Customer Reviews

Lucky in the Corner: A Novel

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the reviewer who said that this book was "pleasant" to read--it *is* very easy and accessible. But just don't confuse that with simplistic, either in the ideas it offers or the way it presents them. The way in which the main character wrestles with fidelity, with contentment, really, is very believable as it is sketched out. The supporting characters are well-executed, and the arc of the plot is satisfying and illuminating. You're left hanging a bit by the conclusion, but it works. I promptly went out upon reading this and got another of her books--it's that good. (Don't be put off by the cover, which makes the story look flaky and light, a la Diane Johnson/Le Divorce; there's real life between *these* covers.)

Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good book about Chicago, dogs, babies, transvestites, lesbians, teenagers, love and longing, but boy I sure did like this one. Carol Anshaw's way around an image is fresh and exquisite. --One of those "If I could only write like THAT" experiences. Add this to your summer list (and beyond). This one's a winner.

Fern's relationship with her mother Nora has always been strained, ever since the messy divorce due to Nora's affairs with women. Nora has eventually settled down with Jeanne, but the tension between mother and daughter remains. Fern's best friend drops her baby into Fern's lap and slowly drifts from the picture, and Fern's most stable relationship is with her dog Lucky, but with the dog's health waning, this seems to be ending as well. And when Nora begins another affair, Fern is first to figure it out and leaps at the chance to judge her mother, but as events progress, she begins to realize her mother is human after all. And with Lucky dying, both mother and daughter come to better understandings about themselves and their relationship with each other. "Lucky in the Corner" is full of glorious complexities about us humans, and Anshaw has written this tale in a tidal mosaic, where episodes from the past and present interweave, blessing the reader with all aspects of these fascinating characters and leaving us with a sense of what family (especially those extended families of non-blood relatives) means.

Lucky in the Corner is one of those books you don't want to read too quickly, you want the pleasure to last. At its heart is one of the most complex and touching mother/daughter relationships I've ever come across. Add to that dangerous dykes, canasta-playing drags queens, dogs, uptight ex-wives, hot sex, teens in trouble, and the palpable presence of the city of Chicago. This book is a blast! Anshaw writes like a dream, she's often laugh aloud funny, and then she'll spin a sentence or metaphor that takes your breath away. For all the delicious bells and whistles, at its core this is a book about love and the tough choices it forces us all to make. A terrific ride with a payoff that moved me. Highest recommendation to my fellow readers.

This is the third Carol Anshaw novel I've read. She covers similar themes--betrayal, trust, human flaws.

The book is compelling from the first couple pages when a hit-and-run car leaves one of the main character's vehicles mangled and totaled. Through the course of the novel we learn what led to this bizarre 'accident.' While the mystery is a nice addition, it's the character interaction, dialogue, and inner narratives that make this book excellent.

Few writers understand human nature better than Carol Anshaw. My only advice to her is to write faster. I've read all her novels and am going through withdrawal.

This was a great read. It was beautifully written and there were some spots that I laughed for quiet awhile at what a character said or did. (I've chuckled briefly with other books, but never laughed and laughed as I did with this one.) The characters were all very likable, even in their foibles. The pain of a mother and a daughter who really wanted to be connected but weren't was portrayed honestly. The mother was trying to fill a round hole in her heart with a square peg. It was awful to witness both for her daughter and for the reader. It was that frustrating longing though that eventually brought them together. The tension was savory and the resolution was real. I highly recommend it.

No one chronicles the nuances of relationships better than Carol Anshaw and this book is dense with insights into all sorts of love -- parental, conjugal, illicit, platonic, conditional, unconditional, straight, gay.

Anshaw has stripped away the insulation covering the connections between her characters, and with the wiring exposed, sparks fly. With her characteristic dry wit, the author lays bare the feints and dodges we all use to get through the day. A bonus is her vivid descriptions of the ambiance of Chicago, site of most of the action.

This book is fun, poignant, and very satisfying.

This book captured my attention from the first page to the last. I wasn't able to put it down. My favorite chatacter was Harold/Dolores....I wish there were more about him. Anshaw is a brilliant writer, with a fresh and amazing outlook. Her book was both witty and made me laugh outloud. I'd definetly recommend it!

This book deals with a variety of subjects all in a beautiful way:
One character (the brother/uncle) cross-dresses... and this novel shows the way that two different generations of famly members deal with it.
The mother character is a lesbian... but came out about 14 years before the "present" in the book... and has a domestic partner - so this book isn't ABOUT her lesbianism... but rather just a fact that that the character's lives deal with.
The grandomther character is in show business... and the mother character has very strong feelings about that too.
The daughter character has a best friend that is a single twenty-year old mother...
There's a family dog... a very distant mother/daughter relationship... etc.

This book really deals with all sorts family relationships in a beautiful way. With flashbacks, and each character narrating the different chapters... this book is pleasant to read... and really easy to relate to.

I found this book at my local library under new fiction and decided to try it out as I'm always looking for new authors to read. I'm so lucky that my fingers happened to pick up this book! What a treasure! Anshaw is a funny and sensitive writer. The only problem is that you've got to read this book slowly because there is so much to absorb! I ignored my husband and children for three days!! I can't wait to read her other two novels.......