While I was reading Amy Bloom’s new novel, Lucky Us, I had a few questions: How did a book like Lucky Us get published, as is? Did someone read it – really read it – before it got published? If you’re Amy Bloom, with a few great successes under your belt, does that mean that you get to bypass the editing process?I really didn’t like Lucky Us much at all. It is supposed to be a jazzy novel set in the 40s about how an unconventional family finds each other and survives the ups and downs of a turbu...

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book .********************************************3.5 starsThis is another coming of age story where the teenage protagonist is already wiser than most of the other characters and becomes the adult who manages to become a good, caring person in spite of her circumstances.Eva, at 12 years old is left by her mother on her father's doorstep. . His second wife has just died and Eva meets her half sister Iris for the first time. .F...

This book grabbed me in the beginning, but then over time I started to lose interest a little. I kept expecting there to be some moment when everything came together and the characters really revealed themselves to the reader, but that never happened. I felt like I was looking through a window at the characters the whole time and never really got to know them. In the beginning I developed a dislike of Iris, and that never really left me. I did, however really like Eva. I liked that her innocence...

Book LustLeft on her father's porch at the age of twelve, Eva suddenly finds herself living in the shadow of her half-sister, Iris, though the two love each other dearly. Eva follows Iris to 1940s Hollywood as Iris pursues her dream of being a star. When things there go awry, the girls travel across the country to New York, to start new lives. Iris' beauty and talent continues to overshadow Eva, who only wishes for the family she was never allowed. There is joy and success, but also loss and hea...

For some reason o had big hopes for this book but unfortunately it missed the mark for me. Do think I'll give Amy Bloom another go though as something about the writing did intrigued me even though the story itself did not

Lucky Us is the story of a patchworked family: two sisters (by different mothers), their “blithe, inscrutable, crooked father,” and their various acquaintances who become new patchworked families — all manipulating and scheming their way through the 1940s US of A.This is voluptuous American writing. Like the family, the story is patchworked — the pieces, not necessarily linear, but when put together, they tell a more perfect story than tales that are forced into a tight chronological narrative.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.I have read several books by Amy Bloom, and I think my favorite remains A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You. I think that is because I prefer her writing style in short stories than in full novels, because even in a novel like this one, it's told in pieces.The story is of two sisters who are two years apart, but don't know about each other until the wife of their father dies. That wife is only the mother of one of the

Poorly written with a flat tone, almost as if the author was bored with her subjects. The subjects themselves were not lovable or interesting once I got to know them, and ultimately I found myself wanting to play Two Dots or Threes on my phone more than I wanted to pick this book up and finish it. Not so lucky me.

I enjoyed this immensely. Terrific writing, quirky characters and plot. Nothing formulaic about it - a great short read and I will look for more Amy Bloom in our wonderful local library.

I won Lucky Us for free in a GoodReads giveaway. I received a huge trade paperback with a smartly designed jacket and a beautifully illustrated cover and 238 pages of tightly-packed serifed font.Much has been made in reviews and in praise of the book's opening lines: "My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us." And they certainly ring with the deliverance of great literary promise. These first sentences of the book are even on the

I thought that Lucky Us started out really intriguing. I love historical fiction and I love books about sister relationships, so I had assumed that I would love this one. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. In fact, I didn't even really like it all that much.My main issue with Lucky Us was that it seemed somewhat rushed. Rather than have a full-fledged story with a plot, it seems as though this book was just snapshots of a life lived as opposed to a story about a life lived. Now, normally I don't...

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are; the ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." - author unknown.This is the expression I was thinking of when I read this book. And after reading it, I had to let it simmer for a while. Yes, it is one of those books! Lucky Us is so multidimensional that it will take a while to think it over. There's the moral dilemmas versus the unscripted...

The story opens in 1939, when World War II is starting. Twelve-year-old Eva Logan Acton and her waitress mother Hazel are the 'secret family' of English professor Edgar Acton.Edgar has a 'real' wife and daughter in classy Windsor, Ohio, and visits his clandestine family twice a week. When Edgar's wife dies, Hazel drives Eva to Windsor and leaves the girl at Edgar's house as she drives away for good. Eva is accepted into Edgar's household, and is impressed by her beautiful 16-year-old half-sister...

If I want to learn how to turn a phrase, and fill my life with words and sentences that will make your world spin, I shall to turn to Amy Bloom. If I want to fill my world with characters like Iris and Eva, who may not be the most likeable characters on the block, and yet still get you to continue reading, continue your evaluation of a novel all the way to the end, I shall turn to Amy Bloom. If I want to find a historical novel during the period of the Holocaust, where the world was filled with

This novel looked very promising, highlighting the lives of half-sisters, Eva and Iris, with the backdrop of 1940’s America. It had started out interesting and I was hoping for more, but it became a mishmash of odd situations. The writing felt disconnected and disheveled. I wasn't sure where the next chapter was going to lead and when I got there it left me confused and sometimes frustrated. The switch of narration between 1st person and 3rd person had me badly in need of a scorecard trying to d...

For a short book this was almost painfully overwritten. I'm also mystified at how Bloom made such a dramatic period in American history so boring. She also missed multiple opportunities to make coming of age in the 194os emotionally engaging. Her characters, who had so much potential as misfits, remained flat throughout. Lots and lots of historical background but without a good story or full dimensional characters, this book went nowhere.So many better WWII novels. Skip this one.

A wonderful story about sisters, families and dreams, filled with memorable and unique characters.What makes a family? In this book one person is left, one is stolen, some are just accepted in the family and another returns home and becomes part of the family. Dreams of Hollywood that turn into scandal, a road trip and the making of one sister, the downfall of the other, but after many set backs the true meaning of family wins out.Entertaining, poignant, a novel that resonates with the reader an...

The title of Bloom’s latest novel, which takes place between the years of 1939-1949, is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, on the one hand. But, perhaps a backwards glance would reveal some truth behind those words. Lucky to be alive—and what I mean by alive is more than just breathing. These characters fight for their footing--they courageously and sometimes unwittingly climb out of many sad and tragic moments, and use their wits to move forward and carve out a niche for themselves, even if that nich...

So often, avid readers are hooked by the very first lines…or not. Here are Amy Bloom’s first lines: “My father’s wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us.”How can you resist a book that starts like that? And the good news is, the prose and cadence remain consistently good throughout Lucky Us.The author of Love Reinvents Us focuses again on the themes of love, reinvention…and also, the families we’re born into and the families we choose. Eva,