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Summary: Lust Among the Lobsters
Review: Lucky Lunt, age 46, is the central figure of this tragedy. His wife Priscilla leaves him. His son Kyle is a kiffing hippie. His daughter is off to college. Enters Rhonda, called Ronette, who is leaving her husband Clyde Hannaford to take up life with Lucky. They all live in a small town on the coast of Maine and spend their days fishing for lobster. Lucky's boat is The Wooden Nickel, the name his father and grandfather already gave their lobstering boats. Ronette, part-time waitress at the Blue Claw, is the stern lady helping Lucky, who is in bad shape. An angioplasty for $26'000 still has to be paid for. Priscilla takes away his house but leaves him with the mortgage yet to be paid. His boat needs new equipment and his pickup isn't too healthy, either. From the beginning, a Greek tragedy develops unremittingly. Almost every step Lucky takes brings a new disaster. His fight with other lobstermen almost lands him in jail. Taking up with Ronette promptly gets her pregnant. A whale destroys his lobster pots. But the other lobstermen do not fare that much better. What makes this book so outstanding is not just the telling of an alien way of life, but the way it is told with unlimited and surefooted humor. The characters come to life through their dialogs and actions. The language is awesome to behold. You will laugh with these people while wondering how such a hard and unrewarding life can be so funny. Lucky's last stand is a modern reenactment of Moby Dick. He is now completely destroyed, yet there is still a shimmer of hope on the horizon.
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Summary: Ayuh......
Review: Outstanding! A good friend of mine who owns and operates a commercial fishing supply store on Cape Cod gave me a copy of this book. Bravo Mr. Carpenter! You did your homework. (Not too hard when you live among these finest-kind of fishermen). A very entertaining and humorous account of a Maine lobsterman and the sometimes tumultuous life that goes along for the ride. A very good read. I recommend it highly!
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Summary: great character tale
Review: Under fifty years old, Orphan Point, Maine lobsterman, Lucas "Lucky" Lunt has major troubles caused by a weak heart already requiring medical attention. Between his medical bills and his inability to care for the heavy lobster traps by himself, Lucky owes a fortune. His wife Sarah seeing his weakness asserts her independence by selling glass sculptures. Their son is a bigger loser than Lucky while their daughter flees their abysmal home for college.
Lucky needs help and cannot obtain it from his immediate family. He hires Ronette Hannaford, a wife separated from a lobster buyer, to serve as his sternwoman. The unhappy seafaring duo makes love and Ronette becomes pregnant. Sarah leaves her cheating spouse and Lucky loses his fishing license after a dispute turns ugly. He moves in with Ronette and begins fish poaching before a final confrontation with a whale.
Rarely does a talent explode on the scene out of nowhere, but that is the case here as THE WOODEN NICKEL is a great character tale that will remind the audience of Moby Dick or The old Man and the Sea. The story line digs deep into the hard lifestyle of the Maine working class fishermen and women as they struggle to eke out a living in a world that has changed not often for the good. On the surface the lead protagonist seems shallow, but in actuality Lucky goes ocean deep as he cannot fathom what is happening to his world. This parable of modern life is so good that this reviewer plans to read William Carpenter's first novel KEEPER OF SHEEP. Harriet Klausner
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