Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT ESCAPE!
Review: If reading the newspaper and watching world events unfold on TV is ruining your day then take a few hours and enjoy a wonderful rest from war and death. This is a lighthearted book but it has a sweet message about education and individuality. The characters are funny, inventive and believable. The dypsomaniac chimp and eccentric Unitarian matriarch and exasperated chef are strokes of a fun genuis. I look forward to the movie. I eagerly await the book from which there's a chapter in the back of this one and request a sequel to Beginner's Luck. I must know what happens to everyone, how they deal with Iraq, the Right Wing Republicans, and so forth. The Stockons (family in the book) appear saner as I watch the insanity on the news.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: This book is wonderful! It is a heart-warming story filled with lots of humor. It's a great read for people of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: What a treat!
Review: I was instantly sucked in to Beginner's Luck after reading the first few pages of my friend's copy. She wouldn't part with it, so I got my own. Ms. Pedersen's quick-witted, fluid development of these wonderful characters made it a laugh-out-loud read! She so wonderfully captures the independent spirit of Hallie, a 16 year old girl stuck in the suburbs. Whether you're 16 or 86, it's a fast-paced, truly enjoyable read. I can't wait for Ms. Pedersen's next one!
Rating:
Summary: Beginner's Luck
Review: One the first page of this fast and wonderfully witty novel, when Laura Pedersen's narrator and central character, Hallie Palmer, tells us that her high school soccer opponents (Timpany Tigers) "live atop one of Ohio's thirty-eight hazardous waste sites," we are kicked into the realization that BEGINNER'S LUCK
is no SEVENTEENTH SUMMER, but hey, that's okay, because it is infinitely more delightful, more irreverent, and more honest.Unlike a cautious Asian philosopher, who might stand in front of a horse-betting parlor somewhere in Cosgrove County, Ohio with a sign bearing the message: "We Chinese do not bet horses, because, for hundreds of years, we have known that one horse can run faster than another," Hallie urges us on, pushes us forward through the smoke-stained glass doors of the town's OTB parlor so we can hear the call of the feature race and check out the crazy-color of the clerk's fingernails. No caution here! Not for a second! No philosophy either! The story that our precocious 16 year old tells us is about discovery and chance, about meeting all sorts of people who either move quickly or do not move at all, because they are hopelessly frozen in the same position in front of a TV, watching a six-furlong race for an eternity. And Pedersen boldly pushes us on, away from the smoke and disingenuous banter of gamblers until we find ourselves sitting in in high-ceilinged rooms with Olivia and Bernard in houses "where," Hallie observes, "rich people hide their demented relatives on the third floor..." It is always about adventure and insight and Hallie begins to grow on us more and more, as she reveals her magical ability to hone in on every detail of her wacky but important odyssey. She is aware of each flower in the Stocktons' garden, of every feature on a face or figure on a wall. We begin to trust her vision, because, though she often spews out harsh invectives at the world, she never gives up on it, any more than she gives up on her mom, whose image she carries in her soul, because she is too hip to wear a locket. A glorious novel which should be read by kids ranging in age from 14 to 97.
Rating:
Summary: HEARTFELT AND HUMOROUS
Review: I read this on the plane going over to Italy and planned to sleep the entire night and ended up laughing. This is a light but thoughtful book with plenty of charm and great characters. I'd highly recommend it if you've been sort of bored by books lately and are tired of all the depressing news. It's fresh and has something to say about trying to all get along, whether in a small town or the global village. I think Pedersen is Erma Bombeck's soul daughter -- all the wonderful elements of subtle comedy without the vitriol that so many humorists find the need to employ. There's a chapter of another book at the back and I'm looking forward to it.
Rating:
Summary: LOTS OF LAUGHS
Review: I just finished Laura Pedersen's Beginner's Luck and found it to be hysterically funny. Ms. Pedersen seems to have a gift for finding humor in the most bizzare situations. Her characters are believeable and well developed. They all seem to share a very special humanity that binds them together in a most charming way. This book would make a teriffic movie because it has such a broad appeal. Anyone from 16 to 75 will enjoy it. The writing is clever, wicked and touching !! A great read !!
Rating:
Summary: a good laugh, to go
Review: I recently flew abroad and brought a copy of Beginner's Luck. The flight went by so quickly-it was a delightful read. only problem is my constant outbursts of laughter were quite disturbing to the other passengers. Buy this book and tuck it in your suitcase for your next vacation--or start your vacation early and read the book now!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Surprise!
Review: I've been a member of a book club for over 15 years and I have never had such pleasant surprise of a book in all that time. Another member suggested the book and frankly, I was somewhat reluctant to partake because I had seen the Amazon review from a Reader in Austin, Tx's and the comments about Why bother? That reviewer says nothing happens, etc. And she's right. If you're waiting for the big car chase or the big explosion, it's not going to happen. But if you want to be sucked into the lives terrific, loveable, quicky characters, this is a must read!! I had a hard time putting it down and I hope Ms. Pedersen writes a sequel because I'm dying to know what happens in the next stage of all these characters' lives.
Rating:
Summary: A TERRIFIC READ FROM START TO FINISH
Review: I picked up this book because my wife was reading it in bed and laughing out loud the entire time. I had no intention of finishing it when I looked at the first few pages, but it was a lot of fun and had a great story with hilarious characters. Olivia is just like my Aunt Margaret, who died a few years ago, and it was as if she'd been brought back to life. I think young people especially will get a kick out of Hallie the girl gambler. The author really did her research on poker. While most women are probably reading this in a book club with cucumber sandwiches, I'll be recommending it to the guys from my poker night. The funeral scene has the be the best and funniest chapter in any book I've ever read, so if you just decide to check out a few pages, go right to that! Oh, and it's about time someone wove a nice normal gay couple into a story. They're not just on sitcoms.
Rating:
Summary: Fun For All Ages
Review: It's a delight to discover a wonderful new book -- with a nice story, fantastic characters and terrific humor. This is a gem of Americana showing daily life in this country, but how it can easily be made colorful, exciting, and interesting with the addition of a few crazy friends. The good news is that we almost all have a few eccentrics around, either friends, teachers, or Uncle Ed who sleeps with his fishing pole. However, the author combines all the elements like a perfect recipe for dinner, complete with dessert. If you're tired of all the bad news, read this book and regain your sense of humor, or just escape for a few hours. I haven't laughed so hard since Erma Bombeck and Florence King were writing. Especially when Olivia hits the ceramic deer and Bernard runs around shouting WWMD -- What Would Martha Do?
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