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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
4.5 rounded up.
I love this type of book. One that spans the lives of a family and draws you in so easily. Very wordy in parts, but otherwise an excellent book!
I love this type of book. One that spans the lives of a family and draws you in so easily. Very wordy in parts, but otherwise an excellent book!
One of the best books I’ve read in awhile but I had to remove a star because of the 9/11 plot twist. Never trust a book set in 2001.
Salo (Solomon) Oppenheimer was a student at Cornell when tragedy struck. He moves on and works to build a life with Johanna. Salo purchases a large home in Brooklyn Heights with hopes of starting a family. When Johanna is unable to conceive, they try IVF. Triplets Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally soon arrive. The three children never truly bond with one another, anxiously awaiting the day they’d go to college and be on their own. Once the triplets were ready to leave home, Johanna convinces Salo that they should have a fourth child.
The Oppenheimers are one dysfunctional family! The children’s beliefs, their chosen paths and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Johanna strives to please everyone and lives a delusional existence believing that the family is close. Salo chooses to escape into the world of art and becomes an astute collector. While not an endearing family, the dynamics are fascinating. This character-driven story, which spans from the 1960s through 2017, is filled with rich prose, making it a relatively slow, purposeful read. While the book is a bit longer than average, the story is engrossing. Each chapter focuses on one of the family members and is narrated by an unknown narrator.
For those who have read and enjoyed Jean Hanff Korelitz’s last book The Plot, you may be surprised to discover that The Latecomer is not a thriller. This is a family drama which addresses wealth, entitlement, religion, race, identity, grief, guilt and the bonds of family. Yes, it’s a long list but with complex characters so vastly different, there’s a lot of ground to cover. There are major revelations and twists that make this somewhat long journey well worth the ride. And while this is in no way a comedy, there is a fair amount of wittiness that adds to the book’s appeal. If this sounds like your type of book, clear your calendar.
Many thanks to Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this powerful story of a fractured family in advance of its May 31, 2022 release.
Rated 4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
The Oppenheimers are one dysfunctional family! The children’s beliefs, their chosen paths and their personalities couldn’t be more different. Johanna strives to please everyone and lives a delusional existence believing that the family is close. Salo chooses to escape into the world of art and becomes an astute collector. While not an endearing family, the dynamics are fascinating. This character-driven story, which spans from the 1960s through 2017, is filled with rich prose, making it a relatively slow, purposeful read. While the book is a bit longer than average, the story is engrossing. Each chapter focuses on one of the family members and is narrated by an unknown narrator.
For those who have read and enjoyed Jean Hanff Korelitz’s last book The Plot, you may be surprised to discover that The Latecomer is not a thriller. This is a family drama which addresses wealth, entitlement, religion, race, identity, grief, guilt and the bonds of family. Yes, it’s a long list but with complex characters so vastly different, there’s a lot of ground to cover. There are major revelations and twists that make this somewhat long journey well worth the ride. And while this is in no way a comedy, there is a fair amount of wittiness that adds to the book’s appeal. If this sounds like your type of book, clear your calendar.
Many thanks to Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this powerful story of a fractured family in advance of its May 31, 2022 release.
Rated 4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
I love a well-written multi-generational saga. This is a beautifully captured story. Very enjoyable read. Well-defined characters. Deserves to be read again.
Really enjoyed this book! It was very well written and it wasn't until I finished and read the credits that I realized it was written by the same author of another book I really enjoyed (The Plot). Excellent story telling, great plot and very good character development.
Incredibly insufferable family. Ending growth was kind of redemptive but I did not feel like it was given enough time compared to the dragging out first parts. Also if my brother became a MAGA republican I would not take that as the moment to bond with him but whatever I guess
This book took hundreds of pages to become interesting and then ended in a way that was way too predictable. But the 80 or so pages I liked I really liked. The rest just fell short.
The storytelling ability of the author is greatly appreciated by this reader. I could picture every detail in my mind. I loved how each character was fully fleshed out.
I’ll admit for a long while I didn’t know where this book was heading because it does seem to meander but I was more than willing to go along for the ride because of the superb storytelling.
I’ll admit for a long while I didn’t know where this book was heading because it does seem to meander but I was more than willing to go along for the ride because of the superb storytelling.
If there’s anything I can relate to, it’s a story about trying to get your family to chill tf out