Rating: 
Summary: This book is a prize winner!
Review: Every one of the collective anecdotes within this book rings true. You'll delay dinner, chores and even bedtime as you enjoy each new chapter. Evelyn is an inspiration with her calm good humor. A lesser woman would have given up. There definitely are still heroes who pass through this world.
Rating: 
Summary: Witty, Nostalgic and Creative
Review: Evelyn Ryan is a woman who will soon touch your heart. In spite of her violent, alcoholic husband, she struggles to raise six sons and four daughters in the 50's and 60's. What makes Evelyn so unique is the method in which she manages to come up with the financial resources to provide for the family. She enters contest after contest, winning everything from cash prizes, household appliances, bicycles and car to trips and televisions. Miraculously, prizes seem to be won just when they are most needed.The story is fascinating and certainly captures the reader's compassion; however, the jingles became somewhat of a repetitious aggravation towards the end of the book. The book takes place during an era when the amount of cash won, certainly would not have the same monetary value by today's cost of living. With Evelyn's poems, jingles and rhymes she seems to have "an angel on her shoulder" as she struggles to make ends meet and put food on the table. While the book is not in-depth reading material and could use some additional editing, it is amazing to learn of Evelyn's creative talents and miraculous good fortune in a time of great need. If she were to try her accomplished ability today, she might be considered somewhat of a flourishing entrepreneur!
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: To say that Evelyn Ryan was a genius is putting it mildly. Because of her talent, she won prizes and money for her family mostly in the very nick of time. I like to feel that God was truly looking out for her and her family at those times. A great story on self determination.
Rating:
Summary: A real slice of small town life
Review: The town of Defiance during the 1950's is well-described, from the tree-shaded streets leading to the beautiful red-stone library overlooking the two rivers, to the plentiful Indian arrow heads, the small downtown shops, and the importance of the church, sports and factories. I remember Defiance as Ryan describes it. This book is a lovely memorial to Ryans' mother Evelyn, portraying her love, courage, optimism and great wit under such difficult circumstances. The book was great fun to read: the verses and jingles, the funny family tales, and of course, the sweepstakes wins always just in the nick of time to save the family.
Rating:
Summary: Got it all!
Review: If you're nostalgic for the 50s, big families, real contests, small town America or want to know how it all felt, READ THIS BOOK! Wonderfully full of "oh yeah! I remember that!" (The contest entry graphics alone will cast you delightfully into the past.) Enjoy stories about not too serious about themselves yet inspirationally strong women and smart, tough children? READ THIS BOOK! Like chuckling while a tear leaks out? READ THIS BOOK! You'll want to read it slowly (if you can!) You won't be sorry if you BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: Style suited to content
Review: Everything about this book is appropriate to the time and place it portrays. The writing is straightforward, honest, and avoids psycho-babble. Illustrations are out of Ladies Home Journal from 1955. Black and white photos look like those we all have in old albums. What makes it remarkable is Evelyn's character and talents, both apparently inherited by her daughter.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Family Story
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun family stories and/or playing with words. The contest entries are great. The family stories take me back to my own childhood, especially those involving the family pets. Mammy opens doors -- my cat flushed the toilet! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Please judge this book by its cover!
Review: This is a great book about a lady who was a "sweeper" back in the 1950's. She managed to keep her family of 10 children afloat by winning prizes from contests. Every $1 win helped with the family finances and the big wins.....the grocery spree ($4,000 with today's dollar value), a new sports car, and $5,000 ($35,000 with today's dollar value.....really helped the family out! I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: A story of family love
Review: This is the story of Evelyn Ryan, a housewife and mother of 10 children who supplements the sometimes unsteady income of her alcoholic husband with contest winnings during the 1950's. She has a special talent for creating winning slogans, poems and jingles and wins many smaller prizes including kitchen appliances and cash but occasionally strikes it big wining large sweepstakes prizes, bailing out the family's financial situation on more than one occasion. Written by Evelyn's daughter, it warmed my heart to read about the love that was shared in this large family. No, this was not a perfect family (are there any?) But in spite of the financial challenges that faced this family, the enthusiasm, optimism, and spirit exhibited by the mom and passed on to the children are truly characteristics to be admired.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommend
Review: I thought Terry Ryan overall did an exceptional job sharing her mother with us. Not only is Prize Winner inspirational, it brings back Americana in the 50's. Her narrative could have been written with a bit more creativity. (Having A few less jingles would not have lessened the essence). I was intrigued with Evelyn's capricious style of handling the unexpected challenges that life can throw you. Her imagination and creativity was a true gift, a proven affirmation that you can find and focus on the positive, not just see the negative in life. Terry did a great job capturing this in her book. Prize Winner also enlightens you on the strategy used in advertising back then. This is in response to June 4, 2004, from a reader in Maryland: I understand questioning Evelyn's ethical standards regarding entering contest's with false names and teaching her children how to lie. You were harsh and unfair though, with your comments regarding her children and marriage. In the 50's you did not have women shelters or crisis centers. Majority of women were not trained to be professionals, capable of being the breadwinners of the family. Back then, babies and marriages weren't as disposable as they are today. You can't change what was, you can only learn from it to move on. Of course Evelyn made some mistakes, who hasn't! This story offered much more though. Just think, the memories written in the books to come will be titled: "My Life in Daycare", or "The Many Partners of my Parents".
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