Lucy's Launderette (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) [Paperback]

Betsy Burke (Author)

Book Description

Series: Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback) | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Love. Betrayal.
Forgiveness. Redemption.
And Fabric Softener.

Lucy Madison's life is spinning out of control. After her grandfather crashes his motorcycle for the last time, this frustrated artist is left picking up the pieces (not to mention holding the ashes). But fulfilling his dying wish of befriending his pregnant girlfriend turns out to be even less than she expected. Add to that the return of her, uh, unstable brother, the tyranny of her nasty roommate and the fact that boyfriend number. . . whatever, has turned out to be Mr. Not in This Lifetime, and Lucy knows it's time to switch cycles.

Good thing Grandpa left her his launderette. It's the perfect place to sort through her mess, focus on her art and start fresh. Isn't it?

This quirky seriocomedy of life's foibles has it all. Visit Lucy's Launderette and you may never want to leave!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lucy Madison's life is a mess. Her beloved grandfather, Jeremy, has just died; she works at an art gallery for the boss from hell; and her crazy and possibly dangerous brother, Dirk, is back in town. In walks Paul Bleeker, a handsome artist Lucy has always admired. Although he sweeps her off her feet, his interest waxes and wanes. Then Lucy is surprised to discover that her grandfather's sour girlfriend, Connie, is pregnant, and she makes every effort to befriend her. Finally, Lucy stumbles upon a project for herself: fixing up her grandfather's launderette, which now belongs to Connie. She finds herself employing both her artistic skills and her newfound business savvy to turn the launderette into the hippest place in town. Though her brother remains a thorn in her side, Lucy can't help but wonder about Sam, Dirk's caseworker with the sexy voice. Burke's debut is frothy fun and definitely worth a spin. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Betsy Burke was born in London, England, and grew up in Victoria, B.C. After high school(where she specialized in art and skipping out), she returned to London and worked with an agitprop street theater, creating giant puppets and performing with the troupe. Deciding that higher education might be, if not useful, then at least interesting, she went back to Canada, where she took a degree at the University of Victoria, earning a bachelor of music in voice performance.

She worked for several years in music on the West Coast of Canada, singing with opera companies, touring groups and a cappella choruses, but found that potential stories were often distracting her from the music. With the idea of widening her horizons and writing, she then defected to Florence, Italy, where she still lives. To keep body and soul together, she worked at a number of under-the-table jobs, including studio singer for inspirational music, English homework slut for Italian high school students, nurse’s assistant and cook in a mountain restaurant.

Betsy managed to enjoy the single life right up to the deadline, when it nearly became a case of "Oops, I forgot to have children." She is currently married and enjoys geriatric motherhood. She works as a freelance translator when she isn’t working on a book, and as a confirmed Blogger, closes the distance by commenting on her life and Tuscany with other old friends in the Blogosphere.

Copyright © 2003 Betsy Burke

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373250347
• ISBN-13: 978-0373250349
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,319,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Burke was born in London, England, and grew up on the West Coast of Canada. She received her Bachelor of Music in voice performance and worked as an opera singer in Victoria and Vancouver before moving to Italy in 1986. Other jobs on her resumé include guitar teacher, nurse's assistant, charwoman, cook, illustrator and mural painter, salesclerk, puppeteer and, for the last sixteen years, freelance translator.
She is the author of three chicklit novels for Red Dress Ink (Lucy's Launderette, Performance Anxiety, and Hardly Working) and is currently working on a mystery series set in Florence. Her first mystery novel, The Laughing Madonna, is about to be re-released in a Kindle edition. She lives on the Arno river outside of Florence with her husband and daughter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Smart and Different, October 27, 2003

By 

Caroline P. Hampton (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucy's Launderette (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

Another winner from the long list of Red Dress Ink books. With so many wonderful and talented American authors out there --- it's so nice to them getting recognized and discussed.

Betsy Burke's "Lucy's Launderette" is a hilarious and really weird romp into the world of stalker brothers, pot head roommates and deceased grandparents. It's a refreshing tale of redemption and getting on with your life. I found it fun, quirky and really unique. Loved the backdrop and thought that Burke's talent was really highlighted in the way she does dialog.

Love it and would recommend to others!

Cheers!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, quirky seriocomic novel!, September 13, 2003

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Lucy's Launderette (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

Again, Red Dress Ink scores big with its latest installment. Lucy's Launderette is a unique, albeit quirky, seriocomic novel about a young woman who should've come of age long ago.

Lucy's life goes to pieces after her grandfather dies. All of her troubles -- an unstable brother who stalks her; a stoic, bonkbusting roommate; a non-existent love life -- increase tenfold. To make matters worse, she has to keep the promise she'd made to her grandfather about looking after his eccentric girlfriend and his launderette business. However, the aforementioned plights might just turn her life around...

Betsy Burke's language is rather unique and refreshing. The voice and dialogue are sharp and crisp, even dark at times. I must admit, however, that the novel's setting (Vancouver) and jazzy cover had sealed the deal before I even started the first chapter. I'm glad it turned out to be such fun, enhancing read. I await RDI installments with utmost anticipation. Highly recommended...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars deep look at a person at the crossroads of a major decision, September 18, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucy's Launderette (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

In Vancouver, at not quite thirty, Lucy Madison wonders why her life feels it's in perpetual spin cycle. Her roommate, a voluptuous towering Viking, has a man a night while Lucy has a man a century. Her job at the Rogues Art Gallery is to hold up the sculptures so that they stand perfectly erect though male phallic symbols (all the exhibited work) seems as hard as her boss nasty Nadine. Her biker grandfather committed suicide with one last drive into the sunset instead of cancer therapy. He willed her his launderette and to take care of his squeeze of six years, Connie the Vegas stripper who is pregnant with Lucy's future aunt or uncle. Lucy's lover is a bore, her brother has escaped from the nut house in his Superman costume and stalks Lucy, and her father has lost it.

Surrounded by crazies, losers, and bloodsuckers, Lucy needs a dramatic change or she will become her sibling's tights wearing sidekick in the loony farm. She sees the launderette that her grandfather left her as the ticket to rinse her life anew, but will she take the chance of starting a fresh cycle?

Though Lucy's troubles seem minor in the scheme of life, she is a fresh individual poorly coping with those infringing in her sphere, which is why she is considering changing her lifestyle. The story line is amusing with serious undertones that sometimes get lost in Lucy's laments. Still Betsy Burke provides a solid look at a person at the crossroads of major decision making as Lucy wonders is that all there is?

Harriet Klausner