Customer Reviews

Just My Luck: A Novel

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read Just My Luck and did not think it was very good but wanted to give TJ another chance so I also read Hand-Me-Down Heartache and my opinion has not changed. TJ is not a very good writer in my opinion. Why write a novel that has no inspiration behind it? The characters are so flat that they all seem to be speaking from the same point of view. There is no depth or emotion coming off the pages at all. She describes the scenes waaaay too much. The reader can't even set up a visual that is based on the character's emotions and feelings. After every piece of dialogue TJ will tell is what, why, when, where. Where is the imagination...the creativity? While the main character tells her story in the beauty shop, the reader does not get the chance to feel the story because TJ will stop and tell us the phone rang in the shop and somebody had to answer it or another beautician was coming in the room. Why? It rarely had anything to do with the story at all. I found it to be very annoying and totally break up any interest I had in the main character's flashback. I only finished the book because I always finish books. It was very hard to finish due to TJ's very poor storytelling. Also, for a story that goes back in time TJ had a hard time keeping her slang terms straight. She would make references to slang terms the characters used in the 70s and 80s when the terms didn't really show up until the 90s. I feel like after reading this book I am certainly ready to self-publish my own. Reading books like this one boosts your personal opinion of your own writing skills!! Based on this bad read, I am ready to get my stuff out there. If TJ can do it I know that I am ready!!!

Author Tajuana "TJ" Butler has done it again with her fourth novel, Just My Luck. Ms. Butler introduces the reader to Lanita Lightfoot and the family and friends that share various experiences with her. Lanita is 38-years old and is getting ready for her long awaited college graduation by going to a spa & hair salon. While at the salon, Lanita engages in a conversation about her life and the many experiences she has had over time. Lanita talks about her birth to an alcoholic mother (Aretha) and a lucky father (Paul). Born in a store during the 1965 Watts riot, Lanita's arrival saved the store from being vandalized. Lanita and her mother were rewarded with a rent-free stay at an apartment owned by the storeowner. She considers herself lucky because of the experiences she had in the past. Butler allows the reader a stroll down memory lane, as via Lanita, readers are exposed to several encounters with authors and celebrities (including the Jackson 5). Lanita learns about the many blessings she has received from the ups and downs she has experienced. She also learns to trust in God.

This novel is very entertaining and also gives a history lesson as the story unfolds. It is different than Ms. Butler's previous novels because of the historical facts given during various time periods in Lanita's life. Ms. Butler has given readers something engaging and at times educational to read. I recommend this book and look forward to future novels written by Tajuana "TJ" Butler.

Reviewed by Phyllis Ann Street
APOOO BookClub

I read some of the other reviews for this book and had to agree with another reader, Phyllis. This book was a step into a different direction for Ms. Butler. I realy enjoyed this book.
I love when authors can reached into another scope and not always be singled as Erotica, Mystery or Love/Hate Relationships, but can tap into something different to keep the readers on their toes.

Lanita takes me back to the days of Jimmie Carter, Powder Cocaine, Rodney King and riotting for causes. Lanita Lightfoot aka Desire has experienced things other people, like myself, read about. Born in the activity of the Watts Riots, went through up and downs with Aretha, (her single mother) and a lucky father, Paul, who came into her life and left just as quick. Lanita's experiences has brought her to this upscale salon where she rehashes her days with the Jackson 5, Todd Bridges and Len Bias just to name a few up until she graduates from college many years later alongside her childhood friend, (now husband) Jermaine.

I am looking forward to Ms. Butler touching our minds again soon.

I have read each of Ms Butler's books, and I found myself enjoying this one a lot; It could be the twists and turns that Lanita had to experience throughout her life; being born during the Watts Riots, but somehow reaping unknown blessings behind it; Going through various periods of highs and lows that could either help or break you. It could be the various celebrities she met(the Jacksons,Iceberg Slim aka Robert Beck,Dorothy West,Len Bias etc) and the events that made our life in the 70s and 80s; What a great story; I could barely keep away from it and I read it in a day; One of the best Tajuana has written; What I find so empowering about it is that no matter what Lanita goes through, she always manages to get on top; that I found very empowering;

This was a very good book. It was such a feel good story. It
reminded me of Forrest Gump. The main character was so lovable.
Prior to this book, I hadn't read anything by this author in years.
I'm so glad that I got to read something else by Ms. Butler.

I enjoyed seeing Lanita's life come full circle. In my opinion, Ms Butler did a nice job of illustrating the strength and intrinsic motivation of the African American woman. Lanita was faced with several obstacles and disappointments that led her life in so many different directions, but she didn't let that stop her. Lanita was a good person who made good and bad choices, but she seemed to make choices out of love. This novel was a great trip down memory lane as well. I'm several years younger than Lanita and this novel gave me details about several events in our history that I hadn't known previously. Even though I got a slow start, I ended up really enjoying the book. I'd recommend it to others.

I was drawn into this story from the first page. And I could identify with some of the struggles Lanita faced amongst her peers growing up. This story was simply dynamic. I enjoyed how Ms. Butler took us back through moments in history, such as the Len Bias tragedy and the L.A. Riots, etc. The only inconsistency I found within the story were the characters using the terms "Da bomb" and "diss" during the late 70's and 80's. To my knowledge that slang hadn't yet emerged during those times. :) But in a nutshell it was a superb and engaging story!

This is the first book I've read by Mrs. Butler, wanted to read "The Night Before Thirty", but never got around to it; I picked up this book, having no clue what it was about(the cover was missing). I just started reading and found myself totally caught-up in Lanita's story. This book was so well written and so interesting from the 1st page, it just draws you in. I loved the main character and loved reading her story, the ups and downs, highs and lows; Being around the same age as Lanita, I could totally relate to some of her experiences and it was fun reminicing on the good old days, the fun I had as a child, the people I've met; Very Good Read, Loved It....... Definately will be picking up other titles by this author.

I read Just My Luck during a weekend at the beach. It was a perfect choice for relaxing by the ocean with few worries on my mind. One reason I enjoyed JML so much is because the main character is just a couple of years older than me and I vividly remembered so many of the events and people Lanita encountered during her journey into womanhood. It was exciting for me to recall those wonderful times during my own formative years. I suspect this novel will have a similar effect on any reader born during the mid sixties to early seventies.


If I'm being honest, the only 2 drawbacks to Ms. Butler's latest, is:

(1) The dialogue is a kind of stiff. I've never met people from Watts who speak so perfectly, even Lanita's alcoholic mother and poor friends. I would have liked to have at least a few characters split a verb or two. Too many of the characters spoke with the same "voice". It kept any of them from being totally developed and realistic.

(2) The chance encounters fell upon Lanita a little too easily.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Just My Luck is a lite, yet empowering story that will be a welcome treat for readers 30 and up. I will be looking up some of Ms. Butler's other books. I think I'll start with the night before 30.

Lanita Lightfoot Powers is a thirty-eight year old married mother of one, embarking on life by finally graduating from college in JUST MY LUCK by Tajuana "TJ" Butler. As the story opens, Lanita appears at a trendy salon in Los Angeles to have a facial, manicure, pedicure and her hair styled; a graduation gift from her husband. In order to understand what led to this eventful occasion, Butler takes us back to Lanita's roots, alternating between the past and the present.

Lanita was born at the height of the Watts riots and delivered inside a store owned by Jewish proprietors. Because her birth was taking place, local residents assisted instead of looting. Because of the owners' gratefulness, Lanita and her mother, Aretha, lived rent-free for many years. But their luck did not hold out and the two were forced to move and live on welfare. The one thing that Lanita had in her favor was her love of reading. This love exposed her to a world she was dying to explore. On the other hand, Aretha's vice became alcohol and the illnesses that go hand-in-hand with it.

I enjoyed the structure that Butler used by allowing Lanita to tell her story to the employees of the salon which inevitably led us back to the beginning of her life, through elementary school, junior and senior high school, a stint at Howard University, her return home and the climax of her college graduation. Lanita's voice is serene, her story sad. JUST MY LUCK highlights what can occur when well meaning friends step in to look after a child. The imagery portrayed allowed readers to focus on a vivid mental picture of the Watts section of Los Angeles during a time of upheaval. Lanita always believed she was lucky and throughout we see her belief in the Almighty as her one and only lucky charm.

Reviewed by Dawn R. Reeves
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers