Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this one. A brilliant multigenerational family saga with an emphasis on the dysfunctional!
Audiobook narration was great. Such unhappy cast of characters; morality and “goodness” of characters very skewed. Knocked a star for that.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really didn't like this book at first (basically, all of the Oppenheimers suck) and was very close to abandoning it. But I decided to give it one more shot, and to my surprise I started to like it, and having made it to the end (a very satisfying ending, which I wasn't expecting), I can say I'm really glad I stuck with it. Messy family stories don't always work for me, but the author kind of brilliantly pulls this one off.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was Korelitz' portrayal of Jonas, the Mormon roommate, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a whole. Sure, most of the characters thought Mormons were nuts, but the narrative is not only respectful of LDS beliefs and culture, it is astonishingly accurate and fair, something I'm not used to seeing from non-member writers.
One thing I really appreciated about this book was Korelitz' portrayal of Jonas, the Mormon roommate, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a whole. Sure, most of the characters thought Mormons were nuts, but the narrative is not only respectful of LDS beliefs and culture, it is astonishingly accurate and fair, something I'm not used to seeing from non-member writers.
Soft spoiler alert- you won’t meet the “latecomer” until 3/4 of the way into the book. Felt more biographical of a fictional not very likable family, with a too late in the game redemption attempt by the latecomer. It’s written well so it wasn’t insufferable but there just wasn’t anything to make me gravitate towards diving back into the book either.
fast-paced
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Latecomer is one of those #dysfunctionalfamily reads with few (maybe 2 out of the bunch) likable characters. I had the physical book, but mostly listened for Julia Whelan’s expert narration on the audio which I recommend. A set of triplets (Brooklyn, Jewish, wealthy) grow up chaffing against each other until tragedy strikes and things take a turn right at the cusp of adulthood. The book switches gear and we get to know “the latecomer”. Pick!
Thanks to #CeledonBooks for an ARC of #TheLatecomer.
Sometimes we go into a book with preconceived expectations that don’t hold up and that can create problems. When I started
Sometimes we go into a book with preconceived expectations that don’t hold up and that can create problems. When I started
This was really excellent and surprised me quite a bit. I went in very blind and wasn’t sure what to expect from this at all. I’ve got a lot of thoughts on it, and hope to share more!