Fiction

The Latecomer

The Latecomer

  • Downloads：9853
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-14 07:51:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-08
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jean Hanff Korelitz
  • ISBN：0571376908
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

The Oppenheimer triplets have been reared with every advantage: wealth， education， and the determined attention of at least one of their parents。 But they have been desperate to escape each other ever since they were born。 Now， on the verge of their departure for college and so close to their long-coveted freedom， the triplets are forced to contend with an unexpected complication: a fourth Oppenheimer sibling has just been born。 What has possessed their parents to make such an unfathomable decision？ The triplets can't begin to imagine the power this little latecomer is about to exert--or just how destructive she'll be to their plans。。。

Download

Reviews

Emily ，

3。5 stars。 Rich with detail and an engrossing read， just didn’t like any one character enough to really love this book。

Kristin ，

3。5 stars

Miriam Robin ，

The storylines are interesting， the writing excellent， but the stories a bit long。 I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of so many current social， religious， cultural ， and political issues。 The ending is somewhat contrived yet satisfying。

Dani ，

Fictional David Sedaris without the comedy。

Ivonne Rovira ，

Recommended both by The New York Times and The Washington Post's Ron Charles。 How could I not get this book？ Recommended both by The New York Times and The Washington Post's Ron Charles。 How could I not get this book？ 。。。more

Susan ，

Actual rating 2。5 starsThis was a disappointment for me。 I enjoyed three other books by Jean Hanff Korelitz （Admission， You Should Have Known and The Plot） but this one was a slog。 The Oppenheimer triplets don't like each other or their parents。 Their feelings are described ad naseum （so many feelings， so。 many。 words。）。 I added a half star for the dramatic events that occurred on the triplets' 19th birthday。 The book got a little better after that and the triplets showed some growth as adults b Actual rating 2。5 starsThis was a disappointment for me。 I enjoyed three other books by Jean Hanff Korelitz （Admission， You Should Have Known and The Plot） but this one was a slog。 The Oppenheimer triplets don't like each other or their parents。 Their feelings are described ad naseum （so many feelings， so。 many。 words。）。 I added a half star for the dramatic events that occurred on the triplets' 19th birthday。 The book got a little better after that and the triplets showed some growth as adults but it wasn't enough to redeem the other 80% of the book。 。。。more

Wendy ，

I thoroughly enjoyed all parts of The Latecomer。 Triplets are born via IVF and have managed to grow up without any sort of sibling bond or closeness to their parents。 They can’t wait to go off to college to get away from each other。 The mother decides to have a fourth child （the leftover embryo that was not implanted originally）。 This latecomer child grows up with a very different view than that of the triplet siblings。 Korelitz heads each chapter with a title and subtitle that works well to sum I thoroughly enjoyed all parts of The Latecomer。 Triplets are born via IVF and have managed to grow up without any sort of sibling bond or closeness to their parents。 They can’t wait to go off to college to get away from each other。 The mother decides to have a fourth child （the leftover embryo that was not implanted originally）。 This latecomer child grows up with a very different view than that of the triplet siblings。 Korelitz heads each chapter with a title and subtitle that works well to sum up the chapter in advance。 Latecomer is a very solid book that is absolutely worth reading。 4 1/2 rounded up to five stars。 。。。more

Deborah ，

I read The Plot by Korelitz and really enjoyed it。 This was a huge disappointment。 It’s about triplets who grow up in Brooklyn and are joined 18 years later by the sibling that was not implanted with the others。 The characters are wooden and amazingly unreal。 In fact， most of the details are simply unbelievable。 A little bit of research does not excuse the paucity truth。 I wish Goodreads allowed a rating less than one star。

Jana Dickman ，

all goodThe writing， the story and characters， the winding narrative which spans decades and includes topics all the way from art to Mormonism to therapy— what an eclectic， heartfelt， and ultimately uplifting read！ Great themes of family and redemption， and no loose ends。 Just as a novel should be。Thoroughly enjoyed it！

Julie ，

I came close to quitting this book at around page 200 and I'm quite glad I didn't。 There's a lot of what I now would say was set up。 The plot summary on the flap seems a bit misleading。 This begins as a family saga of a wealthy NY family with triplets。 Born around 1984 or so。 Conceived via IVF。 It's an odd family。 To say cold is hardly the half of it。 They're all remote， really。 And they don't like each other。 （This mystifies me， I have to say。 And there isn't a satisfactory explanation for the I came close to quitting this book at around page 200 and I'm quite glad I didn't。 There's a lot of what I now would say was set up。 The plot summary on the flap seems a bit misleading。 This begins as a family saga of a wealthy NY family with triplets。 Born around 1984 or so。 Conceived via IVF。 It's an odd family。 To say cold is hardly the half of it。 They're all remote， really。 And they don't like each other。 （This mystifies me， I have to say。 And there isn't a satisfactory explanation for the characters， at least in my view。） But there is a fourth frozen embryo and fairly late in the story it is thawed and used and produces the fourth sibling， 17 years younger than the triplets。 In the last section of the book she weaves everything together quite nicely。 I found it near riveting。 Hence the four stars。 SO I'd stay stick with it and it's worth a read， even if it isn't perfect。 。。。more

Dodi ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Although I tend to dislike fiction where all the "problems" are neatly solved at the conclusion， I thoroughly enjoyed The Latecomer despite this。 Surprised to find myself laughing out loud at parts， I pictured the story easily and related to a lot of it。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan who did an excellent job。 Although I tend to dislike fiction where all the "problems" are neatly solved at the conclusion， I thoroughly enjoyed The Latecomer despite this。 Surprised to find myself laughing out loud at parts， I pictured the story easily and related to a lot of it。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan who did an excellent job。 。。。more

Smagoo2 ，

I spent a fair amount of time not loving this book （well written， interesting， but full of loathsome cyphers） but about 2/3 into it a newish character took over and I was all in。 So many familiar touch-points in this story， and ultimately， such great satire with a beautifully crafted plot。 It's a nice summer combo of readable + literary。 I spent a fair amount of time not loving this book （well written， interesting， but full of loathsome cyphers） but about 2/3 into it a newish character took over and I was all in。 So many familiar touch-points in this story， and ultimately， such great satire with a beautifully crafted plot。 It's a nice summer combo of readable + literary。 。。。more

Julia ，

DNF

Sarah Ginsberg ，

Another reviewer described this as “a chore” to read， which I think sums it up nicely。 I love a deeply layered family drama， but this one was an absolute slog to get through。 And not sure it was worth it in the end。 Maybe if you’re really into art？

Renee ，

As always， it's such a joy to read Jean Hanff Korelitz。 She packs complexity and sophistication into each story。 This one somehow touched on such myriad topics as hoarding， infertility， 9/11， Mormonism， art collections， biracial friendships， racial passing， progressive education issues， among others -- all within the splendid backdrop of Brooklyn。 My only holdup， as an Type A editor， was the errant timeline of progressive education and resulting culture war issues; I don't think this was on the As always， it's such a joy to read Jean Hanff Korelitz。 She packs complexity and sophistication into each story。 This one somehow touched on such myriad topics as hoarding， infertility， 9/11， Mormonism， art collections， biracial friendships， racial passing， progressive education issues， among others -- all within the splendid backdrop of Brooklyn。 My only holdup， as an Type A editor， was the errant timeline of progressive education and resulting culture war issues; I don't think this was on the educational landscape in 2000-2006。 Even by NYC standards that was jumping the gun on timeline。 。。。more

Allison ，

I was fully prepared to dislike this—it felt a little Franzen-ish （which is not a compliment for me） but I surprisingly really liked it。 It felt readable and interesting， and even the characters I didn’t like still felt compelling enough to keep me reading。

Lela Roby ，

Had I known the subject matter---an extremely dysfunctional family---I would never have started this book。 But by the time I realized what it was about， I was thoroughly engrossed， and compelled to finish。 Many twists and turns of （however unlikely） fate， and a satisfactory conclusion， tied up with a bow。 The fact that it was narrated by one of my favorite presenters， Julia Whelan， enhanced a very well written book even more。 The only disappointment is that it had to end。

Lisa Scheppmann ，

This was a hard book to rate。 Character development is great but most of the characters are not very likable… a very long story with some twists you see coming but some you don’t。 Agree with other reviewers that the story gets tied up a little too neatly in the end。

Angela ，

Everyone loved this。 *I* wanted to love this。I finished， but it didn't especially grab my attention。 I just felt。。。 not much， for any of the characters。 Everyone loved this。 *I* wanted to love this。I finished， but it didn't especially grab my attention。 I just felt。。。 not much， for any of the characters。 。。。more

Rachel Allburn ，

Screaming at the top of my lungs how good this is。 I’m not spoiling anything for the good people of Goodreads。 Might be my favorite of 2022 so far。

nancy ，

Great premise， terrific flawed characters and a very original plot。。。 I really enjoyed this book， marveling at Jean Hanff Korelitz's ability to toss conventions into the air causing them to land in intriguing， original places。 This is the story of sibling rivalry， family disfunction and American history as you've never read it。 Great premise， terrific flawed characters and a very original plot。。。 I really enjoyed this book， marveling at Jean Hanff Korelitz's ability to toss conventions into the air causing them to land in intriguing， original places。 This is the story of sibling rivalry， family disfunction and American history as you've never read it。 。。。more

Ali ，

I was severely bored thru the whole book

Jessica ，

Not in the mood for this kind of book

Donna Kass ，

This just kept going on and on。 Maybe because I did not like any of the characters。 Their development was thorough， and this was a well written saga— I just did not enjoy getting to know them。

Melinda Worfolk ，

I enjoyed the hell out of this。 Once I started reading it， it was hard to put down。 I found it utterly compelling， even though for the first part of the book， many of the characters are hard to root for。 It’s tough to talk about without spoiling it， so I’ll just say if you like family sagas that span many years and contain surprising family secrets， you will probably like this。 It also contains a lot of interesting discussions about art， including fascinating bits on outsider art。 In some ways， I enjoyed the hell out of this。 Once I started reading it， it was hard to put down。 I found it utterly compelling， even though for the first part of the book， many of the characters are hard to root for。 It’s tough to talk about without spoiling it， so I’ll just say if you like family sagas that span many years and contain surprising family secrets， you will probably like this。 It also contains a lot of interesting discussions about art， including fascinating bits on outsider art。 In some ways， I was reminded of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch—not that the books are the same， but there are echoes in themes。The author’s writing style is sophisticated， though deceptively simple-seeming， assured and very readable。 Even though the book covers some heavy topics， it’s written with a light hand， with good nature and humour。 I can hardly believe this is by the same person who wrote The Plot; I enjoyed this one so much more。 （Content warning: there is a very long but well written and empathetic section on infertility and pregnancy loss。） 。。。more

Leona ，

Epic。 Wholly original fiction interspersed with history。 Layered， complex， and fascinating。 Very clever segues。 I was initially put off by the wordiness and the multiple POVs， but once I was grabbed by the storyline it was a page turner。 I strongly recommend this amazing novel。

Ddoddmccue ，

The Latecomer is the multigenerational tale of a privileged Jewish family， largely narrated by triplets and later their much younger sibling。 Salo Oppenheimer casts a huge and dark shadow， but the most well developed sections involve the estranged triplets， the least successful their much younger sister。 The messiness of their relationships is compelling， the cleaner ending too neat and optimistic。 However， the epic number of unique topics incorporated （not limited to Twomby’s art， IVF， private The Latecomer is the multigenerational tale of a privileged Jewish family， largely narrated by triplets and later their much younger sibling。 Salo Oppenheimer casts a huge and dark shadow， but the most well developed sections involve the estranged triplets， the least successful their much younger sister。 The messiness of their relationships is compelling， the cleaner ending too neat and optimistic。 However， the epic number of unique topics incorporated （not limited to Twomby’s art， IVF， private schools， vehicular homicide， Mormonism， Red Hook gentrification， death cleaning， neoconservatism） is impressive and captivates。 。。。more

Lorie Kleiner Eckert ，

A dysfunctional couple have three dysfunctional kids via in-vitro fertilization。 Thank goodness for the birth of the fourth child， the peacemaker。To read my full review， please visit my website， LorieKleinerEckert。com。 In the menu bar at the top of the page， you will find a drop-down menu under the word “BLOG。” It will lead you to my BOOK BLOG。 Thanks！

Barbara Mierlak ，

Absolutely loved every part of this novel: the characters， the story， the writing！ It will stay with me for a long time。

Madison Jaros ，

This is nothing like Korelitz's previous book， "The Plot" - honestly， I liked it better。 Almost 500 pages but I didn't feel like it dragged， I could have spent even more time with these characters （who are flawed and unlikeable in the best way）。 I cared so much for all of them， those loveable traumatized assholes。 The reason this only got 4 stars from me is I just wasn't a huge fan of the third part。 Didn't care about the new character that was introduced， they felt like a plot device to bring t This is nothing like Korelitz's previous book， "The Plot" - honestly， I liked it better。 Almost 500 pages but I didn't feel like it dragged， I could have spent even more time with these characters （who are flawed and unlikeable in the best way）。 I cared so much for all of them， those loveable traumatized assholes。 The reason this only got 4 stars from me is I just wasn't a huge fan of the third part。 Didn't care about the new character that was introduced， they felt like a plot device to bring the family back together。 I was kind of disappointed after the book built up to a climax really artfully over the course of more than 300 pages and then。。。just immediately switched gears。 In the end everything wrapped up too cleanly for me。 Didn't feel organic。 But I liked that almost all the loveable traumatized assholes got their happy ending。 The book was still wonderful - if you like dramas about dysfunctional families 100% pick this up 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Latecomer

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Latecomer&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Latecomer&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0