From these opening lines, Amy Bloom sucked me right into Lucky Us, a novel about unconventional families. Stepsisters Iris and Eva are 16 and 12 when they first meet in 1939. Iris lives in a fancy mansion, while Eva and her mother have been barely scraping by. Eva's mother abandons her at her father's house.
"I was thirteen before I realized my mother wasn't coming back to get me."
Their father is a fickle man, so the sisters forge a life together. In Hollywood, Iris gets swept up in a racy, but very closeted, lesbian crowd. Later, they move to New York City, where Iris once again falls for a woman who will break her heart.
Sweet, loyal and resourceful, Eva is the most endearing character. Through good luck and bad, she is the steadfast heart of a family that grows over a period of ten years to include a motley, lovable crew.
I listened to the audiobook [Books on Tape: 7 hr. 18 min.] narrated with warmth and expert comedic timing by voice actress Alicyn Packard.
Readalike: Tell the Wolves I'm Home (Carol Rifka Brunt).
2 comments:
You had me at Tell the Wolves I'm home. I learned about it through you and it was one of my favourite books. I recommended it to so many people that someone remarked that I should get royalties. :)
I hope you enjoy Lucky Us. Reading experiences are subjective, as you know. The similarities between Lucky Us and Tell the Wolves I'm Home have to do with distinctive voice in a young female narrator, a strong sense of each book's respective time period, queer content, and the love and loyalty in building alternative family relationships.
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