The Most Fun We Ever Had

By Claire Lombardo,

Book cover of The Most Fun We Ever Had

Book description

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A gripping and poignant ode to a messy, loving family in all its glory.” —Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe

In this “rich, complex family saga” (USA Today) full of long-buried family secrets, Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s,…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked The Most Fun We Ever Had as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

It shifts back and forth in time, giving the sense that every moment from the past is just as meaningful and alive as the present.

This story is a work of family saga art, honestly. In discovering the ins, outs, ups, and downs of Marilyn and David’s loving relationship, we come to know their four adult daughters who are each experiencing life-changing events of their own.

It is both a beautiful and heartbreaking depiction of family dynamics, coming of age, parenthood, and finding one’s way. It’s reconciliation with the past and finding the courage to face the future. It’s a love story, in the traditional sense, but also one between parents and children and among the sisters themselves…all intricately woven into one truly intriguing family…

I come from a large brood and can certainly attest to the fact that seemingly small resentments eventually worm their way to the surface. I adored this book. So many voices telling the same story, but everyone remembers it differently, and like my own family—everyone felt it differently. I mean, really—my brothers and sister and I all grew up in the same house but sometimes when we tell childhood stories, even the sad ones, I wonder if we didn’t each grow up in our own little world. 

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