Starting this next 🎧
A poignant and beautiful family drama that shows the young protagonists have an unlikely love story and build a family of four daughters while the father builds his doctoral career and the mom stays at home, by circumstances and not choice, to navigate life together. The intricacies of siblings is revealed to the reader with a captivating story on how relationships form our outlook on life. This may not be for everyone, but it was for me!!
They would repeat it for years to come in times of strife: the most fun I've ever had.
Claire Lombardo, The Most Fun We Ever Had
Listened while I took a walk this morning and I'm super exhausted now🙄
I really wanted to like this one, but it was so slow. Nothing really happened to keep my interest for how long it was. I feel like I dedicated so much time reading this and was just dissatisfied with the way it came together. It just didn‘t offer new to this type of dysfunctional family genre that is so popular and it was just way too long for me to not really be super interesting.
I really thought I would enjoyed this one, but I'm not actually into it... it's a big boy and I'm hoping to be hook by it soon
I would like to be more active on this app as I was in the past and these iniziatives by @Eggs and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks are always a good way to do it!
#HumbleHarvest
New month, new reading.
I'm really not sure about this one...
Great book! Dramatic, but I imagine a family with 4 daughters would be. I mildly hated all the daughters at one point or another. Loved the book though!
⭐️: 4/5
Starting this today, recommended by a friend…
I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join in if you want!
#ABookADay2023
• TBR since July 13, 2019
#StoryGraph: fiction contemporary literary emotional reflective slow-paced
544 pages | first published 2019
Too slow and way too much family drama for me but it be just perfect for you. Very well written. If I‘m honest, I only chose it because of the ginkgo leaves (my favorite tree) on the cover.
I loved this; an epic family saga, the ups and downs of family life, the bond between four sisters living in the shadow of their parents‘ seemingly perfect relationship. I was constantly changing my perspective on each character‘s motivations as the story switched through time. The writing was perfection; my only complaint is this was perhaps a little too long and there‘s only so many times I can read about how much those parents love each other.
The first have wasn‘t exactly a slog, but it was slow going but the second half truly makes up for it. I loved all the characters and was sad to leave them at the end.
The last half of this novel is much better. I have a feeling I am going to cry at the end.
Has anyone read this and liked it? I have been reading for a week or so and I‘m just at 50%. It‘s not bad…just dragging.
Hmmm, a decent story about a family with “normal” problems that aren‘t quite dysfunctional but close. My full review won‘t fit, it‘s too long so it‘s in the comments!!! Book #26 in 2022
Ever watch the show Parenthood? That is this book. I'm part of a big family and what this book does is show you the seperate lives of a great many people that also are entwined together because they are family. I loved it. I could read it forever. I like and dislike many things about some of the characters but that's real. People are multifaceted and that's what makes this realistic. I enjoyed how the book was written. Very well done family saga.
I did not like this at all. She needed a good editor who could cut out about 200 pages, she also needed to make all these people less terrible.
I picked this up at the library thinking it was a different book so mostly this is my fault,. I will be fine if I never pick up another rich white family drama where everyone is an asshole. The author also uses the "R" word for fun (or shock value?) & lordy she dislikes anyone w/ a mental illness.
I enjoyed this book. I was a little hesitant to read it because it was over 500 pages and I have so many other books I want to read. But I love family sagas that cover many years and that‘s exactly what this book was. I think the parents were great and still madly in love with each other. The daughters each had their own problems to sort out but that is exactly what happens in families. They love and care for each other despite all the problems.
I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it. Some will be old, some will be new - don't judge me, I have a lot of books.
Day 80th
Join the fun if you want!
#tbrpile
Used up the rest of a gift card today! Even though soooooo many new books are coming in August and September, I felt the need to go to the bookstore today.
This was lovely and I really enjoyed it, but absolutely did not need to be this long. I think some of it could have been cutdown, but it was a great read nonetheless!
I enjoyed the realness this book conveyed of what real life families look like. The author did a great job at describing how messy, chaotic, infuriating, and unfair life is. Amidst the chaos and life events that took place, no matter how messed up everything was, family was always there. I enjoyed how real this was and it served as a great reminder to accept the good with the bad because when it comes down to it, you only get one family.
This looks like a good deal. Yes???? (I know it‘s just $1.99 but I‘m trying to limit my purchases to books I might actually read).
I enjoyed this sprawling novel of a family with 4 very different daughters. It was interesting to see whether each daughters ‘lived up to‘ their place in the family and I liked the way that the timeline jumped about so the reasons behind behaviours, histories and grudges were gradually revealed.
I‘m glad that Wendy and Violet aren‘t my sisters though!
Another one ticked off the Women‘s Prize Longlist (It didn‘t make the shortlist)
Its not quite the epic family saga I was expecting. More a middle class family moaning a lot. It had moments of magic (I would have liked more on Wendy and Jonah and less on how much Marilyn & David loooove each other - we get it!!!) With some serious editing, I think there‘s a much greater book in there. (Where are all the editors? I‘ve read a lot of bloated books lately?! 🤔)
I was put off this one because I didn‘t like the cover or the title. But it was a good read and I really enjoyed the normality of the family ups and downs. I come from a big family and have 4 sisters and 2 brothers. It‘s like this, sometimes you like them, sometimes you don‘t. I‘m the youngest daughter and my sisters all think they‘re my mum. It‘s annoying and comforting. Like families.
I‘d been leaning towards being Grace and this one is so true!
Sisters, can‘t live with them, can‘t live without them.
I remember this feeling so well 😢
I‘m loving this book btw!!
This is my #weeklyforecast at the mo. May change, may bail, who knows?! 😆
This was a fantastic book 📖 loved the characters. I hope she writes more. Stayed up tell 3 am to finish. You know it‘s good when someone stays up on a work night. TGIF
This was a great book. I hope she write more just loved the characters. Stayed up tell 3 am to finish it. You know it‘s a good book 📖 when someone stays up on a work night lol. TGIF
This was such an enjoyable read. I am hoping she writes more books. Stayed up tell 3 in the morning to finish. You know it‘s good when someone does that on a work night. TGIF.
Lombardo skillfully weaves together a wonderful story about four very different sisters - Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace - and how their still-madly-in-love parents‘ relationship evolves over 40 years.
Read May 15-19
Rated 4/5 ⭐️
Book 25/60
Just started this yesterday and it kept me up late. Just love the family and the dynamics
This was a FULL bodied family saga with plenty of triumphs & tragedies that kept me listening and commiserating ( not to mention, judging😉) Despite the book‘s heft (20 hours 33 minutes), I felt a kinship for the Sorenson clan and don‘t regret a minute I spent with them. I‘d love to see a sequel. #ReadingUSA2020 #Illinois
I‘m imagining this book as a TV series...The Sorenson Sisters and this is my dream cast.
Laura Linney - Marilyn
Bryan Cranston - David
Christina Applegate - Wendy
Alicia Silverstone- Violet
Rachel Nichols - Liza
Ashley Olson - Grace
Share your dream cast @JennyM @Soubhiville @Megabooks @Cathythoughts @arubabookwoman
And anyone else who read the book and feels like joining in ❤️😁📺
I‘m loving this book...but it‘s long!!!!!
I‘m REALLY enjoying this book but I have no idea how many more hours I have left to go....I‘m listening on OverDrive and it doesn‘t seem to have an hour marker. This is a purely character driven novel....covering a 40 year marriage with all its ups and downs. Last week was my 32 wedding anniversary, so I‘m drawn to Marilyn & David‘s story. As an audio, this is a winner, a slow burn of family drama.
This book explores the relationship between four sisters and their parents. I have to say it definitely lived up to the hype! I loved this authors writing style. Getting to see the story unfold from every family members point of view was really interesting. I also loved how each characters voice felt personal to them. 💕 Amazing! If you come across this one I recommend giving it a try 😊📖
Couldn‘t put it down. Expected to cry, didn‘t until the acknowledgments
I really enjoyed this family drama. The narrator was very good.
I had lots of feelings and was close to tears many times, so caution with public reading if you cry easily too. But really, I loved this.
At 20hr and 39min, this audiobook was long. Not the kind of long where they describe in great detail every action but pulpy with information about each character, adding to the overall story.
A dissection of the Sorensons, an average American family, their sacrifices and their secrets. Heartbreaking and still full of love. Such a wonderfully weaved story that feels so real.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐