The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo - Fiction - Paperback - Women's Prize Longlisted 2020

Details:
Condition: BRAND NEW
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781474611879
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (W&N)

Overview:
The Most Fun We Ever Had is Claire Lombardo's celebrated debut, a sweeping, warm-hearted family saga following the Sorenson parents and their four grown daughters across four turbulent decades. Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020, it's a big, immersive read for anyone who loves richly drawn characters, sibling rivalry, long-held secrets and the messy, enduring pull of family love. A perfect paperback pick for book clubs and fans of contemporary literary fiction.

About the Book:
When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall giddily in love in the 1970s, they have no idea what lies ahead. Decades later, their four wildly different daughters - Wendy, Violet, Liza and Grace - are each navigating their own private unravelling. Wendy, widowed young, numbs her grief with liquor and younger men. Violet, once a sharp-elbowed litigator, hides a devastating secret behind her anxious calm. Liza, newly pregnant, watches her partner sink into depression just as everything should be falling into place. Grace, the youngest, has told a lie so enormous it threatens her entire adult life. When the son David and Marilyn gave up for adoption years before unexpectedly reappears, the family's fragile equilibrium shatters, forcing old wounds back into the light. Lombardo moves fluidly between decades, tracing the Sorensons from their scrappy early marriage through years of quiet crisis, drawing every character with tenderness and unflinching honesty. Funny, sad and deeply humane, it captures the chaos of sisterhood, the compromises of long marriage, and how one family's past keeps reshaping its present, drawing comparisons to Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler.

Key Benefits:

• An immersive, multigenerational family saga spanning four decades of love and secrets.
• Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 and a widely praised literary debut.
• Rich, complex characters that make it a brilliant choice for book clubs and discussion groups.
• A blend of humour and emotional depth, ideal for fans of Anne Tyler and Jonathan Franzen.
• Brand new paperback, perfect for gifting to any lover of contemporary fiction.

About the Author:
Claire Lombardo earned her MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, where she spent several years working in social services before turning to writing full time. The Most Fun We Ever Had was her acclaimed debut novel, longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2020 and optioned for television. She has since published further fiction and continues to write and teach, drawing on her background in social work to craft emotionally intelligent, character-rich stories about family life.

Why You'll Love This Novel:
A big-hearted, beautifully observed family saga that balances humour with real emotional weight. Perfect for readers who love getting lost in a sprawling cast of characters and a story that lingers long after the final page.

Please Note: Please note the cover shown may vary slightly depending on print run; this is the UK paperback edition with ISBN 9781474611879 as listed.