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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
The Latecomer is a family drama that follows the marriage of Salo and Johanna Oppenheimer and their three triplets from the very beginning in the 1960s to 2017. This novel switches between all five characters points of view from chapter to chapter. It can get a bit confusing with so many POVs in my opinion. Although this novel kept me engrossed to a point, it wasn't very likeable. None of the characters were good people. They were over privileged, extremely chaotic and obsessive. Adding to this was the length of the book and the fact that nothing really happens it's. You're just following the lives of this family.
Because I was able to finish this one and I did care enough about the story to find out what happened I gave it 3 stars. It might be worth a read to some people.. The author does do a very good job with descriptions and setting the scene.
Thank you to @celedonbooks and @netgalley for the early copy.
Because I was able to finish this one and I did care enough about the story to find out what happened I gave it 3 stars. It might be worth a read to some people.. The author does do a very good job with descriptions and setting the scene.
Thank you to @celedonbooks and @netgalley for the early copy.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My 8th favourite book of 2023 (out of approx 100). A novel and interesting issue under investigation. Why does it make a difference to our identity if our conception was planned and manipulated rather than just left to chance?
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz delves into the lives of an affluent Jewish family in Brooklyn. I previously read and loved The Plot, so I was excited to receive an advance copy for this one. I found it fascinating and was immediately drawn into the characters' stories, which started from the late 1960s and moved into present-day.
Though the book is fairly long, it doesn't feel that way when reading it. The characters aren't the most likeable, but their stories drew me in. I loved seeing how their lives intersected. I absolutely adore the author’s sharp writing style. I listened to the audiobook which was masterfully narrated by Julia Whelan.
Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.
Though the book is fairly long, it doesn't feel that way when reading it. The characters aren't the most likeable, but their stories drew me in. I loved seeing how their lives intersected. I absolutely adore the author’s sharp writing style. I listened to the audiobook which was masterfully narrated by Julia Whelan.
Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.
A solid 4 for me! I loved the narrative of this ~relatively heavy family drama. It's a slow burn for sure, drawing out the characters very particularly as they all struggle in their own way. By the end, there were some question marks for me on how everything would get wrapped up in a neat little bow, but I think Korelitz did a good job at closing loose ties. Learning about the various members of the family, their own personal struggles, and difficulty with closeness within their own family was engaging. I also appreciated the author's quick-witted writing style, along with her unconventional perspective on family, religion, race, and education.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of the brilliant novel, The Plot, which came out in May of 2021 and I just can’t believe she published two novels both so fabulous, but both so different, in a year. The Latecomer is a family story about the Oppenheimers – a fictitious wealthy New York family. Salo and Johanna initially meet at a funeral and eventually fall in love, get married and, during the early days of IVF give birth to triplets, Harrison, Sally and Lewyn. The three children could not be more different. We learn about Johanna and Salo’s complicated history, then we get to know each of their kids and the title, The Latecomer, refers to the Oppenheimer’s fourth child they decide to have when the triplets head off to college. I cannot imagine starting all over with a baby once my kids go to college! So much is packed into this novel: sibling relationships, family dynamics, academia, art, friendship, religion, privilege and race. This is a fantastic read and I think a great comp would be books by Meg Wolitzer and The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. For more book recommendations, listen to my book recommendation podcast: BOOKS ARE MY PEOPLE.
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Be sure to read the many 4 and 5 star reviews for this book. At this point I'm one of the few people that didn't rate it that highly so don't decide to not read this book just based on my review. There is a good story under all the words, I was just overwhelmed by how much had to be said to tell this story.
It's hard to know the person wealthy, Jewish, New Yorker Salo Oppenheimer would have been had the accident not happened during his college years. But it did happen and when Johanna meets him, not long afterwards, she knows she wants to make it her life's work to "heal" him and have a family with him. After many years of trying to have a baby, that Salo isn't even interested in having, Salo and Johanna welcome triplets. Now Johanna has her family but she won't realize she never really had a family until the triplets are finally able to escape home by leaving for college. But before the triplets escape, Johanna has their embryo sibling implanted in a surrogate, which brings to life "the latecomer".
Of the triplets, the only one I could stand was Lewyn. Harrison didn't even consider him worth speaking to unless it was to tear him down. Sally wanted nothing to do with him either (not that she wanted anything to do with any of her family) and once they arrived at the same college, she let him know she never wanted to see or speak to him and that they should pretend they had never met. The first three hundred and forty eight pages of the story are narrated by the triplets and it's hard to see how the story told by Lewyn would be the same one told by Harrison and Sally but that's what we have. And really, none of the people in the Oppenheimer family, not the triplets or the parents, had any meaningful connection to speak of, other than the father and triplets doing their best to avoid the mother.
As I said, the first three hundred and forty eight pages of the book are from the POV of the triplets and I felt weighed down by their collective selfishness, snugness, self importance, and more. Just the fact that it took them so long to tell the story was a chore. Then the story is taken over by Phoebe and becomes more interesting. In the mind of the triplets, Phoebe was just the product of their crazy mother's decision to have a baby because no one was paying attention to her. It's not like Phoebe has any bearing on their lives. That is until seventeen year old Phoebe takes steps to pull together her family that had never been a family. I know I would have enjoyed this story a lot more if it'd been cut down by about one hundred and fifty pages but that's just me. So many people enjoyed this story just as it has been written so keep that in mind when considering this book.
Pub: May 31st 2022
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
Be sure to read the many 4 and 5 star reviews for this book. At this point I'm one of the few people that didn't rate it that highly so don't decide to not read this book just based on my review. There is a good story under all the words, I was just overwhelmed by how much had to be said to tell this story.
It's hard to know the person wealthy, Jewish, New Yorker Salo Oppenheimer would have been had the accident not happened during his college years. But it did happen and when Johanna meets him, not long afterwards, she knows she wants to make it her life's work to "heal" him and have a family with him. After many years of trying to have a baby, that Salo isn't even interested in having, Salo and Johanna welcome triplets. Now Johanna has her family but she won't realize she never really had a family until the triplets are finally able to escape home by leaving for college. But before the triplets escape, Johanna has their embryo sibling implanted in a surrogate, which brings to life "the latecomer".
Of the triplets, the only one I could stand was Lewyn. Harrison didn't even consider him worth speaking to unless it was to tear him down. Sally wanted nothing to do with him either (not that she wanted anything to do with any of her family) and once they arrived at the same college, she let him know she never wanted to see or speak to him and that they should pretend they had never met. The first three hundred and forty eight pages of the story are narrated by the triplets and it's hard to see how the story told by Lewyn would be the same one told by Harrison and Sally but that's what we have. And really, none of the people in the Oppenheimer family, not the triplets or the parents, had any meaningful connection to speak of, other than the father and triplets doing their best to avoid the mother.
As I said, the first three hundred and forty eight pages of the book are from the POV of the triplets and I felt weighed down by their collective selfishness, snugness, self importance, and more. Just the fact that it took them so long to tell the story was a chore. Then the story is taken over by Phoebe and becomes more interesting. In the mind of the triplets, Phoebe was just the product of their crazy mother's decision to have a baby because no one was paying attention to her. It's not like Phoebe has any bearing on their lives. That is until seventeen year old Phoebe takes steps to pull together her family that had never been a family. I know I would have enjoyed this story a lot more if it'd been cut down by about one hundred and fifty pages but that's just me. So many people enjoyed this story just as it has been written so keep that in mind when considering this book.
Pub: May 31st 2022
Thank you to Celadon Books for the print version of this ARC.
Synopsis: After multiple rounds of IVF, Johanna and Salo Oppenheimer hit the jackpot with triplets. Much to Johanna's disappointment, her triplets don’t get along with each other, and she feels Salo distancing himself from their family. Sally and Lewyn go off to Cornell for college, going out of their way to avoid acknowledging each other’s existence, and despite being the smartest of the triplets, Harrison chooses to defer his acceptance to Harvard to attend Roarke, a 2-year college. Lonely and still hopeful for a family bond, Johanna decides to use the last frozen embryo she has to have one more baby.
This one had a very slow start for me, and I almost threw in the towel 60 pages in. Because I had heard good things, I decided to see it through. It picked up and I’m glad I gave it a chance! The Oppenheimers were complicated and dysfunctional to say the least, and one of my favorite aspects of the book was how it all came together in the end. Salo’s trauma dating back to high school and the relationship between Salo and Johanna greatly impacted the kids and their relationships with each other, even though they didn’t know the full story of their parents growing up. It was sad that it took so long for the family to understand each other, but I felt good about how it ended. It reminded me a little of Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen.
This one had a very slow start for me, and I almost threw in the towel 60 pages in. Because I had heard good things, I decided to see it through. It picked up and I’m glad I gave it a chance! The Oppenheimers were complicated and dysfunctional to say the least, and one of my favorite aspects of the book was how it all came together in the end. Salo’s trauma dating back to high school and the relationship between Salo and Johanna greatly impacted the kids and their relationships with each other, even though they didn’t know the full story of their parents growing up. It was sad that it took so long for the family to understand each other, but I felt good about how it ended. It reminded me a little of Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen.