Lucky You

Rating:
Summary: Three & a half stars
Review: "Lucky You" is one of those books that is very difficult to rate. For what it is, a light, humorous caper, it was very good. This being my first Carl Hiaasen novel, I can see why he is so popular. He successfully creates a pool of zany, memorable characters who are put in a variety of interesting, interrelated storylines that are funny and suspenseful. If a novel is judged on how quickly you read it because you are so anxious to see how everything turns out, this novel is deserving of high praise. I read most of this book in over 100 page increments.

I had one major criticism of "Lucky You" that prevented it, in my opinion, from reaching the four star level. The white supremacist militia members who beat up and steal JoLayne Lucks lottery ticket and set the plot in motion, were portrayed as extraordinarily dumb and ignorant. While Hiaasen was successful in making sure that these men had absolutely no redeeming qualities that would make them sympathetic to the reader, he was also successful in making sure that they were also completely unbelievable as characters. Hiaasen seems to either not understand, or more likely chose not to deal with the more complicated issue that sometimes people can be reasonably intelligent as well as evil and hateful all at once. I realize that this isn't really the type of book that one reads for deep philosophical ponderings on complex issues, but by making these guys just a bunch of bumbling idiots and thus vastly oversimplifying the issue of hate groups and their mindset, Hiaasen proved how unambitious this book really is. I enjoyed "Lucky You" a lot; I just wish Hiaasen would have at least made some sort of attempt to explore the more complex issue his novel brings up.

Rating:
Summary: Hiaasen at his silly best!
Review: About ten times while reading this book - I wanted to toss it across the room and SCREAM! Why? Because NO ONE should write so doggone well! Mr. Hiaasen is silly, irreverent, and a pure genius. His pokes at religious zelots and redneck militia men will leave you clutching your sides and gasping for breath. Have tissues handy - you will probably have to keep wiping the tears from your eyes to get through this one. Carl? You are the incredible - crazy - but incredible! And I love ya ...

Rating:
Summary: Salvation through Turtles
Review: After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to connect with Hiaasen's writing style, this one did it for me. Wacky and weird, it's kind of like reading a Fellini movie...set in Florida. I'm not going to give the plot away, the unfolding of the craziness is most of the fun, but hold onto your seat, you're in for a ride. There are characters, normal, weird, and off-the-scale, that should delight everyone in some way. What was most satisfying about this book was.....in the end....everyone got what they deserved. And in these days, where it seems like the bad guys always win, that in itself is a lot to be savored.

Rating:
Summary: Get Rich Quick Fever Wrecks Havoc on Scammers!
Review: Do you play the lottery? If so, you'll feel an affinity with appropriately named, JoLayne Lucks, the heroine of this novel.

How would your life be changed if you suddenly won $14 million? Naturally, you would find good use for it. But what negative consequences would follow? If you favor your privacy, personal safety and sanity, you will find Lucky You presents a living nightmare of all the things that can go wrong.

Naturally, lottery winners become targets for all kinds of fraud. In fact, some will even try to claim that they own the winning tickets. But how often do envious people actually try to steal the ticket? That's the premise of this book.

The plot line though is merely an excuse for the ever satirical Mr. Hiaasen to unloose his humor on those who operate beyond the fringes of legal and ethical behavior including purveyors of fake religious miracles, crooked officials, cheating spouses, white supremacists, racists, the mob, counterfeiters and thieves. In addition, the humor spills over to include those who marry too quickly and unwisely, overeager managers and law clerks, and the overconfidence of men. Those who enjoy reading about writing will be thrilled by the many satirical references in the book to the degradation of the written word in small town newspapers.

Mr. Hiaasen is at his best when he focuses narrowly on fields of endeavor that he knows well. There his humor is sharp, on target and original. When he moves outside of his arena, the humor moves into burlesque and broad strokes that tend to belabor an obvious point past its potential. That's the weakness of this book. He's mostly off solid ground for his humor. Because his targets are people for whom we feel little sympathy, the humor sort of works.

This book contains one of Mr. Hiaasen's favorite themes: the significance of natural beauty being marred by greedy people. But there's no Skink here to take the story line to its usual brilliant potential.

If you are, however, a fan of Mr. Hiaasen, I definitely recommend this book to you. Just realize that this isn't one of his most brilliant efforts.

Appreciate what you have and live in harmony!

Rating:
Summary: How unlucky.....
Review: How unlucky I was to read this book. Even more unfortunate was that Carl Hiaasen wrote it. I have enjoyed his books in the past, with their quips about the encroaching forces from the North that are constantly eroding our beautiful Florida environment. However, this book starts off slow with an unbelievably wild string of events and just gets stranger.

Hiaasen has never been known for down-to-earth writing, but this one just gets a little too fantastic - and BORING! His deification of the newspaper business is out of hand. The characters, while wild as usual, don't quite make sense. I kept expecting fun and exciting to happen - all the way to the disappointing end.

Why 3 stars?:
There are much better action/adventure books out there about South Florida and its crooked politicians. Most can only be appreciated by those who live "South of the Lake" and most were written by Carl Hiaasen himself. This book lacks the coherent quality of writing that I search for in a good novel. If I were you I would pass. Still, it is entertaining on a lower level, it would be much better to read a few chapters and put aside - there's no complicated plot line to forget so you'll be alright.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: I found this book to be very good, considering one of the only reason I read it was because two of my friends tried it, and did not like it. It was a wee bit excessive with the swearing (about five swears per page, including the f-, s-, b-, and d- word), but the plot made up for that. By the end of the book, all the loose ends had been tied up, so one is not left hanging. The only problem would be if the reader was sensitive to racist words. Of course, the two "bad guys" are white supremacists and they use racist words, so it must be done to get the correct redneck vibe. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fiction novel, and does not mind a handful of cussing. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I hit the jackpot
Review: I had never read a book by this author before, trust me it will not be my last. The characters are all incredibly funny and fun to read.

The basic plot runs like this a peaceful veterinarian in the town of Grange Florida has just won the lottery 14 million dollars. She is a women and black. Nothing big ever goes on in her quite little town except for the busloads of tourists coming to view the local favored religious shrines.

There would not be story without a conflict which arrives in a pair of two skinheads who just so happen to have the other winning lottery ticket. The two racists steal the ticket and rough her up.

Now she has to get it back, with help from an investigative reporter, a friend in the ATF and a waitress at Hooter's.

My impression-I liked the characters, some of the one-liners are classic. The book would not be as good if the author were not as prolific but mystery writers as a general rule have to be. The book is not without flaws the largest of which is that it is too long in my view but the conclusion does not feel rushed or convenient.

If enjoy a good fun read treat yourself to this

Rating:
Summary: I hit the jackpot
Review: I had never read a book by this author before, trust me it will not be my last. The characters are all incredibly funny and fun to read.

The basic plot runs like this a peaceful veterinarian in the town of Grange Florida has just won the lottery 14 million dollars. She is a women and black. Nothing big ever goes on in her quite little town except for the busloads of tourists coming to view the local favored religious shrines.

There would not be story without a conflict which arrives in a pair of two skinheads who just so happen to have the other winning lottery ticket. The two racists steal the ticket and rough her up.

Now she has to get it back, with help from an investigative reporter, a friend in the ATF and a waitress at Hooter's.

My impression-I liked the characters, some of the one-liners are classic. The book would not be as good if the author were not as prolific but mystery writers as a general rule have to be. The book is not without flaws the largest of which is that it is too long in my view but the conclusion does not feel rushed or convenient.

If enjoy a good fun read treat yourself to this

Rating:
Summary: Predictable Hiaasen Continues to Entertain
Review: Like clockwork, Carl Hiaasen delivers a book every two years chock-full of the oddest characters in the Sunshine State. "Lucky You" does not depart from that formula, providing a story full of rednecks, reporters, Hooters waitresses, and other assorted odd Floridians. While it doesn't pack the pure laugh power of "Skin Tight" or "Native Tongue," it proves to be an enjoyable ride.

The biggest criticism I can think of is that Hiaasen takes no chances with this story. His common themes (the environment, dumb criminal rednecks, smart-assed reporters) are all in evidence, just as they were in most of his previous works. Yet, the basic formula continues to entertain, for Hiaasen is a master of delivering a story at a breakneck pace. My only question is how much longer can he continue to write what is basically the same story?

"Lucky You" is the story of two winning lottery tickets and the people who are lucky enough to own them. One of them, JoLayne Lucks, is a small-town vet's assistant who wants to use the money for altruistic purposes. The other, Bode Gazzer, is a career criminal and would-be militia participant, who wants to arm himself and his sidekick for the impending NATO invasion. JoLayne and Bode come together in one horrifying moment, and for the rest of the book, we learn what happened and why JoLayne wants to catch up with Bode and his sidekick.

To reveal more of the plot would be to ruin many of the twists that make Carl Hiaasen as enjoyable as he is. If you're a Carl Hiaasen fan, you might not love this book, but you'll find yourself laughing out loud. If you've never read any of Hiaasen's previous works, "Lucky You" might not be the one you want to start with, but it shouldn't be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Lucky You! You Found a Sensational Read!
Review: This is my second Hiaasen novel after reading the sensational novel Sick Puppy and this was just as enjoyable. Hiaasen has a knack for novels where the stupid an immoral get their comeuppance and the reader gets lots of laughs and satisfaction along the way. I'm going straight to the bookstore and getting another Hiaasen novel as soon as I've finished this review, he's that good!

JoLayne Lucks works as a vet in a small Florida town called Grange. Grange's town folk are a bit eccentric and not opposed to conning passing travellers to stop by and see their Madonna statue weep, the oil stain Jesus or marvel at the electric drilled hand and foot holes that are supposed to be a mark of the crucifixion. JoLayne couldn't be more opposite, she turned down a higher paying career in hospitals to help out animals and recently rescued 45 turtles from land which was going to be turned into a shopping mall. One day she wins the lottery, unfortunately so do a couple of redneck low IQ'd racists who can not see any reason why they should have to split their winnings, so after a violent assault take JoLayne's ticket as well. Accompanied by a disillusioned journalist JoLayne is determined to get the ticket back before it is cashed in. What follows is a fast paced adventure through the state of Florida where you'll laugh and smile as various con artists, corrupt officials and others get what they so richly deserve.