Beginner's Luck

Rating:
Summary: SIX STARS - Hilarious page turner
Review: I picked this book up because I liked the cover and received a wonderful surprise. It's funny and charming and a sweet reminder of simpler times. So much goes on that I think the best description is probably "Seinfeld" meets "The Wonder Years." The protagonist is 16 and even though it's a coming of age novel for her, there are terrific older characters, and anyone who has tried to raise a child will enjoy and identify with them. So it's a good read for ages 13-103. A few of the main players are a bit eccentric, but no more so than the crazy relative most of us have. I'm sure book this will be a movie or TV show and I hope there's a sequel. If you want to sit and laugh for a few hours, buy this book and then give it to a friend or your mom.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet and Memorable
Review: This charming, warm and simple story stayed with me for a long time after I finished the book. Granted, it was a quick read, but everything resonated, making me realize afterward that it was a more complicated, or rather layered book than I first realized. Wonderfully deceptive and now I'll have to go back and read it again. Great dialogue and some hilarious one-liners from characters that will come to life on the screen or stage. I read this after finishing Pedersen's LAST CALL and GOING AWAY PARTY. I'm amazed how they are such completely different books. Though all are laugh-out-loud funny. I can't wait to find out what happens to Olivia and Ottavio and also Rocky the alcoholic chimpanzee in the sequel to BEGINNER'S LUCK. This is a great story for a book group. We had a blast with it.

Rating:
Summary: Loved It
Review: Well written story with plenty of charm and humor. Perfect for a trip, hanging at home, or waiting around hospitals (as I was doing). It cheered me up immensely!

Rating:
Summary: BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN YEARS
Review: Being a devoted fan of mysteries and science fiction I admit I came to "Beginner's Luck" reluctantly -- it was a double whammy of my mother's book club and extreme boredom while a knee injury healed. HOWEVER, this is one funny and charming book. It's actually hard to say that it's like this or like that. Pederson has the sense of humor of a late night comedian but combines it with believable characters and tons of charm. The scene where Hallie practically falls into a casket at a funeral is especially hilarious. There are so many terrific moments. It will make a great movie or TV series and Robert Downey Jr. should definitely play Bernard. The women in my mom's book club are mostly 50s, and loved the character of Olivia, who is about their age, but it has a lot of appeal for young people. The main character, Hallie, is 16. In fact, it shows young people with realistic problems, but also that teenagers can have fun without sex, drugs, and video games. And (cliche coming) that learning can be fun and actually serve a large purpose in life. Maybe we should make "Beginner's Luck" mandatory reading in all high schools.

Rating:
Summary: Good Old-Fashioned Read
Review: This is not a tear-jerker, a mystery (though there's a small one), or tale of abused youth. Just a sweet story, well told, with lots of humor and engaging characters. Sounds easy but there are so few that really deliver a smile like this. I'm in my 60s and with all that's going on in the news right now it was a welcome relief, almost a return to a better time. Also, as I get older I increasingly appreciate the aspects of life that are stressed in BEGINNER'S LUCK -- friendship, helping one another. Sounds corny but maybe we could all use a little reminding once in a while. On the other hand, I think teenage girls are really going to enjoy the main character of Hallie since she reacts against authority in some interesting and entertianing ways.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT Characters
Review: I really liked the characters in this book, BUT it took awhile to get going for me. It wasn't until Hallie really got into her "new" family life that I started to enjoy the book. I wouldn't call it a MUST read but then I wouldn't say it wasn't worth reading either.

Rating:
Summary: Kudos from an English Teacher
Review: This is a wonderful book to teach to high school students, probably the best I've ever come across. From the teacher's point of view there is symbolism, lovely descriptive writing including some nice similes and metaphors, great characterization, and several themes. Literary references are hidden throughout and thus suggest to the students that knowing poetry, how to write, and about books is not only fun, but can also be quite useful in life. From a students perspective BEGINNER'S LUCK is hilarious, modern, they identify with the characters and conflicts, and there's just enough fairly chaste sex scenes to keep them involved without raising any problems with parents or the school board (though the romance here is extremely mild when you consider what they watch on TV and see in the movies!). My students just loved this book and thanked me for assigning it. They completely understood the emphasis on acceptance, understanding, and the importance of friendship -- things we can never have enough of. I don't believe the novel was written with the intent of being a gold mine for teaching young adults, but then perhaps that's why my students enjoyed it so much. And they're all anxiously awaiting the sequel. In fact, one of the assignemnts was to write an outline for how they would tackle the sequel since the end is left with so many possibilities (much like their lives right now!).

Rating:
Summary: Ten Stars!
Review: I loved this book and so did all of my friends and even my 12-year-old daughter. It's a hilarious and sweet-natured upbeat story and fun for all ages. The well-crafted and endearing characters that are so believable that it feels as if they live next door. Lucky actors who get to play them on TV or in a movie! Can't wait for the sequel. Hopefully Bernard is still cooking and Olivia is still protesting and Gil is still "the normal one."

Rating:
Summary: Jan Karon meets Erma Bombeck
Review: If you want a good read, charming story, great characters, and lots of humor, then this is the book.

Rating:
Summary: Fun and Fast
Review: Read BEGINNER'S LUCK over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the characters and story. Very, very funny, but not meant entirely as a comedy. Would recommend to anyone looking for a "good read."