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THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD
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THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER*
*MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER 2019 READING*: O Magazine, People, Chicago Tribune, NY Post, InStyle, Good Housekeeping, Daily Beast, PopSugar, and LitHub
“If ever there were to be a literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler, then Claire Lombardo’s outstanding debut, which ranges from ebullience to despair by way of caustic but intense familial bonds, would be a worthy offspring…This is a novel epic in scope—emotionally, psychologically and narratively. Combining a broad thematic canvas with impressive emotional nuance, it’s an assured and highly enjoyable debut.”
--The Guardian
“A rich, engrossing family saga, spiked with sisterly malice…[rendered] with such skill and finely tuned interest that it feels like a quiet subversion of the traditional family saga.”
--The New York Times Book Review
“Ambitious and brilliantly written.”
--Jane Smiley, The Washington Post
“If ever there were to be a literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler, then Claire Lombardo’s outstanding debut, which ranges from ebullience to despair by way of caustic but intense familial bonds, would be a worthy offspring…This is a novel epic in scope—emotionally, psychologically and narratively. 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
“A wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels…A deliciously absorbing novel with—brace yourself—a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family.”
--NPR
“The big family saga of the summer, unfurling the fallout of a long-buried secret and persisting rivalries between four sisters across 50 transformative years.”
--EW
“A sprawling, enchanting debut, this novel jumps back and forth across time to tell the story of one powerful, complicated, and utterly unforgettable family as they navigate love and loss.”
--Town and Country
“This juicy saga spans more than four decades…You’ll be glad this loopy family isn’t yours, but reading about them is a treat.”
—People Magazine
“[A] satisfying multicourse feast.”
--O Magazine
“A rich, complex family saga.”
--USA Today
“[A] brilliant debut.”
--PopSugar
“A sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt…A fun and brimming tale…Divine.”
--Kirkus Reviews
“Lombardo captures the complexity of a large family with characters who light up the page with their competition, secrets, and worries…A rich and rewarding family saga.”
--Publishers Weekly
“A family epic…It resembles other sprawling midwestern family dramas, like Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections (2001)…The result is an affectionate, sharp, and eminently readable exploration of the challenges of love in its many forms.”
--Booklist
“A sprawling drama that explores the maelstrom of love, resentment and tension of the nuclear family, and the ways in which a shared history can affect the future for years…Covering 40 years of Sorenson family strengths and foibles, The Most Fun We Ever Had is a classy but juicy read that always has one more surprise up its sleeve.”
--Shelf Awareness
“Everything about this brilliant debut cuts deep: the humor, the wisdom, the pathos. Claire Lombardo writes like she’s been doing it for a hundred years, and like she’s been alive for a thousand.”
--Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
“In The Most Fun We Ever Had, Claire Lombardo has given us a truly unforgettable American family. The book bristles on every page with intelligence and fierce wit. What a debut!”
--Richard Russo, author of That Old Cape Magic and Chances Are…
“Lombardo’s impressive debut is a gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory. She juggles a huge cast of characters with seeming effortlessness, bringing each to life with humor, vividness and acute psychological insight.”
--Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe
“What a splendid, spacious, gripping novel Claire Lombardo has written. These pages sparkle with wit and wisdom. I love the four difficult Sorenson daughters, each in the grip of her own emergencies. 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 vision–not 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
“Beware this book, that will enmesh you in the psychic DNA of this utterly convincingly imagined family. You will encounter characters whose stories you're compelled to follow, you will recognise the bitterest and sweetest tastes of life, you will laugh, and you will want to discuss it with other people. (Possibly not your own family). John Irving has a literary daughter, and her name is Claire Lombardo.”
--Laline Paull, author of The Bees
“Claire Lombardo has created a wonderful, subtle and sophisticated portrait of a family. The nuances, the secrets, the triumphs and tragedies light up this narrative with the many ways we love and the unremitting clarity with which we are known by our siblings. Epic and intimate, funny and delicate, this is a best friend of a book: curl up with it and lose yourself in the easy intimacy of the magnetic, loveable and flawed family of Sorensons.”
--Raffaella Barker, author of Springtime
“I cancelled appointments to keep reading this totally gripping portrait of a marriage and the four daughters that it has produced. It is excellent on sisterhood, motherhood, marriage - in fact on all human relationships. Highly, highly recommended.”
--Clover Stroud, author of The Wild Other
“This amazing, sexy, moving, transfixing novel sweeps you up into the epic range of human emotion, from tenderness to exasperation, bafflement to pride, anger to unconditional love that is intrinsic to family life. And how those oh-so-familiar hairpin bends of parenthood and of marriage are so beautifully juxtaposed with the infinite complexities and blind corners of being a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover! I couldn't quite think of what to do with myself when I came to the last page except read it all over again.”
--Juliet Nicolson, author of A House Full of Daughters
“I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. 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. Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. This book will stay with me forever.”
--Daisy Buchanan, author of How To Be A Grown Up
“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
*MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER 2019 READING*: O Magazine, People, Chicago Tribune, NY Post, InStyle, Good Housekeeping, Daily Beast, PopSugar, and LitHub
“If ever there were to be a literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler, then Claire Lombardo’s outstanding debut, which ranges from ebullience to despair by way of caustic but intense familial bonds, would be a worthy offspring…This is a novel epic in scope—emotionally, psychologically and narratively. Combining a broad thematic canvas with impressive emotional nuance, it’s an assured and highly enjoyable debut.”
--The Guardian
“A rich, engrossing family saga, spiked with sisterly malice…[rendered] with such skill and finely tuned interest that it feels like a quiet subversion of the traditional family saga.”
--The New York Times Book Review
“Ambitious and brilliantly written.”
--Jane Smiley, The Washington Post
“If ever there were to be a literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler, then Claire Lombardo’s outstanding debut, which ranges from ebullience to despair by way of caustic but intense familial bonds, would be a worthy offspring…This is a novel epic in scope—emotionally, psychologically and narratively. 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
“A wonderfully immersive read that packs more heart and heft than most first novels…A deliciously absorbing novel with—brace yourself—a tender and satisfyingly positive take on family.”
--NPR
“The big family saga of the summer, unfurling the fallout of a long-buried secret and persisting rivalries between four sisters across 50 transformative years.”
--EW
“A sprawling, enchanting debut, this novel jumps back and forth across time to tell the story of one powerful, complicated, and utterly unforgettable family as they navigate love and loss.”
--Town and Country
“This juicy saga spans more than four decades…You’ll be glad this loopy family isn’t yours, but reading about them is a treat.”
—People Magazine
“[A] satisfying multicourse feast.”
--O Magazine
“A rich, complex family saga.”
--USA Today
“[A] brilliant debut.”
--PopSugar
“A sharp, sly family story of feminine guile and guilt…A fun and brimming tale…Divine.”
--Kirkus Reviews
“Lombardo captures the complexity of a large family with characters who light up the page with their competition, secrets, and worries…A rich and rewarding family saga.”
--Publishers Weekly
“A family epic…It resembles other sprawling midwestern family dramas, like Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections (2001)…The result is an affectionate, sharp, and eminently readable exploration of the challenges of love in its many forms.”
--Booklist
“A sprawling drama that explores the maelstrom of love, resentment and tension of the nuclear family, and the ways in which a shared history can affect the future for years…Covering 40 years of Sorenson family strengths and foibles, The Most Fun We Ever Had is a classy but juicy read that always has one more surprise up its sleeve.”
--Shelf Awareness
“Everything about this brilliant debut cuts deep: the humor, the wisdom, the pathos. Claire Lombardo writes like she’s been doing it for a hundred years, and like she’s been alive for a thousand.”
--Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers
“In The Most Fun We Ever Had, Claire Lombardo has given us a truly unforgettable American family. The book bristles on every page with intelligence and fierce wit. What a debut!”
--Richard Russo, author of That Old Cape Magic and Chances Are…
“Lombardo’s impressive debut is a gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory. She juggles a huge cast of characters with seeming effortlessness, bringing each to life with humor, vividness and acute psychological insight.”
--Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe
“What a splendid, spacious, gripping novel Claire Lombardo has written. These pages sparkle with wit and wisdom. I love the four difficult Sorenson daughters, each in the grip of her own emergencies. 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 vision–not 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
“Beware this book, that will enmesh you in the psychic DNA of this utterly convincingly imagined family. You will encounter characters whose stories you're compelled to follow, you will recognise the bitterest and sweetest tastes of life, you will laugh, and you will want to discuss it with other people. (Possibly not your own family). John Irving has a literary daughter, and her name is Claire Lombardo.”
--Laline Paull, author of The Bees
“Claire Lombardo has created a wonderful, subtle and sophisticated portrait of a family. The nuances, the secrets, the triumphs and tragedies light up this narrative with the many ways we love and the unremitting clarity with which we are known by our siblings. Epic and intimate, funny and delicate, this is a best friend of a book: curl up with it and lose yourself in the easy intimacy of the magnetic, loveable and flawed family of Sorensons.”
--Raffaella Barker, author of Springtime
“I cancelled appointments to keep reading this totally gripping portrait of a marriage and the four daughters that it has produced. It is excellent on sisterhood, motherhood, marriage - in fact on all human relationships. Highly, highly recommended.”
--Clover Stroud, author of The Wild Other
“This amazing, sexy, moving, transfixing novel sweeps you up into the epic range of human emotion, from tenderness to exasperation, bafflement to pride, anger to unconditional love that is intrinsic to family life. And how those oh-so-familiar hairpin bends of parenthood and of marriage are so beautifully juxtaposed with the infinite complexities and blind corners of being a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover! I couldn't quite think of what to do with myself when I came to the last page except read it all over again.”
--Juliet Nicolson, author of A House Full of Daughters
“I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had. 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. Lombardo's writing is so elegant - she makes our most complex and fragmented feelings tangible, which is a very rare skill. This book will stay with me forever.”
--Daisy Buchanan, author of How To Be A Grown Up
“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
even more of
THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD
A July 2019 Indie Next Pick
Amazon's Featured Debut of July
2019 Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick
A July Midwest Connections Pick from the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
also forthcoming from
