The Latecomer - oh what can I say. This book was just okay for me. It wasn't awful but it didn't "grab" me and I struggled to be invested.

It's the story of Salo and Joanna Oppenheimer and their famiyl. They meet under somewhat tragic circumstances, struggle to conceive, IVF, and much other sitautions that are both filled with drama and the boring. They attempt to create a wonderful family life for triplets Sally, Harrison and Lewyn. These triplets basically can't stand each other and can't wait to head to college. Joanna uncovers her husband's dirty little secret and in a desperate attempt to save her marriage, decides to use her last frozen embryo to have another child, aka “ The Latecomer”.

This was a very character driven book and it often left me wanting more as the Oppenheims navigate through issues of religion, racism, sexuality, infidelity, family drama, and more. I think I would have enjoyed a somewhat condensed version of this story more. It tended to drag on and I think could have been more enjoyable if not so verbose.

I enjoyed the lives of the triblets and The Latecomer far more than that of the parents.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillon Audio and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Oppenheimer family is a dysfunctional family at it's finest. Told through the point of view of the triplets, mainly focusing on Sally and Lewyn's experiences, less on Harrison. Which is a blessing since he is one intolerable human being.

Heavily character driven, the pacing of the book was the biggest issue for me. At times it just stalled. The relationships between the characters were so disconnected, it tumbled from the pages and left me feeling disconnected from anyone in the book, with no one to really root for and pretty blasé about what was happening.

I will say once the narrative switched to the perspective of the latecomer sibling to the triplets, Phoebe, the story unfolded at a quicker pace and I enjoyed the last third of the story the most.
The author did a good job of intertwining the lives of the Oppenheimer family. Well written. I am a fan of the author and her style of writing, this one maybe not my favorite but still a good book. Be a great book for those who like a deep dive into character psyches and would make for interesting book club discussions.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

Jean Hanff Korelitz's "The Latecomer" deals with the travails of the Oppenheimer family. Solomon (Salo) is haunted by an accident that occurred when he was twenty. Subsequently he marries Johanna Hirsch and they have triplets via in vitro fertilization. As the siblings, Sally, Harrison, and Lewyn grow into adulthood, they do their utmost to avoid spending time with one another. Meanwhile, Johanna's marriage to Salo is disintegrating (it was never a love match to begin with) and Salo is so obsessed with his passion—collecting obscure works of art—that he neglects wife and children.

Most of the book's characters are self-centered and unlikeable. Salo is a cold fish; Harrison is an intellectual snob who denigrates his brother and sister with cutting remarks; Sally and Lewyn (he is kind compared to the other two) both attend Cornell, but they refuse to acknowledge that their sibling is on campus. Johanna prefers to pretend that her children have a close and supportive relationship, although nothing could be further from the truth.

This meandering work of fiction is overwritten, talky, and tedious. I had little interest in the fate of the triplets. A fourth child, Phoebe, the latecomer of the title, is born after the triplets are grown, and she is more grounded and well-adjusted than Sally, Harrison, and Lewyn combined. The author tacks on a contrived and upbeat ending that at least gives us a measure of relief from the dreariness and misery of the earlier chapters. I have long been a fan of Korelitz, but "The Latecomer" is far from her best work.

Title: The Latecomer
Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Publication Date: May 31, 2022
Genre: General Fiction

Review:
The Latecomer is a story of a family who goes through a lot without knowing the reason behind it or so it seems. Everyone knows everything in this novel but the tragedy is no one tells anyone anything. It's a story of dysfunction and study of human families.
The blurb of the novel pretty much describes the whole story of this novel. This novel is the story of Salo who has gone through something tragic and through his dysfunction his whole family gets affected. As children, they are not close and as adults they are disjointed. What happens when a single member of the family decides to take matters into her hand is the crux of this story.
I really wanted to like this novel but really had a hard time. I like slow stories but this novel is just way slow. It has too much going on and tackles way too many subjects. By the time it picks up, either you lose interest or have just given up on the book. It was an okay read for me.

This very long family drama is definitely a slow burn. In fact it may even be slower than a slow burn. The first 200 pages or so are even plodding, but they are necessary backstory for what is to come. If you read The Plot, you may be expecting a thriller, however this book is definitely not a thrillers. A great story with interesting, well- developed characters, albeit a bit slow for me. This novel definitely showcases the author’s range and I can’t wait to see what is next. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"This was the flaw in making a bargain with yourself, there is no one else there too agree to the terms."

The Latecomer was a rollercoaster for me in many ways. It starts out strong and inviting. Leaving an air of secrecy floating about. I have to admit that I was expecting something thrillery or almost sinister when I first dove in. Then I realized that this really isn't that type of novel. It's something more and something deeper. It's taking a family with an aptitude to be estranged, and dragging them back together.

Three "test tube" babies born from a mother's desperate desire to fill a house with love. However, her attempts to create a family fall on an emotionally checked out husband who I ended up loathing. The first part follows the couples attempt to basically be husband and wife and her efforts to move the marriage along and get pregnant. I found myself completely absorbed with this part.

The middle was so-so for me. Its a look into the college excursions of the three kids. While I get the concept, I noticed that it didn't help create any character bonds for me. If anything I ended up not really liking them much. They had the checked out persona of the father when it came to family ties. Drove me nuts truthfully.

The last bit is focused more on the fourth child who comes in at a pivotal point. She is the latecomer to the family but so much more. She made me appreciate the other siblings in a way I didn't expect. Inwas dissapointed with the mother though. Didn't expect her growth to go the way it did.

There is a rawness and reality-like aspect to the narrative I was not expecting. I went in thinking one thing but enjoying a vastly different twist. Julia Whelan was phenomenal and the biggest reason I made it through the middle character portions. Her voice as not only soothing but it pulls you in deeply. I'll need to remember to keep my eye out for others novels read by her.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for the gifted audio and digital copies. All thoughts are my own. True rating 3.5/5.

Thanks NetGalley and Celadon books for my copy in exchange for a review!
This is a solid 3 stars for me. It would be a good read for people who like family dramas. There's definitely drama as far as infidelity, siblings that don't get along, trauma, grief, etc etc. It was good, but not spectacular for me because of how long it took me to get through. It's definitely slow burn, so if you gravitate toward page turners like I do, this one might not be for you. It's also like 400ish pages I think? (I never know on these ebooks haha).

I apologize but I could not get past 3 percent of this book. To me, it was constant run on sentences and way too much unneeded description. I tried several times, but I just couldn’t get involved. I really appreciate the opportunity and I wish the author the best with it.

This book is so different and unequalled from the previous works of the author. The dramatic, tense moments kept me on my toes. I didn’t want it end. The writing was so impressive, magnifying. Even though the story might be dragging at some chapters, that long and slow burn road still keep attracting your entire focus. There’s no mystery and twist but you are still hooked up to this dysfunctional family tale and you can not dare to put it up

THE LATECOMER By Jean Hanff Korelitz.

My first thought about this book is I don’t care. The second, was simply a question: Why?

Why is it so long and why do I care to finish?

I had a similar experience while reading THE GOLDFINCH, which I DNF’d, so take that for what it is.

The characters are very unlikeable and this is a character study. Which feels like meal prepping a huge amount of your least favorite food and eating it exclusively by the spoonful for an entire month.

I did not enjoy my time reading it. I did not find myself wanting to pick it up, it’s long and slower than slow.

DNF at 50.1%. That’s over 250 pages. I feel like really tried.

I loved THE PLOT and will pick up another release by Korelitz.

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced ebook and audiobook copy!

Summary:
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?

Review: Although the writing was beautiful, this book just wasn’t for me. I thought it was a bit too long and the middle section was slow. I do think those that like character driven novels will enjoy.

The Latecomer is a character driven, slow paced book. The tension slowly builds and each character has a fully formed feel.

While I can very much appreciate the wholly character-driven nature of this book, this one didn’t wow me. I can usually really enjoy books with mostly unlikable characters, though it wasn’t just that (most of) these characters were unlikable. It was the ways in which they were unlikable. It seemed over the top and unnecessary. Aside from Lewyn, I really despised the triplets… and Lewyn wasn’t even that standout. Phoebe was the only bright spot and when her chapters come in much later in the book, it made The Latecomer much more enjoyable… but still not enough.

The writing was really wonderful. I know I need to read this author’s other work.

The narration was off for me. The first two parts read largely as 3rd person POV but occasionally an "our father/our mother" was thrown in to remind me it was actually 1st person POV from someone not born yet.

I liked that the book was split into three parts - the parents, the triplets, and the latecomer. The first part gave the background and laid the groundwork for the rest of the story. I enjoyed this first part and was invested but the characters didn't grab me. The bulk of the story is in the second part. I had a harder time with this as the characters were quite unlikable and I couldn't connect with anyone. I did still enjoy their drama from the outside but I wish I knew more about their motives and what they were thinking. I also found this part too long, it seemed to drag on I was losing interest. The final part starts tying everything together, it pulled me back in and I enjoyed the ending. If I didn't have the audiobook as well, I likely would have DNF at some point during the second part.

If you like a slow burn, mult generational, family drama then give The Latecomer a try.

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz is the first book that I have read by this author. I wanted to love this book so much but I just didn't. It was a "meh" for me but had major potential.

I love how the story is broken into three parts, The parents, the triplets and then the third part which I do not want to get into too much detail about.

I was super invested in the parents portion but then the triplets came and I was completely turned off. I did not like any of the children and felt they were all unlikeable.

The story was long at over 450 pages and I felt that it could have been shorter and maybe more enjoyable. There are many parts that are slow moving and extremely bland. I almost DNF but luckily I had the audio book as well which definitely helped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was slightly out of my comfort zone but reminiscent of the style of The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer! It definitely took some time to get into BUT ultimately, I found myself invested in the everyday dramas and tribulations of the characters. There are a few twists, sibling rivalry, family drama - what's not to love? ☺️

Meet Sal - the stoic patriarch of the NYC based Oppenheimer family- and his wife Joanna, whose sole purpose in life is to be a great wife and incredible mother. The book follows Sal & Joanna as they meet in college, get married, have children, watch those children grow up and move away, and experience adulthood, growing old, tragedy and joy. The story is told from the lens of multiple characters, so moments are viewed through different eyes, which I always find an interesting narrative experience. Hanff Korelitz weaves a deep love of art throughout this novel - it's full of historic and cultural references.

Ultimately, if you're looking for something meaty to dig your teeth into, I found myself enamoured with the dynamic of this family (or rather, the destructiveness of the dynamic of this family). There is a lot of detail, a considerable amount of plot and a host of characters for you to love (or hate). I found the ending redemptive, and am so glad I read this one!

If you like books about art, society and multi generational (modern) family sagas - this one is for you!

Woah! Advertised as a slow and deliberate character driven novel, The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz delivers precisely that! The Oppenheimer triplets never bonded, never even liked each other. The desire to leave home and go their separate ways is what motivates them. As they do just that, leaving for college, their mother decides to have a fourth child. What impact will this child have on this very dysfunctional family?
The Latecomer slowly builds as only Korelitz can do with her in-depth characters descriptions, and comes together as a story with many intertwining connections. However, in this book, we are watching the story and characters through a third person view (which took me a bit to figure out who - and it shouldn't have) so as descriptive as it is, there is still so much we don't know about each of them. Because of that, perhaps, it was hard to like any of them, until maybe the very end. Was that the author's intent? I'm curious enough to know that I'm anxiously waiting her book tour to see what she has to say about it! Would I have liked them better if I understood them better and known their inner struggles? But then again, maybe that's the point. When we're looking at someone from the outside, we don't really know what they are going through. What a little communication and compassion could reveal!
This book covers a lot of ground, some more in depth than others. The author touches on grief, guilt, IVF, infidelity, racism, religion among other many other things.

Thank you Celadon Book and Netgalley for the advanced copy of The Latecomer! I was so excited to receive it!
The Latecomer is a multi-generational story surrounding the Oppenheimer family, Salo and Johanna, their IVF triplets Harrison, Lewyn and Sally and the "latecomer" sibling Phoebe. Very character driven in nature, The Latecomer dives deep into many heavier issues including accidental death, grief, infertility, infidelity, resentment, privilege and race, religion and complicated family dynamics.
The Latecomer was a very different read for me in that I enjoyed the first 25% and the last 25%, but felt as though the middle 50% was very slow. That middle section of the book was entirely too long and in my opinion most of it could have been edited out. I honestly had to switch to the audio version otherwise I honestly might have chosen to stop reading. The ending where things finally begin to come together was great though. I wish we got more of that last 25% where Phoebe really comes into the picture. I think there may be many readers who really relate to this one and soak it's long length in, but unfortunately that wasn't me.

The publisher promises, “A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics.”

Complex? There are six main characters, but we observe them from the outside. Only one character gets a first-person narrative, and that’s only for the last 30% of the book. We don’t get to delve deeply into any one character’s thoughts or motivations, which hurt my ability to connect emotionally.

Slow and Deliberate? 100%. The first 25% is all backstory/groundlaying. We learn how the mother and father meet and watch them struggle with IVF and early childhood. The story picks up right before the triplets leave for college (with the birth of a fourth IVF baby).

I enjoyed the read and Korelitz’s writing style. She is a wordy writer, but her sentences dance off the page. She also LOVES big words. Golly. I had to use my Kindle dictionary multiple times! (You’d have to know me to know that makes me happy.)

Out May 31, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

THE LATECOMER is the sweeping tale of the evolution of an unusual, and extremely complicated, family—Johanna and Salo Oppenheimer and their triplets and, later, fourth child— that doesn’t always consider itself a family at all.

In many ways, this book chronicles a slow evolution of many characters, which perhaps makes it apt that my reading experience was something of an evolution as well. In the beginning, I was entertained but felt the book was an undeniably slow build. By the middle, I was charmed by the Wes Anderson/Royal Tenenbaums vibes and cheerfully reading along to see where things went. In the turn to the final section I was thoroughly gut punched, to the point where I sat up straight and just stared at the page for several seconds, blinking wildly. By the end, I was thoroughly obsessed with this book.

It’s hard for me to say too much about why I loved THE LATECOMER without giving things away, and I firmly feel that everyone should go in blind. But what I can say is this book is brilliantly written, sharp, smart, funny, and layered, and I will not soon forget the story it tells or the journey it took me on. It’s rare for me to be so thoroughly pulled in by a character-driven novel, but the characters are so perfectly rendered (even Harrison, who I regularly wanted to punch), and all the small threads that pulled the story together were so beautifully and intricately woven that once I started to spot them I was completely and entirely captivated. I’m entirely sure that I will be marveling at this book and my experience of it for years to come.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: literary fiction that packs major twists; family drama with deep character sketches; intricately evolving stories.

CW: Infertility; infidelity; racism; anti-Semitism; some discussions of mental illness.

The Latecomer DNF’d

I did not finish this book.
I was so excited to read and listen to this one since first, I enjoyed The Plot, second, Julia Whelan is narrating it. But unfortunately, couldn’t get into it. Although the book has a really catching blurb and the narrator is good , I felt the story was dragging for me; it didn’t touched my soul. I tried to put it down and comeback to it in another moment, that didn’t work either. For me, the amount of characters was underwhelming in the sense that none of them felt important enough, it was a lot of back and forth from the past to present and it felt I wasn’t getting the positive impact I was looking for. I’m pretty sure this book will be great for a lot of people but that was not the case for me.