Cover Image: The Latecomer

The Latecomer

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Member Reviews

Unfortunately, I had a very hard time getting in to this one. I tried several times and not sure if it was a mood or just the writing style wasn't calling to me.

I have heard some people love this one so don't knock it until you try it!!

Thank you Celadon Books for the advanced copy.

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This was a very interesting family drama about 3 generations of Oppenheimers. The dad lacks the parent gene, the mom can't get pregnant and will go to any lengths to get there. When she finally has triplet's she think's they're one happy family. Until the three of them go off to college and basically forget each other exists (even when two of them go to the same college). With the children out of the house the mom finds her life lacking with her husband only interested in his art collection and his mistress, and has a brilliant idea to unthaw the last of the embryos that brought her the triplets and have another child.

This is a story about family that doesn't really want to be a family and shows mostly how the children explore their lives outside their familial and triplet bond. I found it a little hard to relate because I am very family focused person. I liked that they talked about the Judaism and Mormonism religion without it being controversial or stereotypical. And I loved all the art talk. It also was very powerful how the youngest child had the most impact on the entire family. This isn't a light or breezy book. It's complicated and spans different eras, as well as, switching narratives. Overall I'd rate it a 3.75 but rounded up!

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Thank you NetGalley, Celadon and Jean Hanff Korelitz for a e galley version for my honest opinion.

First thing I will say is that I am surprised I can enjoy a book so much, when I truly am not a fan of any of the characters. Jean did a wonderful job composing this novel that extends over 60 years of time. She was able to integrate the stories of 6 main characters while adding snippets of history, that kept you pulled in the entire time. There were even some surprise twists that I NEVER saw coming!

I was truly enamored by the author's story telling of love, loss and what a family means. I can't wait to get the chance to read more of her books! I truly urge you to read this book when given the chance.

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✨The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz✨

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 448

📚 The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy New York City–based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings—Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally—feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distant and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to add a fourth child to the family. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

📝This book can best be described as a character study of the members of the dysfunctional Oppenheimer family. The book starts off with the backstory of Salo and Johanna and the tragic circumstances of their first meeting. Then the chapters alternate between the triplets: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally.

The author delves into the topics of grief, guilt, loneliness, and ultimately the fragile dynamics of a family. The plot twists were quite unexpected.

I recognize that this book spans 40+ years and that character studies can be comprehensive, but I felt this book could have been shorter. Other than that, I felt like the Oppenheimer family was real, dealing with family issues that readers may see in their own families.

💫Thanks @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my ARC💫

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TW: Prejudice, death of sibling, fertility issues, miscarriages, cheating

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings--Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally--feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?
Release Date: May 31st, 2022
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 448
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. The cover

What I Didn't Like:
1. Too much info dumping
2. Book reads like a (boring) textbook

Overall Thoughts:
This book deals with a lot of hard subjects. The beginning has Johanna dealing with infertility issues and seeking out help to have a baby.

Story is broken up in 3 parts;
• The parents story of how they met and their relationship
• The triplets and going through life
• The last child

You would think with so much going on it would be exciting, but it feels mindless reading and feeling like I've went no where. I was pretty much bored by page 60. There is SO much info dump that it weighs you down. Everything is read to you in a matter of fact kind of way that it feels like you're taking a history class. I felt like I was going to have an exam after this book.

The characters come off needy and naggy. Joanna bitches that she wants kids and struggles to have them only to bitch that she doesn't like them. It was weird.

Final Thoughts: I dnfed at page 134. It was just not good at all. I wanted to love it since the reviews talked about how good it was. Too much talking and not a lot of stuff happening.

Recommend For:
• Slow burns

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Born to a couple who met in the aftermath of a hideous tragedy and who struggled with infertility, the Oppenheimer triplets – Harrison, Lewyn and Sally – are conceived during the early days of IVF petri dishes.

The Latecomer is a propulsive, layered and character-driven novel by an author who has a solid track record of making sure that readers are turning pages. Sometimes redundant, on occasion veering in unnecessary directions, the plot still offers plenty of surprises including one gasp-worthy one towards the end.

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Jean Hanff Korelitz has such a gift for a slow burn in her storytelling. Her novels are never formulaic and she doesn’t shy away from unlikeable characters, understanding they can add texture and interest to the storyline. This one had some good subtle, and not so subtle, twists, which kept me interested throughout, though it lagged in some parts with some extensive attention to artwork which became a little dry after a while. If you were are fan of any of her earlier writing, like The Plot, give this one a read!

Many thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the advanced reader’s copy of this novel.

#bibliophile#stephsalwaysreading#whatshouldIreadnext#bookstagram#bookstagrammer#jeanhanffkoreliz#thelatecomer

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The pacing of this story drags a bit, but it does contain a lot of information about Jewish families that a reader outside of the culture may not know. The book is too long for it's own good and what is interesting about the family, is often lost in long winding descriptive paragraphs about things that are pretty insignificant. If you like domestic dramas, this contemporary dysfunctional family story might be for you.

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Must say that Korelitz is a compelling writer. I couldn't put the book down.
The story centers around triplets and their dislike for each other, to put it mildly. Their entire family is acutely dysfunctional and that disfunction is taken to enormous extremes. The author did such a thorough job on so many fronts, including infertility and art collecting. The story was almost too dismal but a good read.

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I received an advanced copy of this for my honest opinion.

It took me a while to get through The Latecomers as the plot was slow and had ebbs and flows to it. I really enjoyed reading the book and seeing the story unfold through multiple points of view with many different topics throughout the book.

It isn’t a sad story but it is a heavy book. It didn’t feel like a book I would be able to get through quickly but it was a book I wanted to digest as I read it. It kept my attention throughout the whole book.

The story revolved around Sala Oppenheimer, his wife Johanna, and their children. It was an interesting read with a different perspective about three siblings who were who were created through invitro-fertilization. The siblings were treated as triplets but didn't identify as being triplets and resented each other. Harrison, Lewyn and Sally were all very different and did their best to avoid interacting together. I hadn’t ever thought about what it would be like or if growing up in a uterus with similar make up was enough of a bonding experience to develop a connection from the moment of birth.

The book is about all kinds of relationships (siblings, parents, lovers and friendships). The book is mostly character driven although there is a plot but most of it surrounds the character's emotional and mental state.

I definitely recommend this book to read. I would rate it a 9/10.

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A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the story well-enough, but simply put, I just plain enjoy the others other two page-turning and finely exectued female thrillers. Took me so long to get into it (and I even listended to the audiobook read by one of my faves) which sometimes gives me a push. Not unhappy unread, but pleased that I can put add it to my read rather than currently reading shelf.

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I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

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I've read a couple of books by this author in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them. I also found the description to be very intriguing as it mentions several high profile topics in today's world. As a result, I was very excited to read her latest - The Latecomer.

Once again, Jean has put together an excellent novel.

While this is a work of fiction, the entire book deals with characters, places and topics as they really are in the "real" world. She also makes the point that you can have all the riches in the world, but that it doesn't guarantee either happiness or sanity.

There are also several unexpected yet very believable plot twists which keep the story engaging right until the very last word.

I find myself wishing there had been a few more chapters of Oppenheimer family drama. I'm going to miss this family!

Things I liked:
The family members' characters and their interactions (or lack thereof) which each other
The wide range of high profile topics that are touched on
The unexpected and well placed plot twists
Things I didn’t like:
I'm hard pressed to come up with something I didn't like. I'd have to say the start was maybe a little slower than I would have liked, but I also get the sense that it was intentional.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone. A great read that would appeal to a vast audience!

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Oh boy, this was a slog to get through. Unfortunately, it was so dense that I found myself struggling to engage. Once I put it down, it was hard to make myself want to pick it back up to read.

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After reading the Plot and loving it, I thought I was in for a treat with Jean Hanff Korelitz's newest novel, The Latecomer.

Sadly this book didn't do it for me and this was greatly in part to the characters.

The blurb should say, this book is about Johanna. A mother of triplets (test tube triplets) who was treated like trash by everyone she loved.

I got so tired of listening to her kids berate her for trying to make them into a family. It got old really fast.

The triplets were selfish, self-centered, egoistical, and really just insufferable. Please don't think her husband was any better. Salo never cared for her. He was more than ok with having a side piece and another family with her. He was never present for the family he had created first. He never showed an interest in Joanna, her children, or fidelity. He was a waste of space.

I’m addition, this book screams a need for editing. It was long and redundant. Nothing really happened except the disgust the triplets professed in thinking of spending any time with their mother.

I know some of my book friends love this book and you should read their reviews. After all, I'm in the minority.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Celadon Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I love nothing more than an epic, character driven family saga and The Latecomer delivered! It’s about the a very flawed New York family. Johanna has wanted nothing more than to be a mother, while her husband Salo, is indifferent and loves his art collection more than anything. Through IVF, they have triplets Sally, Harrison and Lewn who all grow up together. Many years later Phoebe comes along via surrogate.
I listened to the audiobook (@justjuliawhelan narrated) and enjoyed the bonkers family dynamics and plot twists in this novel, and there were parts that had me scratching my head.

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I enjoyed reading this book and I really liked the characters and the way the writing flowed in the book.

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I did this mostly on audio. I was following with the book, but then I stopped half-way and finished on audio.
I don't know how I feel about this book. I enjoyed the story. The concept of triplets not talking to each other and the last embryo that became the "latecomer". The father Salo's emotional struggles with guilt was palpable. The mother Johanna dealing with Salo and trying to make a relationship work and trying to "fix" him. These are great concepts for the book but I felt the book jumped from one theme to another and felt choppy. The end left me wanting. There are these million dollar paintings and yet they were not the focus of the novel. Why mention them and make the reader so interested but then take our focus elsewhere? Great concept. I feel the novel could have been shorter and tighter.

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This book was mainly the story of a set of triplets conceived by in vitro. As you get to know each one, you learn of the dysfunction and unhappiness in the entire family. Each triplet is very different from the other, and they all dislike each other. I really couldn’t stand two of the three. About 3/4 thru the book you meet a fourth child (also conceived in vitro from the same batch of eggs, but born when the triplets are grown) and when she is ready to head off to college the dynamics of family start to change. I thought the siblings got much more likeable at this point, and I found the book more enjoyable. I ended up really liking the book

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The whole time I was reading, this reminded me of a John Irving novel. I love his writing so that’s a compliment ;) The concept of the story was really interesting - a group of siblings who came to be with a little help from science, a little bit of love, and a lot of weird history. I went into it blind and loved seeing it all unfold. The writing is literary but approachable, the characters flawed but ultimately likable, and they often had me laughing and/or groaning at their choices, even though they were totally in character (you know how sometimes you just see it from the outside and have opinions??). It did take me a while to read because it’s a slow burn, no real hook, some easy to spot twists; but if you’re in the mood for slow and easy it’s perfect.

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