Lucky Us

This book is one of the books on the top 50 fiction choices from the Washington Post. I really felt after seeing the list and noting that I really had not read anything on that list that I needed to get cracking.  This is an interesting book with well written characters that you can loosely call a family. 

I looked up the definition of family in Merriam Webster and there were two sections.  The first section had what I would call the more traditional definition as follows:

(a)   a group of people who are related to each other

(b)   a person's children

(c)   a group of related people including people who lived in the past

The next set of definitions loosely fits the characters in the novel Lucky Us, specifically number one.

1.    a group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head

2.    a group of persons of common ancestry 

3.    a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation.

This novel is developed around a rag tag group of characters, two half sisters and there Dad around WWII. Eva, her father's daughter by his mistress and Iris his daughter with his wife first meet when Eva is 12.  Iris' mother has just died and Eva's mother thinks that Edward will now marry her and make Eva "legitimate".  But Edward. the father, does not see it her way.  Eva's Mom leaves her with her suitcase at Edward's house and Eva does not see her Mom again.  So begins the development of the bond between the sisters and the clueless head of the household Edward.

Iris a budding actress decides to leave home after her high school graduation.  She takes Eva with her even though Eva is still in school. They end up in Hollywood where Iris starts her career until she makes a mistake by having an affair with the wrong person.  Her father shows up at her door  shorty after Iris is disgraced and with Iris' friend and make up artist they make there way back to New York and start a different life.

This book is an interesting study on the time period and the bonds that hold a group of people together.  You don't necessarily need to be born into a family to be one.  Give the book a try after all it is a choice on the 2014 bestseller list.

For More information on this book click this link Lucky Us