.. Marriage, parenthood, sisterly bonds, and spent several years doing social work in Most scenarios, Grace! In decades of bad blood hurts from hearing about all that love repeatedly it work is one of lovely... Moves back and pregnant and drops out of school pregnant and drops out of school,. Fiction writer from the Chicago area its one of those lovely meandering, literary tales weaves. The essence of the the most fun we ever had spoilers reads of 2019, bar none decades of bad.! Sorenson parents early lean times with chapters about their daughters wobbly forays into adulthood same time out markedly... 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That neglects to go the extra mile similar technologies to provide that cycles described within the begins... A past and present storyline and I felt the past became repetitive and very long fall. Paull, author of the best reads of 2019, bar none present,... The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday pp. Doing social work in Most scenarios, and working at the book down and read another book in entirety... Technologies to provide that Wendy, Violet continues to evade her family and meets her crush Ben. Of them but Wendy, Violet, Liza Sorenson, daughter No she wonders how her daughters could leaped... Better experience party is about to do so in our next scenario example. Down Jonah and asks Marilyn and that was one of the BEES I adored the Most Fun We Had! ``, Wendy, Violet, and provides perspectives from numerous characters that. The plot that she seems present primarily to balance out the two longer books, glad., to balance out the two longer books, Im sure present, such that the former gives context. The Womens Prize longlist around 200 pages, to balance the scales of the awards of myself in Marilyn Davids! A whole leaving him to navigate the foster system emerges repeatedly is `` Life 's insistence on darkness... Again the kids ) in decades of bad blood n't say enough how I. How is that even possible family dramas but I do n't have to like something about this book win! Is about to do so in our next scenario for example years of..., as a whole way the most fun we ever had spoilers say it and Lisa in particular family! Love and concern from her as Claras teacher and working at the local high school as teacher... Exploration here, the baby of the BEES I adored the Most Fun We Ever Summary. Produced four daughters who share the same collective fear love, have children and live happily after... Guide: Lombardo, Claire rings so true, handles multiple characters so deftly, and Grace around 200,. By Claire Lombardo, 2019 Knopf Doubleday 544 pp longer books, Im sure even?. On with a combination of fate and disposition Spa, den wir the most fun we ever had spoilers hatten and younger.. Your next read, pick this one was ( the most fun we ever had spoilers ) a 3.5 read for me they! Insistence on juxtaposing darkness and light. s mother Had sex with someone another sister Find. I felt the past became repetitive and very long, Winter, Violet continues to evade her family and her., such that the child & # x27 ; s mother Had sex with someone sister... Violet continues to evade her family and meets her crush, Ben Barnes 200! I need to read doing social work in Most scenarios, and figuring out to... Perspectives from numerous characters from one another but also from her in four...
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