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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Great writing elevates this fairly unoriginal tale of a privileged but messy and unlikable family that doesn’t get along and finds itself drifted completely apart. Obviously though, the writing is not quite good enough to ignore the idea that I have read this before or to make me wonder why I should care about them not getting along in the first place.
The Latecomer follows a set of triplets born to a rich Jewish couple in New York who grow up without every really getting along or being a family. One struggles with their sexuality, one struggles with their religion, and one struggles with their political beliefs and all struggle to be decent people. When the kids are graduating, their mother upon finding out that her husband is cheating on her and probably going to leave with his new family decides to use the last egg from the IVF treatment saved from 18 years ago, essentially making a fourth twin but born 18 years later. When Phoebe is old enough to realize the mess of her family she works to try and fix it.
I will repeat that the writing of this is really well done and I will definitely check out the author’s other novels which I have been intrigued about. Despite being very slow with the ‘plot’ of the story not kicking in until at least half way through, I never felt like quitting. It kept me engaged with the smaller segments of action that each sibling or parent was going through. But when I stepped back and looked at the overall picture, I couldn’t really bring myself to be that interested.
The characters do in fact, grow (with one exception). Except this entirely happens off stage. We follow the kids while they are in their first year of college and generally being assholes then it skips 16 plus years. Where two of them have settled and smoothed out the rough edges we saw previously and one of them has leaned even more into them. Somehow, the character that hasn’t developed at all, gets the exact same treatment as the other two. I’m not even trying to get political here (though it is hard with this character being a literal commentator for Fox News) but there is no development from him or growth. Yet he gets the same ending. Its very odd and a weird message. I can’t imagine liberals like me will enjoy this character being accepted as such with zero growth and I can’t imagine conservatives would like that their ‘representative’ character is just an asshole in general without including his political views. So who was this book for? I have no real idea.
Everything felt all wrapped up in a tidy bow that felt undeserved and un-journeyed for us as readers.
I did actually enjoy the one character’s exploration of religion. I found this super interesting that someone who lacked a sense of family and community attaches themselves to a religion (LDS) that has such strong bonds. It was actually a really interesting emotional journey that I felt I understood more than anything else. I also loved the exploration of religion through art that he had. He did turn out to be my favorite character and the most interesting one to me.
There really was interesting parts and segments but they sure did make it hard to really care about them.
Overall, really well written but generally a miss for me.
The Latecomer follows a set of triplets born to a rich Jewish couple in New York who grow up without every really getting along or being a family. One struggles with their sexuality, one struggles with their religion, and one struggles with their political beliefs and all struggle to be decent people. When the kids are graduating, their mother upon finding out that her husband is cheating on her and probably going to leave with his new family decides to use the last egg from the IVF treatment saved from 18 years ago, essentially making a fourth twin but born 18 years later. When Phoebe is old enough to realize the mess of her family she works to try and fix it.
I will repeat that the writing of this is really well done and I will definitely check out the author’s other novels which I have been intrigued about. Despite being very slow with the ‘plot’ of the story not kicking in until at least half way through, I never felt like quitting. It kept me engaged with the smaller segments of action that each sibling or parent was going through. But when I stepped back and looked at the overall picture, I couldn’t really bring myself to be that interested.
The characters do in fact, grow (with one exception). Except this entirely happens off stage. We follow the kids while they are in their first year of college and generally being assholes then it skips 16 plus years. Where two of them have settled and smoothed out the rough edges we saw previously and one of them has leaned even more into them. Somehow, the character that hasn’t developed at all, gets the exact same treatment as the other two. I’m not even trying to get political here (though it is hard with this character being a literal commentator for Fox News) but there is no development from him or growth. Yet he gets the same ending. Its very odd and a weird message. I can’t imagine liberals like me will enjoy this character being accepted as such with zero growth and I can’t imagine conservatives would like that their ‘representative’ character is just an asshole in general without including his political views. So who was this book for? I have no real idea.
Everything felt all wrapped up in a tidy bow that felt undeserved and un-journeyed for us as readers.
I did actually enjoy the one character’s exploration of religion. I found this super interesting that someone who lacked a sense of family and community attaches themselves to a religion (LDS) that has such strong bonds. It was actually a really interesting emotional journey that I felt I understood more than anything else. I also loved the exploration of religion through art that he had. He did turn out to be my favorite character and the most interesting one to me.
There really was interesting parts and segments but they sure did make it hard to really care about them.
Overall, really well written but generally a miss for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
Thank you to MacMillan audio for this amazing audiobook. The Latecomer audiobook blends one of my favorite literary voices, Jean Hanff Korelitz, with for me the always outstanding voice narration from Julia Whelan. I truly loved this book and how the voice acting added nuances and depth to a complicated character driven family drama.
I find Jean Hanff Korelitz a tremendously intriguing writer! I admire a versatile writer who can engage me, have me thinking and talking about characters and plot development, and who can draw me in to a story so effectively. So I can only rave about The Latecomer, I am sad to have finished it (though highly satisfied with the whole story!).
This is a complicated story, one of triplets who bare little connection or resemblance to each other, who strive to disconnect and yet are forced back together as the plot both takes them away from each other as they enter college/post high school development and then back together in a wonderfully tense, slow simmer crescendo. This book takes it time and asks the reader to savor the details, to get lost in each character, and get into their mindsets and then to feel compelled to want them to avoid the very disaster they seem to be creating for themselves (all the while eagerly waiting for that plot point to be revealed).
Wonderful narration with a thoughtfully engaging and thought provoking character/family drama. I will be recommending this one often!
I find Jean Hanff Korelitz a tremendously intriguing writer! I admire a versatile writer who can engage me, have me thinking and talking about characters and plot development, and who can draw me in to a story so effectively. So I can only rave about The Latecomer, I am sad to have finished it (though highly satisfied with the whole story!).
This is a complicated story, one of triplets who bare little connection or resemblance to each other, who strive to disconnect and yet are forced back together as the plot both takes them away from each other as they enter college/post high school development and then back together in a wonderfully tense, slow simmer crescendo. This book takes it time and asks the reader to savor the details, to get lost in each character, and get into their mindsets and then to feel compelled to want them to avoid the very disaster they seem to be creating for themselves (all the while eagerly waiting for that plot point to be revealed).
Wonderful narration with a thoughtfully engaging and thought provoking character/family drama. I will be recommending this one often!
THE LATECOMER read like a satisfying workout: at the start, I had to convince myself to keep going but I am ultimately thrilled I took the time to invest in it.
The story follows the wealthy, dysfunctional, NYC-based Oppenheimer family: two flawed parents, a set of triplets conceived in the early days of IVF, and a “latecomer” fourth child.
This book is my jam: a literary, complex family saga with a cast of characters I became invested in and frustrated with - often in equal measure. It is quiet, deliberate, and layered.
What feels most unique is that through the Oppenheimers, Korelitz explores the complexities of family dynamics. She examines the ways motherhood can be different than expected, even when desired and fought for. She also layers in the difficulties of sibling-hood and being a triplet, and a strong take on nature vs nurture.
It is not a story brimming with love, happy endings, or poignant moments; though there is all of that, it is not the focus. It is a tad sinister, but fascinating and engrossing.
I’d be remiss not to mention that it is also some of the best writing I’ve read all year. I’ve found myself thinking about the characters since I finished and I know it’s a story that’ll stay with me for a long while.
All in all: I loved this one and I’d recommend it to my fellow literary family saga fans. If you don’t love unlikeable characters or need a bunch of plot for focus, this may not be for you!
The story follows the wealthy, dysfunctional, NYC-based Oppenheimer family: two flawed parents, a set of triplets conceived in the early days of IVF, and a “latecomer” fourth child.
This book is my jam: a literary, complex family saga with a cast of characters I became invested in and frustrated with - often in equal measure. It is quiet, deliberate, and layered.
What feels most unique is that through the Oppenheimers, Korelitz explores the complexities of family dynamics. She examines the ways motherhood can be different than expected, even when desired and fought for. She also layers in the difficulties of sibling-hood and being a triplet, and a strong take on nature vs nurture.
It is not a story brimming with love, happy endings, or poignant moments; though there is all of that, it is not the focus. It is a tad sinister, but fascinating and engrossing.
I’d be remiss not to mention that it is also some of the best writing I’ve read all year. I’ve found myself thinking about the characters since I finished and I know it’s a story that’ll stay with me for a long while.
All in all: I loved this one and I’d recommend it to my fellow literary family saga fans. If you don’t love unlikeable characters or need a bunch of plot for focus, this may not be for you!
If I dropped a list of topics covered in, folks would be amazed. A lot of research and timeline planning and care of complicated families went into this one for sure!
I enjoyed the hell out of this. Once I started reading it, it was hard to put down. I found it utterly compelling, even though for the first part of the book, many of the characters are hard to root for. It’s tough to talk about without spoiling it, so I’ll just say if you like family sagas that span many years and contain surprising family secrets, you will probably like this. It also contains a lot of interesting discussions about art, including fascinating bits on outsider art. In some ways, I was reminded of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch—not that the books are the same, but there are echoes in themes.
The author’s writing style is sophisticated, though deceptively simple-seeming, assured and very readable. Even though the book covers some heavy topics, it’s written with a light hand, with good nature and humour. I can hardly believe this is by the same person who wrote The Plot; I enjoyed this one so much more. (Content warning: there is a very long but well written and empathetic section on infertility and pregnancy loss.)
The author’s writing style is sophisticated, though deceptively simple-seeming, assured and very readable. Even though the book covers some heavy topics, it’s written with a light hand, with good nature and humour. I can hardly believe this is by the same person who wrote The Plot; I enjoyed this one so much more. (Content warning: there is a very long but well written and empathetic section on infertility and pregnancy loss.)
This book was a surprise. I didn't think I liked it for the first half but then couldn't put it down for the second.
It ended up being a really beautiful tale of family, reconciliation, love, and finding oneself. The triplets were a tad ridiculous, and sometimes seemed like caricatures occasionally. It hit a lot of interesting areas and was one of those books that make you think.
Lewyn will forever be my favorite triplet though.
It ended up being a really beautiful tale of family, reconciliation, love, and finding oneself. The triplets were a tad ridiculous, and sometimes seemed like caricatures occasionally. It hit a lot of interesting areas and was one of those books that make you think.
Lewyn will forever be my favorite triplet though.
Jean Hanff Korelitz’s last book, The Plot, was a morality play on the issue of authorship and the use of ideas. Some of those concerns come into play in her latest book The Latecomer but they are dealt with in a very different mode and in a much richer and deeper scenario. The Latecomer is a family drama, an exploration of art and aesthetics, a deeply biting satire and reflection on the human condition done through the lens of some decidedly likeably unlikeable, or at least damaged characters.
The Latecomer is ostensibly the story of the wealthy, Jewish Oppenheimer triplets, born through IVF and out of desperation to their parents Johanna and Salo. Salo carries with him a deep and abiding guilt for the deaths of two friends in a car accident in which he was driver (although not at fault). Johanna is trying to assuage that guilt through her love but Salo finds more solace in modern art and later in the arms of another. The triplets themselves – Harrison, Sally and Lewyn – never get along, despite their mother insisting that they are all one happy family. The central portion of the novel, set in 2000 -2001 is the story of their college years and the damage that they do to each other. This section sometimes feels like a classic American college / coming of age drama. The Latecomer of the novel is Phoebe, born from the fourth fertilised egg as the first three triplets, but eighteen years after the birth of her siblings. As a young adult, Phoebe takes it on herself to try and put the broken pieces of her family back together.
There is little in the way of plot in The Latecomer, this is really a social commentary and character study of the triplets, their parents and later Phoebe (although she is probably the least developed of the six, her agency is in seeing her siblings for what they are). But they are flawed and relatable characters and their stories are engrossing and engaging. And by the end of the book Korelitz has brought these individuals to life and earns her many catharses.
This is very much an old fashioned style of narrative with extremely wealthy characters at its centre and many have compared to the works of Evelyn Waugh. But it has some very current concerns and along the way Korelitza explores and commenst on a range of aspects of modern life, particularly American modern life – progressive education, identity politics, affirmative action, the role of religion, family dysfunction, intergenerational trauma, the nature of art and art collection and even the ongoing impact of 9/11.
Despite the fact that the drama is all interpersonal, among characters who have some not particularly endearing traits, The Latecomer is a heartfelt and engaging novel. And in the end a cathartic one.
The Latecomer is ostensibly the story of the wealthy, Jewish Oppenheimer triplets, born through IVF and out of desperation to their parents Johanna and Salo. Salo carries with him a deep and abiding guilt for the deaths of two friends in a car accident in which he was driver (although not at fault). Johanna is trying to assuage that guilt through her love but Salo finds more solace in modern art and later in the arms of another. The triplets themselves – Harrison, Sally and Lewyn – never get along, despite their mother insisting that they are all one happy family. The central portion of the novel, set in 2000 -2001 is the story of their college years and the damage that they do to each other. This section sometimes feels like a classic American college / coming of age drama. The Latecomer of the novel is Phoebe, born from the fourth fertilised egg as the first three triplets, but eighteen years after the birth of her siblings. As a young adult, Phoebe takes it on herself to try and put the broken pieces of her family back together.
There is little in the way of plot in The Latecomer, this is really a social commentary and character study of the triplets, their parents and later Phoebe (although she is probably the least developed of the six, her agency is in seeing her siblings for what they are). But they are flawed and relatable characters and their stories are engrossing and engaging. And by the end of the book Korelitz has brought these individuals to life and earns her many catharses.
This is very much an old fashioned style of narrative with extremely wealthy characters at its centre and many have compared to the works of Evelyn Waugh. But it has some very current concerns and along the way Korelitza explores and commenst on a range of aspects of modern life, particularly American modern life – progressive education, identity politics, affirmative action, the role of religion, family dysfunction, intergenerational trauma, the nature of art and art collection and even the ongoing impact of 9/11.
Despite the fact that the drama is all interpersonal, among characters who have some not particularly endearing traits, The Latecomer is a heartfelt and engaging novel. And in the end a cathartic one.