Delighted to include this title in ‘Summer Reading,’ my latest round-up for Zoomer magazine’s Books section highlighting guaranteed great beach pleasers (see mini-review at link)

3.5/5

The Latecomer is a paradoxical book. The best way to describe how I felt while reading it was sitting next to a relative at a mandatory family dinner. You’re trapped, they do not care how much you wish to escape, they are going to tell you this family saga whether you like it or not. On the one hand, I was really impressed with the level of detail and thought that went into this epic family story. However, I seriously struggled to like any of the characters. Not in a fun, oh they’re morally gray way. They were all genuinely very unlikable people for many reasons. I also struggled with the slow pacing.

The Oppenheimer family is a convoluted and imperfect family, which in theory sounded fascinating, but I couldn’t help feeling I’d just as soon leave them all to their misery. I did enjoy the ending and how the story concluded, though I wish it had come sooner and perhaps had been explored more instead of so much time spent in the sluggish middle.

I have no doubt that there are those who will be spellbound by the mysterious Oppenheimer family and unable to put down the book until the very end. That’s the beauty of reading- not my cup of tea, but I am certain it will be someone else’s. The Latecomer is available now. Thank you to Jean Hanff Korelitz, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was entertaining on so many levels. it was funny and heartbreaking at the same time. It is the story of 3 siblings born from in vitro fertilization and a fourth sister. Born 17 years later she was from the same batch of fertilized eggs so she feels like the 4th triplet. The 3 want nothing to do with each other. This causes many mishaps and lost opportunities in their life.
The book is filled with terrific characterizations. It gets bogged down a little in the middle describing the siblings college years but I still enjoyed it.

Jean Hanff Korelitz is the master of creating characters you can believe in. As a fan of The Plot, I was expecting no less from The Latecomer. Boy was I thrilled!

I absolutely loved The Plot by the same author but this one was a little slow for me. The story was interesting but I think it could have been 150 pages shorter. The triplets were all awful which I think is the point but it made it hard for me to care about what happens to them. Jean Handf Korelitz really knows how to end a book though! Both novels I’ve read have great conclusions and are exceptionally well written. This book is definitely worth reading but be prepared for a slow start.

I loved this character driven, multigenerational story of a dysfunctional New York family. It handles unlikeable characters is a deft way that makes most of them (maybe not all) complicated and interesting instead of just your standard "terrible person." While not for people who need fast paced/plot driven stories - we don't even meet our titular narrator until half way through, and don't her her story until the 75% mark - I adored exploring this family and what made them they way they were.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me access to the ARC.

Reading this book was like trudging through knee-deep sand; slow and exhausting. The really maddening part is that I like this author and have read almost all of her work. The first 1/3 of this book was honestly excruciating to the point that I had to actively encourage myself to not put this down. The middle third was better, as the kids began to grow up, but then I feel like everything after September 11 was kind of just thrown together rather conveniently. Not a single character was likeable throughout the entire book and I didn't really care what happened to any of them after I put the book down.
I would still recommend this author, particularly The Plot and You Should Have Known, but if this is your first foray into her canon you probably won't be back.

This was a slow-paced exploration of a family that doesn't particular like each other. The characters are not lovable but some do have their moments.

Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me. It was too bizarre and felt very rambley and I couldn't find myself getting into it or becoming investing in the characters. I DNF'd around 45%

I love this book and have elevated Jean Hanff Korelitz to my must read author list. (The Plot was really good too!) I devoured this book in one day of multiple sittings and putting offs of all important tasks.

I was expecting something similar to The Plot, and was happily surprised to see that the latecomer in this novel is part of an ongoing family saga. I loved this family; its members are flawed and real and so different from each other. As a mother of three sons, I can totally relate to Johanna’s wish that the kids all just get along, but this is so not the case. I felt seen! The characters were so well drawn that I could relate to each without really liking any of them.

Along with a multigenerational family story, we get insights into guilt, grief, privilege, shame, and race and religion. I enjoyed the mini lessons in this book for me on Jewish and LDS traditions.
This author writes so well. It reads effortlessly and I can see the movie in my head the entire time. There’s so much character development but somehow enough plot and action to keep this reader very happy. I loved Phoebe (the latecomer) and the baby of the family who helps ensure a maybe too happy of an ending. It was satisfying.

Thanks so much for the preview copy, Celadon, NetGally and the author. You have a big fan here!

I really enjoyed this book overall. I loved that the chapters had titles and quirky little descriptions. Each chapter being about a different family member but not knowing till almost the end who was really narrating the book.I found this book to be well thought out and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed going along with the Oppenheimer’s journeys. If you think your family is dysfunctional, you should meet this family lol. Equal parts funny and sad, just a overall good family story

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Phoebe is number 4; a much younger sibling to a set of triplets. This dysfunctional family drama is compelling and believable.

The Latecomer is a character driven story about the Oppenheimer family. Salo Oppenheimer has a car accident in college that causes the deaths of his girlfriend and fraternity brother. There is a fourth person in the car who is injured as well. At the funeral for his girlfriend he meets Johanna, but it isn't until they meet again at a wedding that they get together and they eventually get married, but have trouble conceiving. They have four embryos and they take a chance with three of them, leaving one frozen. Johanna is thrilled when she learns all three are viable and she will be the mother of triplets. She imagines how close they'll be and what fun it will be to have a family of five. Only the triplets do not like each other. And none of what Johanna imagined a family would be comes to pass. As the triplets are graduating from high school she decides to hire a surrogate for the fourth embryo. And it's the fourth child who makes it her mission to unite the family.

The book is split into three parts - first told by Johanna and Salo in third person, then the triplets in third person, and the third part is in first person of the fourth child, Phoebe. I enjoyed learning about the Oppenheimer's. They were a dysfunctional mess. This is not an action packed book. If you are looking for a light quick read this is not it. It is a book you can get lost in and really get to know the characters. This is a book that will stick with me for awhile.

There’s a family described here, with disconnected, stubborn triplets who would prefer not to share experiences with their siblings. Their father is often away pursuing his side passion of collecting art. Later, a new sibling is born from a long-frozen embryo. These people are complicated and often frustrating, but I was invested in the story throughout. One sibling falls under the influence of a charismatic guru, There are betrayals, lies, and revelations. I was completely engaged in the siblings’ struggles and every bit of progress they made. This would be a good book for discussion.

I like this author so much, it turns out it was already preordered from Amazon. It arrived on my Kindle and I devoured it with great joy. My advice is buy anything this author writes.

At the beginning this book seemed huge and boring, but I insisted on reading and as the pages went by I started to be really interested in the story of the Oppenheimer triplets and everything that happened in between. It’s a story about family, about art, about living in NY, about growing up with siblings. It’s also a story about jealousy and rivalry, but you have to read everything to understand the complexity of the characters.

The Latecomer is a contemporary Jewish family drama that spans decades. It's about a wealthy Oppenheimer family in New York City. The story started well and I was interested in Johanna's character wanting children. She did get triplets through IVF plus one extra frozen embryo.

By the time the kids go to college, their campus life didn't hold my interest. It's more slow-paced than I would have liked. I find the storyline lacking as I didn't particularly like any of the adult triplets. I wasn't sure where it's going but perhaps a great read for those who enjoy character studies.

Korelitz writes a powerful, beautifully written, and well plotted story related through their personal perspectives, with the inclusion of some surprising and unexpected twists. She explores the themes of class, identity, race, sexuality, grief, infidelity, guilt and family through this riveting and compulsive novel, and not once did this feel like a lengthy read for me. If you are interested in character driven family drama and find exploring dysfunctional family units appealing, then I highly recommend this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC

I liked this book, but didn't love. I think I liked The Plot better. I really had no interest in the characters and there was no growth. I enjoyed the book because it seemed different and unique to me. It was also pretty well written.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Attracted by a beautiful cover and tempted by a complex family drama, I was ready for Jean Hanff Korelitz's 'The Latecomer' to be an intriguing story that perhaps would be a genre of its own. While I don't think I would be too far off in those predictions, I wasn't able to push myself through to find out. Immediately, the style of writing is very specific; long, intricately-detailed sentences and branches of thought stringing from paragraph to paragraph that take the reader on swirls of information until finally returning to the main point that started it all. The pattern of writing, for me personally, had a hypnotic style about it that distracted me the way a lullaby distracts one from staying awake - I wasn't able to focus on the important points as they were shrouded in vines of other details. The characters themselves were a melancholy bunch. The chapters alternated through the family members and each character was expertly crafted, although none of them captivated me enough to look forward to uncovering more about any of them - each chapter that solidified the depressing distance between them saw my engagement falter. It was clear that I was not a well suited reader for this style of writing and I chose to end my journey through the pages just shy of half way through the book.

I appreciate both the publisher, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Latecomer, from author Jean Hanff Korelitz, is a complicated story that encompasses decades of life for the Oppenheimer family that starts with a tragedy and everything that comes after it.

It was hard to put this one down as I found myself engrossed in this dysfunctional family, starting with the painful infertility journey that Salo and Johanna embark on to their seemingly failing attempt at raising their triplets to the birth of the last fertilized egg some 20 years later.

I admit, that I was disappointed with the family dynamics. The children appear to basically dislike each other from the moment of their birth but with little explanation why. We hear a lot from the author about how these three children/adults detest each other, but readers don't really learn why. I definitely understand that it was because they were missing the last sibing, but this was poorly executed. I'd have loved more insight into their relationships, especially with their mother.

I loved the subplot focusing on Salo's love of art. Korelitz brings to life art and artists that were popular in the 70s and 80s but were far removed from the mainstream art world. I enjoyed learning about these artists and getting a glimpse of their "masterpieces".

I do recommend The Latecomer with its surprises and emotional moments that left this reader missing the characters for days.