Lady Luck's Map of Vegas: A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Barbara Samuel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mother and daughter lurch down memory lane via Route 66 in this affectionate but bumpy novel. Spunky, charming and recently widowed Eldora Redding, a former coquette in Sinatra-era Vegas, cajoles daughter India, a hip, cynical Web designer, to conduct them from Colorado Springs to Sin City in Eldora's snazzy Thunderbird for some female bonding. They also search for India's schizophrenic twin, Gypsy, who paints hauntingly beautiful pictures of roadside crosses and drifts among homeless shelters in New Mexico. Eldora feels the need to disclose a few hidden truths about her past, while India wants to keep a secret or two. Samuel (The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue) ping-pongs between narrators as Eldora's abrupt and outrageous disclosures cut to the heart of her daughter's secret fears—India is struggling with an unwanted pregnancy and a resolutely noncommittal romance. Samuel's prose easily shifts between Eldora's drawling pleasantries and India's slick repartee. But as Eldora's volley of true confessions spike in shock value, all India can do is marvel, sympathize and seethe until the next bomb drops, as a bit of tabloid tawdriness strains the credibility that Samuel's warmly drawn heroines inspire. Route 66, with its ersatz tourist temptations and slightly menacing air, provides a rich and evocative backdrop for Samuel's moving, if melodramatic, narrative.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

With her rhinestoned, cat's-eye sunglasses, traffic-stopping figure, and smoldering sexuality, India's outgrageous mother, Eldora, drives her nuts, so she's not exactly looking forward to driving her to Las Vegas, where the recently widowed 63-year-old is determined to revisit the scenes of her wild-and-crazy youth. Their Thelma and Louise-style road trip in Eldora's vintage '57 T-bird has another, more pressing mission, however: India's schizophrenic twin, Gypsy, is missing. As they follow Gypsy's nomadic wanderings through the Southwest from one homeless shelter to another, Eldora unburdens herself of the shameful secrets of her past with a capital P, but the more Eldora reveals, the harder it is for India to conceal a secret of her own. Her long-distance romance with the dashing Jack Shea has encountered a serious complication, and India's newfound insights into her family's past threaten her future happiness. An engaging storyteller, Samuel excels at creating memorable characters through crisp dialogue, evincing a poignant humanity and a sublime sensitivity for the fragile nature of complex family relationships. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 480 KB
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (December 18, 2008)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001O1O7EY
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,339 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky and Magic, January 25, 2005

By 

Haley Parnham (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lady Luck's Map of Vegas: A Novel (Hardcover)

Lady Luck's Map of Vegas is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. It made an impression - a beautiful story about India, a woman who must make a huge decision in her life when, at the age of 40, she ends up pregnant. Between a schizophrenic twin sister and a mother whose secrets fill the pages between India's thoughts, we are taken on a journey through New Mexico (a magical place whether in person or on paper when Barbara Samuel is writing about it) which is a reflection of an earlier journey when India and her sister Gypsy were children. Love is my favorite thing to read about, but this is not a romance novel. It's deeper and shinier and has a sharper, meatier edge to it. And it also has a warmth that wraps around you like a soft, thick afghan as you read each word, each page, each chapter.

If this sounds mysterious it's because I want you to read this book and experience it yourself. All of Barbara Samuel's books have been incredible to me, and this will not disappoint those of you who are already fans. Those of you who haven't tried her yet, please do. If you're disappointed, let me know and I'll send you an email apology. I don't expect to be sending any at all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanted: Strong Women, March 25, 2005

By 

Lesa Holstine (Glendale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady Luck's Map of Vegas: A Novel (Hardcover)

I'm always so impressed with Barbara Samuel's novels, and Lady Luck's Map of Vegas is no exception. Samuel, who lives in Colorado, writes about women in the western United States who may have had family problems, but resolve them, or find a way to live with them, by the end of the books. I checked out her website at www.barbarasamuel.com, and she has also written a number of romances, some under the name Ruth Wind. But her women's novels are the ones that impress me - No Place Like Home, A Piece of Heaven, The Goddesses of Kitchen Avenue, and, now Lady Luck's Map of Vegas.

Forty-year-old India is a successful web designer with a large circle of friends. She also has an Irish lover that she sees monthly, Eldora, her widowed mother who can be demanding, and a schizophrenic twin sister who disappers into the unknown periodically. And, she's pregnant.

When India's mother wants to take Route 66 from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas, she reluctantly agrees to accompany her, fleeing the truth and her own doubts about her pregnancy. As they hunt for Gypsy, India's sister, along the route, Eldora reaches into her own past to reveal secrets she has covered up about her life.

Once again, Barbara Samuel has written of two women coming to terms with the results of their own actions. It's a strong, beautiful novel.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!!, March 14, 2005

By 

mamareadssomuch "mamareadssomuch" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady Luck's Map of Vegas: A Novel (Hardcover)

This was the first Samuel book I've read and it was terrific! India and Gypsy are twins; one is schizophrenic and missing. Their mother, Eldora, asks India to take her to Las Vegas to find her. Not only do the two women go on a adventurous road trip but also down memory lane and the past comes alive for Eldora. India's lover, Jack O'Shea, is an Irish hottie and around for the duration. Don't miss out on this novel!