Customer Reviews

The Big Shuffle: A Novel

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Often, in narratives which focus on the lives of young women in their teens or early twenties, there is an inclination among novelists and short story writers to make the female adolescent journey into life either so uncomplicated and therefore inconsequential that the conspicuous absence of a dark cloud causes us to pause in disbelief, or so downright menancing--as in the brilliant but pessimistic short studies about teen aged girls written by Joyce Carol Oates--that the journey is so riddled with darkness and dispair that the central character is often blinded, then devoured by it. Laura Pedersen's world, like ours, is at different times, painful and exhilarating. It is made gloomy by moments of profound loss--as on the occasion of a loved one's death; but promising even then, when it offers the central character in THE BIG SHUFFLE, Hallie Palmer, a means of coping with her grief while helping her mother and younger brothers and sisters to deal with theirs.

There is something both delightfully innocent and wholesome about Hallie Palmer and those qualities remain intact even when she brazenly reveals to the reader the exact numerical makeup of her hand during a game of Strip Poker, or when she casually describes the "faint but distinctive aroma of marijuana" in a room where fun-seeking college kids gather as a refuge from their more serious studies. What is noteworthy, I believe, is that Hallie can never be defined by her involvement in card playing or her physical closeness to kids who sometimes choose to drift off aimlessly in a cloud of pot. They remain trifles in the exciting life of a young and admirable young lady, whow is infinetly more substantial as an impressive and attractive heroic figure on a mission to bring life back to a mother whose grief has thrown her into a seemingly everlasting state of intense mourning and helpless siblings who must recover from the devastating and riddlesome loss of a beloved father.

During Hallie's journey, she becomes aware of the matters of life which are often taken for granted or simply denied. One recalls that at first, when she learns about her father's serious heart attack, her response is a combination of childish anger and denial:"Huh? My dad--heart attack--impossible!" she convinces herself; "He's young and strong and not even forty!" But later, toward the end of the novel she is able to observe that her mother suddenly begins to look older, perhaps even a bit wizened. In only a few months, then, she begins to take on the sometimes grim but important knowledge involving the physical realities of youth and old age, life and oncoming death; and she generously shares her newfound wisdom with the reader in a most delightfully forthright manner. And so, in this wonderful new Laura Petersen story, Hallie Palmer, with the help of some friends, particularly her dear theatrical mentor and adored buddy, Bernard, manges to turn a deep personal sorrow into a kind of celebratoin of discovery and existence. And we find ourselves literally cheering her on along the way!

From the very first page I fell in love with this wonderful novel. It's chock full of humor, warmth, and family drama, with a subtle message about caring and the bonds of friendship carefully woven into the struggles of living and dying. The main character, a young woman suddenly called home from college to care for her family in an emergency, is well-drawn and realistic, but she's not always the main event, thus widening the appeal of the novel to all ages. Hallie often serves as ballast for the more memorable characters to swirl around her, including a local antiques dealer, his socially aware mother, their minister, the colorful sailor man Uncle Lenny, and a cadre of town poker players. The twists and turns are familiar, but that's what makes the action so interesting and appealing, especially when everyone has a different view on how to resolve problems and attempt to move forward. The author does a terrific job of interweaving these additional personalities along with their relationships so the main plotlines never become boring. THE BIG SHUFFLE is never boring, even when the narrator is vacuuming Cheerios out of the rug or contemplating the provenance of candy corn at Halloween time. Pedersen's standup comedy background sneaks in at all the right moments, and yet she also gets the heartbreak and confusion following the death of a loved one pitch perfect. Hallie Palmer might just be our Laura Ingalls Wilder for the 21st century.

Imagine you're in college, at a frat party, when you hear your father has had a heart attack. Moreover, your mother is unresponsive and has been hospitalized. And, oh yeah, you have seven younger brothers and sisters living at home.

19-year-old Hallie Palmer faces just this situation one late fall evening, and she decides there's no choice but to head home and hold up the fort. It isn't easy. There's hardly any money in the checking account. Three of the children are still in diapers, two of them infant twins she can't tell apart. Her younger sister, Louise, wants no part in the homemaking and child-raising and absconds to Boston with a boyfriend at the age of 15. Her 12-year-old brother, Teddy, also causes problems by leaving school to hang out with mom at the mental institution.

Fortunately, Hallie isn't as alone as she feels. Her friends Gil and Bernard are there to help with food, help, and, eventually, a job. The pharmacist stops by to help with paperwork. The city snow removal guy digs out the driveway for free. When Hallie crashes and burns with a case of mono, Pastor Costello moves in and takes care of all the children and the house until Hallie can get better.

While the community is there to help, Hallie's old friends are scared off by her new life. Even her boyfriend, Craig, doesn't understand her reaction to his dropping out of college and takes up with another, more accommodating girl.

Laura Pedersen's "The Big Shuffle" is a warm-hearted, entertaining novel, with love and community at its core. It's populated with a variety of eccentric characters--like Uncle Lenny, a sailor who arrives for Hallie's father's funeral and stays for awhile entertaining the kids with gruesome tales of the sea--and is often quite funny. Take, for example, this passage in which Hallie describes arriving at the school to discuss, she thinks, Louise's delinquency:

"Though communism collapsed some time ago, the high school is ready to serve as the Kremlin West should bolshevism rise again. The dark cinder-block building manages to block out the sun and cast a shadow over anyone who dares to enter its steel-framed doors. The inmates all share the same sentence--four years with no time off for good behavior and no chance of probation." (p. 140)

Pedersen's style is relaxed here, the plot not dominant. Instead we are treated to entertaining circumstances, wacky children and characters, and a strong, compelling narrator in Hallie.

"The Big Shuffle" is a sequel to "Beginner's Luck" and "Heart's Desire." And while there are references to Hallie's early cardshark life, it reads well as a stand-alone novel. (I should know--I haven't read Laura Pedersen's work before.) "The Big Shuffle" has some light sexuality and is best suited for children ages 14 and up.

The third book in the Hallie Palmer series is as laugh-out-loud funny and deliciously charming as the first two. However, Hallie is a year or so older and the circumstances of her life take a serious turn, which challenge her every fiber. This is a wonderful installment after BEGINNER'S LUCK, which was about Hallie deciding what to do with her life, and HEART'S DESIRE, where she was confronted with the complexities of relationships, and now, she must deal with a situation not of her own making, which is the progression life takes for most of us. So I enjoyed being with all the old gang -- Olivia and her liberal slant on life, Bernard's bon mots and ingenious ways of assisting (we should all have a Bernard in a crisis), and Gil, "the normal one." Then there is of course Rocky, the formerly alcoholic chimpanzee, who is now working as a nanny. When I look back at the story, it's just a wonder how Pedersen finds so much humor and meaning in a considerable amount of sadness. But that's the wonderful thing about this book, it makes you feel that everything is going to be okay! (My favorite scene is Hallie and Bernard meeting in the front hall coat closet directly following the funeral. Absolutely brilliant!)

Teenagers will certainly love Hallie, who has gone from 15 to 19, but there's plenty for adults in the writing, references, jokes, and activities of the mature characters. I recommended THE BIG SHUFFLE for my book group, which is aged 23 - 81, and it was a big success, made even better because we'd organized a chat with the author through her website. She's hilarious!

Having read Hearts Desire last month I was hoping this would follow in the same well-written and interesting tale. It did not fail to disappoint. A maudlin tale is made to feel somewhat light-hearted and even humorous. Not always an easy feat for any author but Pedersen manages it with style and sagacity.

I really enjoyed this book from the first chapter. Hallie sucked me into her plight immediately with her crush on "that Josh" and her poker mastery during a game of strip poker so that by the time she undergoes a supreme tragedy and crisis in chapter two, I was hooked on her story.

Still, even though this book starts with a girl who undergoes a major tragedy, it's also a very funny and warm book. I laughed out loud a few times, like when Hallie admits she can't tell her twin brothers apart. That's Hallie and it's funny. The Big Shuffle also deals with serious truths about growing up and the realities we all must face, even if Hallie has them thrust upon her.

I read this book first, but now I'm excited to go back and read the previous books about Hallie. Glad I found this book and am excited to read more by Laura Pedersen!

Hallie Palmer is one gutsy gal but not because she wants to be! During a raucous college party one evening, she sees her buddy Bernard approaching her through the hazy drunken figures. Twenty-four hours later, she is trying to cope with the fact of her father's death, her mother's inability to cope with his death, and the screaming, squalling noise of eight younger siblings. It seems she's the only one who's got enough head on her shoulders to take charge, and that's exactly what she does. No, I haven't given away the whole plot - that's just the outline!

But how she moves through these days will make you roar with laughter, hold your breath with shock, and cheer with a tear in your eye now and then as Hallie rises to the challenges which she never in a million years could have envisioned handling just so short a time ago.

Bernard continues to thrill readers with his dramatic quotes and singing! Although Hallie's sister and brother are grossly incompetent, they still provide a very funny background! And Mom's got quite a few surprises up her sleeve yet, so don't go counting her out yet - Hallie's about to get a whopper of a lesson about how life's choices really go that perhaps is not quite what one thought "should" happen.

Laura Pedersen's writing is definitely maturing delightfully and gracefully! The back of the novel states, "...beginner's luck can't last forever..." Oh, yes it can and it has vastly improved with Laura Pedersen's crafting of "The Big Shuffle."

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on January 12, 2007

Hallie Palmer just wants to be a normal college student. But that idea has just flown out the window of the frat party she got pulled away from. Her dad just passed away, which caused her mom to have a nervous breakdown. The doctor's send her mom to Dalewood, the local mental institution, for rest and recovery.

With Dad gone, and Mom in the "nuthouse", Hallie is back in the place she worked so hard to escape, home. Now she has to arrange a funeral, take care of her eight younger brothers and sisters, sort through insurance information, conquer the growing stack of bills, and figure out which twin brother is which. (If only the ribbon had stayed in place!) Not to mention the runaway sister, the burst pipes in the basement, an on-again off-again boyfriend, and meetings with the school principal who still doesn't like her. Hallie's got her work cut out for her, and she's pretty sure she's done for.

Help, and sometimes entertainment, come in strange forms, and Hallie learns that beggars can't be choosers. From the churchwomen brigade who feed them, to crazy Uncle Lenny, who has some questionable ideas about bedtime stories (among other things), to a babysitting chimp, to even crazier Aunt Lala who's more than a little absentminded... It may not be much of a life, but it certainly isn't boring!

This is not the first book about Hallie Palmer, but I can say from experience that it stands alone. (Having not read any of the others at this point, though I think I may have to do that now.) I do rather feel like I might have had more connection to the secondary characters if I had read the other books. (It took me awhile to figure out that Gil and Bernard were both men.) Nonetheless, I still found them lovable and entertaining. While I found Hallie a little frustrating at times, it helped to realize that I would be more than lost in that situation. There is a lot going on in this book, but it never felt jumbled or lost. I don't know if Hallie and I would be friends, but I certainly like the people she hangs around with!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

I've read the other books featuring Hallie Palmer, and so I looked forward to this one. The serious story line worried me at first, but the author handles it with her usual comic touch. The familiar characters like Bernard, Gil, and Olivia are all here, but we're introduced to several new ones who lighten the mood. I agree with the other reviewer who said that the best scene is the one between Hallie and Bernard after the funeral. What DO you say to people after a death in the family? I enjoyed seeing a different side of Hallie and hope we get to read more about her in happier times.

Hallie Palmer is back in The Big Shuffle, the third book in a series by Laura Pedersen, and if you haven't read the first three that's ok because this one stands alright on it's own. In the first chapter of this novel the main character Hallie is shocked when her father unexpectedly dies of a heart attack. She doesn't have too long to pull herself together because her mother, suffering from the shock of loosing a husband, is hospitalized with severe depression leaving Hallie in charge of all the funeral arrangements, the bills, the house, and eight children.

Chalk full of colorful characters from the previous three novels, The Big Shuffle adds Uncle Lenny to the mix. Uncle Lenny is an old sea captain that stays on after the funeral to help Hallie run the ship. Some of the children believe him to be Santa, some think he is God, while others imitate his every move. His outrageous sea yarns and boisterousness add so much to the humor for which these novels are known.

The other character that comes into play in The Big Shuffle is Pastor Costello. After Uncle Lenny heads back to sea, Pastor Costello steps in and helps run the Palmer household, in much the same way he runs a bible camp. Other characters from past novels in the series get a new light as well. Cappy, Hallie's former bookie, has a beautiful home which he shares with his new fiancée, Texas, a recovering 'Hold 'em' hotty. Cappy's grandson, Auggie, has returned in a steamy fashion. Other repeating characters include Bernard and Gil who have grown to love their new role as parents, with Bernard becoming a Girl Scout leader. Olivia and Ottavio are back but having are ruff patch, and Hallie once more has guy troubles.

Even with the saddened backdrop The Big Shuffle has a humorous and uplifting charm. There isn't a lot of gambling (aside from the title) but there is a wonderful adolescent endeavor that makes taking the nontraditional route seem sensible in the long run. Laura Pedersen writes in a way that is both compelling as well as witty. The Big Shuffle is a quick pick-me-up kind of novel.