About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

BEGINNER'S LUCK
by Laura Pedersen
Ballantine, January 2003
336 pages
$13.95
ISBN: 0345458303


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Sixteen year old Hallie Palmer hates school, hates her large family of seven ­ soon to be eight ­ children, loves to gamble, and the only thing she wants out of life is to buy a car and take off for Las Vegas. Whatıs stopping her? School, her large family, and the lack of a car, but she has every intention of making her dream come true.

The first thing she decides to do is to quit high school and find a job so she can earn back the money she just lost on a horse race. One day she sees a help wanted sign on the bulletin board in the supermarket from a family looking for a person to take care of their yard. Since Hallie knows all about yards and has nothing against hard work, she decides to apply for theposition. This is the turning point in her life.

Hallie knocks on the door and enters the lives ofsixty-something year old Olivia Stockton, her husband ­ the Judge, thirty some-odd year old son Bernard, Bernardıs boyfriend Gil, and Rocky the orangutan.Donıt ask. Little did this rare assortment of people realize how much they willall eventually need each other.

The Stockton household is quite eccentric, to say the least.Olivia writes poetry and dabbles in soft core porn for a magazine, Bernard is a gourmet cook who also owns an antiques store, and Gil is the one person who gives the house some kind of semblance of normalcy. And then there is Rocky the orangutan. Donıt ask.

This is Hallieıs new family. They take her in, give her a roof over her head, and provide the best education that a high school dropout will ever get.

BEGINNERıS LUCK is aremarkable book. At first I thought it was a ³coming of age² story and maybe it is, to a point, but author Laura Pedersen makes it into so much more. Yes, it does tell us how Hallie eventually discovers things about herself and lets us see how she grows during her time at the Stocktonıs, but I think the novel also gives the reader quit a bit to think about as well.

The story is set in Cosgrove County, Ohio, a town filled with some mighty interesting people. For instance, two of Hallieıs Monday night poker buddies are Officer Rich, the only African American in Cosgrove Countyand Pastor Costello, who so kindly lets the gamblers play poker in the basement of the church.

Hallie herself is an extremely smart person who just needs the right environment to help bring out her love of learning. Even though she left her family to live with the Stocktonıs, and she gambles, and there is also that little problem of some stolen money that she was accused of taking, and she is somewhat of a pariah in the community, Hallie still makes the best ofher life in Cosgrove County.

BEGINNERıS LUCK is a delightfully funny, very satisfying,well told tale. This is not a young teen book written for high school students. Itıs a book for adults but also should be read by those who are going through that tough coming of age period in their lives.

Laura Pedersen is a talented writer and because of this novel, I intend to find and read her other books. I suggest that you give this book a try, youıll be pleased you did!

Reviewed by Sharon Katz, February 2003

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]