The Most Fun We Ever Had
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- Create Date：2021-05-01 10:55:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Claire Lombardo
- ISBN：1474611885
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Summary
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。 By 2016， their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy， widowed young， soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet， a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom， battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza， a neurotic and newly tenured professor， finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace， the dawdling youngest daughter， begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects。 Above it all， the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents'。
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。
When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s， they are blithely ignorant of all that's to come。 By 2016， their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy， widowed young， soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet， a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom， battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza， a neurotic and newly tenured professor， finds herself pregnant with a baby she's not sure she wants by a man she's not sure she loves; and Grace， the dawdling youngest daughter， begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects。 Above it all， the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents'。
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。
Reviews
Charlene A。
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4。75 So good， but soooo long。 Really a great family drama with great characters。
Tiffany
，
Talk about a family saga！ It's so well-written and the characters， though many， are carefully delineated and robust。 Slow builds， lots of character development， switching timelines between past and present， the perfect amount of humor。 I loved the reading experience。 I can't even summarize all that this book covered， but the topics that hooked me were: sisterhood （the inherent competitiveness！）， sibling dynamics， being the youngest child in the family， forgiveness， what it means to be a family， Talk about a family saga！ It's so well-written and the characters， though many， are carefully delineated and robust。 Slow builds， lots of character development， switching timelines between past and present， the perfect amount of humor。 I loved the reading experience。 I can't even summarize all that this book covered， but the topics that hooked me were: sisterhood （the inherent competitiveness！）， sibling dynamics， being the youngest child in the family， forgiveness， what it means to be a family， and found families。 Sobbed through some raw moments， oof。 Smiled through moments of honesty and joy between family members。 It's rare that I can relate to so many characters in one book。 I just wanted a big group hug after I finished！ 。。。more
Lindsay
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Lots of drama！
Francesca
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Reading this book felt like talking to a friend that was updating me on their messy， yet very human life every time I sat down to read it。 The scenarios all of the family members found themselves in were not unlike tales we hear from our friends， or experiences we've had ourselves。 My favorite thing about this book is the humor and wit Lombardo gives each character， as I found myself laughing about certain exchanges between family members。 Reading this book felt like talking to a friend that was updating me on their messy， yet very human life every time I sat down to read it。 The scenarios all of the family members found themselves in were not unlike tales we hear from our friends， or experiences we've had ourselves。 My favorite thing about this book is the humor and wit Lombardo gives each character， as I found myself laughing about certain exchanges between family members。 。。。more
Elizabeth Schlatter
，
Fantastic。 I don’t know how， but the author managed to weave in and out of multiple timelines and characters’ viewpoints seamlessly， without losing the reader。 A wonderful family saga that’s an absorbing read。
Beth Kimbrell
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I had mixed feelings about this book。 Dramatic family sagas are always a favorite of mine， plus the story takes place in Chicago。 Finally， the neighborhoods and streets mean something to me！ I liked how we got to hear each character's perspective and thoughts， but the book did a terrible job differentiating between them。 It often confused me。 And while I was interested in each sister's bond with each other and their parents， parts of the story fell flat and bordered on uninteresting。 My biggest I had mixed feelings about this book。 Dramatic family sagas are always a favorite of mine， plus the story takes place in Chicago。 Finally， the neighborhoods and streets mean something to me！ I liked how we got to hear each character's perspective and thoughts， but the book did a terrible job differentiating between them。 It often confused me。 And while I was interested in each sister's bond with each other and their parents， parts of the story fell flat and bordered on uninteresting。 My biggest problem with the book was how every character was unable to speak in complete sentences。 There was so much stuttering and incomplete thoughts in the dialogue， I started skimming it。 。。。more
Annesophiebooks : Les Lectures d'Anne-Sophie
，
Faire connaissance avec la famille Sorenson c’est embarquer pour une aventure littéraire qui vous procurera mille sensations différentes。Un bain de jouvence sur papier。Les 700 pages qui composent ce roman nous font découvrir， sur une période d’une quarantaine d’années， les bons et les mauvais moments de cette étrange famille， à la fois fusionnelle et dysfonctionnelle。David et Marilyn， les parents。Amoureux comme au premier jour， bien souvent au grand désespoir de leurs quatre filles。- Wendy， la r Faire connaissance avec la famille Sorenson c’est embarquer pour une aventure littéraire qui vous procurera mille sensations différentes。Un bain de jouvence sur papier。Les 700 pages qui composent ce roman nous font découvrir， sur une période d’une quarantaine d’années， les bons et les mauvais moments de cette étrange famille， à la fois fusionnelle et dysfonctionnelle。David et Marilyn， les parents。Amoureux comme au premier jour， bien souvent au grand désespoir de leurs quatre filles。- Wendy， la rebelle， la cynique， la blasée， l’incomprise。De quoi faut-il avoir souffert pour devenir ainsi ？- Violet， la sage， celle à qui tout réussit， le modèle parfait。En façade en tout cas， parce que dans les faits， ses secrets ne sont-ils pas trop lourds à porter ？- Liza， « l’enfant-tampon »， celle du milieu， qui évite les vagues et ne fait pas de bruit。Mais quel est le prix à payer pour cela ？- Grace， la petite dernière， le bébé de tous， celle qu’on cajole et qu’on protège。Figée dans cette posture， comment peut-elle trouver sa place ？En parvenant à aborder de multiples sujets sociétaux， l’auteure et sa plume nous font engloutir ce délicieux romans et nous laissent un souvenir marquant et profond， tendre et amusant。Mille sourires et mille soupirs accompagneront cette lecture。Drôle， émouvante， intelligente， interrogeante， cette histoire vous fera vivre des montagnes russes émotionnelles。Le rythme est impeccable， et le jeu passé/ présent est idéalement orchestré。Quant aux personnages。。。 Vous aurez des préférences， c’est obligé， mais comme souvent， ils se complètent si bien que vous ne pourriez vous passer d’un seul。Pour ceux qui aiment les séries télé， Tout Le Bonheur Du Monde est le mix parfait entre « Brothers & Sisters » et « Parenhood »。Je vous laisse donc imaginer le plaisir que l’on prend à cette lecture ！Claire Lombardo a si bien réussi ce premier roman qu’il est déjà en cours d’adaptation par HBO。 Et si la série à venir est ne serait-ce qu’à moitié aussi bonne que le livre， on n’a pas fini d’entendre parler de la vie des Sorenson。Et ça c’est une très bonne nouvelle。À lire sans délai， parce qu’il fait du bien， au cœur et à l’esprit。 。。。more
Carrie Estrada
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This book is long and sort of goes in circles。 Some of the characters I really liked and felt compassion for and others were too much。 It is a good story about how complex family relationships can be but just too long。
Emily Q。
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Best book of the whole year！
Sam Hatia
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4。5 but I'll generously round up。I enjoyed this much more than I expected。 Really great prose and attention to detail。 I think I just really love reading about siblings and all their complex bonds whilst comparing it to my own familial experience。 At times， it did feel a bit contrived and admittedly could've lost 100 odd pages。 Lombardo makes up for this though through her enthralling characters， each unique but all so enriching。 4。5 but I'll generously round up。I enjoyed this much more than I expected。 Really great prose and attention to detail。 I think I just really love reading about siblings and all their complex bonds whilst comparing it to my own familial experience。 At times， it did feel a bit contrived and admittedly could've lost 100 odd pages。 Lombardo makes up for this though through her enthralling characters， each unique but all so enriching。 。。。more
Susan
，
It's long。 There's unnecessary sex。 The characters can be awful and offensive， but they've so very human。 Lombardo nails the "brutiful" essence of parenthood and family。 I laughed， I cried， I stayed up way too late。 It's long。 There's unnecessary sex。 The characters can be awful and offensive， but they've so very human。 Lombardo nails the "brutiful" essence of parenthood and family。 I laughed， I cried， I stayed up way too late。 。。。more
Kim
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I come from a big family and It made me think of that。 I enjoyed the read。
nogaboga
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Only read one chapter。 Eh
Lori Shipley
，
I really enjoyed this book。 There were some characters I liked better than others， but overall it was engaging and kept me wanting more。 One thing that did irritate me was that a few of the characters never finished their sentences。 I found this quite distracting and wanted to shout "Spit it out for goodness sakes！" Other than that， the writing was fluid and enjoyable。 I really enjoyed this book。 There were some characters I liked better than others， but overall it was engaging and kept me wanting more。 One thing that did irritate me was that a few of the characters never finished their sentences。 I found this quite distracting and wanted to shout "Spit it out for goodness sakes！" Other than that， the writing was fluid and enjoyable。 。。。more
Bizz
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I didn’t care enough for the four daughters to keep them straight
Jeanie
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This book was so good I’m surprised it’s not a movie or series。 It was really long but I enjoyed the dynamic of all the different stories of the sisters and felt like it could have kept going！ I felt so much anger toward violet and how she treats others。 I don’t think I’ve ever been that mad at a book character before。
Morgan King
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I loved the characters in this story！！！ Definitely a slow burn story but I really enjoyed it！！！
Carrie Gillette
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Love the family relationships- all so complex but so much love。 I kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it and after I finished。 I wish they were half stars。 I would give this a 4 1/2。 If I keep thinking about it a few days from now， I might have to go back and give it a 5！
Laura Penney
，
I love novels told from multiple perspectives， and this one definitely delivered。 I cared about and related in some way or another to each of the characters。 The story did a nice job of exploring complicated family dynamics， especially people’s intentions vs how their actions are perceived by others。
Melissa Van steen
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Listened to it on Audible and thoroughly enjoyed it。 I really liked the complicated characters and family dynamics。 It made me laugh and cry and gave me a few surprises along the way。
Julie
，
3。5
Randee
，
Fun read about an engaging family。
Kim
，
I enjoyed the book but it needs to be about 100 pages shorter。
Astrid
，
Intense， so real and simply a fantastic read。 Could have been a tad shorter， though。
Elizabeth
，
I can't finish this。 It's too angst-filled and drama-ridden。 There are no breaks， no respite， not one single character in a cast of many who isn't dealing with major drama。 It's not a fun or interesting read， it's just a slog。 I can't finish this。 It's too angst-filled and drama-ridden。 There are no breaks， no respite， not one single character in a cast of many who isn't dealing with major drama。 It's not a fun or interesting read， it's just a slog。 。。。more
Ileen Gallegos
，
This was a great family oriented book。
Carola
，
3。5 Leggendo questo libro avrete la sensazione concreta di star guardando la caotica famiglia Sorenson dal buco della serratura。 Avevo voglia di immergermi in una bella storia famigliare: con “Mai stati così felci” è successo。 Da figlia unica non potrò mai capire cosa voglia dire vivere in una famiglia numerosa， ma è proprio con libri come questi che ci si riesce ad avvicinare a esperienze che non si potranno mai vivere。 Tra i personaggi con cui ho empatizzato di più c’è la “piccola” Grace: prop 3。5 Leggendo questo libro avrete la sensazione concreta di star guardando la caotica famiglia Sorenson dal buco della serratura。 Avevo voglia di immergermi in una bella storia famigliare: con “Mai stati così felci” è successo。 Da figlia unica non potrò mai capire cosa voglia dire vivere in una famiglia numerosa， ma è proprio con libri come questi che ci si riesce ad avvicinare a esperienze che non si potranno mai vivere。 Tra i personaggi con cui ho empatizzato di più c’è la “piccola” Grace: proprio per questo avrei apprezzato un maggior approfondimento su di lei。 “Mai stai così felici” alterna le voci dei diversi personaggi， riuscendo bene a rendere le emozioni di ognuno， ma ho， appunto， percepito che l’autrice si concentrasse più su alcuni， rispetto ad altri。Nonostante tutto， una storia che merita。 。。。more
Shellie Ciparis
，
I enjoyed this book， although it was perhaps too long。 I liked the characters and the relationships between the sisters。 There were hints mentioned along the way and then， eventually， you found out what happened and why the relationships were the way they were。 Sometimes a book can just be better because of bad books you've read before it， and that might be the case here。 I enjoyed this book， although it was perhaps too long。 I liked the characters and the relationships between the sisters。 There were hints mentioned along the way and then， eventually， you found out what happened and why the relationships were the way they were。 Sometimes a book can just be better because of bad books you've read before it， and that might be the case here。 。。。more
Rebecca Mai
，
absorbing， well written， thought-provoking bookk
Kristina
，
This book felt like watching a season of Parenthood or This Is Us， which I loved。 What I didn’t love was the language and very unnecessary sexual content。 I found myself skipping over compete sections of text and wishing they were left out。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Most Fun We Ever Had
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Most Fun We Ever Had&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft