Lorna Mott Come Home is a moving story about a woman who rediscovers herself after enduring a separation. I love stories that feature women going about a change in their lives, and Diane Johnson gives such a display. Although Lorna takes some time to figure out what she really wants, she is a relatable character. I can recommend 'Lorna Mott Comes Home' to those who are also enduring major changes in their lives.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf for the gifted book!

In Lorna Mott Comes Home, Diane Johnson brings us into the dreamy, anxiety-filled American world of Lorna Mott Dumas, where much has changed and where she struggles to create a new life to support herself. Into the mix--her ex-husband, and the father of her three grown children (all supportive), and grandchildren with their own troubles (money, divorce, real estate, living on the fringe; a thriving software enterprise; a missing child in the far east; grandchildren--new hostages to fortune; and, one, 15 years old, a golden girl yet always different, diagnosed at a young age with diabetes, and now pregnant and determined to have the child) . . .

A woman struggles to reinvent herself in Diane Johnson's LORNA MOTT COMES HOME and the reader is invited along for the journey. As aways, Johnson impeccably crafts rich and rewarding characters--highly recommended.

Many thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the opportunity of an early read.

What an engrossing saga of a sprawling family this is. The author achieves a tone that is both light and satiric, while introducing characters and dilemmas which, it seems, could be pursued inexhaustibly. The book did of course have to end, but one began to wonder how, with so many lives set in motion and dilemmas presented. Does it conclude neatly or convincingly? Not necessarily, but the journey to get there is just such a pleasant, capable and tasteful diversion that it doesn’t matter. Bravo.

This is a book that is getting a lot of praise and as good as the writing is, the story is so ridiculous. The main character Lorna Mott is barely the star of this book, while her ex-husband’s family takes center stage in this tale.

Lorna is coming back to California after living in France for many years with her second husband. Having marital troubles she decides going back home is in her best interest. We meet her children and grandchildren who all are suffering and insufferable in my opinion. Her first husband who has gained much wealth since the demise of their marriage and is remarried with a beloved daughter with type 1 diabetes.

When his 15 year old daughter becomes pregnant, is when this book goes completely off the rails. Let me just say, as this book takes place in current times, this story is so unbelievable, especially for a family like this. It is completely laughable.

The characters are unlikeable, and as the story continues I disliked this book more and more. Again, Lorna is peripheral in this story, for almost the entire book. For me to like a book, there has to be something redeeming, and I could not find it. The rating of 2.5 stars is purely on writing and style which this book had plenty of, content was severely lacking for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lorna Mott is in her fifties, living in Rural France, and is going through a second divorce from her unfaithful husband, Armand. While dealing with her emotional turmoil, she decides that she is ready to come back to California, her birthplace and the place where her kids from her previous marriage and grandsons live. She is also trying to reignite her professional life as n Art Historian specialist through a series of conferences that she is planning to give in America. But, when she arrives, she realizes that things are far from the way she remember them. The country is facing an economical crisis, her children are now adults with their own struggles and Lorna is not finding her place in the social nor professional scene.
At the same time, his first husband's teenage daughter gets pregnant at fifteen, and this situation unleashes a series of events that will put Lorna in an unexpected place.
I've never read a Diane Johnson's book before. I have to say that I found Lorna Mott Comes Home highly engaging. I appreciate a middle age woman as a protagonist. Lorna insights are deep and somehow enlightening. But the rest of the characters have also a lot to say. I found, most of them interesting and endearing. Their conflicts are relatable and exempt of excessive drama.
Johnson's prose is beautiful and the dialogues are believable.
I would love to read Diane Johnson's other books.

I look forward to recommending this book to readers who enjoy sophisticated stories that feature complex characters who are navigating the everyday challenges of family life, romance, money, careers, and aging. Lorna is an immensely appealing main character who leaves her unfaithful French husband and returns home after a 24 year absence to settle in San Francisco. A respected art historian, she attempts to get her career back on track and help her adult children and grandchild. Realistic situations, fascinating characters, and a well-paced plot make this such a pleasure to read.

Frothy, light, beach read-dated….I remember reading Le Divorce years ago so I was intrigued to see how the characters and story line had aged. What can I say, a book for a different time/generation-I can’t fault if for that. Definitely has the makes of a screenplay for a certain demographic.

I’m judging a 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

Lorna Mott was thinking this when she asked Monsieur Jasse to stop his taxi ….
What a compelling transition from the first line...

I had no idea what to expect from this wonderful novel. Lorna Mott-Dumas returns to her scattered family in the Bay Area after her marriage to a Frenchman she suspects is sleeping around begins to fall apart. Filled with a cast of colorful characters and a bizarre family dynamic, LORNA MOTT COMES HOME is a terrific and clever peek into the lives of adult children and their parents of divorce. I would recommend to anyone who loved the show PARENTHOOD, or the book THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU.

I had high hopes for this book, but the writing style was unusual. As the point of view changed, parts of the story were retold and it felt disjointed. I really liked the characters of Lorna, Armand and Ran, but the other characters were not fully developed and it was hard to care about what happened to them. The ending was unsatisfactory, leaving many loose ends, which I feel was the intent, but it was not executed successfully.

It’s magic! I have spent 2 days traveling the world under the skillful guidance of one of my favorite authors. I have missed Johnson, it’s been a long time since Le Divorce, yet I never go to Paris without thinking of it. Now I’ve added to my French geography with this delightful novel.

I generally hate having a lot of characters in a novel, but Johnson makes it all work. She binds them together with a thin chord. The catalyst is Lorna returning to San Francisco, divorcing her cheating French husband. She returns at a moment when her ex-husband and 3 adult children are in the midst of crises, financial and emotional.

Her return untangles the complicated webs which surround her children. Added to this is a huge issue with her husband’s newest progeny. The story just goes by so beautifully and the characters are so engaging that I only have one criticism....it ended!

I loved this novel, I wish there was a part II so I could find out what happens to all these appealing characters. Thank you Netgalley for this lovely read. I’ve already alerted all my book clubs that this is a must-read.