'Lucky Us': Has Amy Bloom written this summer's biggest novel?
The novel 鈥淟ucky Us鈥� by Amy Bloom is shaping up to be a critical hit of the summer.
The novel by 鈥淎way鈥� author Bloom, which was released on July 29, follows two half-sisters 鈥� Iris, who wants to be an actress, and Eva 鈥� who travel across the US during the 1940s, meeting wealthy Long Islanders, Hollywood stars, and more along the way.
It was selected as one of the 10 best books of August by Amazon. 鈥淭here are a lot of interesting characters,鈥� Amazon editorial director Sara Nelson said of the novel. 鈥淲hat [Bloom] is great at is the language, the idioms of the time.鈥澛�
鈥淟ucky US鈥� also earned a place on the list for August, with Carol Schneck Varner of Schuler Books & Music writing, 鈥淰ivid and satisfying鈥�. Bloom gives us lively, unforgettable characters who are so warm, human, and irrepressible that they transcend even the darkest events of their lives. I loved this novel!鈥澛�
Other positive reviews have included one by critic Janet Maslin, who noted that the opening lines of the book (鈥淢y father鈥檚 wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us.鈥�) are 鈥渄estined to be quoted in many a classroom for their perfection.鈥澛�
鈥淸Bloom] writes sharp, sparsely beautiful scenes that excitingly defy expectation, and part of the pleasure of reading her is simply keeping up with her,鈥� she wrote.聽
Meanwhile, critic Marie Arana wrote that 鈥淚f America has a Victor Hugo, it is Amy Bloom, whose picaresque novels roam the world, plumb the human heart and send characters into wild roulettes of kismet and calamity鈥�. Amy Bloom 鈥� wins you from the first with her narrative confidence. There are few American novelists writing today who can spin a yarn as winningly.鈥澛�
And critic Kevin Nance called it 鈥渇unny, slight, delightfully blithe鈥� .Lucky Us聽feels as if it were written as an extended improvisation, without much worry about how the pieces fit together鈥�., Even more than that,聽Lucky Us聽is about Bloom's uncanny ability to conjure the tone of the war years鈥�. Lucky Us聽remains a tasty summer read that will leave you smiling.鈥�
However, writer David L. Ulin was less won over, writing that 鈥淟ucky Us鈥� 鈥渦nfolds with a distressing lack of friction, leaving us with little about which to care鈥�. Bloom's tone throughout the book 鈥� is oddly flat and on-the-surface鈥�. We don't believe [the book], not enough.鈥�
